Erie's Can't Miss Dishes 2026
Local menu items we can't stop thinking about
There really is nothing more human than sitting down with other humans and eating together. It takes an activity necessary for survival and imbues the moment with connection, meaning, tradition, and memories. It's something we've been doing for millennia and something we continue to do when we need to feel grounded – meeting up with friends for drinks and appetizers, catching up with family at a new place you've been wanting to try, or sorting through creative ideas with coworkers over a big plate of tacos. These examples literally all took place this past month, among the editorial staff of the Erie Reader, and helped us to inform this feature: our 2026 Can't Miss Dishes.
Below you will find a smattering of fare from throughout Erie highlighting our small restaurant businesses – those creating the flavors that keep us coming back for more. We've got everything from appetizers to desserts, quick grab-and-go affordability, or something more special, that takes time to savor and enjoy.
Wherever it is you choose to eat, whether it's a place from our list or from a Can't Miss Dish list of your own making, we hope you keep it local and share the love! Let's eat, Erie!
Soup Flight, Weside Market on Powell (Photo: Jessica Hunter)
What: Soup Flight
Where: Westside Market on Powell, 1119 Powell Ave.
Vibe: Choose your own (soup) adventure
On the menu as: Soup Flights
Price: $11.99
Hot Tip: Pair the soup flight with any of their toasty sandos and you've got a meal for two.
You know when everything looks so good, that it feels impossible to just choose one thing? Enter: the Westside Market's Soup Flight. Three of the daily selections of freshly made soups with just enough of each to add up to a full belly. Complete with a trio of freshly made, locally sourced breads (everything at the market is locally sourced, which is pretty amazing) and you've got yourself a meal.
Mushroom Toast from Born and Braised (Photo: Erin Phillips)
What: Mushroom Toast
Where: Born and Braised, 802 W. 18th St.
Vibe: The thing of beauty that is perfectly toasted toast
On the menu as: Mushroom Toast
Price: $14
Hot Tip: While not necessarily a recommended culinary pairing with the toast, I got a raspberry whiskey sour with my meal and it was one stellar cocktail. Chambord foam? Yes, please!
Move over avocado – there's a new toast in town. There is something truly unmissable about this dish – a base of grainy, sourdough toast perfection (not so crunchy it hurts to eat it, but with just enough stability to hold it all together), creamy, ethereal, lemony ricotta dolloped between deeply roasted mushrooms bursting with umami. I have no notes. It was perfect.
Mount Olympus Yeeros: Impossible from New York Lunch, East Ave. (Photo: Jessica Hunter)
Doesn't everyone just love it when Edwina tries something? What has become one of our most beloved columns, Edwina Tries… has found her way into our Can't Miss Dishes! Edwina tries… a vegetarian gyro! Take it away, Edwina:
What: Vegetarian Gyro
Where: New York Lunch East Avenue, 922 East Ave.
Vibe: Meatless Mel's Diner
On the menu as: Mount Olympus Yeeros: Impossible
Price: $11.99
Hot Tip: Fries or onion rings? Dealer's choice!
Listen, New York Lunch East Avenue is not here to coddle you. They are here to feed you delicious food at a good price and get you on your way. This is a lunch counter, not your mom's house. And while getting "greeks" in Erie typically means meat literally on top of meat, New York Lunch East Avenue also caters to vegetarians. Thanks to a Reader reader's tip, I was made aware of this little-known fact. The Impossible-meat gyro is absolutely delicious, loaded with fresh lettuce, tomato, red onion, and a thick, healthy dollop of cucumber sauce, served with onion rings on the side.
Gordita from Enrique's (Photo: Jessica Hunter)
What: Chicken Gorditas
Where: Enrique's Southeast Mexico, Flagship City Foodhall, 22 N. Park Row
Vibe: Corn-forward, stick to your ribs nourishment
On the menu as: Gorditas
Price: $4.90
Hot Tip: With constantly evolving specials and new, fresh offerings, trying something different or a smorgasbord of offerings is easy.
