A good lunch spot is more than good food. It has to be fast and close to home (or work) and have good food.
Living in Wyomissing, we have a lot of great lunch spots around us. One of those is Gourmand Cafe.
For a few years, the cafe felt like it was open sporadically. Gourmand was running two food trucks and a catering business. At different times, they also had a stand at the Fairgrounds Farmers Market and a short-lived cafe in West Reading. All of this took time away from the cafe on Berkshire Boulevard.
Hours are more regular now with Gourmand serving breakfast and lunch every day but Monday. Julie and I stopped in on a September Friday just before noon. A catering order was heading out the door as we walked in. There was one couple ahead of us at the order counter where an employee took their order then delivered their drinks before taking our order. We were pre-warned that our food might take 20-25 minutes because she was also on grill duty.
We were fine with the wait and took a seat by the front window. (A couple came in behind us, received the same news, and left).
A terrace of wicker baskets and ribbons hung above the dining room. Generic food-related primitive signs hung on the walls with simple phrases like “stay awhile” and “eat.” They stood in stark contrast to the menu board behind the counter which was hand-drawn with little flourishes on the ends of the letters.
Thankfully for us, our meals arrived quicker than advertised, about 15 minutes after we placed the order. And in true Gourmand fashion, the portions were huge and the presentation was top-notch.
I ordered the sub-bourbon burger which featured a patty soaked in maple-bourbon glaze topped with bacon, onion straws and Cooper sharp. On the side, an intimidating mound of French fries.
The burger was huge, a half-pound patty that was thick but cooked perfectly. It had a mild sweetness from the glaze, but it wasn’t overpowering. The Cooper sharp was the right cheese choice, beautifully melted to hold everything together. It was delicious and satisfying.
It was almost too satisfying because I barely touched the mound of French fries. They were good, simple shoestring fries, but most of them went home in a takeout box.
Julie went with one of her favorite sandwiches – a tuna melt. Gourmand’s version is nothing like any other tuna melt in Berks. It’s served open-faced with melted Swiss, not uncommon in itself, but then Gourmand adds bruschetta and balsamic drizzle. The side of seasoned pretzels – cinnamon sugar for Julie – were placed in the middle of the four slices of rye.
The result was a plate with barely a speck of whitespace and a dish that goes from a traditional hand-held sandwich to a meal that requires at least a fork for cleanup work. The tuna itself was delicious. It tasted freshly made. The bruschetta, balsamic drizzle and tuna made an unexpected combo, but they worked really well together.
The seasoned pretzels are a classic Gourmand side, lighter than fries but still substantial. Like me, Julie couldn’t finish her meal, taking more than a quarter of it home with her.
Both our meals were $12 so our final total was around $26 with tax, a great price for the amount of food. (We skipped drinks and stuck with the free water). And despite warnings to the contrary, our food arrived quickly and was exactly what we were hoping for.
I’m glad Gourmand is back to its consistent hours. Maybe we will be back more consistently.
BCE Rating Food: Very Good Ambiance: Good Service: Good Price: $$
Gourmand Cafe 945 Berkshire Boulevard Wyomissing, PA 19610
And, as we found out, you can also get some good Lebanese food at Mediterranean Medley.
We arrived at the market shortly after 11:30 on a Friday. Julie and I walked the aisles as we waited for one of the stands to “call” to us. As we approached Mediterranean Medley, Julie saw the beef and lamb gyros on the menu board, and our decision was made.
There was no line at the time so they went to work on the order, shaving the meat off the rotating spits behind the counter. In just a few minutes, we had our meal and headed to the quieter side of the market and the seating along the west wall near Clover Hill Winery.
Julie ordered the gyro that caught her eye from the start. The meat was a lamb and beef blend that was shaved thin and served on a pita with lettuce, tomato, onion and tzatziki sauce.
The meat was very well seasoned – a good mix of both meats for that unique savory flavor that only comes from shawarma. The pita was packed full with meat and toppings, and was flavorful on its own with just a little hint of sweetness.
I also got a gyro, but I opted for the chicken souvlaki for mine. Instead of shaved meat, it was tender chunks of marinated white meat chicken. The meat had a very nice flavor to it, but because of the chunky nature, I didn’t get chicken in every bite. (Unlike Julie’s where the shaved meat was a more consistent presence).
