Every review I do includes at least a paragraph about the ambiance of the restaurant or eatery that I’m visiting. It’s part of the story, but it’s never the whole story.
The most important thing is always the food, but the location is what makes the first impression. They say we eat with our eyes first, and that first sight isn’t the food, it’s the restaurant. That first step gives you the vibe.
And Smoothie Social in Kutztown definitely has its own vibe.
Stepping through the front door is like stepping into the Barbie universe. The aesthetic is pink on pink on pink – pink chairs, pink cushions, a pink wall with pink butterfly mural.
After a minute, you become acclimated to the surroundings and it just feels like another cozy cafe.
The menu is focused but still has variety to it. There are acai bowls, crepes, smoothies and boba tea. But the acai bowls have 30 ingredients to choose from, and there are more than 15 crepe options across breakfast, savory and sweet options.
I first visited during their grand opening celebration. That day, I tried the spinach and cheese crepe with a mango smoothie.
Smoothie Social is owned by the same family that has Casa de Empanadas in town, and I absolutely love their spinach and cheese empanada. The crepe from Smoothie Social uses the same filling and is just as good as its Latin counterpart.
The base is spinach with ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan cream cheese. It’s rich and creamy and very filling. It works just as well in the crepe as it does in the empanada, definitely a winning combination in my book.
I paired it with a mango smoothie. Their smoothies are made with almond milk so it’s a little lighter but still sweet and satisfying.
My most recent visit came in May. I was again surrounded by pink but it eventually faded into the background as I sat at the table enjoying my chicken bacon ranch crepe with boba tea.
The crepe was stuffed with shredded chicken and had just the right amount of bacon. It also featured mozzarella cheese, which I think is the perfect choice to fill a crepe. The ranch was drizzled over the top. It looked pretty, but for me, I would have traded the presentation for a little more ranch dressing. It was still good, but a little more ranch would have gone a long way.
I really enjoyed my boba tea. I had the taro which is one of my favorite flavors. I’ve also had the same thing from Casa de Empanada and enjoyed it there as well.
My first visit was during their soft opening when they were offering special pricing on all menu items. But my second visit was less than $15 for the crepe and large boba which felt like a good deal to me. (A crepe, by itself, is less than $10).
The pink decor may not be my favorite – I prefer the faux street scene at Casa de Empanada – but I appreciate the uniqueness of it. And the food is good, which is more important than what color the seat cushions are. So don’t be surprised if you see me enjoying a crepe at Smoothie Social in the future. Because I’ll definitely keep coming back.
BCE Rating Food: Good Service: Very Good Ambiance: Very Good Price: $
Smoothie Social 314 W. Main Street Kutztown, PA 19530
McDonald’s Playplaces may be a thing of the past, but there are plenty of Berks County restaurants with playgrounds and on-site fun to keep your kids entertained before and after your meal. Check out our list below and plan your next meal at one of these family-friendly restaurants in Berks County.
Restaurants with Free Playgrounds
Kim’s Cafe at Weaver’s Orchard Morgantown
Located at Weaver’s Orchard, Kim’s Cafe serves breakfast, lunch and coffee. During the summer, you can also stop by the on-site ice cream stand for a sweet refresher. And it’s all next to a nice playground with swings and slides, along with plenty of picnic tables to enjoy you’re meal.
Kirbyville Farm Market Kirbyville
Along Route 222 just south of Kutztown, the Kirbyville Farm Market offers hot and cold subs, ice cream, donuts and more. Not only does Kirbyville have a larger playground outside, but kids can also meet goats and other animals that come up to greet you along the fence.
Klinger’s at the Airport Reading
The outside dining area at Klinger’s at the Airport is one of the coolest in Berks County. There’s a nice little playground, outdoor seats with large umbrellas, and great views of planes on takeoff and landing to keep the kids entertained.
Plum Creek Farm Bernville
Probably the largest on-site playground of any restaurant in Berks County, Plum Creek boasts a multi-level slide, climb and swing playset plus a sandbox. In the summer months, there’s an outdoor order window so you can place your order and pick up your food while the kids are playing.
Saucony Creek Craft Brewery + Gastropub Kutztown
When the weather’s nice, the outdoor patio at Saucony Creek in Kutztown is a great place to enjoy good food and drink. The playset, complete with swings and a slide with a small climbing wall, makes it one of the most family-friendly breweries in Berks.
Jen & Jessie’s Creamery Oley
New for 2025, Jen & Jessie’s Creamery has added a playground to their Oley ice cream shop. The new playground features a tube slide and climbing areas to entertain the kids before and after their cones, shakes and sundaes.
