In the last 12 months, Berks County lost not one but two vegan restaurants. Greenhouse Kitchen closed in November 2024. That was followed by the closing of Firefly Cafe in Boyertown in the summer.
While there are plenty of places that have meat-free dishes, there are only a handful of in the county that call themselves vegan. One of those is Clean Plates Cafe & Juice Bar.
Clean Plates is located inside Reading’s Downtown Food Court. The space opened in the spring of 2024 and had as many as seven different eateries, including a pizza shop, donut bakery, and ice cream stand. When I visited in October, only two stands were still open – Clean Plates and The Pulse Cafe – while a third, Sizzling Island, sat dark with “we are closed” written on a hand-drawn sign. The remaining spaces were vacant, the sandwich board on the corner of Sixth and Washington advertising stands that no longer exist.
But Clean Plates was busy while I was there. A steady stream of customers were stopping by, some for just smoothies, others ordering full meals like myself.
I ordered my food and drink and sat down at a table for two at the windows looking out at Washington Street. The row of seats sits two steps above the main dining area, which is filled with tables for two that can easily be pushed together. There is a second dining area in what was the teller area of the Berks County Trust Company, the company that originally built the historic structure. The old bank vault still sits behind the teller stand – a spot that also had multiple food vendors at one time.
(One of those was Sunset Mexican Ice Cream, which recently moved to a larger space on Lancaster Avenue).
A couple smoothies went out ahead of me, but it only took about 10 minutes before my matcha latte and falafel pita were ready.
The falafel pita is available as a lunch combo with fries or sweet potato fries – which I will always choose when given a choice. It was a huge portion stuffed inside a clamshell package. The pita was overflowing with veggies – lettuce, red onion, and cucumber, along with three large falafel balls, all drizzled with tahini.
I love falafel, and Clean Plates did not disappoint. Though it fell apart while eating it, it was very flavorful with the chickpeas soaking up tahini sauce. Red onion is always good for a little added bite and a little crunch, a necessary complement to the pillowy pita.
The sweet potato fries were also very good, hot and crispy just as they should be, and just how I remembered them from my first visit.
That first visit came in May 2024, when there were a lot more options at the food court. Clean Plates was still doing well when I stopped for lunch and ordered one of their specials, the jackfruit tacos.
I have loved jackfruit as a meat alternative since the first time I tried it at Firefly Cafe. (I’ve even made it at home many times since). The tacos were served on hard shells with coleslaw on top. Jackfruit has a very mild flavor on its own with just a little hint of sweetness, but it absorbs other flavors very well. This allowed the BBQ sauce and coleslaw to really shine. And those homemade hard shells were perfect.
Clean Plates also does a great job with their drinks. My matcha latte was excellent, sweet but not too sweet, and not too heavy on the milk alternative.
With my drink and falafel pita, my total was $19, well worth it in my book.
In addition to lunch and dinner, Clean Plates is also open for breakfast. There is also a cooler full of juices for those who love fresh-pressed juice.
I’m glad Clean Plates is still going, and I hope they continue to thrive as an anchor, both of the Downtown Food Court and as one of the only vegan spots in Berks County.
BCE Rating
Food: Very Good
Service: Very Good
Ambiance: Good
Price: $$
Clean Plates Cafe & Juice Bar
35 N. 5th Street
Reading, PA 19601
