Gibraltar Restaurant — Restaurant in Manheim Township

This was our first time at Gibraltar. The restaurant is situated in a newer-style, combination shopping/living area. My wife and I met friends for dinner, arriving before they did by roughly 15 minutes. We entered the restaurant early. The greeter was pleasant, but somewhat direct and dismissive, quickly turning his attention to a hostess, who quickly, but amiably, directed us to our table. The environment was pleasant, darkened for the evening, accented by soft lighting, and set the tone for a nice meal. Known for their libations as well as their fare, Gibraltar's offers a well-stocked bar, situated on the immediate left of the restaurant. As indicated by the drink menu, the bar features top-shelf liquor, including rare single-malt whiskies and vintages. The bar appeared spacious yet intimate. Open air seating is available. However, we dined on a colder evening when outdoor seating wasn't in use. The restaurant was full, with seating spaced well enough that you didn't feel crowded in what was essentially a relatively small space (at least in the dining area closest to the roadside). The tables, hardwood, were nice, the place settings elegantly reserved and functional. Our chairs, while serving their purpose, needed an assist. The seat padding, comfortable enough, "gave"/collapsed a great deal. Most notably, the chair frames wobbled. I am 195lbs. My wife much less. The chair frames simply were not stable. I made due. My wife's chair needed replaced... an issue for which our server (who arrived quickly, welcomed us, and introduced himself) apologized and immediately addressed. The replacement chair was only slightly more stable. Our server, asked if we awaited anyone else (we were, which he acknowledged, expertly stepping us through the beverage/drink menu and house specials) and took our drink orders. My drink, a simple Hendricks and tonic with cucumber, was perfect. My wife's drink was not what she requested. Our server apologized, noted that we wouldn't be charged for the drink, asked if we'd like to keep it since they'd dispose of it anyway (I did and thought it was delicious), and set about getting the right drink. The drink arrived (a specialty margarita) and, while correct, per my wife, was simply okay. (Having sampled her drink, I thought it was spot on). Our friends arrived, and our server immediately attended. Our friends insisted that we try the duck fat fries and ordered them for the table (delicious). My wife agreed. She and I both ordered the filet -- our friends, the speghettini and the salmon, which they had in the past and loved. My wife thought the food was good, but having been raised in a more affluent family, and having experienced various levels of cuisine worldwide, said that the price wasn't justified. For my part, I thought the filet was spectacular... a true medium rare -- flame kissed/seared with the flavorful juices sealed in the cut. It is difficult, although not impossible, in the Lancaster area to get a cut prepared to perfection. This one was. The knife slid through the cut easily. The light seasoning/flavor let the meat speak for itself. The asparagus was nicely prepared, with the perfect texture and bite. The whipped potatoes were flavorful and soft on the palate. In my humble opinion, Chef Carl outdid himself. Toward the end of the meal, I needed to excuse myself to make use of the facilities. In finer dining, I believe that the experience should be "fine" from start to finish. This includes the facilities, which, while clean, were lack-luster. Yes, I know... it's a washroom. However, for a restaurant with Gibraltar's somewhat higher-end reputation in the Lancaster area, I expected better facility amenities and adornments. C'est la vie... it served its purpose. Having finished our meal, our greeter thanked us for dining. We paid and left. Overall, it was a wonderful evening of fine food, good drink, and great conversation, at an understandably...

I ate here before a few times and was never a fan. It's been a year or so since I have so we decided again. Worst food ever and was completely reminded why I didn't like it here. The chicken dish was 100% BOILED chicken! You could smell it as soon as the server began to place it in front of me at the bar. Not even a drop of salt, no flavor just boiled chicken. Two fingerling potatoes cut into 4 and 4 small slices of zucchini. I am no stranger to great restaurants, ate Michelin a few times so we don't mind paying for GOOD food but this was inexcusable. My husband's crab cake was burnt and his swordfish had no salt what so ever, no flavor. When I say we had to swallow down the food with our cocktails that is no exaggeration. Although not his profession my husband cooks as well so we are by far no strangers to great food. He made a review in which the manager had seemed empathetic but now this morning, July14th I hear my husband in his office around 8:15am in what seemed a confrontational conversation and it was the actual owner being unnecessarily confrontational with my husband over his right to his own opinion on a dinner we paid for and not once asked for a refund or even made a scene in the restaurant. The bar was sort of smelly and definitely not the cleanest. If I could give this place ZERO stars I would! Save your money and go where the food is good and business is APPRECIATED! I am a foodie so I am constantly taking photos for social media to share with others. I didn't take not one photo of our food, not one! It wasn't even worth pulling my phone out of my purse. Trust me, go elsewhere.

*UPDATE July 15th 2025 *

The reply back to me seeming concerned and sincere is BS! The owner called my husband super confrontational and even told him he was BANNED from the restaurant because of his review. Mind you, we'd NEVER return anyways and surely passing the word both in person and social media platforms but the audacity to BAN someone simply because they posted an home review. Good business would say "how can we make this right" this place is absolutely unbelievable and FAKE! I'm watching my CC statement as well because I see two charges from this place. Both are $165.96 one dated the 12th which is pending and the other posted for $165.96. We were there on the 12th so I am waiting to see if they...

To start, the restaurant was maybe a quarter full on a Monday at 7:30 and we had to wait "just 5 minutes" for a table, which was more like 30. The table was in the corner next to a large group of people and it was so loud we could hardly hear each other or the waiter. The waiter was nice but inexperienced and I would expect more experienced waiters for the price of the restaurant. The service was slow and the food was boring. After we had our appetizer and salad we waited at least 30 or 45 minutes to get our entrees, which were served at luke warm temperature. The special, which was bacon wrapped halibut, was overcooked and dry. My seared sea scallops were oddly flavored and the cauliflower purée was awful and bland. May I add that this is advertised as a Mediterranean restaurant and there is NOTHING on the menu that is Mediterranean. No hummus, lamb, pitas, tzatziki, or even anything seasoned with mint or rosemary! Bacon and corn are never seen in Mediterranean meals and they were all over the menu! Not to mention an entree that had sriracha and crispy wontons. To end the meal, they give you complementary limoncello cordials while you look over the dessert menu. They were so bad I was gagging for 10 minutes after I had a sip! They taste like maalox mixed with lemon drops and a bit of nyquil. We had to flag our waiter down after 10 minutes of waiting just to get our check. We were in the restaurant for 2 and a half hours. That is a ridiculous amount of time, and most of that was spent waiting for service of some kind, not because we wanted to stay there. The restaurant is incredibly noisy and has nothing to dampen the sound so everything echoes off the walls, and makes it hard to hold a conversation. I will never be going back here. It was a huge disappointment and an even bigger...