Restaurants with Miniature Golf
Kauffman’s BBQ Restaurant Bethel
Kauffman’s is known for their bar-b-q chickens, but if you visit the restaurant near Bethel, you can also enjoy a round on their 18-hole mini golf course.
Schell’s Temple
Schell’s is a one-stop destination for dinner, dessert, and family fun. First, enjoy a classic drive-in meal of hamburger BBQ, hot dogs, or burgers. Then play on the 27-hole mini golf course before heading next door to Schell’s Dairy Swirl for dessert.
Big Bertha’s Grill Sinking Spring
Sharing a parking lot with Sittler’s Golf (formerly Pagoda Golf Area), Big Bertha’s menu is built for big appetites with their 17” Big Bertha subs and sandwiches, but they also have a kids menu and plenty of ice cream and dessert options to pair with a round of mini golf next door.
Family Fun Centers & Resorts
The Works Wyomissing
You can’t talk about places to play in Berks County without mentioning The Works. Before or after your meal, kids can enjoy the arcade, race go-karts, or run wild through Ballocity.
Bear Creek Mountain Resort Macungie
Bear Creek Mountain Resort is an all-seasons destination with three on-site dining options. In the summer months, the public can participate in outdoor activities including archery with more amenities and activities available to overnight guests.
It feels passe to describe a restaurant as “unique” or a “hole-in-the-wall.” Every restaurant is unique in its own way. And in an age where you can look up any restaurant online, are there really any hole-in-the-wall spots left?
If there is a unique, hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Berks County, it has to be Esterly’s Sandwich Shop.
Esterly’s is located in the village of Bowers, three miles from Kutztown on Fleetwood Road between the Deka plant in Lyons and the borough of Topton. But more than the geographic location, it’s the physical location – what appears from the road to be a house with an open sign in the window. A small sign hangs along the road and another spans the facade above the front entrance, otherwise there would be nothing to distinguish Esterly’s from the nearby homes.
There is no parking lot, just five spaces or so along the street. But there’s no need for a lot of parking because there is no dining area except for the three mismatched picnic tables in the front yard.
I arrived for lunch and stepped through the front door into a small, wood-paneled room.
In one corner was a fridge to grab your drinks. Next to it, a small rack of Martin’s potato chips. Opposite the order counter were small bench seats. After placing my order, I took a seat on one and looked around.
Beneath the order counter were a pair of maps – one of the United States, one of the world – showing not only where customers were from, but where the cheesesteaks had traveled to. A poster next to the counter highlighted the most exotic locale – Mount Kilamanjaro.
Apparently in 2013, a suitcase full of cheesesteaks made their way to Africa (with a layover in Amsterdam). Seven sandwiches were eaten on an African safari and another three were enjoyed as a reward for hikers who made the six-day trek to the top of Africa’s tallest mountain.
My steak sandwich wouldn’t travel that far – only back to Kutztown to the Ktown Hall coworking space where I was working that day.
The sandwich still looked pretty good after the 10-minute drive. In true Berks County style, I had ordered it topped with sauce (and onions).
Esterly’s advertises it as the home of the “no-greasy cheesesteak” and that was true. There was plenty of meat on the sandwich but no grease to make the roll soggy. I might have liked a little more of the slightly sweet sauce, but it was a very good and very filling sandwich, nonetheless.
The fries were solid too. The menu called them “grade A” and while I wouldn’t call them the best around, I still ate the whole order. (I did what I could to dip them in the sauce that was hiding out on the foil from the sandwich).
What really separates Esterly’s, beyond the uniqueness of the location, is the price. The sandwich and fries only cost $12.50, less than you’d pay for just a cheesesteak at some places. And while I wouldn’t call it the best that I’ve had, I definitely got my money’s worth.
If you want to get your money’s worth, bring cash because Esterly’s is cash-only.
And I’m sure I’ll be back again, with a few dollars to spend on some good food from this unique hole-in-the-wall in eastern Berks County.
BCE Rating Food: Good Service: Very Good Ambiance: Unique Price: $
Esterly’s Sandwich Shop 479 Fleetwood Road Mertztown, PA 19539
I have a lot of childhood memories of P&J Pizza in Womelsdorf. Playing baseball for teams in town, we often had post-game pizza. And my church was less than a block away so P&J was an easy stop to feed us for youth group nights and other activities.
But P&J was just a takeout place then. Sure, there were a couple booths, but the majority of the customers came in, got their orders, and left.
It’s a little bit different now. Sure, customers still stream through the storefront to pick up pies and sandwiches to-go, but since P&J opened their Tavern in 2023, there are a lot more dine-in meals.
