The local pizza shop is a time-honored tradition. Every town has one. And growing up in Robesonia, our local spot was Tony’s Family Restaurant.
Ironically, we didn’t order much pizza when I was kid. Instead, Tony’s orders usually consisted of hoagies for mom and dad, chicken fingers and fries for me and my brother.
In December, between family visits, Julie and I took the boys to my childhood stomping grounds for an easy, relaxed meal.
We arrived for an early dinner and had our choice of table in the dining room. There were about a dozen to choose from, mostly rounds but there were a couple high-tops and a few rectangular tables pushed together for larger parties. I don’t remember what the room looked like 30 years ago, but I have to imagine it wasn’t much different with tile floors and wood paneling on the bottom half of the walls.
I do remember what the outside of the building used to look like – white with a red tile roof and a bright yellow sign. A painting in the dining room perfectly captures what the building looked like before a renovation brought a stone patio and matching stone facade.
Our server was attentive throughout, even after the dining room filled up. She took our order and had our drinks and a basket of garlic bread on the table quickly.
Next up were salads for Julie and I. They weren’t anything extraordinary, but I appreciated the presentation in the tall-sided bowl as opposed to the simple salad plate.
The meals arrived a short time later, and our server set them on the table behind us so we could prepare Lukas’ meatball for him. The single meatball was huge so we had to cut it up for our two-year-old before he could dig in. But it was good, as was the sauce it came in.
The kids’ meal came with a side so we got him some fries to go with it. When I was younger, I ate more fries from Tony’s than I would care to admit, and Lukas seemed to enjoy them as much as I did when I was his age.
For my meal, I ordered chicken Parmesan with spaghetti. It was a huge portion of chicken, much more than I could finish, but it was very good. The sauce is solid, not too sweet but still with plenty of flavor.
There was also a nice size serving of spaghetti on the side. I finished that, and a little less than half the chicken before taking the rest home to have as a chicken parm sandwich the next day.
My meal was one of the specials for the evening, a regular menu item but with a couple dollars off, and the same was true for Julie’s lasagna. She got a heaping helping of layered noodles and cheese. The top layers slid off before the photo, but though it didn’t look pristine, it was still really good.
Jakob ordered the kids’ portion of spaghetti with one large meatball on top. His portion would probably have been enough for many adults. He devoured it, as eight-year-olds do, and still managed to sneak a few of his brother’s French fries.
At around $65 for our meals, the price felt reasonable, especially for the portions.
Four solid dinners with quick, friendly service, and a good price: it’s exactly the kind of meal I expect from a place like Tony’s. And I know there are plenty more places like it yet to discover.
BCE Rating Food: Good Service: Very Good Ambiance: Good Price: $$
Tony’s Family Restaurant 460 W. Penn Avenue Robesonia, PA 19551
Earlier this year, I visited Esterly’s Sandwich Shop in Bowers. My post about the little hole-in-the-wall sandwich joint received more engagement than any other Facebook post I had done in more than 10 years of Berks County Eats.
While almost all of the posts were locals attesting to their love of Esterly’s, there were a few who suggested that maybe Esterly’s wasn’t the best in the area.
Mark’s has never really been on my radar. Even back when I was in college, I was loyal to Spuds. But with so many recommendations, I decided to check it out.
The shop is one of the many eateries along Kutztown’s Main Street. On the outside, it’s an unassuming, rather dull looking building – pale yellow with dark red trim.
Inside, I was surprised to find a little bit of a diner vibe with counter stainless steel counter seats to go along with a much larger dine-in section than I expected from the outside. It does have the same colors as the outside so I wouldn’t say it’s the most appealing dining area in the county.
I had ordered my food ahead of time and it was ready for pickup right on time.
Of course, for comparison’s sake I had to order the same steak sandwich that I ordered at Esterly’s – that meant a steak sandwich with sauce and onions.
I have to say that I liked it, but it wasn’t my favorite. Specifically, the sauce was a little too tangy for my taste. But the steak meat was good and done well. I would just prefer to go a little lighter on the sauce next time.
(Even the admin for Mark’s Facebook account agreed, saying they order it with light sauce).
The best part about Mark’s, though, is the fact that they have Dutch fries as a side option. There’s only a couple places that serve Dutch fries outside of the Kutztown Fair, and Mark’s is one of them.
