The summer was a busy one for our family. It started with baseball tournaments as Jakob and his teammates took on the world (or at least, Berks County) for two full weekends in June. Exhausted after their last game, the parents decided to get together to celebrate the season. The chosen destination: Sly Fox Wyomissing Taphouse.
Sly Fox Brewing Company started in Phoenixville in 1995 and now has four locations, including the Wyomissing Taphouse which opened for business in 2019.
The Taphouse is one of the cornerstone businesses in the Knitting Mills complex, formerly home to the VF Outlet Center and before that, Wyomissing Industries. In addition to the restaurant and bar on the main floor, the location is home to the Foxkeller, a lower-level bar with golf simulators, and the neighboring event space, Eight-Twenty at the Mills.
Julie and I had visited Sly Fox once before, shortly after they opened. Sitting in the industrial-looking main dining room, we only ordered some drinks and wings – very good, but not enough to write a blog about.
This time, we had the whole family in tow, sitting amongst the other families from Jakob’s baseball team. Jakob sat with half a dozen other eight and nine year olds at one table while we sat nearby with some of the other parents.
I was impressed by Sly Fox’s organization and service. Including parents and players, there had to be close to 30 of us on the patio. The servers started tabs for each family using the player’s uniform number to keep track of who ordered what.
The only hiccup was that I was charged for two iced teas because two different servers added it to our tab.
Otherwise, it was as flawless as could be expected, and food started pouring out of the kitchen, one family at a time, with ours toward the end of the group.
I ordered the Main Line cheesesteak and fries. It came with grilled onions and Cooper sharp cheese – my go-to cheesesteak toppings – served on a seeded roll. It was everything I wanted out of a cheesesteak.
It wasn’t as large as you would get at a true cheesesteak shop – much more manageable for a single person – but with the fries, it was more than filling.
The fries were also very good. They were battered and fried golden and crispy. Julie, Jakob and I each had fries with our meals, and we ended up taking a good amount home for the next day.
For her meal, Julie went with their chicken and guacamole wrap. It features grilled chicken, bacon, guacamole, chili lime ranch and pico de gallo wrapped in a tortilla.
The wrap was very good. The chili lime ranch had a little kick to it, but not too bad. The guacamole was flavorful and the bacon gave it nice savory and salty notes.
Jakob ordered their chicken fingers and fries which came with four big tenders and a heap of the same delicious battered fries.
The chicken fingers were good, though nothing particularly noteworthy. He enjoyed it (and the leftovers), and that’s all that mattered.
For Lukas, we got a plain cheese pizza. With him, we knew we would be taking slices home for later.
I first tried Sly Fox pizza at their flagship location in Pottstown and was pleasantly surprised. Lukas’ pie had the flavor I remembered, but the crust was way too big with the toppings stopping well short of the edge (especially for a two-year-old who doesn’t eat crust).
Overall, though, our meal was very good. And I have to give credit to the servers who handled a rush of families as best as they could.
The meal was north of $80 for the four of us, but that included drinks – a mixed drink for Julie and soft drinks for the boys and me. And while their meals were kid-friendly, Jakob and Lukas had adult portions (hence the leftovers). So I would say it was fair for the amount of food that we had.
Overall, Sly Fox delivered quality in both the food and the service. I look forward to taking the boys there again in the future for a (hopefully) quieter family meal.
BCE Rating Food: Good Ambiance: Good Service: Excellent Price: $$
Sly Fox Wyomissing Taphouse 820 Knitting Mills Way Wyomissing, PA 19610
While there are plenty of places in Berks County for a date night, there are far fewer places that Julie and I choose to visit for special occasions.
One of the restaurants that has become a celebration spot for us is Mom Chaffe’s Cellarette in West Reading.
It has been more than a decade since our first visit (and first review) of Mom Chaffe’s. Our last visit came three years ago during West Reading Restaurant Week.
Three years is a long time so we were ready to go back, and with our anniversary approaching, Mom Chaffe’s felt like the perfect place to celebrate.
We arrived about 15 minutes early for our 6 p.m. reservations. We were surprised to find the dining room mostly empty. Apparently everyone else had reservations for 6 or 6:30 because it quickly filled up behind us with just a few tables left open just a short time later.
The restaurant is celebrating 90 years in 2026, and the dining room maintains a lot of historic charm – from the ornate bar to the framed oil paintings that fill the walls to the chandeliers that hang from the textured ceiling. The table linens add to the upscale feel, but Mom Chaffe’s still feels approachable and there were plenty of diners in the room dressed casually.
Our server was with us quickly. Even after the room filled up, she was never far when we needed something.