The tzatziki sauce was very good, though it lost its thickness over time until it was dripping out the bottom of the pita by my last bite.
Though both of our gyros were good, I would definitely opt for the lamb and beef next time.
Julie and I also picked up a little treat for later. Mediterranean Medley’s baklava looked too good to resist – and it tasted even better.
The container had a square of baklava – three to four inches on each side – cut into two triangles. The flaky phyllo was layered on top a decadent mix of honey and nuts. It was exactly what we were hoping for.
Our total was $27.50 for the gyros and baklava. It’s a little on the high side for the market, but the gyros were filling and satisfying.
In addition to hot foods, Mediterranean Medley offers a range of prepared foods and baked goods. On a previous visit, I picked up a loaf of sourdough from Laissa’s Baked Goods. The loaves run between $12-$15, depending on the style. We used them for breakfast sandwiches and as sides for our soups throughout the week.
I also picked up a small container of Mediterranean Medley’s baba ganouj. The eggplant-based spread had a great smokey flavor to it, perfect for my wraps that I enjoy for lunch during the week.
The hot food at Mediterranean Medley was good, but I was a bigger fan of the baba ganouj. That’s enough to keep me coming back for more.
BCE Rating Food: Good Service: Very Good Ambiance: Fair Price: $
Mediterranean Medley Fairgrounds Farmers Market 2934 N. 5th Street Highway Reading, PA 19605
Having done Berks County Eats for more than a dozen years, there aren’t many places to eat in Berks County that I don’t know about at this point. But head outside of Berks – even just a mile or two – and there are still a lot of surprises.
One of those surprises was the Inn at Twin Linden. The Inn is located along Route 23, less than five miles from the Berks County border in Narvon, Lancaster County. Throughout the year, the Inn at Twin Linden is a bed-and-breakfast and special event venue. But on select Saturday nights in late summer and early fall, the Inn hosts a farm-to-table dinner.
I hadn’t heard of the Inn, nor had I heard of the dinners, until their event manager reached out and invited Julie and I to experience it for ourselves.
On a late September evening, we made the 30-minute drive south from Wyomissing to just outside Morgantown. Because of the limited parking on-site, we parked at a church across the street.
The forecast was calling for heavy rains, but there was just a light mist in the air when we arrived, giving us a chance to explore the grounds before dinner. A large firepit encircled with a dozen Adirondack chairs overlooked rolling hills of Lancaster County farmland. Behind it, a vegetable and herb garden. In front of it, bright red, yellow and purple flowers brightened an otherwise gloomy evening.
Typically, the spacious backyard would play host to the dinner, but the forecast forced us inside the renovated barn toward the rear of the property.
While the barn has received some modern upgrades – some new inside walls for insulation, new windows and improved lighting – much of the charm comes from the original features. The dark-hued wood floorboards are uneven with age. One original, wide barn door still maintains its white paint, chipping with age. In one corner, a horseshoe hangs above a mystery door with its original iron hinges.
Dinner was scheduled to start around 6 p.m., and as the time came, we all settled in to our assigned seats. Five tables of 10 were set around the barn. Ironically, we were seated next to another couple from Wyomissing along with a husband and wife from Blue Bell, Montgomery County, who were staying in one of the suites on the property.
On a nicer evening, the first course would be enjoyed cocktail hour-style as we wandered the grounds. Instead, the small plates with a teaser of a pastry were delivered to our tables inside the bar. Aptly named, the “first bite” was a small brie and apple phyllo crisp. It was merely a taste of what was to come, but it was a great first impression. The flaky crust on the inside with the creamy brie on the inside was a perfect match. It was sprinkled with parsley to give it a little earthiness to match the sweetness of the apple. It was a shame that it was gone in just a couple bites.
The first course was our first chance to experience the parade of young servers. The team consisted of mostly girls, elementary through high school, in their long black dresses and hair braided indicating they were Amish or Mennonite. (There were a few exceptions, including some older teens in black shirts and pants and at least one boy who wore a black cowboy hat). We found out at the end of the meal that these were neighbors of the Inn and its owners, recruited to learn the basics of the hospitality industry as they alternated between clearing dishes and setting each course.
Our second course for the night was a trio of appetizers: a roasted pear tart, a short rib spring roll and a crab-stuffed crimini mushroom.