While Dutch fries look like potato chips, they are fried, not boiled, and they are served hot. Some of the fries get crispy, others stick together and come out softer. Both are absolutely delicious.
Again taking my queue from Facebook comments, I headed back to Mark’s, this time for a chicken parm sandwich. I have to say, it fell a little flat for me. It wasn’t anything special, and I didn’t think the roll held up very well. But at least I had a nice big bag of Dutch fries with it.
My total was about $15 each time, just a couple dollars more than Esterly’s. I would still say Mark’s is very reasonably priced, though. It’s kind of the perfect price point for a grab-and-go meal in a college town.
And the food is good enough with excellent service that I’m not surprised they have the following that they do.
BCE Rating Food: Good Service: Very Good Ambiance: Fair Price: $
Mark’s Sandwich Shop 123 West Main Street Kutztown, PA 19530
I never would have thought that Berks County would become a hotbed for halal food, but it’s starting to feel that way.
In a little over a year, at least four new halal spots have opened in the county: Sajal Hot Chicken & Gyro in Kutztown, NYC Deli in Reading, Zaytoon in Wyomissing, and the newest addition, Sizzling Bites in Muhlenberg Township.
Sizzling Bites Halal Grill got its start in Bethlehem in 2024. Their Berks County location is the third for the chain, which opened in Easton earlier in 2025. (Scranton has already been announced as the site of their fourth location, coming in 2026).
The Muhlenberg location is along the 5th Street Highway in the Plaza 222 shopping center (the same strip mall that was home to Alebrije until it closed in 2025).
And the new Sizzling Bites already has a strong following, as evident by the stream of people coming and going during the lunch rush on my visit. One person was ordering from the kiosk, another was studying the menu, three people were waiting for their orders, and a handful of tables were filled with those who already had their food.
I walked up the counter to order, which ended up costing me $6 more because I grabbed a pack of baklava out of the fridge next to me. I took the dessert and my bottle of iced tea to a table to wait for my lamb platter.
Only about five minutes later, they were calling my name. I decided to stay and eat at the counter near one of the front windows.
The menu at Sizzling Bites is very similar to Zaytoon, the Wyomissing restaurant that has quickly become one of our favorite lunch spots. The lamb platter is my go-to at Zaytoon so I had to see how Sizzling Bites’ compares.
Sizzling Bites uses diced lamb meat on their platter, which is different from the shaved lamb that Zaytoon serves. I was a little nervous about how the consistency would be, but the meat was incredibly tender. The bed of yellow rice underneath was very similar, and so was the delicious white sauce on top.
The biggest difference in their platters isn’t the meat, it’s the sides. While Zaytoon’s meat and rice platters are served with a side salad and pita, Sizzling Bites’ is served with a side salad and French fries.
I liked the fries, but it was more food than I needed, especially at lunchtime. I still ate it all, though – it was just too good to stop.
The baklava went home with me so Julie and I could share it that night. The two long rolls were each cut in half and topped with crushed pistachio. The pistachio added a unique flavor to them, but the real star was the honey, which was used in abundance giving them an addictively sweet flavor.
My actual lamb platter was about $15, but with my drink and the baklava it ended up being close to $25. The fact that it was a dinner portion – and the fact that everything was delicious – made it well worth the money.
Halal has found a home in Reading, and I’m here for it.
BCE Rating Food: Very Good Service: Very Good Ambiance: Very Good
Sizzling Bites Halal Grill 3225 N. 5th Street Highway Reading, PA 19605
Seemingly every day since it opened in late 2024, Julie and I have driven past San’s Sushi, Poke, Ramen along State Hill Road in Wyomissing without stopping. Sometimes we would comment, “we need to go there.” Other days, we’d just go right past without a second glance.
For more than a decade, the small corner spot was home to Bella’s, a pizza and sub shop. Even then, the space was seemingly in a blindspot. I can’t tell you how many times we passed by in favor of neighboring Mama’s Pizza. Part of it is the parking which is limited compared to the neighboring strip mall. And part of it is that the building is just easy to overlook.
But on a November afternoon while both of us were home, Julie and I decided a lunch date was in order. And San’s was the right spot.
