Hocking Hills, Ohio offers plenty to do, from hiking and exploring caves and waterfalls to kayaking, tubing or ziplining. All of that activity makes you hungry, and the area doesn’t disappoint, with several delicious options to choose from.
Down-home southern cooking is plentiful here, along with a few elevated choices – and you can even experience fine dining over a six-course formal meal in a Scottish Inn. I have visited Hocking Hills twice recently and here are the restaurants that stood out to me.
The writer was hosted at some of these restaurants.
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Millstone Southern Smoked BBQ
- The Food: Southern comfort food with a focus on BBQ. Menu options include steaks, burgers, BBQ ribs, pulled pork or chicken, BBQ meatloaf and salads. Mini cornbread muffins are served for the table.
- The Vibe: Comfortable and relaxed. We wore shorts and t-shirts and fit right in.
- Best For: Anyone who loves Southern BBQ. They offer 99-cent kids’ meals on Wednesdays.
- Food and Drink Favorites: Their pulled pork sandwich was delicious. We also liked the Texas Trio, where you choose 3 different sliders. Sides include fries (really good!) and broccoli. My friend’s serving of broccoli was so large that it allowed her to share with the rest of us. Our hands-down favorite was the mini cornbread muffins.
- Facts: Prices are generally in the $15-$25 range. They’re open until 9 pm on weekdays and Sundays, and until 10:30 pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
- Location: 12790 Grey Street, Logan, OH 43138
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Valley View Hills Winery
- The Food: Mix of salads, sandwiches and pizzas. Beverages include beers and ciders, along with their signature wines. Their wine flight is a great option for tasting four different varieties.
- The Vibe: Sort of a classy casual. I felt a bit underdressed in shorts and a t-shirt, but I wasn’t the only one dressed casually by any means. There is both indoor and patio seating. Live musicians perform on many weekend evenings, and the music can get very loud if you’re sitting inside.
- Best For: Wine lovers, although I don’t drink and still greatly enjoyed the food and atmosphere. We did see families with older kids there, but it’s probably not the best option for smaller children. They do not have a kids’ menu but do have several non-alcoholic beverage options.
- Food and Drink Favorites: I enjoyed the pepperoni pizza, and the Hawaiian pizza was also a big hit. Two of my friends tried the wine flights and loved several of the fruity options.
- Facts: Pizzas range from $18 to $24 and can be easily shared by two people. The wine flight costs $12, which was a great bargain for tasting multiple wines at a reasonable cost.
- Location: 29176 Klump Rd, Sugar Grove, Ohio 43155
SheBuysTravel Tip: Valley View also offers cabin rentals, which is where my friends and I stayed on our trip. The cabin was roomy and comfortable, but the driveway to our cabin was very steep and twisty. Be prepared for narrow, windy roads in general in this area.
Glenlaurel Scottish Inn & Cottages
- The Food: The menu for the six or seven-course dinner is set daily by the chef, based on available ingredients. We had the option to choose our protein (most chose beef, I opted for salmon), and then the rest of the courses were on the set menu.
- The Vibe: This Scottish Inn offers formal breakfast and dinner experiences to the public, provided space is available. The two-hour dinner begins with a poetry reading. This is fine dining with real china and glassware, and multiple forks.
- Best For: Adults. Children aren’t allowed, and the formal dining setting isn’t something most kids would enjoy or easily sit through.
- Food and Drink Favorites: Every course was small, but just enough to fill you up before the next. The meal is leisurely, so plan at least a couple of hours. I tasted dishes here that I’d never tried before (some I’d never heard of), and every one was delicious. Wine was served and paired with the various courses throughout the meal.
- Facts: The six-course dinner is $95/person. Seating for the public is only available on a limited basis, and reservations are required.
- Location: 14940 Mount Olive RD | Rockbridge, OH 43149-9736
SheBuysTravel Tip: This dinner is only available to the public if registered guests decline their option for that night’s dinner. If you’re not staying at Glenlaurel, it’s best to call early and be put on the waiting list if you want to dine here.
Chef Moe’s on Main
- The Food: One-of-a-kind, southern hospitality combined with a tasty fusion of northern and southern Ohio flavors.
- The Vibe: Very homey and casual. The restaurant is located in the basement of the downtown Logan PNC bank, so it can be difficult to find.
- Best For: Everybody
- Food and Drink Favorites: Chef Moe is a force of nature who insisted on serving our group extra entrees to ensure we all had plenty and had the chance to try a variety of menu items, like her delicious BBQ ribs. We also sampled the amazing pies that are served here – my favorites were the Chocolate Volcano Cake and the Peanut Butter Buckeye Pie.
- Facts: Prices are in the $10-$20 range. Chef Moe’s is open for lunch every day but only open for dinner on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. They open at 9 am on Sundays for the breakfast buffet.
- Location: 13 West Main Street, Logan, Ohio (below the PNC bank)
SheBuysTravel Tip: Don’t miss their weekend-only breakfast buffet, which includes all the comfort foods. Come hungry because you will absolutely not leave that way!
The Olde Dutch Restaurant
- The Food: Southern comfort food that you can either order off the menu or from their large all-you-can-eat buffet. The buffet features at least 6 meat options, a soup/salad bar and several pie options are also included.