The roasted pear tart was my favorite of the three. It wasn’t too far removed from the first bite, but it had its own unique flavor thanks to the strength of the Gorgonzola and the slightly sweet caramelized onions. The pastry was also a little thicker, though it still flaked with each bite.
Julie’s favorite was the short rib spring roll, which I also enjoyed. It was a very light outer shell stuffed full of tender short rib. It came on a bed of melted, smoked Gouda that was very strong.
I’m not a big fan of any seafood, but I found the crab-stuffed mushroom to be less about the crab and more about the filling and the thick-walled, earthy mushroom it was served in.
All three were very different but very good in their own way. And with small bites of everything, we were able to experience a diversity of flavors over the course of the two-hour meal.
Following the appetizers was the salad course. Everyone at the table agreed that this was one of the best salads we had ever tried. It featured organic mixed greens with roasted butternut squash, sliced apples, pomegranate, shaved fennel, toasted pecans, sharp cheddar and cider vinaigrette. The squash, cooked until soft, was a salad ingredient that I didn’t know I was missing before. Because the squash was roasted, it added a bit of a smokey flavor that was countered nicely by the sweetness of the pomegranate and the thin-sliced apples.
By this point, I would have been satisfied if we had skipped right to dessert. Instead, we still had steak and seafood to come.
Our first entree was NY strip steak served with potato gratin, root vegetable hash, red wine demi glace and fresh sage Hollandaise. The steak was cooked perfectly with the right amount of pink in the middle. The demi glace was sweet, but there was also a teriyaki-like aftertaste that was surprising. The potatoes were very well prepared, thin slices that were slightly crisp on the outside layered with creamy cheese on the inside. And the hash was very good, as well, featuring some of the same squash from the salad plus carrots and parsnips, the latter being an unexpected addition.
As the meal went on, every course seemed to be better than the last so despite having had more than enough to eat, we were excited for our next taste.
The penultimate course featured fish, a maple and Dijon-glazed pompano with autumn squash risotto, roasted Brussels sprouts and a white wine herb beurre blanc. Again, I’m not a fan of fish, but I thought the glaze was very flavorful. You could see the mustard seeds across the top of the white fish, and I really liked the combination of the sweet maple with the sharp Dijon. It wasn’t a heavy mustard consistency, but a lighter, more subtle flavor.
The risotto was amazing. It was thick and cheesy, the rice reduced to the perfect consistency. And the squash gave little pops of flavor throughout. I am going to try to recreate it at home (and will likely fail). If I had one criticism of the meal, it would be that the Brussels sprouts were a little overcooked. Honestly, I wouldn’t have missed them even if they had been cooked perfectly.
Of course, the chef saved the best for last. Dessert was a caramel apple Devonshire cheesecake. It was so decadent with thick caramel and bright fresh apples sitting atop a delicious cheesecake base. The whole thing was topped with tiny fall-colored sugar sprinkles that gave little extra pops of sweetness. We may not have had any room left after the previous five courses, but we were not about to leave a speck of that delicious dessert on the plate.
The apples were locally grown by Zimmerman’s Orchard, and many of the ingredients came from local purveyors – the steak, the cheese and the vegetables all were from local farms and markets. Some ingredients – like the butternut squash, eggs and potatoes – were even more local, grown in the backyard garden at the inn.
The cost per person is $125 which includes a true farm-to-table six-course meal. Though it is BYO, there was also a complementary cocktail – the fireside fizz with Fireball, Prosecco and cider. While the price may scare many away, it is worth it. It was an amazing meal and an amazing night. From the first bite to the last, the meal was exceptional. It was a true dining experience with a familiar, yet elevated menu. Experiences like this are few and far between in our area.
As beautiful as the barn was, I still wish the weather would have cooperated to enjoy the meal under the stars in the backyard. I can only imagine how that would have added to the ambiance of the evening.
But as it was, I would not have traded this meal for anything.
The last dinner of 2026 will be held on October 24. Look for the 2027 schedule in the new year.
BCE Rating Food: Excellent Ambiance: Very Good Service: Excellent Price: $$$$
The Inn at Twin Linden 2092 Main Street Narvon, PA 17555
I’ve made many visits to Kutztown in recent years, but I spent a lot of that time trying the new and new-to-me restaurants in town that I haven’t made many return blogs. Recently, though, I got an invite to revisit the Kutztown Tavern, and I couldn’t say no.