We walked in a little before 1 p.m. for a late lunch. There were two people sitting at a table when we arrived and another woman filling out a build-your-own poke bowl order slip. That gave us time to look over the menu and look around.
The restaurant has always been a tight fit, but San’s squeezes three tables and a counter by the large front window into the dining area. There is also a nice sized deck with seating for the warmer months.
The order counter is accented in a light-colored wood. More wood paneling serves as the backdrop of a dark five-canvas print of a poke bowl. Another image of a poke bowl hangs on an otherwise bare white wall.
Julie decided that the poke bowl sounded good so she built her own. Each bowl comes with a choice of rice base (sushi or white), protein, up to five mix-ins, sauce and garnish.
For her bowl, Julie started with sushi rice and tempura shrimp. Sesame dressing was the sauce choice. Mix-ins included edamame, mango, avocado, corn, and scallion. She topped it with crispy onions.
It was a very good dish. It was light and fresh, sweetened by the mango and the sesame dressing. At the same time, it was filling – a combination of the sticky rice and the protein from the shrimp and avocado.
As good as it was, Julie could only finish half of it with the remainder going home with us so she could finish it at dinner.
Wanting to do something different, I opted for the yaki soba (lo mein) with chicken. The egg noodles were thinner than a lot of lo mein that I have had in other places.They were stir-fried with onions, carrots, and shredded chicken in a soy sauce.
It wasn’t a daring dish, but it was very well done. There was plenty of chicken, and because it was shredded, it didn’t feel processed like at fast food-style Chinese restaurants. It felt like it was high-quality, and it tasted high-quality.
Both of us would happily order our meals again. We paid cash, saving 15% and bringing our total check down to $27 for our two meals and two bottles of water. Not only is the food good, but it’s a great value.
And we were in and out in less than an hour, perfect for a workday weekday.
Lunch or dinner, San’s is a great choice. Don’t overlook it.
BCE Rating Food: Very Good Service: Very Good Ambiance: Good Price: $
San’s Sushi, Poke, Ramen 1912 State Hill Road Wyomissing, PA 19610
There are times when I go back through my old blog posts and marvel at just how much things have changed since I started this blog 11 years ago. Yes, there have been industry-wide changes, but I’m talking about changes at individual restaurants.
The first Castaneda’s opened in August of 2017 and our first blog came a few months later. Castaneda’s has grown exponentially since. They opened a second location in Denver, Lancaster County, in January 2019 before moving that location to a larger space two years later.
The restaurant operates a fleet of food trucks, including the newly introduced La Botanera Mexican snack truck that debuted in 2025.
And the original Robesonia location? That also outgrew its original space. In mid-2021, the restaurant moved to the opposite end of Robesonia to the corner of Penn Avenue and N. Linden Street.
(Another Mexican restaurant, Paraiso Rosel, now occupies the original location at 141 W. Penn Avenue).
Parking is available on the street and in a private lot across Linden Street, a not-so-busy road that’s safe to cross (as long as you look both ways).
Inside, the restaurant spreads out, with floor-to-ceiling windows on two walls to let in the last of the evening sun. Above our booth, a collection of 20 fanciful hats hang on the wall as if waiting to be claimed by a mariachi performer.
The menu at Castaneda’s offers few surprises. It’s a collection of Mexican staples like burritos, enchiladas, and fajitas. But Castaneda’s does all of them really well.
One of the best items on the menu is the carnitas dinner. The slow-roasted pork was melt-in-your-mouth good, perfectly seasoned and cooked to perfection.
The dinner comes with rice, beans, pico de gallo, and tortillas. I got two corn tortillas with mine and built a couple amazing tacos with everything on the plate. Then I finished off the refried beans and took a little bit of the pork and rice home to have tacos the next day.
Julie ordered the enchiladas rojas (red sauce) with shredded chicken. It also came served with rice and beans. She enjoyed it – the sauce was good and not too spicy – but I think she was a little jealous after she tasted the carnitas.
Jakob loved his kids taco. He ordered it with beef topped with lettuce and cheese, his standard order. The taco was gone in no time – so was the rice – but he’s not yet a fan of refried beans so he didn’t finish his plate.
(He probably ate half a basket of tortilla chips on his own, as well).
