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Review: Infinito’s 5th Street Highway

logo for Infinito's Pizza

I love a good buffet.

There’s nothing like having everything laid out in front of you, ready to grab and go. No ordering. No waiting.

That’s a big part of the draw for a place like Infinito’s.

Tucked away near the Kmart in a shopping plaza along the 5th Street Highway, Infinito’s is an unassuming place.

It’s one of seven locations for the locally owned chain of pizza, pasta and salad buffets, and the only one in Berks County.

four varieties of pizza under warming lamps at Infinito's

Infinito’s offers 20 varieties of pizza, pasta with three sauce selections and a build-your-own salad bar. The salad bar is where Julie and I started our journey.

Options are limited: lettuce or baby spinach for the base. Then there’s your traditional toppings: cheese, onions, peppers, croutons and more with half a dozen varieties of Hidden Valley dressings.

salad with onions, croutons and ranch dressing

We both had basic salads, just to add some nutritional value to our meal without filling ourselves.

The best way to judge a pizza place is with a plain cheese slice, so my first trip to the buffet line included cheese and pepperoni.

two slices of pizza - one plain cheese and one pepperoni - from Infinito's

Infinito’s pizza features a very thin, crisp crust. The cheese was nice and bubbly. All in all, it was a good looking slice.

And it tasted pretty good, too. There’s nothing remarkable about it, but I enjoyed it. The pepperoni piece had plenty of slices on it to enjoy.

three slices of pizza - one pepperoni, one bacon, and one buffalo chicken - from Infinito's

Julie’s first plate included pepperoni, bacon and buffalo chicken slices, all good choices. The crumbled bacon was lumped on the slice, and the buffalo chicken had just the right amount of kick.

Full pies are roughly the size of a medium pizza at most restaurants, and with the pies cut into eights, it makes it easy to go for seconds, thirds and fourths.

two slices of pizza - one margherita and one barbecue chicken - with a scoop of pasta and marinara sauce from Infinito's

My second plate included two slices (margherita and barbecue chicken) and a scoop of pasta with Bolognese sauce.

The margherita was my favorite slice that I tried. The fresh basil leaves that were layered in with the cheese and tomatoes were perfect. The barbecue chicken wasn’t bad, but it didn’t stand out.

sauces on the warming table in Infinito's

The pasta bar has three sauce choices: marinara, Bolognese and alfredo. I went with the Bolognese, the only meat sauce option. The pasta was generic rotini, and while it was OK, I probably should have skipped it for another slice instead.

plate with two slices of pizza - one ham and pineapple, one marherita - and a scoop of rotini pasta with meat sauce from Infnito's

Julie got the same thing with her second plate, which also included a slice of the margherita and a Hawaiian. The Hawaiian was fresh out of the oven, the cheese still hot and gooey, just the way Julie likes it.

slice of rosa pizza and a breadstick from Infinito's

I was going to go for dessert but stopped when I saw a fresh rosé pie on the counter. I grabbed a slice and a breadstick. The rosé featured its namesake creamy tomato sauce with lots of oregano. It was right behind the margherita for me in terms of favorites.

three dessert pizzas and a tray of cinnamon buns under the warming lamps at Infinito's

We each had one final trip to make to the buffet for our choice of three dessert pies and cinnamon rolls.

a cinnamon roll, a slice of apple pie pizza and a slice of cookies and cream pizza from Infinito's

I went with a slice of apple, a sliver of Oreo and a cinnamon roll. The cinnamon roll wasn’t bad, though it would have been better if it were fresher (it was stuck to the pan when I tried to pick it up from the buffet). The apple was delicious, with a sugary crumb on top. And the Oreo was exactly what I had hoped, though it left me longing for a glass of milk.

a slice of s'mores pizza and a cinnamon roll from infinito's

The other dessert option was S’mores Pizza, Julie’s choice (along with a cinnamon roll). Marshmallow, melted chocolate and graham cracker crumble. It’s not exactly like eating it around a campfire, but if you like marshmallow, you should enjoy this.

Our final tally for the day: 13 slices of pizza, two salads, two helpings of pasta, two cinnamon rolls, one breadstick and five drink refills. Not a bad haul for $18.

If you’re going to go to Infinito’s (or any other buffet, for that matter), you’re best bet is to go during peak hours, when the pies are changing quickly. Be sure to grab a seat near the buffet, too, so you can hear the announcement every time a new pie arrives.

Does Infinito’s have the best pizza in Berks? No. I don’t think there are many people that would argue that. But what they offer is an incredible variety and the opportunity to please everyone.

That’s why I love a good buffet.

BCE Rating
Food: Good
Service: Good
Ambiance: Fair
Price: Very Reasonable

Infinito’s Pizza
3025 N. 5th Street Hwy
Reading, PA 19605

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Mikura was named Best Chinese in Berks.
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Review: Mikura Asian Bistro and Sushi Bar

exterior of Mikura in Wyomissing, PA

Since starting weekly blogs in 2014, I don’t get much opportunity to make return visits to restaurants. It’s much more exciting to try someplace new than revisit the old.