It had been more than a decade since my last visit to the Kutztown Tavern. Things have changed since then. Last year, a new ownership group took charge of the restaurant and brewery that originally opened in 1999. That team includes Chef Aaron Hoppes, Bart Fenstermacher and Darren Calaman.
Bart’s wife Erin was the one who extended the invitation for a special tasting of their menu.
After we arrived, Erin showed me around the restaurant. It’s much larger than I had remembered with a spacious main dining room and multiple additional seating areas.
To the left is the tasting room. When I was attending Kutztown, this was the takeout area. Later, it was converted into a tasting room with a separate menu and tasting experiences. The full menu is now available to those dining in the space, though there is a unique drink menu.
On the other side of the waiting area is the Club Room, a private space that can accommodate up to 36.
Another private event space, the upstairs dining room, can seat up to 100. (This is actually where I sat the last time I visited the Tavern).
When you arrive at the Kutztown Tavern, it’s impossible not to notice the large vats where their signature Golden Avalanche brand beer has been brewed since the Tavern opened. Today, they have six flagship beers and a rotating list of seasonal brews, all made in a traditional German style using German equipment.
A long, wooden bar sits to the right of the vats. While there are a couple TVs, the Kutztown Tavern is not a sports bar and you won’t see TVs strewed about in the dining area. Instead of play-by-play of the day’s games, we heard acoustic renditions of pop songs coming through the speakers throughout the restaurant.
After my tour of the restaurant, including a quick trip downstairs to see Shorty’s Bar, we were ushered back to a booth near the rear of the spacious dining room. Sunlight poured in through a nearby window, giving us more light than the bulb that hung above our table.
Appetizers
The kitchen started us off with a trio of appetizers: cheesesteak eggrolls, hummus and chili.
I thought the eggrolls and hummus were both good, but the chili was excellent. Whenever I return to the Tavern again, I will be ordering a bowl of chili as part of my meal. It was hearty with plenty of beef and beans. But instead of heat coming in the first bite, there was a hint of sweetness that I loved. Julie and Jakob agreed, too, as we fought over who got to keep eating it.
The cheesesteak eggrolls were solid. They’re made in house with a thick, crispy outer shell stuffed full. They needed the marinara sauce to bring it all together. While I liked them, Jakob thought they were the best thing we tried.
We really enjoyed the hummus – it tasted fresh and homemade. The addition of some fresh basil on top and throughout was a nice touch. At the restaurant, I just wish it came with pita chips instead of the little naan pieces that didn’t have much flavor to them. And even with 10 pieces of naan, there was so much hummus that we still took half of it home. (I used some of the leftovers in a wrap the next day).
Sandwiches & Salad
The second wave of dishes included a burger, a sandwich and a salad. All three were very good, and I could see myself ordering them in the future.
The Tavern offers seven burger varieties on the menu. We had the Avalanche burger which came topped with Swiss cheese, sauteed onions and mushrooms. The burger patty, itself, was excellent. It was cooked perfectly with a little caramelization on the outside to hold in the juices. And it had a nice salty taste to it. It’s a great base for a burger, and the toppings worked well to give it a steakhouse-like feel.
Our Mediterranean salad was also very good. The blackened chicken on top was perfect – well-seasoned on the outside and perfectly cooked inside. It came atop a bed of baby spinach and assorted vegetables with bleu cheese, walnuts and a cup of creamy poppyseed dressing, which was also good and had a nice little tang to it.
I was pleasantly surprised by the French onion steak. While it comes topped with cheese, this is not a cheesesteak. It featured a black diamond filet topped with sauteed onions and a horseradish sauce, all smothered in melted Swiss atop a slice of toasted panini bread. The steak was nicely done and flavorful on its own. I was worried about the horseradish being too pungent, but it was actually flavorful without being overpowering. It added enough to make it feel like I wasn’t just eating a deconstructed French onion soup.
Thankfully, Erin was kind enough to provide us with plenty of to-go boxes so we could taste everything without having to finish it. Despite that, we were definitely starting to feel full by this point, but there were still two entrees left to come.
Entrees
First, we had the braised pork shank which came served on a bed of Yukon gold mashed potatoes. The pork pulled right off the bone and had good flavor, especially with the herbs that stuck to the outer skin. The potatoes were excellent. Yukon golds have such a distinct flavor that I was instantly transported back to the early days of the blog and meals at Muddy’s. I think I’ll need to order the shepherd’s pie, a dish where potatoes really shine, the next time I go.
