single-floor home that has been transformed into a restaurant with a sign over the house that reads "Esterly's"

It feels passe to describe a restaurant as “unique” or a “hole-in-the-wall.” Every restaurant is unique in its own way. And in an age where you can look up any restaurant online, are there really any hole-in-the-wall spots left?

If there is a unique, hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Berks County, it has to be Esterly’s Sandwich Shop.

Esterly’s is located in the village of Bowers, three miles from Kutztown on Fleetwood Road between the Deka plant in Lyons and the borough of Topton. But more than the geographic location, it’s the physical location – what appears from the road to be a house with an open sign in the window. A small sign hangs along the road and another spans the facade above the front entrance, otherwise there would be nothing to distinguish Esterly’s from the nearby homes.

small area in front of an order counter with a fridge in the left corner and a rack of potato chips

There is no parking lot, just five spaces or so along the street. But there’s no need for a lot of parking because there is no dining area except for the three mismatched picnic tables in the front yard.

I arrived for lunch and stepped through the front door into a small, wood-paneled room.

In one corner was a fridge to grab your drinks. Next to it, a small rack of Martin’s potato chips. Opposite the order counter were small bench seats. After placing my order, I took a seat on one and looked around.

Beneath the order counter were a pair of maps – one of the United States, one of the world – showing not only where customers were from, but where the cheesesteaks had traveled to. A poster next to the counter highlighted the most exotic locale – Mount Kilamanjaro.

an order counter with two maps underneath and to the right, a poster showing Kilamanjaro

Apparently in 2013, a suitcase full of cheesesteaks made their way to Africa (with a layover in Amsterdam). Seven sandwiches were eaten on an African safari and another three were enjoyed as a reward for hikers who made the six-day trek to the top of Africa’s tallest mountain.

My steak sandwich wouldn’t travel that far – only back to Kutztown to the Ktown Hall coworking space where I was working that day.

The sandwich still looked pretty good after the 10-minute drive. In true Berks County style, I had ordered it topped with sauce (and onions).

two unwrapped aluminum foil wrappers on a counter - one has a steak sandwich topped with sauce, the other a pile of fries

Esterly’s advertises it as the home of the “no-greasy cheesesteak” and that was true. There was plenty of meat on the sandwich but no grease to make the roll soggy. I might have liked a little more of the slightly sweet sauce, but it was a very good and very filling sandwich, nonetheless.

The fries were solid too. The menu called them “grade A” and while I wouldn’t call them the best around, I still ate the whole order. (I did what I could to dip them in the sauce that was hiding out on the foil from the sandwich).

What really separates Esterly’s, beyond the uniqueness of the location, is the price. The sandwich and fries only cost $12.50, less than you’d pay for just a cheesesteak at some places. And while I wouldn’t call it the best that I’ve had, I definitely got my money’s worth.

If you want to get your money’s worth, bring cash because Esterly’s is cash-only.

And I’m sure I’ll be back again, with a few dollars to spend on some good food from this unique hole-in-the-wall in eastern Berks County.

BCE Rating
Food: Good
Service: Very Good
Ambiance: Unique
Price: $

Esterly’s Sandwich Shop
479 Fleetwood Road
Mertztown, PA 19539