Enrique's wants to make sure you leave their place wanting for nothing. If you order a taco, you better believe that taco is going to fully sustain you until your next meal (a single shrimp taco comes with six jumbos and three tortillas). That was doubly true for their gordita. The editorial staff of the Erie Reader made a special lunch trip to Enrique's and we ordered a lot of stuff. And among all of the super fresh offerings, the gordita was a standout. A hand-formed masa dough is fried, split, and stuffed with (in this case) chicken, seasoned mayo, homemade pico (with pineapple), cheese, fried plantains, and fresh avocado. The aroma of the masa dough hits you first and follows up that earthy sweetness with the fresh creaminess of the avocado. We're stuffed – much like this dish!
Dirty Bird Martini, Lucero (Photo: Adam Welsh)
What: The Dirty Bird
Where: Lucero, 940 W. Erie Plaza Dr.
Vibe: Hungry and thirsty? No problem!
On the menu as: Dirty Bird Martini
Price: $14
Hot tip: Save a little of this drink for when your appetizer of smoked beets arrives – they go great together
When you're going out for drinks and you want something delicious to nibble on before your appetizers arrive – fear not, Lucero's Dirty Bird is your perfect answer. A dirty vodka martini on steroids, the Dirty Bird is made with a perfectly chilled, almost unctuous fat-washed vodka and comes with a skewer of Manchego cheese and their special marinated olives – the perfect balance to the classic briny dirty martini. It's a little snack and a classy bevvie, all in one.
Honey Jerk Chicken, Marley's Island Caribbean Style Food (Photo: Erin Phillips)
What: Honey Jerk Chicken, level five spice
Where: Marley's Island Caribbean Style Food, 3018 State St.
Vibe: Tropical island, but make it in the snow
On the menu as: Honey Jerk Chicken
Price: $13
Hot tip: Order a pineapple fruit bowl on the side, you'll need that sweet tang to cool you off
My mom has been itching to check out Marley's Island since they were a meager food truck parked outside the Valu Home Center on East 38th Street. Now they've got themselves a brick and mortar and take it from Pam, you should give them a try! The Honey Jerk Chicken is so intensely flavorful, the sticky-sweet, spicy sauce (you pick the level from 1-10) is in perfect balance with the juicy grill-kissed chicken thighs, served atop a bed of coconut rice and red beans. Vaguely reminiscent of the long lost former Eli's Jamaican jerk wings, this dish scratches that Caribbean itch and then some!
The Cuban from Pizza Pete's (Photo: Jessica Hunter)
What: Cuban Pizza
Where: Pizza Pete's, 2823 W. 26th St.
Vibe: Like a Cuban sandwich, but make it pizza
On the menu as: The Cuban
Price: $12.99-$18.99 (depending on size)
Hot tip: Grab a Cerveceria brew from a local six pack shop to complete the vibe
When your kids want pizza but you're not in the mood for the same old same old, how's about turning a Cuban sandwich (traditionally made with pork, ham, pickles, cheese, and mustard) into a pizza? Pizza Pete's went there and it's spectacular. With a honey mustard base (in lieu of a traditional pizza sauce), this chico malo is topped with mozzarella, tomatoes, onions, and pickles – and doubles down on the pork with both ham and salami. Salud!
(V) Hummingbird Cake from the Erie Food Co-Op (Photo: Erin Phillips)
What: Hummingbird Cake
Where: Erie Food Co-Op, 1341 W. 26th St.
Vibe: Tattooed Grandma
On the menu as: (V) Hummingbird Cake
Price: $6.49
Hot Tip: The refrigerated case at the Co-Op has your whole meal set, soup to dessert
This tastes just like your grandma's hummingbird cake – pineapple, banana, pecans, and coconut make this cake a moist and tasty adventure in flavor and texture. The Erie Food Co-Op version just so happens to be vegan (but you really wouldn't know it unless I told you). Super fresh, gently tropical, and nutty with a not too sweet, creamy, fancy swirl of cinnamony frosting in just the right amount – it's a perfectly balanced treat that also happens to be better for the planet! We all win!