Mom Chaffe’s has a relatively small menu, especially compared to other Italian restaurants in the area. That’s not to say there aren’t plenty of choices – from traditional pastas with red sauce and choice of meat to more creative seafood and veal dinners. And there are always great specials.
We ordered one of the restaurant’s appetizer specials: prosciutto-wrapped melon.
It was a very different, but very enjoyable, dish. It featured three thick slices of cantaloupe wrapped in thin slices of prosciutto atop a bed of greens. Everything was then drizzled with balsamic vinegar.
There were moments with the balsamic and the general brightness of it that it reminded me of Caprese, but the sweet and salty combination of the melon and prosciutto was unique – and very enjoyable.
For my main course, I again ordered off the specials menu – penne pasta with hot Italian sausage in a vodka sauce. It was excellent – exactly the right amount of spice to add flavor and make me feel it while not being unbearable. The vodka sauce would have been good even without the meat, creamy and delicious. And the pasta held it all together well. If it were a regular menu item, I would order it again.
Julie went with one of Mom Chaffe’s classic entrees – the lasagna. Only available Thursday through Saturday, it’s a favorite of many. And you can include us among those after this meal. The lasagna comes in a large crock with layers of noodle and ricotta cheese topped with a delicious red sauce.
Our meals also came with salads, and Julie and I both decided on the Parmesan peppercorn dressing. The salads are simple – greens with onions, a couple cherry tomatoes, some cucumber and sliced carrots. The dressing was delicious, a little thick, but with the nutty notes of Parmesan with the little spice of the pepper.
Because of the salads – and because we wanted to save room for dessert – we both took half of our meals home for dinner the next night.
The dessert options change regularly. On this night, it was the coconut cake that caught our attention. Layers of white cake were separated by frosting with coconut flakes on the icing and the plate. There was also a dollop of whipped cream that added just that little extra decadence to it. Overall, it was a great way to finish the meal.
In total, including an iced tea for me and a mixed drink for Julie, we spent about $100 on food and drinks, but that included four courses and enough entrees for leftovers. The food was excellent, too, so I would say it was well worth the price.
At 90 years old, Mom Chaffe’s is as good as ever – good enough to keep us coming back for more.
BCE Rating Food: Excellent Ambiance: Excellent Service: Very Good Price: $$$
Mom Chaffe’s Cellarette 148 Tulpehocken Avenue West Reading, PA 19611
For such a small town, West Reading has a seemingly endless array of restaurants.
No less than 30 restaurants and cafes are packed into the town’s 1.5 square miles. From French cuisine to fried chicken and from vegetarian to Mediterranean, foodies can find a world of flavors in this tiny borough.
While most will never venture from the Penn Avenue and the vibrant downtown area, there is much more to this wonderful small town.
Tulpehocken Avenue shoots off from the 5th Avenue traffic circle. Blink and you may miss it and the hidden gem that it holds.
Mom Chaffe’s Cellarette looks like every other home on the block, except for the brightly lit sign proclaiming “Italian Food” and “Cocktails.”
A small brass plate on the front has a simple inscription: “Mom Chaffe’s Est. 1936.”
It is amazing that any restaurant could survive for nearly 80 years, especially one like Mom Chaffe’s, which still does not have a website, a Facebook page or any other online presence. What it does have are loyal customers and 78 years of history on its side.
Like West Reading, itself, Mom Chaffe’s packs a lot into a small space. At times it is too much as the wait staff is forced to navigate a maze of tables and chairs in the main dining room. Even the walls are cramped, with dozens of paintings fighting over the limited space.
What’s not cramped is the menu. It’s very limited-two pages of pasta, antipasto and entrees with a handful of specials added daily.
One of the specials on this night was the Italian fried hot peppers, which were served as an appetizer with sliced tomato and mozzarella over lettuce.
Though the dish was served cold, there was no escaping the heat. These were some very spicy peppers, loaded with heat and flavor. The creamy chunks of mozarella were a perfect compliment to the peppers, and along with the tomato and lettuce helped cool the taste buds.
While I was adventurous with the appetizer, I played it conservative with my meal and opted for fedelini with tomato sauce and meatballs.
The two meatballs were massive, clearly hand-formed and full of flavor. The sauce was bright red and thick, one of the best I have found in the area. My only complaint is that there was enough of it to mix with the mound of pasta that was buried underneath.
Across the table, my wife went with the lasagna (which is only available Thursday through Sunday). I wish I had made the same decision because the one bite of hers I tried was delicious. The lasagna featured both ground meat and thinly sliced sausage layered with pasta and cheese and topped with the same thick tomato sauce as my pasta. It was a meaty, yet balanced dish that I enjoyed as much as any lasagna I’ve tried (and was enough that she took home half for the next day’s lunch).