And even though we knew he probably wouldn’t eat it, we still ordered Lukas a kids meal. We played it safe with chicken nuggets with rice (Lukas actually really loves rice). The nuggets are nothing special, but anything we can get a two-year-old to eat is good in our book.
We had my mom along for the trip. If you didn’t know, she is Lori of Lori’s Candy Station, another Robesonia institution. She joined us after closing up for the evening and really liked her quesadilla.
For the five of us, our total came to around $70 which was very reasonable for the portions and quality.
I’m glad to see that Castaneda’s is continuing to grow, but I’m also glad that the growth included Robesonia.
And I can’t wait to see what they do next.
BCE Rating Food: Very Good Ambiance: Good Service: Excellent Price: $$
Castaneda’s Mexican Restaurant 225 E. Penn Avenue Robesonia, PA 19551
Editor’s Note: Castaneda’s Mexcian Restaurant has moved. A new, larger location opened in mid-2021 on the other side of town at 225 West Penn Avenue. The original location is now home to Paraiso Rosel Mexican Restaurant.
My childhood home of Robesonia has undergone a lot of changes over the years, oftentimes in ways that I would have never expected.
For example, 25 years ago, I would have never imagined a Mexican restaurant would open in town. But that’s exactly what happened in August 2017 when Castaneda’s Mexican Restaurant debuted.
The location doesn’t have a great track record – restaurants have come and gone over the years. Most notably, Muddy’s Smokehouse BBQ occupied the space for about two years. Castaneda’s is trying to turn that around.
Visitors may recognize owner James Castaneda as one of the business partners who began La Abuela Mexican Restaurant in West Reading.
Castaneda’s menu is smaller with a greater emphasis on lighter fare – tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, fajitas, burritos and salads.
We visited on a Saturday evening in December, and the dining room was about half-full. Castaneda’s has a handful of tables for four in the small storefront. There was also a steady stream of customers picking up take-out orders while we – Julie, Jakob, my parents, and myself – sat at a table by the front window.
With a relatively small menu, it didn’t take long to decide on our meals. Before our meals were delivered, we were served our complementary chips and salsa.
The salsa is pureed, not chunky, making for easier dipping and more consistent flavor in every bite. It was good, though I don’t think I could ever complain about free chips and salsa.
Our meals arrived a short time later. Looking for more of a meal than a snack, I ordered the enchiladas Verde – three hefty beef enchiladas in homemade green sauce and queso fresco.
Verde isn’t normally my go-to, but I wanted to switch it up from my usual order of enchiladas with mole sauce.
The sauce gets its distinct green color from the tomatillos. It had a very mild spice, but was full of flavor. The ground beef was also well-seasoned, and the two worked very well together. And the cool creaminess of the queso fresco added a nice finish.
Enchiladas at Castaneda’s are served with yellow rice and refried beans. I have always preferred black beans to refried – the texture of refried beans leaves a lot to be desired – but these were fine. I found myself scraping for as much of the salsa Verde as I could get to mix with the rice and beans to give them some of the great flavor that the enchiladas had.
Julie also ordered enchiladas, but for her it was enchiladas Suizas, one of several daily specials advertised on the menu board.
Enchiladas Suizas literally means “Swiss enchiladas.” The name comes from the dairy used to make the creamy white sauce (thank you, Google).
Choosing chicken as the protein, Julie really enjoyed the dish. It was a heavier sauce (Julie had to bring one of the three enchiladas home with her because they were so filling).
Suizas sauce was also out of her comfort zone (ranchero sauce is her favorite), but this dish got her approval, and she said she would definitely order it again.
My parents each enjoyed their meals as well – my mom had a quesadilla with a side salad while my dad had the chile rellano – a stuffed pepper also served with rice and beans.
But despite all of us being full, we couldn’t leave without trying the fried ice cream. By that, I mean Julie couldn’t leave without trying it. We just had to help her eat it.
The vanilla ice cream was coated in a corn cereal, and deep-fried. It was served with cinnamon tortilla chips and whipped cream, and topped with chocolate syrup and sprinkles.
It’s probably the highest calorie menu item in western Berks County, an indulgence that is great once every five years or so. But it’s so good. The contrast in texture and temperature between the hot, crunchy shell and cold, smooth ice cream never gets old. Everything else is unnecessary (but delicious) window dressing.
