5 Local Eats Worth the Drive in Mercer County

Five locally owned spots across Mercer County worth going out of your way for. No chains, ever.

Mercer County is full of locally owned places worth going out of your way for — the kind of spots that have fed neighbors for decades, or that put a creative spin on a classic. No national chains here, just five independent favorites, from a historic soda fountain to a drive-thru cupcake shop. Watch the quick tour, then here's the full list.

Watch the 60-second tour, then keep scrolling for the full list.

Mercer Mercantile & Soda Shoppe — Mercer

Step into a piece of downtown Mercer history. Housed in a historic building that once served as the town pharmacy, the Mercantile still has its original pressed-tin ceiling overhead, and a local family — the Michaelses, who reopened the shop in 2023 — runs the counter. Come for hand-dipped ice cream, thick milkshakes, bottled sodas, coffee, and a wall of candy. It's the kind of small-town spot that turns an afternoon errand into a treat.

Mercer Mercantile & Soda Shoppe

Soda shop · Mercer

Valley Kitchen — Hermitage

Valley Kitchen calls itself a casual eatery where comfort food meets a little culinary creativity, and the menu backs it up. Alongside the classics you’ll find inventive plates like a short rib benedict and lemon ricotta pancakes. It’s a locally owned breakfast-and-brunch spot that has become a weekend favorite in Hermitage — worth the wait for a table.

Valley Kitchen

Breakfast & brunch · Hermitage

Lock Stock & Barrel — Sharpsville

This longtime Sharpsville sub shop has been a Shenango Valley staple for decades, and the regulars will tell you to drive right past the national chains to get here. The draw is simple: fresh-cut meats piled onto giant subs, in portions big enough to make the chain sandwiches look like a snack. Order a hoagie and plan to share — or don’t.

Lock Stock & Barrel

Sub shop · Sharpsville

Breakfast at Tiffany's — Sharpsville

Owner Tiffany Daley has run this Sharpsville diner for about twenty years, and it’s the top-rated restaurant in town for good reason. It’s famous for manhole-sized pancakes — including a peanut butter and chocolate stack that’s basically dessert for breakfast — plus a rotating lineup of inventive omelettes. Bring your appetite, and maybe a friend to help.

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Diner · Sharpsville

In Your Face Cupcakes & Coffee — Greenville

Yes, a drive-thru cupcake shop exists, and it’s on Main Street in Greenville. Jennifer and Shawn Hoover opened it in a former bank drive-thru, so now you can pull up for one of 40-plus scratch-made cupcake flavors alongside espresso drinks, lattes, and their signature coffees. It’s the most fun you’ll have in a drive-thru lane all week.

In Your Face Cupcakes and Coffee

Bakery & coffee · Greenville

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In This Guide

1.Mercer Mercantile & Soda Shoppe — Mercer
2.Valley Kitchen — Hermitage
3.Lock Stock & Barrel — Sharpsville
4.Breakfast at Tiffany's — Sharpsville
5.In Your Face Cupcakes & Coffee — Greenville

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