The dessert tray was sitting on a table near us, and after staring at it for most of our meal, there was no way we were going to be leaving without some. It was all fairly standard cakes and cheesecakes (I would venture to guess that these were not made in house, but at another local business). I went with a chocolate cake with a filling of ricotta and dried fruit. The cake itself was very dark, but the filling was incredibly sweet, with pieces of pineapple, apricot and other fruit mixed in for added texture.
In a restaurant with such limited seating, I had expected the prices to be higher to compensate. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the prices were in line any other restaurant with entrees falling in the $15-25 range. For our appetizer, two entrees and two slices of cake, our final bill was just over $50.
Overall, Mom Chaffe’s is a great little place for fine Italian food. If you go, make sure you save room. And be sure to call ahead or there may not be room for you.
BCE Rating Food: Excellent Service: Very Good Ambiance: Excellent Price: Very Reasonable
Mom Chaffe’s Cellarette 148 Tulpehocken Ave West Reading, PA 19611
Berks County has no shortage of places to get a cheesesteak – Philly-style, Berks County style, and everything in between – but that doesn’t mean there’s not room for more.
Philly Jawn is from the family behind Peppe’s Pizza and Grill in nearby Gilbertsville. While you can get a cheesesteak at Peppe’s, the two restaurants are very different.
First, Philly Jawn doesn’t offer pizza or pasta. It’s strictly cheesesteaks and sandwiches with an assortment of appetizers and sides. Second, Philly Jawn also houses a full Italian deli and market with meats, cheeses and assorted imported foods.
I made my first visit to Philly Jawn on a weekday in mid-August. It was around 11:30 when I arrived, and the restaurant was already busy. A family was spread across a pair of two-seat tables out front while inside there was a line to order and a handful of others waiting for their food.
There is no seating for dine-in, just a row of about a half dozen chairs in a narrow hallway for those waiting. I ordered at the counter and grabbed the last seat while I watched customers coming and going.
It took a little more than 10 minutes for them to call my name and hand me my cheesesteak.
I ordered the namesake Philly Jawn which comes with fried onions and Cooper sharp cheese – my favorite toppings – on a seeded roll.
The ribeye was cooked well and the onions added little hits of flavor throughout. I know there are debates on seeded versus non-seeded rolls, but I liked the seeded roll here. It held up pretty well despite being over-stuffed with steak.
It wasn’t my favorite cheesesteak I’ve had, but it was good, and I would go again.
The sandwich comes in 12” or 24” inch options so even the small was too much for me to handle, but at least I knew going in that I would have leftovers for the next day. That meant that I got two meals for the $16.75 price tag.
The biggest downside for me is the lack of seating. Because I don’t live in Boyertown, I’m limited to the row of two-seater tables outside or takeout. But the sandwich was wrapped well so I think it should travel well.
I look forward to trying more of what The Philly Jawn Cheesesteak has to offer. I’ll be sure to bring an appetite – and maybe a friend or two – next time.
BCE Rating Food: Good Service: Very Good Ambiance: Good Price: $$
The Philly Jawn Cheesesteak 159 S. Reading Avenue Boyertown, PA 19512
West Reading has been a hub for Berks County’s dining scene for as long as I have been doing Berks County Eats. We’ve reviewed more than 26 restaurants in West Reading since 2014.
Some of our favorites are still going strong; unfortunately, others didn’t last.
La Abuela Mexican Restaurant was an early favorite of ours with our first visit coming in 2015. The restaurant had a good 10-year run before closing in late 2025.
The space has new life with the opening of Archie’s Taqueria in 2026.
Archie’s began a soft opening in late June after several months of renovations. I was invited by the restaurant to come try the new Mexican spot.
The restaurant has a more modern feel than the last time we ate at La Abuela. White shelves, smartly adored with succulents, pottery and sculpture, pop against a dark brown wall. The tables and chairs are a lighter wood, matching the new floors.
The restaurant is full-service, though counter-order takeout is available, too. I decided to dine in and quickly brought a basket of chips and salsa.
Archie’s salsa is thick, but not chunky, with a little more than a mild spice. It’s been run through a food processor so it’s smoother and more consistent.
With the heat on the back end, I was glad to have a glass of horchata to wash it down. The horchata was also very good with just the right amount of cinnamon.
The service was very fast. Less than 10 minutes after I sat down, my meal arrived.