It’s also a lot of food, especially after a full meal. We all left feeling way too full. But while we certainly packed on pounds, our wallets didn’t lighten much. Castaneda’s is reasonably priced. The four of us were able to eat for less than $50, even with the dessert and some sodas.
It’s still crazy to think that there is a Mexican restaurant within walking distance of my parents’ house, but Castaneda’s is here. And based on what I saw – and tasted – it might just be hanging around for a while.
BCE Rating:
Food: Very Good Service: Very Good Ambiance: Fair Price: Very Reasonable
Castaneda’s Mexican Restaurant 141 W. Penn Ave Robesonia, PA 19551
While I have a great setup for my work-from-home, sometimes it’s good to get out of the home office. Not only does a change of scenery help, it’s a great excuse to grab a table at a local coffee shop.
And when it comes to places to work away from home, Rooted & Grounded Cafe has moved near the top of my list.
The cafe is situated at the corner of Lancaster and McArthur Avenues. While the rest of the block have homes set up on a small hill with stairs leading down to the sidewalk, Rooted & Grounded is at street level, cut out from the embankment.
Out front, a church pew serves as a bench seat. Inside, Ephesians 3:17 is scrawled across the wall above the fireplace (the Bible verse also serves as the Wi-Fi password). The passage is where the cafe takes its name.
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled with all the fullness of God.
The cafe is also one of the coziest in the area. Greens in hanging planters come down from the ceiling, and there are two large leather chairs by the fireplace for relaxing. But there’s also plenty of seating for me and my laptop on those days when work-from-home means work-from-anywhere.
I have visited the cafe for both breakfast and lunch, and it is a popular place, especially for families with young children. What was a small closet in the corner is filled with wooden toys to keep toddlers occupied before and after their meals.
The wait for food and drink doesn’t take long though. Drinks, like my chai latte, come out quickly.
I really enjoy the chai at Rooted & Grounded. I wouldn’t call it “authentic,” but it’s spiced and not as sweet.
It pairs well with a breakfast panini, which I tried on my first visit. I ordered a sausage, egg, and cheese which was made up of a sausage patty, scrambled egg patties, and plenty of melted cheddar. It made for a good sandwich, nothing extraordinary, but a good, filling breakfast. (Other options include pancakes, scrambled eggs, and yogurt parfaits).
When I came back for lunch, it was a different story.
I ordered the special apple maple bacon panini which featured apple slices, apple butter, cheddar cheese, and bacon with maple syrup for dipping. This was an excellent combination, a sweet and savory mash-up that went from very good to great after I dipped it in the maple syrup.
It’s the perfect sandwich for fall. (And it pairs pretty well with a chai, too). It also has me excited to try more lunch paninis in future visits.
The breakfast panini was $9 while the lunch special was $12 – it came with a side of chips. With the chai, my meals cost about $13 and $16, respectively. That feels like a fair price to pay, especially with the friendly counter service and quick arrival of my orders.
I’m going to keep coming back – adding punches to my frequent visitor card – and enjoying more chai, more breakfast, and more lunches at Rooted & Grounded Cafe.
BCE Rating Food: Good Service: Very Good Ambiance: Excellent Price: $$
Rooted & Grounded Cafe 1400 Lancaster Avenue Reading, PA 19607
In more than a decade of Berks County Eats, I’ve seen a lot of restaurants come and go, and there is almost always a new restaurant ready to take its place.
I’ve also seen many that have been an improvement over what was there before.
Located along Penn Avenue in Robesonia, the Henry P. Robeson House is named for the town’s namesake and former ironmaster of the Robesonia Furnace. Two years ago, the restaurant took over the space that has always been known as the Robesonia House (or Roby House), regardless of what the official bar name was.
Years ago, when it was owned by Johnny and Hon’s, I played poker there. Back then, there wasn’t much as far as food, nor was there much of a kitchen from what I remember. But the Henry P. Robeson promised to be something much more.
The new restaurant was first announced in the spring of 2022. It finally opened in November 2023, a full year after the original planned opening date. With a 200-year-old building, delays were bound to happen.
The building’s core is a log cabin which was exposed during the renovation process. The walls alternate between dark brown slats and thick rows of plaster. Other than a single framed picture by the front door, the original walls remain bare to give the restaurant a classic feel.
