The Jigger Shop — Restaurant in Mount Gretna

You see the plate in this picture with remnants of ketchup on it. That ketchup was the best part of my meal.

Why? Because it’s hard to screw up ketchup. I'm not gonna lie. The hamburger I had at this place was undoubtedly one of the worst I've ever had in my entire life.

Literally for the price, it was a freaking joke. A $1.00 McDonald's hamburger, which I would NEVER EAT unless I had NO other options, would taste better not to mention be a better value.

Here's the straight dope...

We had a party of 14 people who all had different items. I had high hopes when we arrived. The location is in the beautiful, wooded region called Mount Gretna. It’s a lovely area, rustic, primitive, quaint.

The menu looked interesting and included some stuff you see everywhere, but offered clever twists to make the common uncommon, like PULLED PORK CHEESE STEAK and a GRILLED BLACKENED CAJUN CRABCAKE.

I eat Kosher so I opted for the IRON FURNACE BURGER. That is described as a Lean burger on a roll with peanut butter, onion, mayo and jalapeños. It sounded like an adventure that might match the vibe. I added an order of the sweet potato fries because - well, slow carbs ya’ll!

When my order came out, what I expected was to see a generous sized bun, thick burger overflowing with toppings. What I got instead was a burger that looked like something from a kids menu, a scant helping of jalapeños, so little peanut butter as to not even be discernable – and an entire slice of raw white onion.

And I do mean an entire section…a disc containing every layer from outermost ring to inner core. In fact, it was a tie as to what was bigger. The onion or the patty.

Just for context, I’m not some glutton who expects giant sized dishes. I’m 5’7, 156 pounds I train regularly and average 10% bodyfat so when I say this burger was small…I’m not exaggerating.

On top of that, the diminutive piece of cow was so overcooked it had no moisture and it was equaled only by the fries which were also overcooked to the point of looking almost burnt. Terrible.

When I complained, I got an “I’m sorry to hear that” and no offer of replacement.

Now, based on the fact that there were 14 of us, not everyone had a terrible meal.

Here’s what you CAN order.

Grilled chicken salad. The chicken breast was fresh and while it was served over fresh ICEBERG lettuce it was a generous portion and my sister-in-law enjoyed it.

The same goes for the stuffed tomato (stuffed with chicken salad) the JIGGER SHOP BEEF CHEESE STEAK and the All American Dog.

Those entrees seemed to be adult sized portions. LOL.

The only redeeming experience was the ice cream. The wife and I shared bananas foster which was well done. The kids at the counter are friendly, and the ones handling the ice cream bust their butts.

However, if this were my restaurant, I’d be embarrassed to put a meal as pathetic as the one I received on a customer’s table. It was a hell of a long drive from Manheim to experience that disappointment.

Note to management, let me know when you decide to make ALL your dishes worthy of the environment your guests are sitting in. Maybe I’ll...

A very nice quaint ice cream joint right next to the Lebanon Valley trail which is a rail to trail path. From what I understand, Mt. Gretna is a more resort type community where many people have summer homes and stuff like that. Regardless, this is definitely the place to go in the area for lunch and some delicious ice cream. I usually bike from Lancaster county where the rail to trail starts and then bike to Mt. Gretna for a bite to eat. When I'm done, I go bike back and burn off all of those calories! It's really nice because on the way there, it's very slightly uphill, but coming back from Mt. Gretna, it is very slightly uphill, so it's a more relaxing ride back. In any case, the Jigger shop is always the highlight of the ride because on the way there, you can't stop thinking about how good the food and ice cream will taste and going back, you're reveling in how good the food did taste and how it was such a nice day. I highly recommend anyone to come out and have a taste of the Jigger shop! Just a fair warning, with mask mandates being lifted and people travelling more, the line for ice cream was especially long (that being said, it was also Memorial Day when I went, so that could have something to...

Ice cream, milkshakes, and floats are the only reason you should go here. The atmosphere and the restaurant are nostalgic and a great setting in Mt Gretna. However If you go for the food you are in for a BAD expensive surprise. The sweet potato fries were awesome but everything else is literally out of a frozen bag and heated in the microwave INCLUDING the burger. How do you mess up a burger? For all you people raving about the food, have you never been exposed to real food in a city with good prices? The crabcake sandwich was all stuffing with ole bay seasoning on a bun. Huh? The lemonade on the other hand was pressed right on the spot and delicious. The flounder sandwich? You guessed it, frozen bag to microwave. And we are talking $12+ per sandwich and a $50 lunch bill before even getting dessert in a separate line. This food sucked. This restaurant could have such a great lunch menu and value if you would do it right but you choose to pull a fast one on families with kids who usually eat whatever. I won't eat here again. Prices were insane. Stick to the ice cream line. The vanilla milkshake and the bananas foster...