While the restaurant had a limited menu for the soft opening, they were featuring three items in the “house of birria” section – birria tacos, birria quesadilla and birria pizza. I had opted for the classic birria tacos.
Served three to an order for $15.99, the birria tacos featured the namesake braised beef with cheese, onions and cilantro. The tortillas were grilled crispy and filled to the brim. On the side was a cup of consomme for dipping (along with red and green salsas).
The tacos were delicious on their own – incredibly hearty and savory. The consomme was loaded with onion and cilantro, slightly salty and very savory. While it didn’t need any additional salsa, I still tried both the red and green salsas. Both had a smooth consistency that was more like a sauce. The green was light, salty and mild with a slight kick at the end while the red was medium to hot. Both were good, and I would definitely enjoy them with other menu items. For the birria, though, the consumme was enough.
My meal was very good and quite filling, and it arrived incredibly fast. My horchata and tacos would have cost about $20. It’s not the cheapest meal in town, but it’s in line with the price at other local Mexican restaurants.
New additions are always welcome in West Reading and across Berks County. And after my first visit, I would say Archie’s is definitely a welcome addition.
BCE Rating Food: Very Good Service: Excellent Ambiance: Good Price: $$
Archie’s Taqueria 448 Penn Avenue West Reading, PA 19611
For many Berks County restaurants, weekends are the busiest time of the week. Mondays become a day off to restock and recharge. But not every restaurant closes to start the workweek. Here’s our guide to restaurants open on Mondays in Berks County.
Top Picks for Monday Night Dinner
Austin’s Restaurant & Bar West Lawn
For more than two decades, Austin’s Restaurant & Bar has been a favorite in the West Lawn-Wyomissing area. Their ribs are some of the best around, but we’re also fans of their chicken bruschetta pasta, Texas tenders and their signature potato soup. Wyomissing seafood spot Coastal Grille – part of the same restaurant group – is also open on Mondays.
Copperz is open for dinner every Monday night where they serve up the crowd-pleasing giant pretzels along with burgers, sandwiches and flatbreads. Monday night is also Pizza Monday at Copperz where all of their flatbreads are just $10.
Sinking Spring’s Irish pub, Ganly’s does a “Burgers and Beers” night every Monday starting at 4 p.m. Of course you can always get Ganly’s Irish favorites like shepherd’s pie and bangers and mash.
The Henry P. is known for their pit beef which is available on its own, in a sandwich or on a cheesesteak. On Mondays, the Henry P. hosts smashburger night with a different burger special every week.
A staple in downtown Reading for nearly a century, Jimmie Kramer’s Peanut Bar is still a great place to grab a meal. The historic bar and restaurant is open Mondays so get a table, toss your peanut shells on the floor, and enjoy their Monday wing special or some of the restaurant’s classic American dishes.
Known for their award-winning burgers and unique takes on cheesesteaks, Louie’s Kitchen & Bar is open daily for lunch and dinner. The restaurant is located at the Flying Hills Golf Club but is open to the public.
One of Berks County’s longest-running Italian restaurants, Mom Chaffe’s maintains a speakeasy vibe with its lower-level location. While their famous lasagna is only available on the weekends, you can still enjoy other delicious pastas, along with seafood, steaks and chicken.
Ozgood’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar Kutztown + Robesonia
Both Ozgood’s locations – Kutztown and Robesonia – are open on Mondays for lunch and dinner. Menu favorites include the pork berry tacos, the Tuscan pistachio chicken sandwich, and the baked piggy mac.
Shirley’s brings the flavors of Latin America – both traditional and modern – to the forefront. Enjoy a hearty cazuela (steaming stew served in a clay pot), tacos and fajitas, and kicked up burgers. You can also enjoy Monday night dinner at Shirley’s sister restaurant, the Pike Cafe.
One of Berks County’s newest restaurants, Stefano’s in Wyomissing serves their rustic Italian cuisine every day. Be sure to save room for dessert – Stefano’s has their own on-site bakery where they are crafting delicious cheesecakes, cakes and pies.
It’s never been easier to be vegan in Berks County. WIth vegan cafes and meatless options at some of the area’s best restaurants, Berks County is vegan-friendly. Check out our list of vegan restaurants in Berks County:
Vegan Restaurants
Chen Vegetarian House West Reading
Chen Vegetarian House has been serving vegan versions of Asian food staples since 2013. In addition to fried rice and Thai curries, Chen offers meatless takes on General Tso’s chicken, orange beef, and teriyaki duck. Pair your meal with a delicious juice or smoothie.
