Exceptional Service and the Highest Standards
Feb 29, 2024 09:31AM ● By Martin Miron
Amanita is a farm-to-table café specializing in American and Mediterranean cuisine,
fine coffee and tea, serving breakfast and lunch with plans to add a dinner
menu. Managing partner and certified permaculture designer Benjamin Weiss says,
“I’ve been an organic farmer, forager and herbalist for years. We source our
ingredients from businesses in our community that utilize goods from
regenerative and sustainable farms.” They focus on standards such as seasonal,
organic, non-GMO and fair trade, and make dishes from scratch using basic,
whole foods or source them from other makers that do the same.
Amanita began in 2022 with a group of friends that had a background in ethical entrepreneurship, organic agriculture, farm-to-table cuisine, herbalism and foraging. “The café is a sort of experiment to see if a small, affordable restaurant in Lancaster City can truly rely on the local food economy, doing most of its sourcing locally and regionally and receiving adequate community interest. The first year-and-a-half has been a resounding success,” says Weiss. The four baristas include manager Megan Snyder, and head chef Iuliia Garopkova, a Ukrainian refugee.
Local vendors include
Kitty Town Coffee roasters, in Lebanon; Front Porch Bakery and Lancaster
Farmacy, in Millersville; and Susquehanna Botanicals, Mandros Imported Foods,
Slow Rise Bakery, Eagle Road Farm, Lancaster Farm Fresh and Lemon Street
Market, all in Lancaster.
Signature dishes are Shakshuka,
a Middle-Eastern breakfast favorite (vegan option available); the Reuben, with
house-made, grass-fed corned beef, organic sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and house
sauce on rye; and the Mushroom Reuben, with sautéed MycoPolitan mushrooms,
cheddar, house-made organic sauerkraut and vegan house sauce on rye. They also
serve Belgian waffles, breakfast burrito, entrée salads, paninis, breakfast
sandwiches and soups.
“One of our newest endeavors
is what we’re calling ‘Elevate your drink’, which refers to all of the healthy
supplements that can be added to our beverages (coffee, tea and smoothies),”
explains Weiss. Special ingredients feature MCT coconut oil, Forager’s Formulas
herbal tincture blends and CBD oil from Susquehanna Botanicals, and
bio-available reishi powder from MycoPolitan.
He shares, “Our staff is
so excellent, and we pride ourselves on customer service; our food and drinks
are very high-quality, and we work hard to make adjustments based on customer
feedback.”
Amanita is located at 401
W. Walnut St., in Lancaster. For orders and more information, call 223-529-6109
or visit AmanitaCafe.com.
