Leiby's Ice Cream House Restaurant
Tamaqua, PA
This place is about as close to a historical landmark as a restaurant can get in Northeast Pennsylvania. It originally opened in 1965 and remained in business until 2007 when the original owners retired and closed the restaurant. Ten years later, the family reopened the restaurant and even through the pandemic, they've been serving up great food ever since.
This is their Polish Pickle Soup, which was one of the specials this past Sunday. It's a very hearty soup made from potatoes, carrots, parsley, onions and I think some shredded pickled cabbage, but I'm not sure. It definitely has a pickle flavor, but it's pleasant and not overpowering.
And, of course, I had the Reuben. If I ever hit Powerball, I swear that I'll spend the rest of my life traveling around the world vising national parks, baseball parks and eating Reubens across America at every diner and restaurant I can find. Haven't had a bad one yet, and this was no exception. Delicious!
Leiby's is known best for their ice cream. Their half gallons are sold in many of the grocery stores in the area, and the restaurant has a full ice cream parlor and a counter to pick up ice cream to take home. I'm really trying to lose some weight and eat nothing but breakfast, lunch and dinner with no snacking or desserts, but I can't lie - this was really very tempting.
