central market

Visiting the Central Marked is a highlight of our yearly trip to Lancaster. This is often our first stop when arriving. It is a great introduction into Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch foods. I enjoy talking to the proprietors of the food stalls. Many are Amish and grow, sell and prepare their own products produce and meats. They are a wealth of information and will share their wisdom about their product if asked. Be sure to try the chow chow, pickled red beet eggs, cured meats, fresh meat, poultry and other pickled items. We usually buy many food items and have a picnic outside if the weather is good or eat in the building. I few tables and chairs are available on the main floor. If no table is available a few stand up tables are available on the second floor. This is a great place to look down on the busy market.

We saw a bunch of little amish shops and got to try salsa, jams & sauces. We got some coffee which was really good. Prices varied depending on what you were looking for. Excellent experience.

This place is real. Real people shop there and local farmers and merchants sell their wares there. Lancaster once had different farmers markets for different days of the week. Now, Central Market remains down town open Tuesday Friday and Saturday. The market is quite crowded on Saturday morning, it is less so on Tuesday or Friday. If you came to Lancaster to study the Amish people, Central Market will provide an opportunity for you to speak with one in the process of transacting business. The Amish are not there to be tourist props; instead, they are there to sell produce, meat and other wares. Don't ask for a photo or ask tourist questions, but if you want to buy some baked goods or produce, you can have the opportunity to speak with one of them. Please be respectful. This is a great place to buy seasonal produce, grass fed meats, deli items, etc.

If you want to feel like you are stepping back in time, this is a great market to visit. If you walk in from the rear, you can imagine what it was like a hundred years ago. The market itself has a wide variety of vendors, from meats, seafood, cheeses, candy, pies and cakes, vegetables, dog treats, and so much more. We purchased quite a few items this visit, including fresh mako, a truly wonderful wine goat cheese, and some of the best home made horseradish I ever had! This is a definite must see when in Lancaster. They are not open every day so be sure to check their hours.

Fantastic indoor market. Bought a beautiful painting of a Amish buggy from a super friendly woman at one of the stands,before you leave make sure you buy a delicious shoofly pie. Will be going back.

I love this place. On a recent to Lancaster we actually went back a second time to purchase more jam. The prices are amazing for organic produce, cheese, grass-fed meats…I wish we had something like this in our home town. I always purchase as much as I can to bring back home…my suitcase just makes the 50 lb limit!

I have lived in Lancaster all my life, and I been here more times than I can count. Always interesting. Lots of great food and produce, much of it reasonably priced. If you come to Lancaster, this is a must go to place.

This is a wonderful old gem in downtown Lancaster. I paid a visit here for the first time in by my guess 12 to 15 yrs. It’s a great crowded place to get, produce meats, dairy, bakery products, as well as a few handcrafted items. My visit was not complete until I stopped by to see my old friend Mike at Long’s Horseradish. He chops the horseradish right in front of you, mixes and jars up the product. It’s an aroma to get use to for sure. Upon departing I said, I will have a jar of my favorite; Mike knew exactly what I was talking about even after all those years. Back in a day they created a horseradish pickle spear, I can’t tell you how many jars of these I have bought over time, but they are so good.

Central market which is located directly across the street from the Marriott was a really cool place.. We went on Saturday morning and the place was full of people and there was so much going on you could buy anything from fresh meats to horseradish sauce whoopie pies to fresh flowers and even some things I can think of right now...friendly people and quality goods...

As a Lancaster City and County expatriate I am prejudiced, but I do miss the Central Market! I used to go to market every Saturday morning. It was my end of the workweek ritual, and I loved it. The historical market building is a Brobdingnagian space housing stands held by county farms, and local businesses. All the foodstuffs are local. The best fresh in season harvests - from one of the top 10 best plots of farming land on the planet - offer the most delicious vegetables anywhere! I would fill my cart full of local meat products, breads, homemade deserts, candy, imported spices from exotic tropical ports, flowers, even handmade napkins and other table dressing stuff. Wandering down isle after isle - the smells, the sights, the sounds, often-local musicians playing classical, jazz, and/or modern day delights – Central Market made every Saturday morning a special occasion. If you are visiting Lancaster City and/or County and you don’t go to Central Market, you will have missed one of the best experiences Lancaster has to offer.

Wide variety of fresh produce, diverse selection of meat and dairy products. If you choose to eat, there is nice selection of vendors.

What a wonderful place! There were so many amazing vendors and the selections and prices for everything was very reasonable. The Market is a great place to sample all kinds of foods, especially (but not limited to) many Amish favorites. The chicken corn soup is not to be missed!

I was surprised at all the different stands selling foods of different ethnicities, some of which were Thai, German, Itslian and Greek. Lots of vegetables and typical farmers market stands as well. It's very crowded though and unless it's warm enough to eat outside there is no where to sit and eat anything you bought at the market.

I love markets and old market halls. This is a great old market hall with interesting regional foods and products.

As a visitor, it was hard for me to pass by the produce and not take some back to FL but I couldn't. The prices were so reasonable and everything was top notch.The fresh baked goods were delicious (get a cheese danish the size of a dinner plate). I also had fresh apple cider. There were Amish and Mennonite people working here. I wanted to get something from everyone but then I'd have no room for my clothes in my suitcase.Hand-made crafts were wonderful and I admire their creativity and patience to be able to make these items. Everything from quilts to handmade kids crayon/coloring book bags.They were very busy so you know this is the place to be. Make sure you visit.