Readers voted this new-look hotel Centre County’s best new business. See 2024’s results
From local restaurants to national chains, dozens of businesses opened in Centre County this year and left a mark on some customers. But which ventures were our readers’ favorites from 2024?
After polling Centre Daily Times readers over the last week, it’s official: The new-look Nittany Lion Inn’s restaurants and quick-service kiosks are our audience’s favorite new business of 2024.
The on-campus hotel’s new offerings received 36% of the vote in our poll to beat out a tie for second place between the Flour & Stone restaurant in Pine Grove Mills and Centre Markets’ brick-and-mortar store at the Nittany Mall. The Junction 144 restaurant and Taproot Kitchen followed in third and fourth place, respectively.
After reopening this year following a major renovation project, the Nittany Lion Inn now offers several dining options for its guests. Up first is Dear Joe: Cafe and Bakery, which serves locally sourced coffee, house-made pastries and other grab-and-go items from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily.
Nittany Lion Inn guests with a larger appetite might visit Triplett’s, a more casual bar and grill restaurant named for pioneer Penn State football star Wally Triplett. Menu offerings include bison meatballs, crab cakes, beef and brisket burgers, corned beef and pastrami sandwiches and a wide range of cocktails, beer and wine. Kitchen hours stretch from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, while the bar is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 11 a.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
Lionne, the inn’s dinner-only restaurant, offers a more upscale experience for guests hoping to dine on filet mignon, Alaskan salmon, scallops and other main-course dishes. The restaurant is open from 4 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 4 to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, while the nearby 1855 Lounge is closed on Mondays but operates its kitchen from 4 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and opens its bar from 4 to 10 p.m. on Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursdays and from 4 to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Flour & Stone, located at 125 E. Pine Grove Road in Pine Grove Mills, opened in August as the farm-to-table sister restaurant of Pine Grove Hall, which also received a facelift with a new, more casual menu. Open from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, Flour & Stone’s menu features seared swordfish, short rib gnocchi, sirloin steak and more.
Centre Markets debuted a full-fledged store inside Suite 506 at the Nittany Mall this year. There, shoppers can find fresh produce, locally roasted coffee and other goods sourced in the area. Orders are also available online for pickup and delivery.
This story was originally published December 20, 2024 at 3:44 PM.
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