- The Vibe: Homestyle and kitschy, with a large gift shop that you can browse while waiting for your table. There was a long wait for a table on a Saturday night, but the food was worth it, and we had fun perusing the gift shop while we waited.
- Best For: Anyone. Kids under 3 eat free and kids aged 3-10 eat at a reduced price for the buffet. They also have a separate kids’ menu. This probably isn’t the best choice if you’re looking for vegetarian or vegan options.
- Food and Drink Favorites: We all had the buffet, and I went back for seconds. Their mashed potatoes and stuffing were the best I’ve had in a long time. My friends also liked the chicken and noodles. There were several pie options for dessert, although we were surprised that there is an upcharge for ice cream if you also get pie.
- Facts: The buffet costs $17.49 per person for dinner or $15.49 for lunch. All buffet food must be eaten on-site, but there is an option for carry-out buffet at $9.99/lb. Regular menu prices range from $10-$20 generally, and there is a senior menu for ages 60+. They are open almost every day from 11 am to 8 pm.
- Location: 12791 St. Rt. 664 South, Logan, Ohio 43138
The Ridge Inn Restaurant
- The Food: Breakfast, lunch and dinner. A good mix of salads, sandwiches, burgers and quesadillas. They are well-known for their famous donuts, available Thurs-Sun. They run out quickly, but you can call early and have some set aside for you.
- The Vibe: Casual and comfortable.
- Best For: Anyone
- Food and Drink Favorites: I had a chicken ranch wrap that was so good, and I couldn’t stop eating the fries that came with it. And then, of course, the donuts! These are huge, glazed deliciousness.
- Facts: Prices range from $10-$18. Open 8 am until 8 pm every day except Tuesdays.
- Location: 16178 Pike St., Laurelville, OH 43135
58 West
- The Food: They describe their menu as “casual, elevated food”. Menu options include appetizers, soups/salads, flatbreads, handhelds, steaks and entrees. 58 West is run by Hocking Hills Winery, in partnership with Motherwell Distilling and Hocking Hills Brewing Company, and offers a wide variety of wines, craft beers and cocktails.
- The Vibe: More on the upscale side of casual.
- Best For: Adults and families, especially if you enjoy fine wines and craft beers. They do have a kids’ menu for children under the age of 12.
- Food and Drink Favorites: I had a daily special – the beef stroganoff. The beef was really good, but there wasn’t a ton of it compared to the rice it was served on. Their limoncello cake for dessert was divine, and the whole group enjoyed their soft pretzel shareable.
- Facts: Prices range from $15 to $30 and around $40 for steaks. Kids’ menu items are $10. Beers are $8 each or $10 for a flight. Wines range from $8-$12/glass or $12 for a flight. Cocktails are $12. They are open 11 am to 8 pm on weekdays (closed on Tuesdays) and from 11 am until 10 pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
- Location: 58 W. 2nd St., Logan, OH 43138
Whit’s Frozen Custard
- The Food: Whit’s is known for their frozen custard, but the location in Lancaster also offers some simple lunch options, including hot dogs, panini sandwiches and walking tacos.
- The Vibe: Take your custard to go or hang out in their comfy dining area that has tables and chairs, sofas and a kid-sized table.
- Food and Drink Favorites: The panini was just the right amount of food to stave off hunger and leave plenty of room for desert. My friend loved the custard nachos, with waffle cone chips, custard and toppings to dip them in. The Whitser is a flurry-style dessert that mixes custard and toppings or you can just go with the old standby of custard in a cup or cone.
- Facts: Whit’s is a chain with locations throughout the Midwest. Options and pricing vary by location, but a single scoop of custard in a cup or cone will run you somewhere around $5-8. The Lancaster location is open from 11:30am until 9pm on weekdays, until 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays and until 7pm on Sundays. Check out the online calendar for the Flavor of the Day.
- Location: 213 S Broad Street, Lancaster, OH 43130
Weaver’s Market and Deli
- The Food: Deli meats, cheese and sandwiches. They also sell smoothies, soft pretzels, salads and food trays.
- The Vibe: This is an Amish market that also sells deli items. There is no on-site seating.
- Best For: Sandwich-lovers and anyone who wants to stock up on bulk essentials, mixes or homemade items.
- Food and Drink Favorites: If I lived in this area, I would shop here all the time. We stocked up on dessert options like homemade cookies, candy and hand pies, and took our sandwiches for an after-hike picnic. My turkey sandwich was one of the best I’d had recently, and the lemon hand pie was amazing.
- Facts: Their sandwich meal deal ranges from $6.50 to $9.99. Smoothies are $6, and salads are sold by the pound.
- Location: 12803 OH-664 Scenic, Logan, OH 43138
Hocking Hills Diner
- The Food: American comfort food. They serve a large breakfast menu, along with soups/salads, sandwiches and burgers, wings and entrees such as meatloaf and country fried steak.
- The Vibe: Family-owned diner, comfortable and casual.
- Best For: Anyone. They have a kids’ menu as well as a seniors’ menu.
- Food and Drink Favorites: We had breakfast here and were told we had to try the legendary banana bread French toast. It was really good, but such a huge portion that I wasn’t able to finish it all.
- Facts: Prices generally range from $5-$17. They are open from 6 am to 8 pm every day except Sundays, when they close at 4 pm.
- Location: 2217 E Front St, Logan, OH 43138
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