Smoothies and bowls are the stars at Cup of Joy in Kutztown. The cafe focuses on foods that are organic, gluten free, and vegan and vegetarian friendly – with no sugars added. A limited menu of toasts and sandwiches is also available.
HIVE Local Food is a vegan outpost in Kutztown serving lunch every Friday and Saturday. Get a HIVE Burger and a Bigfoot Milkshake (made with oat milk ice cream) or try a noodle bowl, salad or vegan cheesesteak.
The Pottstown-based Charlotte Street Coffee Company expanded to Boyertown in 2023, bringing their vegan pastries with them. Stop in for a cup of coffee or tea, and treat yourself to a muffin, bagel, or donut.
Food4All Cafe Alsace Township
The Kula Kamala Foundation is home to the Food4All Cafe, a pay-what-you-can eatery that is open for Sunday brunch weekly and on the first Saturday of every month. According the Foundation’s website, the meals served by the Cafe “are predominantly vegan, whole food based, organic when possible, always gluten free.”
Firefly Forest Bakehouse
Though the Firefly Cafe is now closed, the business continues through the Firefly Forest Bakehouse. Find them at the West Reading Farmers Market, along with other regional markets and pop-ups for vegan baked goods, take-and-bake meals, and hot items. The owners also host pop-up dinners and cooking classes.
Vegetarian and Vegan-Friendly Options
You’ll find many restaurants in Berks County that may have one or two plant-based options, but the following retaurants, though not fully vegan, have some of the largest selections of vegan and vegetarian menu items.
Aladdin Restaurant West Reading
Specializing in Mediterranean cuisine, Aladdin Restaurant in West Reading has a vegetarian section on the menu which includes dishes like moujadara, rice and lentils cooked with onions and spices served with a fattoush salad, hummus, or baba ghannouj.
One of our favorite restaurants in Berks County, Andy Pepper’s is also one of the most vegan-friendly. The regular menu includes options like oatmeal pancakes and the Grateful Egg (vegan sausage, egg and cheese bagel). You can also customize most sandwiches to meatless versions with vegan alternatives to chicken, bacon, burgers, sausage, cheese and mayo.
Farmhouse Kitchen West Reading
The Farmhouse Kitchen, West Reading’s farm-to-table cafe, is also a great option for vegan dining. Menu options include baked oatmeal, parfaits with dairy-free yogurt, wraps, salads, hummus and bowls.
Jimmie Kramer’s Peanut Bar Reading
While not widely advertised, Jimmie Kramer’s Peanut Bar has a special vegan features menu including made-to-order vegetable lasagna (and other pasta options), portobello steak, and vegan burgers.
Rangoli Indian Street Food Shillington
While Rangoli does have meat dishes on the menu, the Shillington restaurant has an extensive selection of vegan dishes like chana masala or spinach dal. Pair it with a vegan chai.
Thaiwat offers tofu and mixed vegetables as an option for all of its curries and entrees. This is in addition to salads and vegetarian appetizers, like edamame, deep fried tofu, and chive dumplings.
Do you have a favorite vegan spot in Berks County? Let me know who to add to the list by emailing zach@berkscountyeats.com.
It often takes a while before I get to return to a restaurant. Even if it’s a great meal, there are so many restaurants to try that I can go years in between meals at a given place.
Two years ago, we visited the Inn on Main in Oley for the first time. We had a great meal, and the historic inn was a beautiful setting, but we hadn’t found a time to return.
Recently, though, I was invited back to try some of the Inn’s new menu items, and I couldn’t pass it up.
We arrived on a Thursday evening and were greeted by Lexi, who was serving as hostess, server and bartender. She seated us at a high top in the bar room, which was surprisingly full. (There were only a couple tables taken between the two larger dining rooms). Almost all of the barstools were taken, as were most of the other tables.
The bar area captures the 140-year-old charm of the inn. The original stone walls are exposed above the chair rails, and the wooden beams are visible as well. The wooden floors and ceilings are contrasted by the more modern light fixtures that hang above the bar.
Our meal started with a delivery of bread and butter, two slices with a seeded crust that helped tide us over until the appetizers arrived.
The chef had selected two apps for us to try – coconut shrimp and spinach balls.
The spinach balls were like a spinach dip rolled up into six meatball-sized balls and served with a cup of homemade honey mustard, which was actually the best part of the dish. It looked nothing like store-bought honey mustard – dark in color with tiny mustard seeds. The taste was more sweet with the flavor of the mustard seeds with mild acidity. The spinach balls, themselves, were good, but a little dry. But the honey mustard took care of it while adding its own flavor.