In the rear of the dining room, which was a later addition, blue walls are covered with Conrad Weiser football memorabilia including helmets, jerseys, jackets, and a banner commemorating the Scouts’ 12 league championships.
In its logo, the Henry P. Robeson House touts “Beef & Ale” as the two focal points. The ale is evident from the large U-shaped bar in the center of the dining room. The beef in question is pit beef, the true star of the menu and one of the reasons why the Henry P. earned “Best BBQ” in the 2025 Reading Eagle Reader’s Choice Awards.
Both Julie and I decided to give the pit beef a try on our visit – me on a cheesesteak and Julie on a salad.
The pit beef cheesesteak came topped with onions, peppers, and Chetty Ale sauce, the restaurant’s signature beer cheese. I know some would call it blasphemous, but I think beer cheese is the ultimate cheesesteak topping. It melts into the meat and has rich, deep undertones that pair perfectly with the meat.
And the pit beef at Henry P. Robeson is a top-notch meat choice. On its own, it’s a savory delight. Mixed with the onions, peppers, and cheese, it made for one delicious sandwich.
The fries were almost an afterthought, but they were good, too. Dusted with salt and pepper, they were an excellent side that I finished off despite being full long before my last bite.
Julie’s “salad,” and I use the term loosely, started with a base of greens. But it was hardly noticeable beneath the piles of pit beef, cheese curds, fries, and tomatoes.
It came with their house-dressing which was kind of like a honey mustard but not as thick and with a little tang to it. Everything seemed to work, except maybe the cheese curds which Julie would have preferred warmed. Otherwise, the salad had a lot of good things on one plate.
We had great service throughout the meal, and at just over $40 for our meals, I felt like we definitely got plenty of food for the money. And after being there, and seeing the kids menu, we’ll probably be back with the whole family at some point. (Another thing I would have never imagined a decade ago).
The Henry P. Robeson House— especially that pit beef—is definitely an upgrade.
BCE Rating Food: Very Good Service: Very Good Ambiance: Very Good Price: $$
Henry P. Robeson House 124 E. Penn Avenue Robesonia, PA 19551
Boyertown is one of my favorite places in Berks County. I love the many attractions in town, like the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles, the Colebrookdale Railroad, and the new General Spaatz Museum. There are also some really cool stores like the Brickworks and their fill-a-bag with LEGOs area.
I could go on about all of the fun things to do in and around Boyertown. And I could also go on and on about all the great places to eat in town.
Located along Philadelphia Avenue, just a short walk from the Colebrookdale’s train station, Carmelo’s is your typical neighborhood pizza shop.
We visited in late May and found out that it was recently under new ownership. Walking in, the unassuming little shop made a strong first impression. The front order counter has a faux stone facade with the word “benvenuto” in script letters across the front.
There’s a small dining area, which wraps around to the side of the building. The space is illuminated by the light shining in through the large, uncurtained windows. Tables for two and four line the narrow space.
We grabbed a high chair and pulled it to our seat near the order counter beneath a television so Jakob could have something to watch. They were kind enough to find a kids’ movie to put on and so we watched the first 30 minutes or so of Babe during our meal.
To make life easier, we had decided on a pepperoni pizza to share. It was about a 20 minute wait before our pizza arrived on the table.
The first thing I noticed was the crust which was thicker than many others that we’ve tried. It was doughy, in a good way. It was cooked perfectly, not chewy, and had a nice crisp on the bottom without being burnt.
The cheese was bubbly and yellow, and there were plenty of pepperoni on top. It wasn’t anything special, but it was very enjoyable.
With our drinks, our total was around $25, a very reasonable price to feed our family.
We also found the staff to be incredibly accommodating throughout our visit – another reason why we love eating local.
And it’s why Carmelo’s will be a part of future visits to Boyertown, too.
BCE Rating Food: Good Service: Excellent Ambiance: Good Price: $
Carmelo’s Pizza & Italian Ice 116 E. Philadelphia Avenue Boyertown, PA 19512
In September, Julie and I made our first visit to the Black Sheep Tavern. As is the case with nearly all of our blogs, we went unannounced so we could get a true feel for the experience and the food. No special treatment. No free meals.
When the owners saw the review, they invited me in for a second visit to meet with them and to learn more about the history of the building. (And they did offer us a free meal this time).
