Heisey’s Diner – Pie and Other Delights!

2019 Update: Heisey's continues to be open!

Original 2017 Writeup:

Heisey’s diner Lebanon PA was recommended to me by fellow diner pal Kyle Weaver. He’s one of the authors of the second edition of the book Diners of Pennsylvania , a valuable resource I rely on, so I knew he knew what he was talking about.

Upon pulling into the parking lot I spied the vintage diner shining under a shingled roof, it’s bright red Flexglas glistening in the sun (also known as Flex-glass, or Flex Glas it is the official diner-y name for those reflective tiles that make up the bands of color fitted into the horizontal ribs of many a vintage stainless steel diner.)

Heisey’s is a 1951 O’Mahony built diner. As was common in the diner world, it replaced an earlier style smaller diner, Sprecher’s. You can see historic photos of both Sprecher's and the evolution of Heisey's in the wonderful framed photos in the back vestibule.

This diner upgrade with the addition of a dining room was a big deal and made newspaper headlines in the area.

In 1968 the Heisey family purchased Sprecher’s and today their son Gary owns the restaurant. As you will learn en route to the restrooms, the diner is not just the diner itself, but has expanded to a sprawling combination of multiple dining rooms - and a bar - to accommodate customer parties of every size and style.

We of course, sit in the diner-proper, which was bustling on a Saturday morning. While we ordered breakfast and had no complaints with it, I was positively distracted by the homemade pies displayed in the case behind the counter. Mod Betty is a pie fan, so seeing all these sweets and not giving in was a testament to her willpower.

Kyle recommends the raisin pie (a nod to the Pennsylvania Dutch leaning menu in these parts) but I would not have been able to decide, instead asking for a slice of each. They all look so good!

Open 7 days a week starting at 6am, they have expanded even more to include patio seating and there’s plenty of parking. Lebanon is lucky to have 2 authentic vintage diners in town (Mel’s being the other) so plan your eating accordingly so you can go to both!)

And if you're so inclined to learn more about the Diners of PA, consider adding the book to your library!