That doesn’t mean I don’t like the places that I visited in the past. I just have to be more selective with where I go on a weekly basis.

One of the restaurants that I haven’t been able to visit in a long time is Mikura Asian Bistro and Sushi Bar.

I first visited Mikura almost four years ago, not long after it opened in a strip mall along North Park Road in Wyomissing. At the time, I was able to get there for the small weekday lunch buffet. I had enjoyed my meal but never had a chance to return, despite the fact that it’s just a five-minute walk from my house.

wooden seats in the dining area of Mikura

So finally, after Julie and I had taken countless walks past the restaurant, we stopped for dinner.

There are two sections to the restaurant. The main dining room and sushi bar are on the left. To the right is the hibachi space (where the lunch buffet was on my visit).

Mikura was actually the second restaurant for the owner of China Penn, and it shows with the extensive menu.

It includes a combination of Chinese, Japanese and Thai dishes. It’s great until you have to make a decision.

two tall glasses with smoothies from Mikura

Thankfully Julie and I had one easy decision: smoothies. (We did walk there so we could afford a few extra calories). I’m not sure why so many Asian restaurants that I’ve visited offer smoothies, but I’m not going to complain about it because we always enjoy them.

Dinner was a harder decision. After looking through everything at least three times, I settled on the Thai Panang curry.

panang curry with chicken and vegetables from Mikura

I’m not an expert by any means, but the dish didn’t look like curry to me. It was very thin in texture and a lot lighter in color than any I have seen before. The lighter color was owing to the coconut milk base, but even Panang curry usually has a reddish brown tint to it.

That’s not to say that it didn’t look appealing in its own way. The chicken, broccoli, snap peas and peppers all looked appetizing, especially with the red chili flakes.

The coconut milk and the chili were definitely the predominant flavors. It was spicy, especially the after taste. I was glad to have my smoothie handy to cool down after every bite.

bowl of shrimp, mango and vegetables in sauce with a cup of rice from Mikura

Julie also went with a Thai-inspired dish, the Thai mango shrimp. The shrimp and mango were stir-fried with snow peas, bell peppers and asparagus in a mango sauce.

All of the ingredients were slathered in a glaze-like sauce, but it was the mango that provided most of the flavor, complimenting the shrimp quite nicely. The vegetables, cooked to al dente, added a crunchy texture.

Both of our entrees were served with a bowl of white rice on the side, which was very helpful in sopping up the runny sauces.

It was a good meal and the service was very quick. We were in and out in less than an hour.

plate with four orange slices and two fortune cookies in bags from Mikura

Our smoothies made it a little pricier than it otherwise would have been. The final bill was nearly $40, but $10 of that was the smoothies.

I was glad to finally make a return trip to Mikura. We both enjoyed our meals and look forward to returning again. And with such a large menu, there are plenty more dishes to enjoy.

BCE Rating
Food: Good
Service: Very Good
Ambiance: Very Good
Price: Reasonable

Mikura Asian Bistro & Sushi Bar
840 N. Park Rd
Wyomissing, PA 19610

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Review: D&J Sandwich Shop – CLOSED

stainless steel tables with matching chairs with pink and blue padding in a retro diner

Editor’s Note: D&J’s is now Salvatore’s. The restaurant was sold and the new owners have transitioned to a pizza shop, rebranding it in January 2025.

A good sandwich is never hard to find in Berks County. There are dozens of great sandwich shops that offer quick meals for lunch and dinner.

You’ll find at least one in almost every little town. And like with pizzerias, everyone has their favorite sandwich shop.

For Julie and I, one of our favorites has always been D&J Sandwich Shop on the edge of Wyomissing and Shillington.

Julie and I have both been to D&J often. I needed an outsider’s perspective for the blog so I called up my brother, Matt.

exterior of D&J Sandwich Shop in Sinking Spring

The location is not ideal for a restaurant — or any business. The corner of Revere Boulevard (Route 724) and Old Fritztown Roaddone a tremendous  is heavily trafficked, but the restaurant lacks parking.

Customers are welcome to pull up in front of the building in unlined spaces. It can be challenging to get in and out, however, especially if another car is entering or leaving the lot. It’s also a challenge if you drive a Toyota Tundra like my brother.

But there was still a steady flow of customers while we were there so they either found space out front or did what we did and park along Old Fritztown Road.

pink and pastel blue topped stainless steel barstools atop a checkered floor

D&J’s interior has been retrofitted, literally, with the classic look of a 1950s-era diner. The stainless steel counter stools are covered in teal and purple leather seats. The same colors are used on the chairs around the half dozen tables that sit on the black and white checkered floor.

Everything else seems to have a Coca-Cola logo on it, from the napkin dispensers to the ceiling fans, where every blade is in the shape of a glass Coke bottle.

After ordering at the counter, my brother and I took a seat and waited for dinner to arrive.