So on a Sunday in early October, we drove out Fritztown Road once again, this time to meet with Darrell and Carol. From the first introduction, it was clear how much the tavern and its history means to them.
A Deep Connection
Darrell’s personal connection with the building goes back to his childhood. His father was a friend of the owner so he spent a lot of time during his childhood hanging out at what was then Die Scheier (“The Barn” in Pennsylvania Dutch).
Standing in the main dining room, he points to the patches of lighter color on the wood-paneled walls. A small strip by the bathroom door was where the pool cues hung. Photos of Italy hung in a row along the opposite wall. After the walls were cleaned, it left these small hints to old decor, the places where the wall protected from the cigarette smoke that filled the room decades ago.
Cleaning the space was no easy task, nor bringing the building back to life after 25 years of sitting vacant. Darrell said that it was 22 months from the time he bought the building until the Black Sheep opened in the spring of 2025.
And that doesn’t include the months it took just to get in touch with the right people about purchasing it. Spring Township had all but given up on finding someone to fix up the property and at first wouldn’t answer Darrell’s calls.
But thankfully they did because the owners have taken great care of the century-old property that served as a speakeasy 100 years ago.
The Original Speakeasy
While upstairs is a gorgeously remodeled bar and restaurant, the downstairs is where men gathered in secret to enjoy drinks and other illicit activities during prohibition. (The owners joke that in the 1920s, “it offered drinking, gambling, and prostitution but today it only offers two out of three, you decide which two”).
Back then, the property was owned by Ralph and Anna Riffert. They operated a legitimate business, as well, installing a gas pump to make it one of the only service stations along the stretch of Fritztown Road while Anna’s ham sandwiches drew in repeat customers. The Black Sheep upholds that tradition with Anna’s ham and cheese sandwich as a staple of the menu.
Darrell and Carol took us on a tour of the downstairs where the original bar still sits. According to Darrell, the last time the basement was used was during the 1970s, and that was only for band practice. It hadn’t served a drink for decades at that point.
The original wooden bar looked like it could use some TLC but otherwise had survived rather well. Behind it was the metal sink and a wooden back bar that was looking a little worse for wear.
A staircase on the right dead-ends now, hitting the floor of the dining room. A hidden door would have opened here 100 years ago, letting thirsty patrons downstairs to their true destination.
Attention to Detail, Rooted in Community
While the family is working to clean up and restore the downstairs, it won’t quite be original. That’s because much of the usable material from the basement was incorporated into the upstairs remodel. The original floorboards – the usable ones at least – are now the floor of the game room. The sink from the downstairs bathroom was also moved upstairs (the antiquated style required a variance). And wood panelling from the walls became the front of the upstairs bar.
Hearing Darrell talk about every detail, it’s clear how much he cares about the building. Restoring it has been a labor of love for Darrell, Carol, and Darrell’s 91-year-old father who has done much of the woodwork, including customizing the server stand by the kitchen door. The stand, which he cut from eight foot to six foot, came from the former American House which operated just up the road in Fritztown. (Darrell told me that the American House had its own hidden history as a stop on the Underground Railroad).
And the dining room tables? Look closely because they are made from the alleys of the former Berks Lanes, now Bowlero. The lanes were repurposed into tables for the bowling alley’s onsite restaurant then known as Gilligan’s Pub. The pub’s former cutting boards are also now serving as tables inside the Black Sheep.
The Black Sheep obviously takes pride in local history. That extends to Wilson High School where Darrell is an alumnus. (His father graduated from the former Sinking Spring High School). When they found out Julie was also a Wilson grad, they insisted that she sign the alumni book, an old black-and-white covered notebook where line after line of Wilson and Sinking Spring graduates have signed their name and year.
Another Fine Meal
The challenge for the restaurant and bar is to live up to the building’s rich history, and so far, they are succeeding. In addition to our tour, we also had another great meal.
It started with an order of sweet potato fries as an appetizer. Julie had tried them when she came with some work colleagues a few weeks prior, and they were very good. The waffle-cut fries were served with a sweet maple dipping sauce. It was almost like eating sweet potato pancakes.