While the spinach balls were good, the coconut shrimp was our favorite of the two. Five large shrimp were breaded, deep-fried and served with sweet chili sauce. I don’t like seafood, but I actually really enjoyed it. The panko breading was light and had the bright notes of the coconut. The sweet chili sauce wasn’t overly sweet, but I liked the little bit of heat that it brought.
We were already starting to feel full after the two appetizers, but we were still looking forward to our entrees – tenderloin tips for me and lobster roll for Julie. The meals arrived a few minutes after we finished our appetizers.
My tenderloin tips were served on a bed of mashed potatoes and topped with frizzled onions and a gorgonzola sauce. The tenderloin tips were cooked perfectly to order and flavorful on their own, the bites where I could get a little bit of everything were the best. The potatoes were garlicky, and the frizzled onions had a little unexpected kick to them. The creamy gorgonzola helped bring everything together.
The only thing I didn’t love were the green beans, the day’s seasonal side. With such strong flavors in everything else, it felt like the beans were just there because they had to be. As much food as I had already, I didn’t feel bad about leaving some green beans uneaten.
Julie loved both her lobster roll and the OV fries that came with it. The Inn on Main has three options for lobster roll. Julie got the Connecticut style with warm butter. (They also serve Maine style with chilled mayo and OV style with warm garlic butter). There were large chunks of lobster on the classic New England-style roll. The butter perfectly complemented the rich meat. Though the sandwich wasn’t large, it was filling and satisfying.
Her OV fries, the Inn’s signature style, were also very good. The waffle fries came tossed in Old Bay with a side of cheese sauce for dipping. Simple, but delicious, we took more half of them home to enjoy the next day.
In addition to the meals, I had an iced tea while Julie tried one of the Inn’s signature cocktails: the Oley Valley pomtini – vanilla vodka, limoncello and pomegranate juice with a sugar rim. It was strong and a little sweet – a really good drink.
Our entrees would typically cost $32 each while the spinach balls and coconut shrimp would be $11 and $15, respectively.
We spent $75 for two entrees on our previous visit so the prices feel comparable to two years ago and a good value for the quality and quantity of the food. (Because I ordered off the “highlight menu,” my meal didn’t come with a side salad like the filet and other entrees).
Despite working multiple tables and the bar, our server was attentive all evening, and the kitchen kept pace – we were finished with our meals after a little more than an hour.
Two years was too long in between meals at the Inn on Main. The food, the setting, service – it’s all good enough to keep us coming back.
BCE Rating Food: Very Good Ambiance: Excellent Service: Very Good Price: $$$
While I love exploring “new” and modern restaurants, I will never tire of the dining experience at a historic country inn. There is something about the ambiance that just makes it feel like a special experience.
And that was certainly the case on our visit to the Inn on Main in Oley.
Julie and I had a rare date night in early November and decided to make the trip from our home base in Wyomissing to the village of Oley. Driving up Friedensburg Road from Route 73, the Inn appears directly in front of you, a historic welcome sign of sorts.
Formerly known as the Oley Valley Inn, the historic property dates to the late 1800s and it maintains many of the charms of yesterday. The floor, though stained a dark color, appears to be original. As do the wooden walls. An interior window near the entrance features a stained glass image of the US Constitution.
But there are modern touches, as well. The retro Edison bulbs overhead light a dining room filled with dark wooden tables with black accents. And a large mural covers a dark painted brick wall near the entrance. On it, the state of Pennsylvania with hex sign designs and a bottle pouring a drink that is spilling toward Oley.
The menu is a mix of old and new – American comfort food but with a few more modern additions. There are steaks and chops and chicken dishes. But there are also truffle fries, surf and turf chili, and garlic Parmesan shrimp.
I ordered the Italian stuffed chicken breast from among the four chicken dishes on the menu. The Italian stuffing consisted of prosciutto, Italian cheeses, and sundried tomatoes. It was topped with red sauce, but served over a bed of pesto pasta.
It was a unique take on chicken Parmesan that I really enjoyed. The breaded chicken was delicious on its own, but the saltiness of the prosciutto and the creaminess of the cheese added more depth to the dish. And I love how sundried tomatoes provide such an intense flavor in small bites.
The combination of red sauce and pesto in the same dish was different, but it was a nice contrast. And I would definitely order it again.
Pasta dishes come with the choice of a house or Caesar salad. For mine, I chose the Caesar. I was a little disappointed in that it took longer to come out than I would have hoped. (I was still eating it when the main course arrived), but it was a good salad.
We did get a plate of bread with herbed butter before our meals, though.