The stir-fry was good, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as the rest of the meal. All the ingredients were there – chicken, rice noodles, onions, peppers and broccoli in a sweet and tangy sauce – but it didn’t feel like a “tavern-style” dish to me. That said, I did use it for lunch a couple days later.
On the day of our visit, the Tavern was featuring corn-on-the-cob from Heritage Farm and Market in Fleetwood. It doesn’t get much better than local sweet corn, and Lukas agreed as I got just one bite before he claimed it for his own.
Dessert
Because this wasn’t enough food, we also had to try two of the tavern’s signature desserts: chocolate peanut butter pie and coconut cream pie.
Chef Aaron’s background includes a stint at the former Arner’s (now Crossroads Family Restaurant) on Route 61. That influence shows in the homemade pies.
The coconut cream pie was a mountainous slice piled high with coconut cream filling and topped with a mound of whipped cream. The coconut flavor was more of an undertone to the light and airy cream, but it was absolutely delicious.
And the chocolate peanut butter pie was just as good. The Oreo cookie crust was topped with the peanut butter and cream cheese pie filling, which was then topped with chopped peanuts and chocolate drizzle. It’s decadent, but worth the extra calories.
Needless to say, neither of the desserts lasted long enough to go in a take-home box.
But we did take a lot of food home, and we did our best to get through all of the leftovers. In the end, we got to sample $135 worth of meals from the Tavern. I’ve included the prices (as of September 2026) below:
Cheesesteak Egg Rolls – $13.95 Hummus with Naan – $9.95 Chili – $5.25-$6.25 + 75 cents for “the works” toppings Mediterranean Salad – $13.95 Avalanche Burger – $13.95 + $3.95 for fries French Onion Steak – $16.95 Braised Pork Shank – $25.95 Stir-Fry – $17.95 Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie – $7.95 Coconut Cream Pie – $7.95
Realistically, we would likely spend around $50, maybe up to $70 if we were splurging, for four meals if we were ordering off the menu.
After a delicious meal (and many more with our leftovers), the Tavern is definitely back on my radar for future visits to Kutztown.
BCE Rating Food: Good to Very Good Service: Very Good Ambiance: Very Good Price: $$
Kutztown’s Main Street is one of the busiest in Berks County. An array of storefronts: shopping, services and restaurants (with a few residences thrown in) line the blocks from the edge of Kutztown University’s campus to the railroad tracks that bisect the town.
The more than a dozen eateries along Main Street cover just about every type of cuisine you could want: Chinese, Italian, sushi, barbecue, sandwiches, salads: you name it, and you’re likely to find it.
One of the most popular restaurants downtown, the Kutztown Tavern offers one of the most diverse menus in town.
Known simply as “The Tavern” to residents and students, alike, the Kutztown Tavern is housed in one of the largest buildings on Main Street. With a seemingly endless bar, a nice sized dining room and large upstairs event space, the restaurant is expansive. In addition, the building (which is actually two connected buildings) includes Shorty’s Bar, the Tavern Take-Out counter service and the Golden Avalanche Brewing Company.
Brewery equipment becomes part of the decor in the bar area as the system of vats and pipes that create the signature brew are in plain view just inside the front door.
Not being a fan of beer, myself, I was pleased to see Kutztown Red Cream Soda—a personal favorite of mine—on the beverage list.
A deep menu provides a wide range of appetizers, sandwiches and entrees. Everything from soft pretzels and 10 flavors of wings to Black Diamond steaks and seafood scampi. For me, a 9-ounce burger topped with Avalanche chili sounded like a winning combination.
The burger arrived on a toasted sesame seed bun. Chili poured over the edges and onto the plate below. All tavern burgers are served with lettuce, tomato and onion on the side, and I was more than happy to pile them on.
The burger was cooked perfectly with a nice little char around the outside. The mild chili added more flavor without being overwhelming (messy, yes; overpowering, no). And I certainly did not regret the curly fries, perfectly crisped, zesty additions to an already full plate.
Among the multitude of menu options are the “house smoked” offerings, three barbecue selections that are smoked in-house at the tavern. One of those—the brisket, cheddar and onion—caught Julie’s eye immediately.