The Tavern is located in the adjacent building. Unassuming from the outside, a step through the front door reveals the historic log cabin frame that was hidden long ago by vinyl siding. A brick side wall separates the Tavern from the neighboring property, but the remaining walls are wood and mortar. The wood floor is new, but fits with the rustic style. The walls are painted a yellow-brown to complement the exposed slats of the original log building. Only the red and white tablecloths provide a pop of color, a reminder that this is still a family restaurant.
On the left side of the room is the bar. In addition to the six-packs that were always available for carryout, guests can now sit down and enjoy a draft beer or cocktail while they catch a game on the TVs. (We watched the Phillies lose a heartbreaker in extra innings as only the Phillies can do).
The Tavern has the same food menu as the takeout side but with full table service. On our most recent visit, our server doubled as hostess, seating us by the window where menus were already sitting at each seat.
We ordered and in short order, our food had arrived. For me, that meant a meatball sandwich and a side order of fries.
I have always loved P&J’s rolls. They are like small loaves of Italian bread cut into pockets, rather than the standard hard or soft rolls. They also use a sweet sauce on their meatball subs – a perfect combination with those delicious rolls.
The fries were good, too – a large portion of crinkle fries. I threw a little salt and a little garlic powder on them for a perfectly snackable side.
Julie got herself an Italian wrap (and a side of fries, as well). There is nothing spectacular about the wrap, but it was a solid and filling meal with plenty of meat and cheese inside.
Next to her, Jakob quickly downed his large slice of pepperoni pizza. Their pizza is always on-point. It was cooked well and loaded with pepperoni.
We also ordered a kid’s order of meatballs for Lukas, who at 22 months old has decided that meatballs are his favorite food. We couldn’t cut it fast enough for him, but the first one (there were three in the order) filled him up.
Our total was just over $40 for the four of us – that included a lemonade for Jakob and an unsweet tea for me. Anytime we can get out of a restaurant for about $10 per person, especially when the food is as good as it is at P&J, I consider it a win.
This was our second time dining in at the Tavern, and it is quickly becoming one of our favorite places to enjoy a meal – quick service, good food, and great prices are a hard combination to beat.
BCE Rating
Food: Good Service: Excellent Ambiance: Very Good Price: $
P&J Pizza 133 W. High Street Womelsdorf, PA 19567
Original Review: October 11, 2015
October is National Pizza Month, and Berks County Eats is celebrating by visiting some of our area’s best pizzerias all month long.
Most weeks on Berks County Eats, I take you — my readers — with me as a visit a new place and try something different.
Discovering new places and foods is one of my favorite parts about doing this blog.
But I would be doing a disservice to everyone if I didn’t also throw in some old favorites, places that I have enjoyed since childhood. Places that I frequented before the blog began. Places like P&J’s Pizza.
Opening on High St. in Womelsdorf in 1989, Pete and John (the P and J in P&J’s) have been serving western Berks County for more than 25 years.
Growing up in nearby Robesonia in the 90s, I can’t remember a time without P&J’s. They were always there in the store, and their pizza was at every party and every post-game meal throughout my childhood.
Through the years, the restaurant has remained much the same. The seven booths are surrounded by wood paneled walls. If not for the brand new TV in the corner, you would never know it wasn’t still 1989.
I have had more meals than I can count at P&J’s, trying much of the menu. Their subs are incredible, served in rolls that are more like hollowed-out loaves of Italian bread. The strombolis are also very good.
But what I love more than anything else on the menu is the Sicilian pizza.
Sicilian pizza, for those who have never tried it, is a little bit different from your traditional pie. The most obvious difference is that it’s square. Sicilians fit much more snugly into the carry-out boxes.
It’s also a thicker crust, more like a Chicago-style pizza that rises in the oven instead of remaining flat.
P&J’s does Sicilians as well as anyone. It’s baked until the edges are crispy and the cheese is perfectly melted. The sauce is sweet and the pepperoni is just a little spicier than other restaurants.
The slices are hearty, but I still managed to put down three of them before my stomach threw up the white flag.
In addition, Sicilian pies are a great value if you have a lot of mouths to feed. The large pie, which measures 16-inches square, is sliced in 12 pieces for $12.50 (toppings are $2.25 each so ours was $15.00).
Julie and I shared our pie with my parents, and between the four of us we still had three slices left at the end of the meal. If you do the math, it comes to about $3 per meal, a value no matter how you look at it.
Every small town has a place like P&J’s — a little pizza shop that locals come back to over and over again.
For me, as much as I love new and different, I will always keep going back to P&J’s as long as they keep putting out the same great pizzas I remember from my childhood.
