Oakland, Maryland: Heidi's Bakery and Cafe

By Kevin Williams

Plain-owned restaurants are few and far between and there are many reasons for this.  Other than some Amish that serve in-home meals, Amish-owned restaurants are very rare simply because of the accommodations to technology that are needed.  Still, there are some Amish sisters that run a Starbucks style coffee-shop complete with a drive-thru window in Illinois and there was an Amish-owned full-service restaurant in Nebraska for awhile.  Mennonite-owned restaurants are a bit easier to find.  I highlight many of the restaurants that I am familiar with in my Williams Guide to Amish Country.  The reason I like plain-owned restaurants is that it really gives someone a chance to sample Amish and Mennonite culture through age-old recipes and cooking techniques that can only be tasted in this way.

I recently discovered one brand new Plain-owned (Mennonite) restaurant, Heidi's Bakery and Cafe,  when I was in Oakland, Maryland.  This is a delightful, out-of-the-way place with indoor and outdoor seating and a full menu.  If you are ever traveling on I-68 in western Maryland you should consider stopping to visit the Amish and Mennonite settlement in Oakland.  It's well worth the drive and put Heidi's Bakery and Cafe on your itinerary for a meal!

Here are some more delicious scenes from Heidi's!