Meat and cheese more than filled the toasted ciabatta roll. The brisket was flavorful, with a fair amount of fat left on for extra flavor. The sharp cheddar worked well with the sweet barbecue sauce and grilled onions to create a delicious sandwich.
The only part of our meal that I thought could have been better was the price. The $2.89 charge for fries (instead of the standard potato chips) brought our total bill up to $35.00 for the two of us. I guess that is the cost of quality, however, as we were treated to excellent food and surprisingly speedy service.
For the past 15 years, the Tavern has been a popular go-to spot along Main Street. After our visit, it was easy to see why. When food, location, ambiance and service come together all come together, it makes for a great restaurant.
BCERating Food: Good Service: Good Ambiance: Good Price: Reasonable
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
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
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: $$
If there’s one thing that almost every Berks Countian loves, it’s a good deal. When you have kids, finding those deals is even more important. That’s why I have a guide on Berks County Eats highlighting all of the restaurants that offer free kids meals.
On a recent Sunday night, with Julie out of town, I found myself looking for a spot to take our boys (Jakob – 8 and Lukas – 2) for dinner.
I wanted to take advantage of a free kids meal, if I could, and we had several choices of where to find one on a Sunday night. One of those restaurants is Copperz Brewing in Hamburg.
This was not our first visit to Copperz – Julie and I had brought Jakob in 2022, when it was just the three of us. This time, I had Jakob’s little brother in tow for his first visit.
We arrived just at 5 p.m. I was surprised to see so many cars in the parking lot already as that’s usually early enough to beat the crowds. Once inside, we saw a few other families taking advantage of the Sunday special as we sat in one of the last two open tables.
Thankfully, Copperz has a fairly large dining room with tables for six along the wall, four-seaters in the middle and plenty of bar seating. Behind our table were two large brown couches. At the opposite corner, a party of eight was gathered at tables by the door. A few more tables were set up outside, but we didn’t dare brave the heat and late afternoon sun.
We made some quick decisions on dinner and when our server arrived to greet us, we already knew what we wanted. Just 20 minutes after we arrived and 15 minutes after we ordered, our food arrived.
I had decided on one of the restaurant’s signature sandwiches: the brewdaddy. It starts with a pretzel bun with either a burger or chicken sandwich (I chose a burger) topped with spring mix greens, bacon, beer cheese and “a drizzle of hot honey.”
Even though I don’t drink beer, I really enjoy beer cheese on a burger or a sandwich. This was no exception. The flavor was solid – with that little bit of hoppiness coming through. The bacon was a true star, with little hints of heat and sweet pairing well with the salty bacon.
The burger was served with fries (a slight upcharge from the chips). The golden battered dipped fries were excellent, but I couldn’t finish them as large as the burger was.
Jakob happily helped me with them. He had ordered the kids’ flatbread pizza – a half flatbread topped with sauce, mozzarella and seasonings. It’s not “real” pizza, but it was solid. And it was much better than the frozen stuff we’ve found on some kids’ menus.
And with it only being a half of a flatbread, Jakob was happy to finish off the fries that I couldn’t.
Lukas got his own fries with his chicken nuggz kids meal. (The flatbread is the only kids meal that doesn’t come with a side). The chicken was more like boneless wings than generic nuggets. Of course, Lukas had to start with his fries – eating all of them so he only had enough room for two of his nuggets. Again, they could have taken the easy way out with the kids meal, but it felt like we got quality.
Jakob’s flatbread was $5, the cheaper of the two, so that was taken off our bill, bringing the total down to about $35, a reasonable price for three meals (with an iced tea for me and a lemonade for Jakob).
We loved our food and had a good time. At the end of our meal though, we found ourselves waiting for our check as our server was tending the bar. But we were still in and out of the restaurant in under an hour.
Overall, it was a great boys’ night out. And we made a great choice when we chose Copperz.
BCE Rating Food: Very Good Ambiance: Very Good Service: Good Price: $$
Copperz Brewing Co. 798 S. Fourth Street Hamburg, PA 19526
A good lunch spot has to have four things: good food, quick service, reasonable prices, and a cool vibe.
Crave Cafe in Sinking Spring continues to check all the boxes.
Though the cafe got a new owner in late 2024, the cafe is still delivering in all the areas that have made it a favorite over the last decade.
