Family Friendly Restaurants in Wilkes-Barre, PA

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, once a city failing to thrive, is now a beehive of activity as it now is home to the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza (formally the Wachovia Arena), the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and the Mohegan Sun Casino.

Due to the city's new popularity for hockey fans, fans of various entertainment acts that visit the area, and people who like to gamble, a new multitude of restaurants have been established, especially in the area of the Wyoming Valley Mall and the Arena.

That's not to mention the bustle in the downtown from the great shows at the F.M. Kirby Center or all of the college students going to Wilkes University and King's College, both located in the downtown area.

Here you'll find a list of family friendly restaurants right in the city of Wilkes-Barre, plus a review of one of my family's favorites, the Japanese hibachi restaurant Mirakuya.

The great thing about trying to find a restaurant in Wilkes-Barre is that there's always going to be at least five right near the venue you'll be visiting for a sporting event, a show, or school. Most of the restaurants in the city, especially the chain restaurants, will be on Business Route 309 near the Wyoming Valley Mall, downtown near the schools and the F.M. Kirby Center, and in the immediate areas surrounding the Mohegan Sun Arena. For those travelling into town from Interstate 81, you can get to these areas via Exit 168 for Highland Park Boulevard or Exit 170B for Wilkes-Barre.

Where you decide to go depends on what kinds of food you like and what you want to spend on a meal for your family. The list above doesn't even begin to cover all of the restaurants in the city, but you can get an idea of what restaurants you'll find in the areas you'll be visiting.

Another great thing about the restaurants in the city is that they are almost all family-friendly since the entertainment venues and schools cater to families. Many of them are locally owned while most of them are common chain restaurants found nationwide.

Recommendation: If you are going to be seeing a sporting event or show at the Arena or the other venues and would like a meal beforehand, arrive about an hour or so earlier than when you'd expect to see the sporting event or show. It seems that everyone will have the same idea for a meal before a sporting event or show and you may end up waiting longer than expected to be seated and served, possibly making you late for the event.

If you don't mind trying Japanese cuisine, check out Mirakuya Japanese Sushi and Hibachi Restaurant. There you'll find authentic Japanese dishes, sushi, and our favorite, a hibachi menu.

When we visit the restaurant, we're immediately greeted by the incredibly friendly staff and servers. The wait is never too long, unless of course you go on a very busy night (think: weekends) and don't call ahead for reservations.

You have a few options of where you can sit: regular restaurant tables, the bar, the sushi bar, or the hibachi tables. There is even a private party room that you can reserve if you call ahead.

We usually pick the hibachi tables. The tables sit about 8-12 people, depending on the table. In the middle of the table is the a grill where a cook comes out and cooks your food to order right in front of you.

The best part of the hibachi tables is the show the cooks put on for you while chanting some of their favorite lines, usually being 'More saki more happy!'. Saki is an alcoholic beverage that is used in the cooking, but for fun they'll squirt some in your mouth if you're 21 or older. For the kids, to keep them in the fun, they have 'baby saki', which is basically just Coke or Pepsi.

During the little show they put on, they spin and twirl their cooking utensils, make fiery smiley faces on the grill, chop up some vegetables and try to make you catch them in your mouth, and create a volcano of sliced onions. It's all in safe fun as they cook your meal. Kids and adults have a blast as their waiting for their meal!

Note: If you have little kids who may be frightened by the open flame and flame displays on the hibachi grill, you may want to reconsider sitting at a hibachi table. You can also move your child away from the table during the little show.

The hibachi meals are rather plentiful. Most often, we all come home with leftovers because there is so much!

If you want to try Japanese food and have fun, visit Mirakuya!

I hope you enjoy your stay, your entertainment, and your meal in Wilkes-Barre!

©ThePracticalMommy