For her entree, Julie decided to splurge on a steak. It did not disappoint. The 8 oz. filet was cooked to a perfect medium. It came topped with butter that quickly melted over the cut of steak. And while Julie ordered – and enjoyed – a side of chimichurri sauce, the steak ultimately didn’t need any more flavor. It was perfect as it was.
The sides for the evening were a baked potato and broccoli. Both were good, but easily outshined by the steak.
Unfortunately our meals left us with no room for dessert. (Julie brought a little bit of her steak home to have with a salad at lunch later in the week).
All told, our meal was about $75 which felt in line for the elevated meals that we were served.
It was a nice night out at the historic inn. At 140 years old, I’d say the Inn on Main is about as good as ever.
BCE Rating Food: Very Good Ambiance: Excellent Service: Good Price: $$$
Don’t get me wrong, there are some great restaurants in Berks County that have adventurous, creative menus. But for a quick lunch or a simple dinner with the family, less is more.
The restaurant has been a staple on Lancaster Avenue for more than 45 years. While the sign out front is retro cool, the inside feels clean and modern with wood floors, black tables and chairs, counter seating and a stainless steel order counter.
Above the order counter, the menu is scrawled out in colored marker on a black dry-erase board. It’s simple at its core: burgers and hot dogs (with hamburger BBQ and a pork roll sandwich thrown in) with fries, coleslaw and soup on the side.
Simple doesn’t mean boring, though. There are more than 20 specialty dogs and burgers to choose from, everything from California cheeseburgers and Chicago dogs to local twists like the Berks County dog with American cheese, scrapple and bacon or the Pagoda dog topped with hamburger BBQ.
I was flying solo on my visit and wanted to taste as much as I could so I ordered a Coney burger, a bacon BBQ dog and a small order of fries.
My food was out quickly – the burgers and dogs were ready and just needed assembling. I started in on the burger first, a traditional Coney burger with chili and cooked onions. The no-bean chili sauce was mild with a subtle flavor compared to the onions. The burger, itself, was a pretty standard fast-food patty so the chili did add a little extra savory flavor to it. The bun was a bit soggy by the end, but I had the fries to scoop up any sauce that fell out.
The fries were very good, fresh-cut and piping hot. The closest comparison I have to them are the fries from the Oley Fair. I gave them a little spritz of vinegar from the squeeze bottle on one of the tables and enjoyed every bite.
The hot dog was solid, too. It came topped with cheddar cheese, BBQ sauce and a strip of bacon. The Dog House uses Berks hot dogs, which I love. And BBQ bacon is usually my go-to burger order so I knew I would enjoy the flavor combination of the toppings.
With a bottle of iced tea to go with it, my total was just $17. It was more than enough food (though I forced it all, anyway), and I would have been fine with either a burger or a hot dog so I count this among the best bargains out there.
There’s nothing fancy about The Dog House. It’s good food and fast service – simplicity at its best.
BCE Rating Food: Good Ambiance: Good Service: Very Good Price: $
The Dog House 1216 Lancaster Avenue Reading, PA 19607
I can think of several locations around Berks County that feel like a revolving door for restaurants. Each time, I think “this is the one that’s going to stick.”
One of those locations is 100 Constitution Boulevard in Kutztown, currently the home of Saucony Cafe.
This is actually the fourth time we’ve reviewed a restaurant in this space. One of our earliest blogs was CC’s Wooden Grill which closed in 2014. We also visited Potts’ U Hot Dogs (2016) and Mad Dogs (2018).
Saucony Cafe took over the space in 2022, already outlasting its two most recent predecessors. It helps that the business began across town seven years earlier.
I arrived on a Thursday afternoon in June – the students were all home for the summer and the Cafe was quiet. It was clear they weren’t expecting dine-in guests – boxes of supplies were on a table by the front door, and the lights were dimmed at the far end of the space.
After I ordered, I took a seat at one of the three available tables. In just five minutes, my food arrived.
I ordered a rodeo burger – onion rings, bacon and BBQ sauce – with fries. I had watched as the burger was hand-patted while I paid so I knew it was fresh. And you could taste the difference in the first bite.
I’ve had many similar burgers, and this was one of the best. The twin patties were smashed thin so they caramelized on the outside. The onion rings were good, the bacon was excellent, and there was plenty of sweet BBQ sauce on top.
The battered fries on the side were perfect for cleaning up the sauce that fell on the plate. They were hot and crispy, perfect on their own or to dip.
With my Icy Tea, the meal came to about $18, a fair price for the portion sizes and quality. I would order again, but with a less-than-inviting dining room, I would probably stick to takeout.
