City Seafood and Steak House — Restaurant in Mahanoy City

On the way to our sons 7pm football game in the town of Mahanoy, PA we decided to have dinner on the road. Being transplants from NY and never hearing of this town we didn't know what we would find. After passing a few places that didn't seem appropriate for family dining we considered ourselves lucky when we happened upon City Seafood & Steak Restaurant. Inside we found a nicely appointed dining room that had the old chalk board menu reminiscent of the old time fish restaurants found in NYC's Old Fulton Fish Market area. This is a family operation Mom and Pop joint where the wife, Cheryl, runs the dining room and her husband Jim, the kitchen. Now Cheryl is the personality behind the operation while her husband Jim has mastered the art of cooking some of the finest freshest fish we've had in a long time. Coming from a city, New York, that has more Zagat reviewed restaurants than just about any other city in the world, and being a bit of a chef myself I can honestly say that Jim has mastered the art of preparing seafood following his Mothers and Grandmothers recipes. One degree too hot or one second too long ruins a fish dish. My palette was drawn to the crab au gratin a creamy dish made with fresh lump crab. My wife and son had the stuffed flounder fillet a nice portion of flounder with a delicate stuffing that did not overpower the flavor of the fish. Our youngest being a carnivore had the NY strip a cut of angus steer cooked to flavorful perfection that I made him share with me. Now my only criticism of this establishment is I would've loved to meet Jim for it is okay to come out of the kitchen and accept the praise of your customers when you prepare meals of this standing. Luckily Cheryl's big personality made up for that. I would highly recommend if your ever in the area to stop by and enjoy seafood prepared to perfection. Thank you for a wonderful meal, M&M...

We were camping in nearby Locust Lake State Park, and looking for a decent dinner on a Monday evening, when many restaurants in the area are closed. We didn't want the usual burger/sandwiches/pizza menu, and this place looked promising so we drove over. We almost didn't stop because the entire front of the restaurant was blocked by yellow tape, but I could tell it was probably because the sidewalk had been recently resealed. Drove around the corner and saw a guy standing in the doorway of a sub shop so I asked him about the restaurant. He said it was open and we could get in by going through the sub shop, so we parked and went in.

We were very skeptical at first - the place was empty and the owner (the guy who was standing in the doorway) had to turn on the lights for us. It all seemed rather sketchy but the owner was very friendly and persuaded us to stay, guaranteeing us an excellent meal. Then he told us it was BYOB (despite the beer paraphernalia on the walls), suggested we could get beers to go from across the street. When we hesitated, he kindly offered us a couple of cold cans of suds from his private supply, on the house.

I had the baked crab au gratin, my wife had Chilean sea bass, both with baked potatoes and a side salad. All the food was really quite well made and delicious, and needless to say the service was excellent, since we were the only ones there (and probably the only customers that day).

A great example of why you shouldn't judge a restaurant based on a first impression - you might miss a great meal and a...

my fiance and I came to this restaurant a few weeks ago..I never knew how unbelievable the food would be..I had to try the filet , which was like butter in your mouth and the flavor..hmmph probably as great if not better than the world renowned steak houses in Vegas! My fiance had tried the crab au grautin , which he loved..also tried the lobster bisque soup and the stuffed mushrooms that were hands down the best i ever had. I am a FREQUENT fine diner and a darn good cook personally. That is why I HIGHLY recommend this place..oh and did i mention the ambience and service???? Bellissimo! I have already promoted this to tons of friends....Give yourself one the best experiences and food...