Ten days of supporting local restaurants kicks off on Friday with the return of Restaurant Week.


If you have been looking to try a new restaurant in town or support your favorite neighborhood eatery, this is your chance.


As Christine Temple, the Director of Communications for Visit Erie explained, "January is typically a slower period for our local restaurants and this is just a way to give them an added boost, throw our support behind them and everything they do. A lot of them came up with some amazing and creative dishes and some offer really great deals."


Visit Erie introduced the event in 2020 with 19 restaurants participating, flash forward to 2025 where over 60 bars and food spots are taking part. But it's not just places in Downtown Erie, you can find participating places all throughout the Erie region.


"But it's nice to have those options, maybe the weather is not so great and you want to stick around in Corry, we got restaurants with Restaurant Week in Corry, we got them in Lake City, Girard, Waterford, the whole surrounding area. So it really gives people a lot of options, if they don't feel like coming to downtown and they want to stick closer to home", explained Temple.


This ten-day event is also a good boost to businesses who missed out on profits during the Thanksgiving weekend snow storm. According to Temple, "The snow storm we had over the Thanksgiving weekend really did a number on the local restaurants and local retailers, as well, so I think it's another way to recoup those losses because that's a big weekend."


Whether it's an Erie favorite or new spot in town, every meal purchased during Restaurant Week goes a long way.
Restaurant Week runs from January 17-26. For a full list of restaurants and for more information, click here.
Erie News Now is a proud sponsor of Restaurant Week.