While Bucknell’s campus is located in rural Central Pennsylvania, students have plenty of options in terms of off-campus activities. A few blocks away, residing on Market Street, is a wide array of local restaurants and clothing boutiques, which are easily accessible by foot or the University’s shuttle.

Located approximately three hours from Philadelphia and a little over an hour from Harrisburg, the University is able to offer the beauty of its rural landscape, in addition to the benefits of being near large cities. In fact, both New York City and Baltimore are within three hours of the University, and Washington, D.C. is within four. Yet, as some University students say, some of the best food and experiences are right here in Lewisburg.

Promise with Proximity

With downtown Lewisburg in such close proximity to campus, the University and the local residents of Lewisburg are inevitably attached. During New Student Orientation, local owners of shops and restaurants even offer “Welcome to the Neighborhood: Lewisburg Day,” a day when vendors and retailers in the Lewisburg Downtown Partnership invite new students to discover the area. Some stores even offer new students a small welcoming gift.

Programs that exemplify the University’s connection to the local area include a Friends of the Garden program with the Lewisburg Community Garden, the University’s Buddies tutoring program and programs within the campus’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) that allow local businesses to connect with student entrepreneurs to teach them marketing and financial management techniques.

In addition, local organizations host events for Lewisburg residents and University students alike. These events include the popular Polar Bear Plunge and the annual Lewisburg Arts Festival. Organized by the Lewisburg Arts Council, the Arts Festival has no shortage of music, food and entertainment. 

Additionally, in terms of the great outdoors, University students and Lewisburg locals have access to the Susquehanna River and the R.B. Winter State Park. 

Who Doesn’t Love Food?

Several local restaurants, accompanied by the art-deco Campus Theatre and the University’s Barnes & Noble Bookstore, fill Market Street. Some of the students’ favorite things to eat downtown include pizza at House of Pizza, a quesadilla at Mercado Burrito, a breakfast sandwich at All Star Bagels and an avocado roll from Sushihanna.

Many more options, of course, are located along Market Street, but there’s one new one everyone has to check out: Nido. 

What’s on the Menu?

Operated by the same owner as the beloved Amami in Lewisburg and The Kind Cafe in Selinsgrove, Nido has been instilling students with exciting anticipation since news of its opening first spread. For his newest restaurant, Davide Della Pietra chose the name Nido, meaning “nest” or “home” in Italian. The casual Italian restaurant is located on Saint Louis and Sixth St., across from Hufnagle Park.

Della Pietra remarks that he created the restaurant’s interior and entire feel to be inclusive — a place where everyone of all ages could come and dine. As for the menu, Nido features several Italian-inspired dishes, all ranging from pasta, salads and soups,  street food and dessert.

Although the menu will change depending on the available fresh ingredients, Nido currently features Spaghetti Pomodoro, served with house marinara sauce, fresh basil and smoked mozzarella, and Pesto Farfalle, served with pesto sauce, fresh burrata and pine nuts on top of bowtie noodles. In addition, Nido serves appetizers, such as calamari with tangy lemon aioli and salmon dip with goat cheese, fresh dill and rustic bread.

How’s the Food?

Due to their access to fresh ingredients in Central Pennsylvania, Nido’s chefs are able to cook most everything in-house. The freshness and tastiness, of course, are only one of the reasons why University students have already begun to rave about the restaurant. 

As Della Pietra intended, the atmosphere of Nido is just as inviting to hungry students and Lewisburg residents as the food is. 

“I had the bowtie pesto with burrata and it was the best pesto I think I’ve ever had,” McKayla Charney ’21 said. “I’m Italian so I grew up with my grandma’s homemade pesto and [Nido’s] really rivals it. The atmosphere was super cute. Very modern but also kind of homey.”

Furthermore, the restaurant is adorned with modern decorations, including cacti along the ceiling and pasta decoratives. 

Charney also admired the friendliness of the staff at Nido. “The kitchen had a big open window where the chef would set out the food for the waiters, so you got to see a little of what was going on back there. That was super cool. And the servers were all so nice!” Charney said.

Lindsey Burzumato ’21 agrees on the hospitality of Nido’s atmosphere and the masterfulness of its cuisine. “Nido was awesome! I got the pasta Pomodoro and it was amazing,” she said. “The tomato sauce was lovely and the pasta was perfectly al dente. I can’t wait to go back and try more things!”

Currently, Nido is open from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. from Thursdays through Saturdays; however, these hours are only temporary until the restaurant’s grand opening in mid-February on Valentine’s Day weekend. 

Until then, go make an extra effort to taste Nido’s current menu and dine at some of Lewisburg’s other fine restaurants.