We first visited Crave in 2015, and with Julie working just five minutes away, we have visited many times since.
Our most recent visit came in January 2026. We arrived for an early lunch – around 11 a.m. before the rush was in full force and still found only a couple open tables (they were a lot more scarce by noon). The fireplace is still the focal point of the main dining room, but a second dining area provides more seating in the room behind it.
We got in line and were quickly called over to a second station to place our order before taking our number back to a table for two along the wall.
The temperature in the room tends to run a little cold, and I was quickly reminded of it as we sat waiting, but it didn’t take long for our food to arrive and I was no longer thinking about anything except lunch.
I always have a hard time choosing between their paninis and flatbreads, but on this visit I opted for a panini – The Dunk. The sandwich comes with chicken breast, tomatoes, mozzarella, pesto aioli and balsamic glaze.
At it’s core, it’s a Caprese salad with the balsamic, mozzarella and tomato all working together to create a familiar flavor profile. But the pesto aioli adds nuttiness and earthiness to the dish while the chicken makes it heartier and more filling. It’s relatively simple but very satisfying.
For her meal, Julie did a soup and sandwich combo with a hearty tomato soup and a grilled cheese with the addition of bacon. Julie loves bacon and it gives the grilled cheese an added crunch and savory notes.
Both meals are between $12-15, but Julie got a matcha and I got a hot chai. Both came served in mugs from the cafe’s eclectic collection – mine a stubby US Air Force mug, hers a tall blue and white. The chai is a typical sweet style tea latte that has little resemblance to a true chai but is no less enjoyable. The matcha had the distinct green color and sweet-yet-earthy flavor to it that was a perfect go-with.
Lunch for two typically costs around $30, but we were around $35 for this one with our drinks. Sure, you can find places where we can eat for closer to $20, but it’s more than just the price – it’s the combination of everything. The price is fair, the food is good, the service is on-point, and Crave continues to be one of the coolest lunch spots around.
And we’ll keep coming back.
BCE Rating Food: Good Service: Very Good Ambiance: Very Good Price: $$
Crave Cafe 4600 Penn Avenue Sinking Spring, PA 19608
There is always a buzz around a new restaurant when it opens. The trick, however, is keeping the buzz going weeks and months after the opening.
We have seen a lot of new restaurants open in Berks County in the past few years, but none have been able to sustain the buzz quite like Sinking Spring’s Crave Cafe.
Crave Cafe opened at Green Valley Nursery in November 2024, in the strip of stores off Route 422 behind the Charlotte Shoppe. It’s nearly invisible from the road, but that doesn’t stop the dining room from filling up every day at lunch.
The ambiance is truly unique. In fact, every table is unique. Each one has its own set of chairs, different styles, different colors and different sizes.
A pair of parlor chairs sit in front of a large stone fireplace. Highly sought-after, they are, at the same time, the most appropriate and most out-of-place chairs in the cafe.
Orders are placed at the counter where the cashier is set up with an iPad that’s connected to a cash drawer and credit card machine. We took our number and retreated to our little table for two (we made sure to save one before ordering, just in case).
It wasn’t long before our drinks arrived. Normally I don’t spend the money (or the calories) for a drink, but being at a cafe, I felt obligated.
But instead of coffee or tea, Julie and I both went for frozen: a mango smoothie for me and a frozen hot chocolate for her.
Mine was good, but I was a little disappointed to see the syrup flavor going in when I was hoping for fresh fruit. Julie’s frozen hot chocolate did not disappoint, however. She happily slurped it down and was nearly finished by the time that our food arrived.
Both of us opted for the soup and sandwich combo. For me, it was a bowl of chili and an Italian chicken panini.
The chili thickened as the shredded cheese on top started melting. It had a good balance of flavors: not too spicy, a little sweet and plenty meaty. A bowl of it with some bread would probably make a nice meal on its own.
My sandwich was excellent. The Italian chicken came with grilled chicken breast, spinach, sun-dried tomato, mozzarella and basil pesto aioli.
Chicken and spinach poked out the sides of the sandwich along with the mozzarella that melted mozzarella that was oozing onto the plate.
The meat wasn’t the most flavorful I have had, but it didn’t need to be with the strong flavors it was paired with. I love pesto anything, especially when paired with sun-dried tomatoes. The mozzarella did well to keep everything together and hold most of the sandwich inside the grilled pita.