BCE Rating Food: Good Service: Very Good Ambiance: Fair Price: Very Reasonable
There are lots of places to get a good meal. There are fewer places that offer great meals. But, what exactly is it that takes a meal from good to great?
Of course there are the flavors – it has to taste exceptional, and likely beyond what the patron could make themselves.
It helps when the ingredients are fresh – there’s a clear difference between something made-from-scratch that day versus something pre-made and frozen.
Presentation is important, too. We eat with our eyes first. So the food has to have an appeal before it ever hits our tastebuds.
What all of these things add up to is a great story as told by the author, in this case the chef. Great stories, like great meals, make you feel something. They make you experience something. Maybe it’s something new or something familiar. Maybe it’s both.
Chef Dale Reitenauer has been writing the story of the Riedenau House for three years. Originally he had planned to open a restaurant in the former Oley Valley Inn, now the Inn on Main. When those plans fell through, he persevered, working and learning in kitchens across Berks County.
This spring, he wrote the latest chapter in his story, an eight-course fine dining pop-up dinner to be held at Friedens UCC, just a few doors down from the Inn he never got to cook in.
I was very surprised to see Berks County Eats tagged in a Facebook comment personally inviting me to the event. Of course I accepted – an eight-course tasting menu is something Julie and I couldn’t miss.
When the menu was revealed four days later, I was even more excited. The meal was going to showcase two proteins throughout: pork and rabbit.
The first time I had rabbit was at Ralph’s of South Philly, an Italian restaurant that once was inside the Sheraton Valley Forge. That night, it was rabbit Bolognese with the rabbit featured in a traditional meat sauce over rigatoni.
Chef Dale pointed out that rabbit is still used often in Mediterranean cuisine, but that his dishes were more French-inspired.
“Inspired” was a good word because every dish felt inspired, each one building on the previous to tell a story.
It started with a delightful amuse-bouche, just a little taste of what was to come. It featured a buckwheat cracker topped with bacon jam, rabbit and shaved vegetables that was a nice sweet-and-savory snack.
The official first course was pork primal terrine, a medley of ground pork shoulder, pork loin and pork tenderloin, bound together with spring onion ash and served with apple butter and mushroom reduction. I didn’t know that mushroom and apple would work together, but they did. The best bites were the ones that had both sauces.
As good as the first course was, the second course was the first to blow me away. This was the rabbit consomme, a bone broth served with dehydrated mushrooms, fried carrot, spring onion nest, fondant potatoes and bacon lardon. Julie commented that the bowl looked like the forest floor, and it certainly felt like a forager’s feast. But it was the bacon lardon – chunks of bacon with beautiful smokiness – and the potatoes that shone. I would love to see a plate of those potatoes accompanying an entree someday.
Of all the things we tried, the pork and rabbit pate – course three – were the most out of our comfort zone. Surprisingly, the rabbit pate was my favorite of the two. It was served on a crispy potato chip with carrot powder. Perhaps it was the salty chip that played better than the sweet apple chip did with the pork pate.
The rabbit croquette was our fourth course. It had a buckwheat crust and was served atop carrot puree and charred spring onion emulsion. Again, two sauces that played perfectly together. The croquette was soft, not hard-crusted like a deep-fried chicken croquette I’m used to. Like the rest of the menu, it had a pleasant earthy flavor to it.
Following the croquette was the pork ravioli, Julie’s favorite item of the night. The mushroom pasta dough was filled with braised pork cheek and topped with puffed buckwheat, and a rabbit au jus. The pork cheek was so tender, and the little bits of buckwheat were like crunchy popcorn. It was a big hit.
So, too, was the pork and rabbit hotpot. It was a hearty bowl of pulled pork and rabbit with mushrooms, carrots, buckwheat, and scallop potato topping. It was a mini feast in a bowl, meatier than the consomme but still very much rooted in the local produce.
My favorite course came next: rabbit and waffles. This non-traditional take on a traditional comfort food favorite really shone. The waffle was a potato and spring onion waffle which was more like a delicious hash brown. The rabbit thigh, which was glazed in honey, was perfect. Yet again, Chef Dale had played with sweet and savory and toyed with the traditional, and once again it was a success.
Dessert was also a huge success. Bacon ice cream atop an apple tart with buckwheat crust. Prior to the course, Chef Dale told us more about his journey, which saw him start with baking and desserts before gaining the skills of a well-rounded chef. That background was fully evident in this unique closing dish. It harkened back to the amuse-bouche with the buckwheat and bacon. The addition of the apples and change from bacon jam to bacon ice cream (which did have pieces of candied bacon inside) took it from good appetizer to great dessert.