We ordered a lot of food: two sandwiches, an order of fries and some mini tacos that my brother ordered on a whim (because I was buying).

yellow basket with mini tacos from D&J Sandwich Shop

The mini tacos were the size of a folded over tortilla chip, filled with beef and deep fried. And they were actually pretty good. I’m sure I could find something similar in the freezer section of the grocery store, but we downed them quick.

meatball sandwich topped with Parmesan from D&J Sandwich Shop

I ordered a meatball sub for my main dish. I’ve had them before at D&J and always enjoyed them. The meatballs are big; the sauce is good; and they always add the right amount of peppers and onions. With all of the other food, I probably should have just had a small, but I managed to finish it.

Matt felt guilty about ordering his ham and cheese because he thought it was boring. It actually was anything but.

grilled ham and cheese from D&J Sandwich Shop

D&J doesn’t make their grilled ham and cheese with slabs of lunch meat, but with chopped ham. It looked like a steak sandwich where someone grabbed the wrong meat. But the chopped ham worked, and little bro enjoyed it.

basket of crinkle fries from D&J Sandwich Shop

One of my favorite things about D&J is the fries: crinkle cut, crispy (but not burnt), well-salted and addicting. Matt agreed.

Fries here are shareable, even for two hungry eaters like us. (If you’re going solo, ask for the more manageable half-order).

Our more than $30 total was a little more than I usually expect to pay at D&J, but we can blame that on getting large sandwiches and an extra side (plus our two drinks).

D&J has been one of our favorite sandwich shops for many years now. And after taking my brother, I think there was another convert.

BCE Rating
Food: Good
Service: Very Good
Ambiance: Very Good
Price: Reasonable

D&J Sandwich Shop
200 Revere Blvd
Reading, PA 19609

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Diners Lunch & Dinner Reviews
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Review: 5th Street Diner

exterior of the stainless steel 5th Street Diner in Reading, PA

I love diners. We have some great ones in Berks County, and I always enjoy trying a new one.

Whether it’s for breakfast, lunch or dinner, you have an expectation of what you’ll get: good food, fast service and reasonable prices.

That’s what Julie and I were hoping for on our visit to the 5th Street Diner in Muhlenberg Township (just north of Temple).

stainless steel highlights counter seating at 5th Street Diner in Reading

5th Street is your quintessential diner. Stainless steel covers the building, inside and out. It’s open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And the menu is the size of a small encyclopedia.

It’s eight pages (plus specials) filled with everything from steaks and chops to all-day breakfast. Like all great diners, the prices are very affordable, too. The highest priced entree is just $17.60 (the 14 oz. steak New Orleans).

Among the half-page inserts throughout the menu are four Greek specialties. One intrigued me more than the rest: moussaka.

moussaka - ground beef beneath a bed of mashed potatoes with vegetables at the 5th Street Diner in Temple, PA

Moussaka is basically a Greek shepherd’s pie, with layers of mashed potatoes and ground beef. The difference is the addition of eggplant where carrots, peas and onions would have been.

The potatoes were light and fluffy. The eggplant was thinly sliced and very tender. The ground beef was lightly seasoned. And the whole dish was topped off with béchamel sauce (a light dairy-based sauce).

I really enjoyed the whole dish. It was hearty and very meaty (at least a quarter-pound of ground beef on the bottom layer). The portion size was perfect, especially considering it came with two sides and a cup of soup.

cup of Italian wedding soup from the 5th Street Diner in Reading, PA

My soup of choice was Italian wedding. Like the moussaka, it was very hearty, with plenty of acini de pepe and meatballs. It was a little salty, but still very good.

small bowl of rice pilaf from the 5th Street Diner in Reading, PA

For my sides, I went with rice pilaf and applesauce. They were okay, but there wasn’t anything special about them. I just was looking to order something that wasn’t starchy to go with my potato-heavy entree.

Julie found her dinner in the poultry and pasta section of the menu. The chicken New Orleans featured two chicken breasts topped with jumbo shrimp, bacon, barbecue sauce and Swiss cheese.

chicken topped with cheese and barbecue sauce from the 5th Street Diner in Reading, PA

The flavors mixed very well together, even though there was a lot of barbecue sauce covering everything. It helped that the chicken was very tender and juicy.

The chicken New Orleans did not come with sides; instead, the poultry and pasta entrees were all served with soup and salad.

cup of chicken noodle soup from 5th Street Diner in Reading, PA

For her soup, Julie got chicken noodle. But there was a lot more noodle than chicken (it was overflowing the cup when it was came out). It was still pretty good, though.

salad with red onions and ranch dressing from the 5th street diner in Reading, PA

The salad was your basic garden salad with a cup of dressing (ranch for Julie). The problem with soup and salad was that Julie hadn’t finished both before our entrees arrived so half of the salad went uneaten.

Diners are always fast-paced, but things seemed to be moving a little too quickly for our waitress. While she didn’t make any mistakes, she seemed frazzled throughout our meal, and was confused about what did and did not come with our entrees (she thought for sure that Julie’s chicken was supposed to come with rice).

But that would be only our complaint for our meal. It was fast. It was good. It was cheap ($22 for two meals).

Our dinner at the 5th Street Diner was exactly what we were hoping it would be.

