Mary Yoder's Amish Kitchen

If you only had one hour to get a taste of Geauga County's Amish community, then Mary Yoder's, a combination restaurant, bakery and gift shop, would be the place to go. Located on a main road (State-608) in the Amish hub of Middlefield, the huge restaurant specializes in Amish-style food. Mary Yoder's is enormously popular with tourists, who load up on Amish dishes like noodles ladled over mashed potatoes ($7.09), and family-style dinners complete with dressing, gravy and homemade rolls (starting at $15.59 per person). With quilts hanging on the walls, waitresses who wear long skirts and bowls of apple butter on the tables, Mary Yoder's has a predictably Amish ambience, but while the food is good, it is not outstanding. When the place is busy, you may have to wait in line for a table, and service can be slow, too. If you're in a hurry, your best bet might be the salad bar, which has a satisfactory selection of Amish favorites like coleslaw, bean salad and pickled eggs. You also can purchase breads, pies, cookies and other goodies at the in-house bakery to take home. As for gift shop, it's jammed with novelties, knickknacks and souvenirs ranging from quilted place mats to coffee mugs. (Closed Sundays.)