Although this was my first visit to the Saucony Cafe, I had tried their food the prior week at the Cougar Cafe, the snack bar at Kutztown Park where Jakob was playing in a baseball tournament.
On that day, I had a chicken bacon ranch sandwich. The chicken breast patty was fried to order so it came out piping hot. It was loaded with ranch dressing and bacon. Unlike some places that put strips of bacon on top, this featured finely chopped bacon which ensured that salty and savory flavor in every bite of the sandwich.The seeded roll was a nice touch.
And on the side, I had the same delicious fries they serve at the restaurant.
They also have indoor seating with sports trophies adorning the walls around the brick structure. Just be aware that the building is not air conditioned so it didn’t provide any relief from the 90-degree heat outside.
If you’re attending an event at the park, I recommend grabbing a bite from them. And I would definitely recommend a burger from the Saucony Cafe.
With good food like this, it has a great chance to be the restaurant that finally works in this location.
BCE Rating Food: Very Good Service: Excellent Ambiance: Poor Price: $$
The GoggleWorks Center of the Arts has been a community hub since it opened more than 20 years ago. But it’s been missing something since 2019. That’s when the Belly Kitchen & Drinkery, the last restaurant to operate inside the center, closed its doors.
A new restaurant was announced in August of 2022 as part of a mult-year expansion project. In April 2026, nearly four years later, Thorn Alley Kitchen finally made its debut.
On a Friday afternoon in late May, Julie and I took a lunch date into the city to try Thorn Alley for the first time. We arrived a little after 11 a.m. and headed through the main entrance of the art center. Straight ahead is the GoggleWorks store and the Boscov Theater. To the left, a short hallway opens up into the restaurant.
While we stood at the order counter and looked over the menu, we watched as the two people seated at the bar got their burgers. Only one other table was in use, a single remote worker sat at one of the two-seaters in the expansive indoor space.
After ordering, we headed outside to the namesake “Thorn Alley” where tables were spread out between the two largest buildings on the Goggleworks campus. Umbrellas covered many of the tables, but the ex-factory buildings blocked a lot of the sun already.
We were the only ones outside, though a few groups passed through the seating area to head inside as we waited.
The food arrived after about 20 minutes. I had heard good things about Thorn Alley’s Korean fried chicken, but I didn’t think I could handle the full five-piece chicken meal at lunch. Instead, I ordered the chicken nugget version of the dish.
Both the dinner and the nugget version feature chicken marinated in soy and ginger and battered in rice flour. (The use of rice flour makes it gluten free). It’s served with four bottles of sauce: honey mustard, yuzu black pepper, sweet gochujang, and hot honey.
The presentation – with the chicken literally served on a pedestal – was top-notch, and the flavors were delicious. The chicken, itself, was very good. You could taste a little soy and ginger in every bite, and the breading was light and airy.
And I really enjoyed the sauces – the gochujang was the closest to a true BBQ sauce with a sweet and hot combination. The hot honey had similar notes while the yuzu black pepper brought a little more heat to the dish.
The only disappointment was the portion size – the five nuggets were one- and two-bite. They were gone quickly and not filling. Delicious? Yes. But I would have liked one or two more for the money.
Everything is ala carte at Thorn Alley so we also ordered a side of fries to share. The fries are listed as russet potatoes, twice-fried. These are essentially the same fries they serve at Cafe Sweet Street (whose owner is the board chair at the Goggleworks), and Sweet Street has some of our favorite fries around. These were just as good, just served in a smaller portion than we expected.
Julie ordered the pork belly tacos, a dish that immediately caught her eye. The tacos featured corn tortillas topped with pork belly stir-fried with carrots and scallions, topped with shredded cabbage and pineapple salsa.
Just like everything else, the tacos were delicious. The pork belly was perfect, a savory treat . There were also brief hints of sweet and sour from the salsa. Most places we visit will double-up on the corn tortillas, but Thorn Alley used one per taco, and the tacos held together. Most local spots also give three tacos to an order, but Thorn Alley serves them in orders of two.
In addition to our food, Julie ordered a lemonade, and I ordered an iced tea that was more ice than tea. With the drinks, it brought our total to $38.
We have paid more than $20 per person at other places in Berks County, but the portion sizes left us wanting more: one or two more nuggets, another taco, a few more fries.
I’m sure Thorn Alley Kitchen will continue to change and adapt – it’s only been a month since they opened – and we’ll be watching to see what changes come before we head back.
BCE Rating Food: Very Good Ambiance: Excellent Service: Good Price: $$$
Thorn Alley Kitchen GoggleWorks Center for the Arts 201 Washington Street Reading, PA 19601