BCE Rating
Food: Good
Service: Fair
Ambiance:Good
Price: Very Reasonable

5th Street Diner
5340 Allentown Pk
Temple, PA 19560

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basket of tortilla chips and guacamole
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Review: Let’s Taco Bout It

banner hanging above a doorway that reads "Let's Taco Bout It"

The great thing about West Reading is the sheer number of great restaurants that the town offers.

I didn’t know how great that was until Julie and I were told there was a 45-minute wait for a table at the restaurant we had planned on for dinner.

Forty-five minutes is a long time when you’re hungry. So we went a few doors down to one of Penn Avenue’s newest offerings, Let’s Taco Bout It.

The sister restaurant to Reading’s Taqueria Jimenez  opened in February in the former Caggs Caffe Liberta and Cafe Harmony. But Let’s Taco Bout It takes the space in a whole new direction with its Lucha Libre (Mexican wrestling) theme.

small thumb wrestling ring sitting atop a salt and pepper shaker

Each of the 10 tables has a Pro Thumb Wrestling Arena sitting atop the salt and pepper shakers. Vintage movie posters adorn the wall, each one promoting a campy movie from the 1960s or 70s starring Santo.

four windows with movie posters in between featuring Mexican wrestler El Santo

In the posters, Santo is seen facing increasingly fearsome foes:  the mafia, vampire women, Martians and more. Amazingly, all of his supernatural foes are adept at hammerlocks, dropkicks and sleeper holds (but Santo knows how to counter them all!).

Julie and I had a pair of thumb wrestling matches (I let her win one so we could have a pleasant meal) before our drinks arrived. I went with my standard pineapple Jarritos, but Julie was a little more adventurous, opting for a horchata.

ice floating in a cup of horchata

Horchata is cinnamon rice drink, and Let’s Taco Bout It does a homemade version. It was so different than anything either of us have tried before. It was a little bit like drinking tapioca pudding, but the cinnamon gave spice to an otherwise refreshing drink.

basket of tortilla chips with a metal cup of guacamole

We couldn’t help starting our meal with an order of “Holy Guacamole and Cheeps.” The guacamole is homemade, and that makes all the difference. It had fresh cilantro, onion and red pepper. It was smooth and flavorful, but we didn’t have enough to get through the pile of chips.

Let’s Taco Bout It offers a limited menu for your entree. There are tacos (of course), as well as a burrito, a quesadilla and a torta. Then, there are the “luchadors.”

basket with a large quesadilla cut into four pieces

Available in six varieties, “luchadors” are basically tacos on steroids (not accusing Mexican wrestlers of using steroids, it’s just a metaphor). Each comes on an oversized, grilled homemade tortilla with cheese, cilantro, onions, avocado and your choice of featured ingredient.

If you’re going to order a luchador, why not order the greatest one?  That’s why I got the El Santo. The primary ingredient was chorizo, the mildly spicy Mexican sausage.

lifting up the top of a quesadilla to show chorizo and cheese

I could taste the difference in the homemade tortilla immediately. It was a little thicker and had more flavor depth than an average tortilla. It was also packed with more chorizo than I thought could fit. The avocado provided a nice cooling contrast to the meat in what was a delicious dinner.

lifting up the top of a quesadilla to show pork and avocado

Julie went with the “Dynasty,” which was filled with pork marinated in pineapple juice. The pork was tender, but she never really got that pineapple flavor. Still, it was very good, and very filling, meal.

Both of us took home a quarter of our luchador (we each could have finished our own if we had not ordered the guacamole). And we certainly did not feel cheated out of the $32 that was spent on dinner.

Let’s Taco Bout It may not have been our first choice for dinner, but it was the right choice.

It’s another standout restaurant for West Reading, and one that I look forward to visiting again.

BCE Rating
Food: Very Good
Service: Very Good
Ambiance: Good
Price: Reasonable

Let’s Taco Bout It
616 Penn Ave
West Reading, PA 19611

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Review: Andy Pepper’s

building with three windows that read "breakfast" "Andy Pepper's" and "lunch"

Berks County Eats has taken me to a lot of crazy places. I’ve been to castles, strip malls, diners, dinner theaters, farmers markets, fire companies and food trucks.

But never did I expect to find Julie and I eating lunch in a post office.

Andy Pepper’sTo be fair, Andy Pepper’s isn’t exactly in the Limekiln Post Office. The two share a building — USPS on the left, restaurant on the right — just off of Oley Turnpike Road in the tiny village of Limekiln.

It’s an interesting location on a number of levels. Forget the awkward roommate, Limekiln is as off the beaten path as you can get in Berks County.

Yet when we arrived around lunchtime, the parking lot was busy as customers were coming and going through the front door.

For a small place, there was more seating than I expected, mostly at long, high-top tables with white tiled counter tops and purple trim.

Two plastic drink cups, one with chocolate milk and one with cranberry lemonade

Three black menu boards hang at the order counter. The first lists the drinks (including the homemade chocolate milk and the cranberry lemonade that we got); the second, breakfast; the third, sandwiches.

One of the great things about Andy Pepper’s, as a place that serves only breakfast and lunch, the entire menu is always available so I got lunch while Julie got breakfast.