But it still held to the throughline of the meal, nine cohesive courses, each one building upon the next in creativity and flavor.
The meal really told two stories: first, the story of Pennsylvania and our food producers. PA Preferred ingredients were used throughout, from the meats to the vegetables to the dairy, even down to the drinks which included a selection of Reading Draft sodas and other locally produced non-alcoholic drinks. Some of the producers were even in attendance, and even they were trying their products in new ways.
But it was also the story of Chef Dale and the Riedenau House. It was his food, his concept, and his continued commitment to bringing a completely different experience to Berks County.
At the end of the night, we learned of the ongoing plans for the Riedenau House, which includes more pop-up dinners (look for a surf and turf meal coming in June), a food truck that will have more familiar items, and a meal prep service.
Ultimately, the goal is a restaurant. But there are more chapters in these stories to be written. And I look forward to watching them unfold.
BCE Rating Food: Excellent Service: Excellent Ambiance: Good Price: $$$$
The Riedenau Housewill continue to hold scheduled pop-up meals throughout the year. They have also debuted a new food truck, We Are PA Proud, that can be found in and around Berks County. Check their Facebook page for the latest information.
All good things must come to an end, and unfortunately that’s also the case for restaurants. Here’s a look at the Berks County restaurants that closed in 2024:
Emily’s Mohnton
Emily’s, the fine dining restaurant along Route 10 in soutern Berks County, has closed after 20 years under the current ownership. New Year’s Eve was the final night for dinner at the historic restaurant in the former Beckersville Post Office. The location will get new life in 2025 as Emily’s Event Venue with a focus on private events with Catered with GRACE (Greater Reading Academy for Culinary Education). The venue will also hold public events with live music on select Friday nights.
Munchiez Cafe Shillington Farmers Market
One year after opening, Munchiez Cafe has closed. The cafe had been open in the Shillington Farmers Market since November 2023. The last day was on December 28. According to their social media posts, Munchiez will continue as a food truck, which is how the business got its start.
Plaza Azteca Boyertown
Plaza Azteca’s Boyertown location closed its doors as of October 18. The restaurant took over the former Greshville Inn in 2021. It closed in November of the same year because of septic issues and finally reopened in April 2023. Plaza Azteca still operates three Berks County locations: Wyomissing, Mt. Penn and Blandon.
Maverick Sports Bar Pennside
A little more than a year after taking over the former Klinger’s on Carsonia in Pennside, the Maverick Sports Bar is closed. The restaurant’s last day was October 13. The location did not stay empty for long as Klinger’s has once again taken over the business, this time operating as the Carsonia Park Grill & Bar.
Latin Taste Wyomissing
Latin Taste, located in the Berkshire Mall Food Court, closed its doors in late 2024. The last post on the stand’s social media was in September. A new restaurant, Pollo’s Don Juan 2, opened in December, though more than half of the food court remains empty.
Beer Wall on Penn West Reading
A staple of West Reading for more than five years, Beer Wall on Penn closed at the end of September. When it opened, Beer Wall was unique for its self-pour drafts. Restaurant Blackbird, a new restaurant from the owners of FRESH, opens in 2025.
Briano’s Italiano Mohnton
One of three Italian restaurants in Mohnton, Briano’s Italiano closed in July. Briano’s operated out of the former Maniaci’s Italian Bistro, which had been featured on an episode of Restaurant: Impossible. Signs appeared in 2025 for Casa Cortes Mexican Restaurant, which has a location in downtown Reading.
West Reading Motor Club, Nitro Bar, and Say Cheese West Reading
Three West Reading restaurants under the same management – the West Reading Motor Club, the Nitro Bar, and Say Cheese – abruptly closed in June. The West Reading Motor Club will reopen under the management of B2 Bistro while Say Cheese was sold to the owners of Nonna Alby’s and is opening as Midtown West Reading.
Shillington Curry Masala Shillington Farmers Market
Shillington Curry Masala has come and gone at the Shillington Farmers Market. The small stand tucked in the corner next to the burger place lasted just a few months. It is now home to Lenka’s Pasta.
Four Twelve Hamburg
Four Twelve, a popular coffee shop and cafe in Hamburg announced its closing in May after seven years in business. Hazel’s Cafe, which moved to Hamburg from Kutztown, opened in the space at the end of October.
Thai Cuisine Muhlenberg
In May, Thai Cuisine closed after a long run in Muhlenberg Township. The restaurant was located near the Fairgrounds Square Mall on Eisenbrown Street. The property was subsequently sold in July.