Julie’s chicken and basil soup was the soup of the day for our visit. With little pastas and chunks of tomato, it looked like a pasta e fagioli, but there were no beans. Instead, the brothy soup was lighter with the basil providing light notes to go with the chunky ingredients.
For her sandwich, Julie went with the turkey bacon avocado. Turkey doesn’t have a lot of flavor to start which allowed the bacon, tomatoes and chipotle aioli to shine through. Likewise, the avocado took a back seat to the stronger flavors it was paired with. Overall, everything blended well together for a hearty and filling sandwich.
The soup and half-sandwich combos are very reasonably priced, but with the addition of our frozen drinks, our total came out much higher than it normally would for lunch at about $25.
Crave Cafe continues to generate buzz more than a year after it first opened. The relaxed atmosphere helps set it apart from other go-to lunch spots in the Sinking Spring area.
But it’s the food that keeps filling the tables at lunchtime.
BCE Rating Food: Very Good Service: Good Ambiance: Excellent Price: Reasonable
When you visit West Reading, most don’t venture far from the avenue. In 2022, Takkii Ramen bucked the trend, opening in a space a block away on Reading Avenue. Despite being away from the crowds, Takkii stuck around and ultimately expanded.
In 2025, the restaurant made the move to the Avenue, opening in the former Broken Chair Brewery. Not only did they take over the location, they also took over brewing. With the expanded concept came a name change to West Brew Izakaya. West for West Reading, Brew for the brewery and Izakaya for a style of Japanese pub.
The new West Brew opened in September 2025. Julie and I made a lunch date to get our first visit a few months later in February 2026.
Not being a drinker, I never made it into Broken Chair before they closed in 2024. My only reference points are photos of the previous business. The core components of Broken Chair are still visible: exposed brick walls and a bar fronted with corrugated steel.
But West Brew has added some unique flairs. Lights in the form of paper lanterns – yellow globes beneath a row of box lights in red, blue and green – hang above the bar. On the walls, the flatscreen TVs play anime favorites Pokemon and Dragon Ball Z.
Much of Takkii’s menu has been brought over to the new spot. Ramen and rice dishes make up most of the menu. While I like ramen, I gravitate to the rice bowls, and on this trip I ordered the sukiyaki beef don.
The bowl came with white rice, marinated beef, scallions and pickled ginger. The marinated beef had a very good flavor on its own, deeper than a standard soy or teriyaki sauce – but the tanginess of the pickled ginger is what sets it apart in my book. It made for a delicious lunch, though I would have been satisfied with a smaller portion.
At lunchtime, West Brew runs a special combo of an entree, appetizer and drink so we decided to share an appetizer of chicken gyoza – Japanese-style dumplings with soy dipping sauce. They were a very good start to the meal with the soy sauce giving a bright pop to each bite.
In addition to the beers, West Brew is also serving boba drinks from their other business, Winnie Tea Bar. I ordered my favorite – brown sugar milk tea – to accompany my lunch.
Julie got a taro milk tea, which is her favorite boba drink. Taro is a purple cousin of the potato with a slightly sweet profile. I don’t know how much of the real vegetable is involved in creating the boba, but it makes for a good drink.
For her entree, Julie ordered the teriyaki chicken ramen. The bowl was filled with a pork-based broth with noodles, bamboo shoots, beansprouts, corn, and scallions. On top with a grilled chicken breast marinated in a teriyaki glaze.
It was a delicious meal. As she ate it, Julie decided she liked the heartiness of the broth more than the lighter pho we had a few weeks before at Saigon Banh Mi (though that meal was still very good). The chicken was nice and flavorful with sweet and salty notes from the glaze. But it was too much to finish, especially at lunch.
Overall, it was a great meal. Service was a little slow on the day as the restaurant was full at the lunchtime rush, but our server was attentive (and had great recommendations for the flavor of bubbles to match our tea). But we were still done in a little more than an hour.
Our total bill came in between $50-$60 which was expensive for lunch, but we were also enjoying dinner-sized portions and splurging on boba.
And we really did enjoy our meal and our time at West Brew, and we will be sure to be back.
BCE Rating Food: Very Good Service: Good Ambiance: Very Good Price: $$
West Brew Izakaya 424 Penn Avenue West Reading, PA 19611