Bonus points go to Andy Pepper’s for the creative names for the sandwiches (the Joanie loves Srirachi is easily the most clever). My healthful flatbread was aptly named the Thin Lizzy.

flatbread sandwich with avocado, spinach and tomato from Andy Pepper's

The Thin Lizzy features baby spinach, provolone, tomatoes, pesto and guacamole on a grilled flatbread. I’m not normally one for meatless meals, but I absolutely loved this sandwich.

It was simple, but the spinach and tomatoes were bright and fresh. The provolone was sliced thin so it had a nice sharp bite without being overpowering. The pesto was flavorful, and the guacamole was piled on so that delicious avocado and cilantro flavor was in every bite.

dish of seasoned potato chips from Andy Pepper's

On the side, I ordered warm, seasoned potato chips. The bag behind the counter said they were from the Billy Goat Chip Company in St. Louis, one of the few things at Andy Pepper’s that wasn’t homemade.

They were good chips, but warming them made them even better. It was a light seasoning (onion, garlic, spices and sugar, according to the company website), but it added a unique flavor that I really enjoyed.

Paper plate with a plate-sized pancake topped with four slices of bacon from Andy Pepper's

Julie went with breakfast for lunch, unable to resist one of the seasonal pancake flavors: lemon poppy seed.

We were warned that the pancakes usually come in orders of two, plate-sized pancakes so she just had a half order, and it was plenty. It was as big as advertised, and really soaked up the syrup. The citrusy flavor of the lemon gave the hearty pancake a light, summery flavor.

And what breakfast would be complete without bacon? Julie asked for a side of it and received four crispy, delicious slices on top of her pancake.

plate with two slices of zucchini cornbread and a cup of blueberry jam from Andy Pepper's

In addition to our meals, we grabbed a couple slices of locally baked zucchini cornbread and a homemade blueberry sage jam. I only got a hint of zucchini, but the cornbread was more moist than most. The jam was amazing. It was very sweet, and it didn’t take much of it to get a lot of flavor.

That brought our total bill up to about $25. It was a little higher than we like to pay for lunch, but worth every penny.

Everything we had was either homemade or made with the freshest ingredients, and that makes all of the difference.

We enjoyed everything that we had on our visit and look forward to going back again for another meal at the post office.

BCE Rating
Food: Excellent
Service: Excellent
Ambiance: Good
Price: Reasonable

Andy Pepper’s
820 Limekiln Rd
Limekiln, PA 19535

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Review: Old San Juan Cafe

mural with a Puerto Rican flag and an island scene on the wall of Old San Juan Cafe in Reading

Reading is a constantly changing city.

Abandoned factories tell the story of the once-thriving industrial era. Bumpy crossings serve as reminders of the days when railroads were king. And we’re just a generation removed from when Reading was the outlet capital of the world.

The brand names are gone, but the Outlet District continues to evolve, with small independent stores and restaurants to cater to locals, not out-of-state bus trips.

And among the empty buildings are thriving businesses, like the Old San Juan Cafe.

Old San Juan Cafe is located along North Ninth Street in the heart of the Outlet District. There is no off-street parking for the Cafe, so we grabbed a space across the street under the shadow of one of the old outlet buildings. Signs for long-forgotten stores like the Designer Bags Outlet and Cape Craftsmen still adorn the abandoned building.

Another sign advertised, “TOP OF THE ROC, An American Dining House.”

awning above a doorway with a photo of food and words that read "Old San Juan Cafe"

Though the outlet is silent, the street still bustles with activity, highlighted by the seemingly endless stream of customers coming and going through Old San Juan.

Neither Julie nor I had any idea what to expect going into Old San Juan for the first time. The interior was bright, with simple, but beautiful murals covering the walls.

mural inside Old San Juan Cafe depicting a rural scene with a blue house in the middle of a field

They depicted scenes from Puerto Rico — one side the vibrant beaches, the other a small hut in rural farmland.

In front of us was the order counter, where a steady line had developed and would remain throughout our dinner.

food on a warming table inside Old San Juan Cafe

Steam plates behind the counter were filled with delicious looking goods. Our biggest concern was a potential language barrier, with us not knowing what we were looking at on the other side of the glass.

We were thankful that the woman behind the counter not only spoke English, but was patient enough with us to give us the full rundown of everything available, from the tripe to the sonocho to beef stew.

food on a warming table inside Old San Juan Cafe

The two of us each picked out an entree and paid at the register before grabbing a table. I think we were both surprised to find so much seating inside the narrow building, ample room to have housed everyone who came in for takeout during our brief stay.

I have eaten at a number of Latin American restaurants for Berks County Eats, but never one that exclusively serves Puerto Rican dishes and was excited to try my roast pork (pernil).

roast pork with white rice from Old San Juan Cafe

When we were at the counter, there was only a sliver of pork left so the woman who was helping us went back and grabbed a fresh batch from the kitchen. It was outstanding.

The meat was so tender, slow-cooked to fall off the bone (most of the meats appeared to be bone-in). It was hard to pinpoint exactly what made it so good. There was no sauce, and no one flavor that stood out. It seemed so simple, but it was among the best pork that I have tried.