The Hitching Post Reading
Berks County lost one of its finer dining restaurants in March with the closing of the Hitching Post along Route 183. The owners continue to operate Telia and Willoughby’s on Park in Wyomissing. It was announced that new owners were taking over, but the restaurant has remained closed since.
Musso’s Restaurant Exeter Township
Musso’s, an Italian restaurant in pizzeria in Exeter Township, announced its closing on March 1. The location is now home to Bella Roma, a new restaurant from the owner of Gino’s Cafe and Blue Marsh Italian Restaurant.
Takkii Ramen Kutztown
The Kutztown location for Takkii Ramen closed in January after a little more than a year in business. The West Reading location is still open. In September, Sajal Hot Chicken & Gyro opened in the former Takkii Kutztown location.
Papa Bernard’s Pizzeria Bechtelsville
In late 2024, Papa Bernard’s Pizzeria in Bechtelsville closed while a new restaurant, Maurizio’s Pizza, opened in its place at 801 Route 100.
Reading and Berks County have some great brunch spots. From upscale selections to bar food with breakfast, themed brunches and classics, you’ll find your next weekend spot from these places to get brunch in Berks County.
Opening at 11 a.m., Castaneda’s adds breakfast items to the menu for Saturday brunch. Specials include egg and cheese empanadas, huevos rancheros, and breakfast burritos.
Doc & Bubba’s Mohnton Sundays
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays, Doc & Bubba’s serves up creative brunch dishes like ube pancakes, short rib breakfast bowls, and tortilla quiche.
Grind Boyertown Sundays
Sunday brunch at Grind – served from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. – includes breakfast favorites like crepes and galettes along with lunchtime staples like burgers and BLTs, all paired with brunch cocktails.
Inn on Main Oley Sundays
Every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Inn on Main in Oley offers a brunch menu that expands on the daily lunch offerings to include breakfast favorites.
Jimmy G’s Beverly Hills Tavern Sinking Spring Sundays
Opening at 10 a.m. on Sundays, the Beverly Hills Tavern offers breakfast classics like omelets, French toast and breakfast sandwiches. Sundays are also all-you-can-eat wings, shrimp and fries.
Kempton Hotel Kempton Wednesday – Sunday
The Kempton Hotel serves brunch Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Features change every month but have included the Kempton breakfast (eggs, Dutch fries, bacon and toast), French toast and breakfast burritos.
Louie’s Kitchen & Bar Flying Hills Saturdays & Sundays
During the week, Louie’s is known for their burgers. But on Sunday mornings, the kitchen opens at 9 a.m. and it’s all about the breakfast specials. Louie’s offers French toast, benedicts, and four types of bacon: double smoked, whiskey pepper, caramelized (our favorite) and housemade bacon jam on crackers.
Other Farm Brewing Company Boyertown Sundays
Boyertown’s Other Farm Brewing Company opens at 10 a.m. for brunch every Sunday. Unique menu additions include the breakfast donut burger with over easy egg and bacon, the PA Dutch breakfast sandwich with scrapple and apple butter, and pork belly benedict.
Pour House American Grille Fleetwood Sundays
The Pour House American Grille at the corner of Routes 73 and 12 near Fleetwood offers Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Brunch features build-your-own omelets and breakfast sandwiches along with French toast, waffles, skillets and more.
Saucony Creek Franklin Station Brewpub Reading Sundays
Saucony Creek’s location in downtown Reading hosts a jazz brunch every Sunday starting at 10 a.m. The menu includes favorites like chicken and waffles and steak and eggs along with vegan burgers and vegan brussels sprout hash.
State Hill Craft Cocktails & Kitchen Wyomissing Saturdays & Sundays
Brunch is served Saturdays and Sundays at State Hill Craft in Wyomissing. In addition to signature bloody Marys and a selection of breakfast bowls and egg dishes, the restaurant hosts theme brunches. Past themes have included a Girl Scout Cookie Brunch in February and a Hocus Pocus Brunch before Halloween.
Stouch Tavern Womelsdorf First Sundays
On the first Sunday of the month, the Stouch Tavern in Womelsdorf opens for brunch starting at 10:30 a.m. The menus rotate each month with a mix of breakfast and lunch items available on the buffet until 1:30 p.m.
There are many considerations we make when choosing a place to eat. As a parent, I’m always on the look-out for kid-friendly atmospheres. And on those rare occasions when Julie and I get a date night, we seek out places of an upscale elegance.
I’ll admit, accessibility has never been high on my list of things to look at when checking out restaurants. But Rollie’s Place – the new cafe from Abilities in Motion – has made it part of the restaurant’s mission.
The team invited me to experience the cafe recently, and it was clear that this place was different in the best possible way.
