The original Hotel Gernert, now home of the Wooden Nickel Restaurant
The Wooden Nickel restaurant, on Market Square Millersburg, began life as the Hotel Gernert. The hotel was a popular stop in the 1920’s and 30’s when the two-day trip from Harrisburg to Sunbury necessitated an overnight stay in Millersburg. The Hotel also served the bustling railway station and the Millersburg Ferry.
Now the building houses a 130-seat full service restaurant with a fully stocked bar. The ‘casual dining’ restaurant specializes in seafood, steaks, pork chops, chicken and pasta, as well as offering daily and weekend dinner specials.
The kitchen is open Wednesday through Saturday until 8 pm and Sunday until 6 pm, serving lunch and dinner. The “open air” kitchen is in complete view of the public. The upscale dining rooms, with their many large windows, provide a beautiful view of historic Millersburg Market Square.
Seafood dishes are the most popular menu items, with the broiled jumbo lump crab cakes known for being the best in the area. Other seafood menu selections include broiled lobster tail, shrimp, scallops, and salmon fillet. The Delmonico and New York Strip steaks, as well as the smoked country ham steaks, are all flame grilled. The menu also offers many dishes prepared with flame grilled boneless pork chops and boneless chicken breasts. Alfredo, marinara, and spaghetti pasta sauces are all made fresh in house. Diners can also enjoy a wide variety of garden fresh salads include authentic Greek salad as well as Caesar salads topped with steak, shrimp, chicken, or salmon. The restaurant also makes their own pizza dough fresh daily for use in their pan pizzas, sub rolls, & dinner rolls.
The Wooden Nickel Restaurant, 2010.
The bar offers daily and weekend drink specials as well as a complete variety of cold take-out beer. The bar has eight flat screen televisions, so patrons can enjoy sports programming all year long.
William Hale of Halifax, was the owner of the Wooden Nickel from 1990 to 2024.
On October 1, 2024, the ownership was transferred to John, Susan, and Connie Fulkrod of Millersburg.