Fillmore Farm Café & Gardens opens its doors to an experience that feels both familiar and new
Story Sherri Jordan and Luciano Sormani
At 1000 Fillmore Road, just minutes from the bustling landscape of Penn State University and the University Park Airport, a quiet evolution is taking place. Where the former RE Farm Café once stood as a destination for occasional high-end celebrations, a new entity has taken root: Fillmore Farm Café & Gardens. With its awe-inspiring rural vistas and lush garden setting, the location is a true hidden gem. After purchasing the property and opening their doors in March 2026, owners Steve and Amy Haffner have shifted the restaurant’s identity from a “special occasion” spot to a place where locals might feel comfortable stopping in multiple times a week. Central to this transformation is a commitment to “real food,” grown and raised with care, served without pretension. Much of what appears on the plates at Fillmore Farm Café is sourced directly from the Haffners’ own gardens, greenhouses, or their nearby farm, where they raise pigs, cows, chickens, and turkeys.
A Casual Approach to Breakfast and Lunch
The week starts with a casual, easygoing rhythm. During weekday breakfast and lunch service, the café operates on a counter-order system, inviting guests to grab a seat and settle in without the formality of reservations or dress codes. The breakfast menu is built on staples executed with a farm-fresh perspective. Patrons can find reliable favorites like omelets, pancakes, and French toast, but the kitchen shines with its selection of crepes. The offerings span both savory and sweet profiles, including a banana and peanut butter option, as well as a bright lemon sugar and blueberry crepe. The crepes have even made their way into a dinner entrée, replacing the pasta in the two lasagnas on offer. The technique adds a distinct, pleasing texture to the dish.
For lunch, the focus turns toward heartier, garden-inspired fare. The menu is a rotating showcase of whatever is currently thriving in the fields, featuring a variety of sandwiches, salads, and burgers. The beef for the café’s signature Haffner Farm burger is sourced locally, highlighting the connection between the pasture and the plate.
Dinner: Elevated Italian Roots
As the week transitions into the weekend, the service style slows down to match the pace of a traditional sit-down dinner. While the atmosphere remains relaxed, the menu takes a slightly more elevated turn, drawing heavy inspiration from the Haffners’ time spent in Italy. Starters invite a communal style of dining, featuring charcuterie boards with meats from the farm, processed by local butchers. Curated by Amy, the board we tried came with a parmigiano salami, a black truffle salami, and a sour cherry Genoa. The accompanying cheeses were a red cheddar, a goat Gouda, and a Stilton. Olives, almonds, cherries, and an assortment of crackers rounded out the offering. While the flavors here lean toward the piquant, salty, and rich, the creamy grilled sourdough with house-made whipped ricotta offers a wonderful counterpoint.
Within the framework of Italian traditions, chef Brenda Palmer finds plenty of room to play and experiment, using the farm’s produce as inspiration. The menu features staples such as eggplant and chicken parmigiana, as well as a unique take on a Bolognese. The rich tomato flavor blends with the mixture of beef and pork to conjure up a traditional Italian feel, but the seared tomatoes and shishito peppers add a fresh dimension that’s unique and exciting.
Despite the move toward more accessible dining, the restaurant retains a few legacy items from the previous establishment that have proven popular with longtime patrons. The pan-seared steelhead trout remains a permanent fixture on the dinner menu. It serves as a reminder that while the owners are committed to experimentation, they are also responsive to the tastes of their regulars.
Another area where traditional flavors sit next to more unusual offerings is desserts. Alongside a perfectly executed crème brûlée, you’ll find garden-grown mint and chocolate, and strawberry balsamic sorbets.
Seasonal Sips and FarmSourced Cocktails
The beverage program at Fillmore Farm Café & Gardens is as deeply tied to the land as the food. The cocktail menu is driven by seasonal availability, often incorporating fruits and botanicals grown on the property or nearby. General manager David Contreras collaborates with the bar team, often testing recipes at home before bringing them to the restaurant.
Recent seasonal highlights have included a strawberrymint mojito, utilizing berries fresh from the farm, and a RepoBerry margarita. We sampled the Blueberry Tamarind Whiskey Sour (WhistlePig 6 Rye, tamarind simple syrup, blueberry shrub, and lemon juice) and the Strawberry Rhubarb Old Fashioned (Woodford bourbon, strawberryrhubarb shrub, cardamom bitters, Grand Marnier, and tamarind simple syrup).
For the cooler months, the team has experimented with a spiced apple Old Fashioned, featuring housedehydrated apple garnishes, as well as dessertfocused cocktails like a tiramisu espresso martini and a pumpkin spice martini.
The commitment to local sourcing extends to the bar as well. When the team needs ingredients that aren’t grown on-site, they prioritize Pennsylvania-based producers, such as Vale Wood Farms milk for their house-made ricotta. According to Palmer, this milk has a consistent fat content that works well for their housemade dairy products. This deliberate focus on the “what” and the “where” of the ingredients ensures that even a simple bourbon cocktail feels tied to the local agricultural calendar.
More Than a Meal
Beyond the dining room, Fillmore Farm Café & Gardens aims to serve as a bridge between the farm and the home kitchen. An on-site marketplace offers customers the chance to purchase the same fresh produce, farm-fresh eggs, and artisanal goods that the chefs use in the kitchen. The café also provides a venue for private events. The Saint Isidore Room, named for the patron saint of farmers, offers a private, warm space for gatherings ranging from birthdays and showers to rehearsal dinners.
While the new approach has already yielded rave reviews and return visitors, the Haffners are already looking toward the future, with plans to open for Sunday brunch, expand the outdoor seating capacity, and even explore live entertainment options.
By prioritizing approachable pricing, a welcoming atmosphere, and a menu that bridges the gap between casual comfort and elevated Italian influence, the Haffners have successfully reimagined the space. The result is a dining experience that feels like a world away from the nearby campus, yet remains deeply rooted in the community. Whether it is a quick weekday lunch or a lingering weekend dinner, Fillmore Farm Café & Gardens invites guests to enjoy the scenery — and the harvest — one bite at a time. T&G
Sherri Jordan and Luciano Sormani are the ad coordinator/graphic designer and creative director at Town&Gown.