The organization’s Vision Statement sums up AIM well:
Creating communities where people of any ability have equal access. AIM will facilitate disability inclusivity through community engagement, civic participation, and education
I met Chef James Kraemer who serves as the General Manager of Rollie’s Place. He explained how the cafe is an extension of AIM’s mission. Some accessibility accommodations are obvious: a wide-open floorplan with plenty of room for visitors using mobility devices, the blue oversized privacy chairs that help alleviate overstimulation from the surroundings, and the large accessible bathroom to name a few.
But others are more subtle, such as the door handles on the fridge to make it easier to open, noise-cancelling bottoms on the tables and chairs, and the large-print and braille versions of the menu available at the order counter.
With all these added features, the cafe retains a cool vibe. The multi-colored chairs feel modern. And the room is flooded in light from the large front windows.
Chef James has curated a breakfast and lunch menu – breakfast bowls, parfaits and ciabattas to start the day; soups, salads, and sandwiches at lunch; and fresh baked goods in the case all day. And of course you can get your favorite cafe drinks, as well.
I tried the French dip sandwich (from the specials menu) and a cup of hot chocolate during my visit. It’s clear that despite the impressive setup, the food is not an afterthought.
The French dip was awesome – one of the best variations of the sandwich that I have tried. The sandwich was tufted with thin-sliced beef, Gruyere cheese and horseradish cream. I had almost forgotten about the horseradish until I bit in, but it really enhanced the flavor of the meat. I really enjoyed the homemade au jus for dipping, loaded with herbs and spices. This definitely felt like a high-end French dip.
The sandwich was served with a side of seasoned swirl fries. Instead of a traditional cut, the fries were more like a thick spiral, dotting the plate with curls of potatoes. I dipped them in the au jus, too, for a delicious side.
My hot chocolate was delicious, as well. It was very creamy and rich, tasting more like dessert than a morning pick-me-up.
The sandwich combo and hot chocolate would have cost around $16. Most breakfast and lunch offerings are in the $9-13 range with the French dip being a little higher as a special. The drinks, including the hot chocolate also feel very reasonably priced.
In addition to the cafe, Abilities in Motion is opening more spaces to the public. Before my meal, I got a chance to check out the new AIM Gaming Center with around a dozen esports gaming stations where people of all abilities can take part in competitions for Fortnite and other popular titles. If I was about 10 years younger, I would be a regular.
I still will likely be a regular to Rollie’s Place, though. The food, the atmosphere, the connectivity – it’s the perfect place to spend a morning or a lunch hour, and I look forward to my next visit.
BCE Rating Food: Very Good Ambiance: Excellent Service: Excellent Price: $$
Rollie’s Place 755 Hiesters Lane Reading, PA 19605
It’s one thing for a restaurant to get a second chance. Sometimes it doesn’t work and you end up with much of the same. But sometimes it’s a home run as new owners bring fresh ideas and a new approach.
We had first visited West Reading Motor Club a year ago when it was under the previous ownership, before it and the Nitro Bar upstairs were closed (along with Say Cheese). We had always enjoyed Say Cheese, and I had a good first impression of the Nitro Bar, but we left our meal at WRMC feeling underwhelmed.
In late 2024, the West Reading Motor Club was reopened under new management, the same team behind B2 Bistro. It had been a few years since our last visit to B2, but we had always enjoyed the food, even if the service had never wowed us.
Certainly we had some preconceived notions entering West Reading Motor Club in January.
The first thing we noticed was that despite our early reservations – 5:30 on a Saturday – the place was already busy. The dining room wasn’t packed, but there were plenty of people already enjoying their meals by the time we arrived. We were led to a table for two by the front window that looked out onto Penn Avenue.
The dining room has an elegance to it with wood floors and dark tables against brick walls. But it’s also bright and inviting, not relying on the candlelight on the table.
Our waiter, Josh, stopped by quickly and couldn’t have been more delightful or helpful. When Julie asked if they had mocktails available, he asked the bar and returned quickly to let her know that they could, then delivered her a deliciously fruit-flavored drink to go with my iced tea.
Looking over the menu, and having seen a few desserts delivered to the tables around us, we decided to skip the appetizers to save a little room at the end.
Well, to be more accurate, I decided to double-up on the appetizers and make it a meal.
I started with a bowl of their “ultimate” French onion soup. What separates this from a traditional French onion is the inclusion of braised short ribs.
The short ribs made a huge difference. It made the dish not only heartier but more savory than the standard brothy version. But everything in it was delicious, from the broth, itself, to the French bread and cheese. It’s definitely high on my list of favorite soups.