All of the entrees are served with a side of rice and beans. The white rice is placed on the plate with the entree while the beans were served in a cup on the side.

beans in a cup from Old San Juan Cafe

I was surprised to find that potatoes are featured in Puerto Rican style beans. The small cubes had been sitting in the sauce for so long that they now looked like sweet potatoes, taking on the same orange hue as the sauce.

Mixed together with the rice, it was an excellent side. It wasn’t spicy as far as heat, but there was enough spices mixed in to give it a great flavor.

stewed chicken with white rice from Old San Juan Cafe

Julie opted for one of the saucier entrees, the stewed chicken. The juice had soaked through the chicken skin to the bone, ensuring flavorful and tender bites throughout.

She had a thigh and a leg and cleaned the meat off of both, savoring every bite.

In addition to the meat and sides, our meals were served with a choice of salad. For me, it was a simple lettuce and tomato.

cup of potato salad from Old San Juan Cafe

For Julie, it was potato salad, one of the best that she has ever tried. It was extra creamy, with a flavorful potato (not a simple baking potato) as the base. She also enjoyed the addition of the green peppers to the mix, something she’s never found in any other potato salad.

plate with plantains from Old San Juan Cafe in Reading, Pa

Though we really didn’t need any more food, both of us have a weakness for plantains so we got a small plate with five pieces of the fried fruit. Though they would have made a nice end to the meal, neither of us could wait to eat them so they were gone long before the rest of our food.

While we both finished off our meats, we ended up taking home quite a bit of rice and beans, as well as about half of her cup of potato salad.

One of the great things about a place like Old San Juan is that not having waiters and waitresses allows them to charge lower prices. Our total dinner bill was less than $20.

This trip was the first time that Julie had been to the Outlet District since she was a child, when her grandmother used to take her on shopping trips. It brought back a flood of memories for her.

sign that reads "Bienvenidos Old San Juan Cafe" with an image of a coqui on a leaf painted to look like the flag of Puerto Rico

Future memories in the neighborhood won’t be made in large shopping centers. They’ll be made in little places like Old San Juan Cafe.

BCE Rating
Food: Very Good
Service: Excellent
Ambiance: Fair
Price: Very Reasonable

Old San Juan Cafe
808 N. 9th St
Reading, PA 19604

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Review: Dans at Green Hills

black leather menu cover with gold colored text reading "Dans at Green Hills"

For all the wonderful restaurants that Berks County offers, there are very few that can be called “fine dining.”

Sure, there are places that offer higher cuisine than others, but fine dining is more than steak entrees or table linens.

It’s a true experience that encompasses the menu, the atmosphere and the service. One restaurant that has earned a reputation for its fine dining is Dans at Green Hills.

Dans (there is no apostrophe) began in 1989 as one of the city’s only fine dining establishments, serving patrons from the small cellarette at the east end of Penn Street.

A new ownership group took over in 2006, and in 2012, they purchased the Green Hills Inn along Route 10 south of the city, creating the new Dans at Green Hills inside the 200-year-old building.

historic-looking dining area with a fireplace, round tables covered in white tablecloths, and wooden chairs at Dans at Green Hills

Like many restaurants in historic buildings, the dining area is spread across multiple rooms. The walls in ours had a hint of green in the soft light. Flames crackled in the stone fireplace, giving off some much-needed warmth on a cold January evening.

The tables were draped in white linen with black napkins and preset with wine glasses at every setting (the wine and mixed drink list is extensive, and many diners arrived with drinks in hand, having stopped at the bar on their way in).

white plate with floral design and a small piece of crostini

Our meal started with a little taste, compliments of the chef. Julie and I were each brought a tiny crostini topped with sharp cheddar, basil pesto and walnut.

It seemed so simple, but the two bites that mine lasted were incredible. The cheddar was spread thin like butter and was perfectly sharp. The pesto had that nice sweet basil flavor, and the walnut was just the right flavor and texture to top it off. It was a great little tease for what was to come.

bowl of potato soup topped with leeks and croutons

We both started our meals with a bowl of soup. I opted for the daily special, a potato and leek soup garnished with bacon, pesto and croutons. This is how potato soup should always be. It was thick and creamy with an undertone of sweet and salty.

bowl of sweet potato soup with a dollop of cream on top

Julie, meanwhile, was enjoying the sweet potato soup. With a dollop of whipped cream in the middle and add-ins like apples, pretzel dust and sunflower seeds, it was both familiar and unexpected, but wholly delicious. Sweeter than most soups, but not too sweet that you would confuse it with dessert.

Our options for entrees were equally exciting: steaks, filets, duck breasts, scallops — all of the dishes typically associated with fine dining.

I had a hard time deciding, but the description of the New York strip steak had the magic words, “truffle butter.”

New York strip steak on a bed of potatoes and broccoli rabe, topped with truffle butter

For me, there is nothing better than a perfectly prepared steak with a smattering of rich truffle butter. Mixed with the creamy, sweet and earthy concoction, the steak just melted away. Every bite was savory and smooth.

