Harvest Seasonal Grill - Lancaster — Restaurant in Manheim Township

Went to Dinner tonight 8/2 for my Birthday. As a couple who was cursed with a Severe Gluten Free allergy since getting Covid Jan 2023, we have not really been out to eat since. Not only MUST we eat Gluten Free, but my husband especially has major issues with cross contamination...When I mean major, I mean a crumb can put him on bed rest. A plate that has once touched gluten could even give him a rash. Eating out has not been kind to us, or even really possible since the diagnosis. Tonight we wanted to try here because we heard they had a GF area in the kitchen and were very understanding of food allergies///Gluten/Dairy/Vegan etc.... I figured, if we were going to bite the bullet, other than somewhere like ((Chellas Arepas)) which is entirely GF menu, we would try Harvest Seasonal Grill of Lancaster. They have an allergy codex, separate pots and pans, prep areas and fryers. What a pleasant surprise it was from atmosphere, to food, to dessert flights to mocktails and GF beer options! We felt safe, especially once our waiter/server Brett took us under his wing! He really understood our food restrictions and issues and made us feel comfortable and was very knowledgeable. He kept conversation light and made jokes which put us in a great mood, while being a little anxious at first. We ordered Mediterranean Beef sticks for an appetizer. Delish. My husband had the Ahi Tuna Steak with jasmine rice and I had the Halibut over eggplant and ricotta with zucchini blossom fritters. Everything was superb and so fresh. Gordon Ramsey himself would have been proud over plating and flavors. Brett checked on us a lot which was great because it made us feel even better about our decision. No rashes, no stomach issues, no anything! Just clean, wonderful allergen free food. It made us so happy we could have almost cried. When not being able to go out to eat like a normal couple, or not being able to enjoy food out, this really shook us to our core in a good way. We even made room for dessert, lil XL large shot glasses full of GF salted caramel chocolate mousse and Blackberry Crumble with whipped cream! Def going back, so so worth it! Also another shout out to Brett who inspected the plating and silverware for any ounce of anything that could have cross contaminated our plates. He really cares about his job and his guests. While the food was so good, sometimes the servers really shine. Thank you Brett. Thank you Harvest Seasonal, Cannot wait till we come again!!!...

I have Celiac and we have been coming here regularly for the past 2 -3 years. We probably eat here on average 2x per month. Service used to be great and good food but it has noticeably and significantly gone downhill in service and food quality in the past few months. The past three times we were here service was unpleasant. It takes a while to order, we were not checked on during our meal if everything was ok at all. Staff honestly just seemed annoyed by everything. The last two times we observed multiple staff huddled in the corner by the bar complaining. Dishes were piling up at the bar because they said they were not doing them. The time before this everyone disappeared into a room for a meeting and we waited long to get the check from anyone. It is strange how there are so many workers but service is so bad. It seems like a management issue where servers are obviously really unhappy and quality is suffering. Another worker was spitting something into the trash can behind the bar, which was just gross while eating. They always seem to be busy prepping stuff rather than taking care of customers. The food is not good anymore. Chicken is rubbery, seems to be re-heated. Sandwich was burnt and sauces still frozen. It makes me question the safety of food, because I could easily see a mess up happening here as everything is so careless. I don't mind paying higher prices for food having a dietary restriction, but I expect something somewhat decent and that I feel safe eating. I used to recommend this place to others who needed gluten free but I won't anymore and I won't be coming back for a very long time, if at all. It's sad because it was good and it is nice to have a place to go that recognizes allergies. It seems their mission has gone to the side and they just expect people will keep coming because that is the food they need. I am not one to write reviews, but want to discourage anyone else who needs gluten free from wasting time and money here. Hopefully it will...

A few weeks ago we were in the Lancaster area shopping and decided to give Harvest a try. Our server Marina was charming and engaging, extremely knowledgable about the menu and local sourcing and an absolute pleasure to have a conversation with.

My wife ordered a flatbread and was very pleased with the quality and taste. Unfortunately, my first selection wasn't as satisfying. I ordered a fish entree (simply can't remember the species) but the fact it was served "Oscar" style with asparagus was appealing. The first dish they brought out the entree was warm but the hollandaise was cold. Not lukewarm, cold. They quickly brought out another and the opposite effect was that the sauce was very warm, but the fish was cold. I decided on a different selection, one of my favorite fallbacks, a grilled chicken sandwich. It was one of the most delicious, tasty sandwiches I've had in quite a while, and I found myself wishing I had ordered it in the first place.

Whenever food is not up to my expectations I make certain to let the server know I am not in any way upset with them. To their credit, they tried to correct the issue and when they didn’t they comp'd me for the chicken. I don't EVER expect anything free. Marina handled the situation with charm and grace. When she asked us to select a dessert item on her we ordered a mousse (to the best of my memory). When she brought it to the table she deadpanned, "And now for the portion of the meal that's supposed to be cold . . . !" We thought that was an absolutely hilarious comment, and demonstrated her sharp wit and an uncanny sense of humor!

Generally this experience would have generated 4 stars from me but Marina, YOU NAILED IT!

As a top 10% reviewer of all eateries on Google with over 3 million views - you can’t go wrong at Harvest unless...