Spring might be taking its time, but Erie restaurants never hibernate.
Herb & Honey, A. Francisco’s, Oba Sushi and the tandem of A Waffle Miracle and Before the Barrel all had openings recently.
Here is some restaurant news you may have missed in February:
Erie bakery Herb & Honey expands space with move to Cherry Street
Herb & Honey Bakery, run by Jessica Schultz, started in November 2020 in a 200-square-foot corner of Urbaniak’s, 310 E. 24th St.
It worked. For a while.
“We outgrew that in two years, and we’ve been looking (for a new space) ever since,” Schultz said.
She and her staff of six now spread out in 2,000 square feet in a historic building at 516 Cherry St. Her soft opening was the weekend of Feb. 7-9. Now they’re pumping out croissants and bear claws and much, much more four days a week, open Thursdays through Sundays 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Jessica Schultz, owner of Herb & Honey Bakery, says she wants to help build the west side community with “best baked goods in Erie.”
Baked goods: Erie bakery Herb & Honey expands space with move. What new things they’ll sell
New downtown: A. Francisco’s offers gourmet pizzas, Italian-style tapas
Carpenter-turned-restaurateur Antonio Milone, 42, opened his high-end pizzeria and tapas restaurant A. Francisco’s on Jan. 10.
“The menu is based on a sharing concept,” Milone said of his establishment at 1201 State St. “It’s for dining slowly, and appreciating the natural and organic ingredients, sustainably produced ‘friendly’ wines made by small wineries that produce less than 5,000 cases a vintage.”
The menu includes “bites” such as Castelvetrano olives, seasonal pickled vegetables, burrata bites, prosciutto and softball-sized meatballs, among other drool-worthy snacks. They have three house salads including Caesar, kale and arugula; and 11 “pies” that cook in three to seven minutes.
It took two years of hard work, but Antonio Milone has finally opened his new high-end pizza and tapas restaurant, A. Francisco’s, at 1201 State St.
New Erie restaurant: A. Francisco’s offers gourmet pizzas, Italian-style tapas
Oba Sushi packs big taste in small space in downtown Erie
Oba Sushi offers what is arguably Erie’s biggest sushi menu from one of its smallest spaces.
The new restaurant opened Jan. 29 at 516 State St. next to the Flagship City Food Hall.
“It’s a small place,” said Prapaporn “Noon” Patipaksiri, 41. “We want to try sushi and Thai,” she said. “But first, sushi only. Then we’ll be looking for a bigger space.”
While they’re working with just 1,000 square feet, there’s nothing small about Oba Sushi’s flavors, skills or menu. Try the Kanisu appetizer with either tuna or salmon, or go huge with the Deluxe Combo, including California roll, five pieces of sushi and nine pieces of sashimi. Or just order your way around the large menu.
The Deluxe Combo at Oba Sushi includes a California roll, five pieces of sushi and nine pieces of sashimi.
Sushi spot: Oba Sushi, a new Japanese restaurant in downtown Erie, packs big taste in small space
Waffles and moonshine: Food truck owners, distiller team up
A Waffle Miracle food truck co-owners, Jessica and Alexandra Peirson, joined forces with Bernie Blore, a distiller in Corry, to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant.
A Waffle Miracle and Before the Barrel opened their doors on the joint venture at 8651 Wattsburg Road in Green Township, only 15 minutes from downtown Erie, in the former Dan’s Boardwalk.
“There’s such a buzz over our opening (on social media). It’s crazy. It’s a dream come true,” said Jessica Peirson, 30.
The food truck, which has won three Erie’s Community’s Choice Awards, including best food truck in 2024, will keep rolling.
From left, distiller Bernie Blore, and Waffle Miracle food truck owners Alexandra Peirson and Jessica Peirson opened a restaurant Feb. 1 on Wattsburg Road.
Waffles and moonshine: Food truck owners, distiller team up on restaurant concept in Erie
8 Erie County eateries we wish made USA TODAY’s Restaurants of the Year
USA TODAY Network food journalists from across the country pooled their expertise to select the 2025 USA TODAY Restaurants of the Year.
Food writers across the country nominated restaurants that excited them, restaurants they would recommend to friends and family, restaurants they’d return to again and again.
However, there are many restaurants worth celebrating across the Erie County region. Presented in alphabetical order, here are eight spots that we wish were on the USA TODAY Restaurants of the Year list.
Owners, from left, Adrienne Paul, 51, her husband, Chef Jean Paul, 56, and her sister, Karen Thomas, 52, serve up Southern favorites and Caribbean cuisine at Erie’s Pineapple Eddie Southern Bistro. GREG WOHLFORD/ERIE TIMES-NEWS
Great cuisine: 8 best Erie County restaurants we wish made USA TODAY’s Restaurants of the Year list
Contact Jennie Geisler at [email protected]. Find her weekly newsletter at https://profile.goerie.com/newsletters/erielicious/.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie PA-area restaurant news you may have missed this month