The steak was served atop a bed of rutabaga Yukon Gold mashed potatoes and broccoli rabe with a balsamic glaze that seemed like enough food for a meal of its own. The potato and rutabaga mixture was superb. Yukon Gold potatoes are naturally sweeter and the rutabagas add a rich flavor of their own. This was counter-balanced perfectly by the more bitter broccoli rabe.

A good rack of lamb was too tempting for Julie to pass up. The Dijon-encrusted ribs were served on a bed of autumn ratatouille with rosemary reduction.

rack of lamb atop a bed of cubed potatoes with a side of green beans

Dijon is not one of my favorite flavors, but it works really well with the fatty lamb. The rosemary reduction also helped cut through the distinct mustard flavor, creating a meal that hit on several flavor notes.

The autumn ratatouille was also delightful, consisting of several types of squash with potatoes and tomatoes. It just tasted fresh, with the natural flavors all shining above the sauce.

At this point, neither of us had room for dessert, but we decided to force it anyway. And instead of sharing (which would have been the sensible thing), we each got our own treat to end the meal.

cup of bread pudding topped with berries and vanilla ice cream

Julie really wanted to try the chocolate bread pudding. Bread pudding can be rich on its own, but this was even richer with chunks of Godiva dark chocolate and a dollop of caramel ice cream on top. It was a dessert both heavenly and sinful.

cup of apple crisp topped with ice cream and drizzled with caramel

I had my heart set on the warm apple crisp topped with caramel ice cream. The base was mixed with granola for more crunch (and granola makes it healthy, right?). I found the sauce with the apples was almost too sweet, and I had to use the ice cream to help cut through it. I still managed to clear my plate, however.

Three courses as Dans is a great way to celebrate a special occasion. We were celebrating Julie’s birthday so we had no problem splurging. But with a price tag that came to nearly $150 (that includes the tip for our attentive server who was never far away), we probably won’t be going back until we have another milestone to celebrate.

Dans at Green Hills lived up to its title as a fine dining restaurant. We enjoyed one of the best meals we have had in more than 100 stops around Berks County.

The food, the service, the ambiance. It was everything a fine dining restaurant is supposed to be.

BCE Rating
Food: Excellent
Service: Very Good
Ambiance: Excellent
Price: A Little Pricey

Dans at Green Hills
2444 Morgantown Rd
Reading, PA 19607

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Review: Jumbo China Buffet – RENAMED

lettering above a strip mall restaurant reads "Jumbo China Buffet"

Editor’s Note: Jumbo China Buffet is now Regal Buffet. 

We all have our guilty pleasures in life. As a food blogger, my guilty pleasures revolve around meals that most food bloggers would be ashamed to eat.

One of my guilty pleasures is the Jumbo China Buffet along the 5th Street Highway near Fairgrounds Square Mall.

The buffet is the largest buffet of any kind in Berks County with 10 stations to navigate and what looks like enough seating for a few hundred people.

Buffets of any kind are hit or miss. If you go when it’s not busy, you risk food that sits for a while. So unlike a sit-down restaurant where the service should be better during off-peak hours, you want to visit a buffet at its busiest.

I went with a friend of mine on a Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago, and it was definitely busy.

warming tables with noodles and chicken dishes at Jumbo China Buffet

Jumbo Buffet tries to be everything to everyone. In addition to the Asian staples, they offer a wide range of American comfort food. There’s a carving station with fresh-cooked sausage and ham. And plenty of hot bar items including fried chicken, pizza, and fries. I’ve never tried any of these items myself, but I always see people filling their plates with them.

in the back of the buffet area is the hibachi, where you can create your own stir-fry from a selection of seafood, meats, vegetables and lo mein.

I have a system when I go to Jumbo: three trips to the buffet, twice for dinner and once for dessert. And I always end up with similar plates from one trip to the next.

plate with yellow rice, broccoli and chicken from Jumbo China Buffet

Fried rice and chicken with broccoli are my two staples for the first plate. These are two items that are always done right when I go. The rice is always bright yellow and has just enough vegetables (a few peas and some onions) that I can convince myself that it’s good for me. Same with the chicken and broccoli. While it’s doused in a tasty soy sauce that has no nutritional value, it has white meat and vegetables so it can’t be all bad.

From there, I’ll build out with whatever looks interesting. On this trip, that was a pork dumpling and a little chicken in garlic sauce. The dumplings are always their best when they are first delivered. With no sauce to soak in, they don’t hold as well on the hot bar as other items. But when they’re fresh, they are delicious, especially with a little drizzle of ginger sauce to help them go down.

The chicken in garlic sauce is very much like the chicken and broccoli but with the addition of more vegetables (the occasional carrot or onion) and a stronger taste of garlic. And I can never have enough garlic.

plate with general's chicken, sweet and sour chicken, fried plantains and an egg roll from Jumbo China Buffet

Plate number two begins with the classic General Tso’s chicken. Jumbo’s version is a little hotter than others, but it’s not overbearing. There’s plenty of sweetness to help cut through the heat. And it’s always a popular item so you know it will be fresh every time.

Adding to my second plate, I opted for sweet and sour chicken, a vegetable egg roll and the very non-Chinese dish of fried plantains.