Our meals came out a short while later. On our last visit, I had enjoyed the rumrunner burger but I wanted to switch it up this time. So I decided to try the Virginia Hill burger. Named for the former girlfriend of mobster Bugsy Siegel (who also has a sandwich named after him), the Virginia Hill is a blended burger with onions and jalapenos cooked into the patty, topped with pepperjack cheese.
It was flavorful, but I wouldn’t say it was spicy. The peppers didn’t overpower the burger, just adding little hints, enough that I quickly went through my glass of iced tea, but not enough that I ever felt a burning. It was a very, very good burger.
Even though we had the sweet potato fries, I still got regular fries as my side. They were crispier than last time, maybe slightly overdone, but still good.
Julie passed on chips and fries with her sandwich, the Bugsy Siegel. (Look at us making the perfect pair). Julie chose grilled chicken for the protein, saying she wasn’t feeling a burger that day. And the sandwich that came topped with pastrami and kraut.
The chicken and pastrami played better together than she expected, and everything on it was cooked well. The sandwich also came with mobster sauce, which she described as like a Thousand Island but with a little kick to it. But it was a good kick that helped pull the whole sandwich together.
Even though we were offered dessert, we had to pass, and instead spent another 20 minutes or so talking about little details about the tavern – like the original supporting posts and beams, the nearly hidden stained glass window by the front the door (custom fitted by Darrell’s father), and the digital fish tank that is framed out by the historic fireplace in the corner.
As much as we enjoyed our first visit to the Black Sheep Tavern, we appreciate it so much more now.
We will definitely be making more visits. There are more stories to hear, and a lot more food to try, too.
Original Review: September 16, 2025
Speakeasies hold a fascination in the American mind a century after prohibition came and went.
Last year, we visited A Light in the Attic, which bills itself as a “modern speakeasy.” It’s a fun concept. They did up the theme with a bookcase at the top of the stairs and a curtain keeping the restaurant “hidden.” But that’s all it is, a concept.
The restaurant and bar opened at the former Camelot Inn on Fritztown Road in the spring of 2025. The building’s story is told at the bottom of the menu. Apparently it was owned by Ralph and Anna Riffert during the 1920s, and they operated a speakeasy throughout Prohibition, “despite paying fines for selling alcohol, gambling, and other illicit activities.”
It’s certainly ironic that 100 years later, guests not only can pony up to the bar for a drink but sit down at a skills machine.
The skills machines are set in a back room off the main dining area which is filled with low- and high-top tables with a banquette along the wall. The U-shaped bar takes up most of the second half of the space.
It was quiet when we arrived for lunch on Friday, just one other table filled, though a few people arrived later during our visit. Our server was fantastic throughout, and I suspect she would have been great even if she would have had a full dining room. But she came to our table quickly to get our drink order and answered all of our questions about the menu.
And we did have a few questions because all of the sauces have names that are connected to the restaurant’s theme, like sheep sauce, rumrunner sauce, and mobster sauce.
My burger came topped with rumrunner sauce, which is their homemade version of A1. It also featured Cooper Sharp cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion.
The burgers are listed as hand-patted, and you can tell by the thickness. It was a hearty meal, and a delicious one. The sauce was really good – I love steak sauce on a burger – and it worked well with the creamy Cooper cheese.
I opted for fries on the side which were also very good, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper.
Julie had fries with her burger, the Bulger, which came topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and sheep sauce. Sheep sauce is their ketchup-mayo mashup and Julie enjoyed every bite of her burger.
And while Julie also found the fries to be OK, she had the opportunity to go back a few days later with some of her coworkers. Her recommendation: get the sweet potato fries with the dipping sauce. They are totally worth it.
Our visit ended up being a perfect lunch. The food was out quick, too, so we were in and out of the restaurant before anyone could miss us at work. And at $40 for burgers, fries and drinks, it felt like a fair price, too.
Maybe the experience is a little different during busier times – we drove past on a Sunday afternoon and there wasn’t a space to be had in the parking lot – but we really enjoyed our experience. (Obviously, Julie already went back for more).
The history of the building is fun, but thank goodness we’re not living with prohibition because it means I can blog about it without risking a raid.
BCE Rating Food: Good Service: Excellent Ambiance: Very Good Price: $$
Black Sheep Tavern 665 Fritztown Road Sinking Spring, PA 19608
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