For my “main,” I ordered the grilled chopped romaine. I’ve had grilled Caesar salads before, most notably at Lancaster’s Belvedere Inn, but those were whole romaine hearts while this was chopped.
The salad was very good, not too different from a traditional Caesar, but what really set it apart was the inclusion of crispy prosciutto. This thin-sliced deli meat, not quite ham, not quite bacon, was fried and sprinkled throughout. The salty and savory bites really popped. Every bite with a piece of prosciutto was just a little better than a bite without.
Even before dessert, I was very happy with my selections.
Julie, meanwhile, ordered a more traditional dinner: the pork tenderloin roulade. Roulade means “roll,” and in this case, the pork was rolled and stuffed with spinach, shallots, sun-dried tomato, and Parmesan, and topped with a demi-glace. It was a delicious mixture with subtle sweet notes. As good as my meal was, I think the pork was my favorite (even though I only had one small taste of Julie’s meal).
Her pork came with potato puree and asparagus. Though both were good, the pork was the star.
The real star of the evening, however, may have been dessert. We ordered a slice of the chocolate layer cake, and all I can say is “wow.”
First of all, the slice was huge. (Thank goodness we skipped appetizers and saved room). It came with sliced strawberry and blueberry, whipped cream, and chocolate drizzle. What made this so good was the ganache or frosting. It was absolutely decadent. I wished I could have just eaten a bowl of it, but the cake was a nice vessel for it anyway.
After the cake, we were definitely full, but extremely happy after a stand-out meal. In total, it cost a little under $100. It’s certainly not a price we’d pay for an everyday meal, but for a romantic date night, $50 per person didn’t feel out of place.
And with food and service like West Reading Motor Club delivered, it may not be a weekly stop, but I get the feeling we will be back for more.
BCE Rating Food: Very Good Service: Excellent Ambiance: Excellent Price: $$$
West Reading Motor Club 416 Penn Avenue West Reading, PA 19611
There is nothing like the atmosphere at a popular coffee shop. It’s hard to put your finger on what makes it work, but you know it when you feel it.
And you can feel it when you step inside Queens’ Cafe in Wyomissing.
Queens’ Cafe has a unique location inside the Riverfront Federal Credit Union building along Keiser Boulevard in Wyomissing. It was the former home of one of my favorite restaurants, Squawk Cafe.
Despite occupying the same space, the two cafes couldn’t be more different. While I always enjoyed Squawk for the food, Queens’ Cafe feels more vibrant. The dining area is filled with bright colors – from the selfie wall in the corner to the artwork on the walls to the chalkboard highlighting the specials.
When Julie and I visited on a January afternoon, we found nearly every table full, which only enhanced the vibe. We ordered our meals at the counter and found an empty table – there weren’t many, and there were even less by the time we left.
And while Squawk focused on elevated dishes, Queens’ Cafe offers a simpler menu with classics like omelettes and pancakes at breakfast and cheesesteaks and BLTs at lunch.
The cafe serves breakfast all day so I ordered a couple of those breakfast staples: French toast with a side of homefries.
The portions aren’t huge, but they’re not small either. My French toast came in four triangles topped with powdered sugar with a cup of syrup on the side. It wasn’t fancy or inventive, just really good French toast.
I could say the same for the home fries. I opted to add grilled peppers and onions to it, and there was something about it that just tasted like homemade in the best way.
While there are certainly familiar items on the menu, that’s not to say that everything is “boring.” Julie found an exciting offering on the specials menu: the apple and brie grilled cheese.
The sandwich was on the smaller side, but packed with flavor. The sweetness of the apple played well with the creamy cheese, and the multigrain bread was the perfect counterbalance to both. It was enjoyable from the first bite to the last.
It came served with a cup of soup, and Julie opted for the vegetable. It was a little brothy, but filled with hearty vegetables like cauliflower, carrots, celery and more. Enjoyable, but not the star like the sandwich was.
Julie also got one of the cafe’s drink specials: an iced cinnamon roll matcha tea. The matcha tea was lightly sweetened with the maple syrup and topped with cold foam and cinnamon for a not-too-sweet pick-me-up.
In all, our meal cost around $35 which felt reasonable. You could certainly spend less (the tea added to the cost) and still leave full at breakfast or lunch.
I still miss Squawk sometimes, but at least I know there’s a cool new spot in its place. And I have a feeling I’ll be enjoying more meals at Queens’ Cafe in the near future.
BCE Rating Food: Very Good Service: Good Ambiance: Very Good Price: $$
Queens’ Cafe 2609 Keiser Blvd Wyomissing, PA 19610