The sweet and sour chicken is always good, but not much different than any others you’ll find throughout the county. It’s the same lightly breaded, fried chicken pieces and the same red sauce. Similarly, the egg roll isn’t much different than anywhere else. Like the dumplings, it’s always better when it’s fresh out of the kitchen.

The plantains don’t fit with the rest of the meal, but I didn’t care. I love plantains and I’ll grab some off any buffet that has them.

cup of chocolate and vanilla soft serve with a banana in strawberry sauce

After two trips to the hot bar, I venture up for dessert. I tend to connect with my inner child when I go to Jumbo because dessert always includes soft serve ice cream. It’s always vanilla and chocolate mix for me.  I also found banana with strawberry syrup on the dessert bar so I added that to my plate. It’s not fancy, but I like bananas and I like strawberry syrup so I went for it.

sugary donut from Jumbo China Buffet

Dessert includes one last item, the guiltiest of pleasures, the fried donut. The fried piece of dough, rolled in sugar, is something I look forward to on every trip. These treats just melt in your mouth. I always make sure it’s the last thing I taste before I walk out the door.

The great thing about the buffet is that it’s quick and cheap. We were in and out of the restaurant in about a half-hour, spending $15 per person for a hefty meal.

It’s not glamorous or fancy, but Jumbo China Buffet will always be one of my favorites, even if I feel a little guilty about it.

BCE Rating
Food: Good
Service: Good
Ambiance: Very Good
Price: Reasonable

Jumbo China Buffet
3252 N. 5th Street Hwy
Reading, PA 19605

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plate with beef brisket, pulled pork, fries and broccoli
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Review: Van Reed Inn

Sing on a wall with a stylized "V R" for Van Reed Inn

When a restaurant closes, there’s always a question about what comes next.

If we are lucky, a new restaurant arrives, one that is better than the one that it has replaced. That’s what happened with the Van Reed Inn.

The new incarnation of the Van Reed Inn opened in December of 2014 after some much-needed renovations.

One year later, the restaurant along Route 183 north of the city still looks like new. The bar and dining area are enclosed in a single room with 10 tables — four of them two-seat high-tops — and sixteen stools on the bar.

A pool table sat idle at one end of the room. On the opposite wall was a menu board with the days specials that lit up in shades of yellow, green, red and blue. An adjacent room is used for take-out orders.

Julie and I arrived around 6:30. For a Thursday night, it seemed like a good crowd. Half of the tables were full. The same could be said about the stools. Both filled up more by the time we left.

We sat ourselves at one of the high-tops and waited a few minutes for the menus. The restaurant seemed to be a little short-staffed with only one waitress to take care of the tables and a bartender for those on the stools.

When our waitress did arrive, she was very pleasant and apologetic for not getting to us sooner. After that, she was extremely attentive for the rest of the night.

close-up photo of wings covered in chipotle sauce

We were both getting a little hungry so Julie put in an order for wings to get us started. They have 15 different flavors on the menu. All of them sounded amazing, but we settled on the chipotle ranch.

Six meaty wings arrived coated in the creamy sauce. The wings are smoked, and the flavor from the smoker shines through it all. They had a nice crisp outer layer (from their trip through the fryer). The sauce was delicious, giving all of the flavors of ranch plus that added southwestern kick. It was a great start to the meal.

I had more wings yet to come as part of my BBQ platter.

plate with sliced brisket, wings, fries, pulled pork, and a cup of broccoli

A sampling of Van Reed Inn’s smoked favorites, the platter included beef brisket, pulled pork, four wings and two sides.

The best thing on the plate had to be the wings. I was going to order the “Irish Pride” flavor (spicy garlic BBQ), but saw the daily special: lemon garlic. They were nearly perfect with great citrus flavor, slightly sour, and just enough garlic to give it a kick. Once again the smoke shone through and complemented the other flavors nicely.

Another stand-out from my plate was the beef brisket. Six slices with no sauce to hide the flavor. Instead, they were coated in a simple, but delicious dry rub. It had a little extra sugar for a sweet after-taste.

The pulled pork wasn’t bad either, though I wasn’t a big fan of the sauce. I would have liked it better if it had been served dry like the brisket, maybe with a little sauce on the side.

On the side, I ordered sweet potato fries and broccoli (which makes it a balanced meal, right?). The sweet potato fries were really good, fried to a golden brown.

three pulled pork tacos with a side of fresh-cut fries

Across the table, Julie was enjoying her pulled pork in the form of tacos. The pulled pork was more enjoyable mixed with the cheese sauce and coleslaw.

The three tacos were filling, but not too heavy that she couldn’t finish her fries. The fresh-cut potatoes were very good and worth forcing every last bite.

When we were finished, I was pleasantly surprised to see that we had only spent a little more than $30 for our meals. I was expecting a bigger price tag for the amount of food that we ordered.

Not every restaurant revival works which is why we celebrate the successes.

Van Reed Inn is a certainly a success.

BCE Rating
Food: Very Good
Service: Fair
Ambiance: Good
Price: Reasonable

Van Reed Inn
2707 Bernville Rd
Reading, PA 19605

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