Green pedestal with bite-sized chicken next to a wooden rack with four sauce bottles and a metal cup filled with fries
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Review: Thorn Alley Kitchen at the GoggleWorks

Sandwich board sign advertising Thorn Alley Kitchen at the GoggleWorks

The GoggleWorks Center of the Arts has been a community hub since it opened more than 20 years ago. But it’s been missing something since 2019. That’s when the Belly Kitchen & Drinkery, the last restaurant to operate inside the center, closed its doors.

A new restaurant was announced in August of 2022 as part of a mult-year expansion project. In April 2026, nearly four years later, Thorn Alley Kitchen finally made its debut.

Order counter and seating at the Thron Alley Kitchen at the GoggleWorks.

On a Friday afternoon in late May, Julie and I took a lunch date into the city to try Thorn Alley for the first time. We arrived a little after 11 a.m. and headed through the main entrance of the art center. Straight ahead is the GoggleWorks store and the Boscov Theater. To the left, a short hallway opens up into the restaurant. 

mugs on display at the order counter at Thorn Alley Kitchen at the GoggleWorks

While we stood at the order counter and looked over the menu, we watched as the two people seated at the bar got their burgers. Only one other table was in use, a single remote worker sat at one of the two-seaters in the expansive indoor space. 

outdoor dining space next to a tall brick building at Thorn Alley Kitchen in Reading, PA

After ordering, we headed outside to the namesake “Thorn Alley” where tables were spread out between the two largest buildings on the Goggleworks campus. Umbrellas covered many of the tables, but the ex-factory buildings blocked a lot of the sun already.  

We were the only ones outside, though a few groups passed through the seating area to head inside as we waited. 

umbrella over a table in an outdoor dining area at Thorn Alley Kitchen at the GoggleWorks

The food arrived after about 20 minutes. I had heard good things about Thorn Alley’s Korean fried chicken, but I didn’t think I could handle the full five-piece chicken meal at lunch. Instead, I ordered the chicken nugget version of the dish. 

Both the dinner and the nugget version feature chicken marinated in soy and ginger and battered in rice flour. (The use of rice flour makes it gluten free). It’s served with four bottles of sauce: honey mustard, yuzu black pepper, sweet gochujang, and hot honey.

Green pedestal with bite-sized chicken next to a wooden rack with four sauce bottles and a metal cup filled with fries

The presentation – with the chicken literally served on a pedestal – was top-notch, and the flavors were delicious. The chicken, itself, was very good. You could taste a little soy and ginger in every bite, and the breading was light and airy. 

And I really enjoyed the sauces – the gochujang was the closest to a true BBQ sauce with a sweet and hot combination. The hot honey had similar notes while the yuzu black pepper brought a little more heat to the dish. 

The only disappointment was the portion size – the five nuggets were one- and two-bite. They were gone quickly and not filling. Delicious? Yes. But I would have liked one or two more for the money. 

Everything is ala carte at Thorn Alley so we also ordered a side of fries to share. The fries are listed as russet potatoes, twice-fried. These are essentially the same fries they serve at Cafe Sweet Street (whose owner is the board chair at the Goggleworks), and Sweet Street has some of our favorite fries around. These were just as good, just served in a smaller portion than we expected. 

Metal tray with two corn tortilla tacos

Julie ordered the pork belly tacos, a dish that immediately caught her eye. The tacos featured corn tortillas topped with pork belly stir-fried with carrots and scallions, topped with shredded cabbage and pineapple salsa. 

Just like everything else, the tacos were delicious. The pork belly was perfect, a savory treat . There were also brief hints of sweet and sour from the salsa. Most places we visit will double-up on the corn tortillas, but Thorn Alley used one per taco, and the tacos held together. Most local spots also give three tacos to an order, but Thorn Alley serves them in orders of two. 

Glass of iced tea on a table with two smaller glasses of water and a glass of lemonade in the background

In addition to our food, Julie ordered a lemonade, and I ordered an iced tea that was more ice than tea. With the drinks, it brought our total to $38. 

We have paid more than $20 per person at other places in Berks County, but the portion sizes left us wanting more: one or two more nuggets, another taco, a few more fries. 

I’m sure Thorn Alley Kitchen will continue to change and adapt – it’s only been a month since they opened – and we’ll be watching to see what changes come before we head back.

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

Thorn Alley Kitchen
GoggleWorks Center for the Arts
201 Washington Street
Reading, PA 19601

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glass with a logo for Copperz Brewing Co featuring mechancial cogs next to a table card with the same logo
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Review: Copperz Brewing Co. in Hamburg

exterior entrance of Copperz Brewing Co in Hamburg, PA

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. 

glass with a logo for Copperz Brewing Co featuring mechancial cogs next to a table card with the same logo

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. 

wide angle view of the dining room and bar at Copperz Brewing Co

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. 

burger topped with beer cheese and bacon with a side of fries from Copperz Brewing Co

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. 

wooden plate with half a cheese flatbread from Copperz Brewing Co

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. 

boneless wings and fries from Copperz Brewing Co

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). 

two large L-shaped leather couches facing each other in the dining room of Copperz Brewing Co

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

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Alebrije Spinach Enchiladas
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Review: Alebrije – Wyomissing

Five years ago, in January 2014, Berks County Eats as we know it truly began. It’s incredible to look back to see how much has changed, and how much has stayed the same since then.

Amazingly, it’s been five years since we last blogged about Alebrije. That visit was to the Exeter Township location and while it was a very good meal, we never made it back to either of Alebrije’s other two locations in Wyomissing or 5th Street Highway.

On a Sunday afternoon in December, we finally decided to pay another visit – this time to Alebrije’s Wyomissing location.

tin-punched lamp with images of suns above a table at Alebrije in Wyomissing

Even this location has changed since Berks County Eats began. Five years ago, Alebrije’s Wyomissing restaurant was still located in a strip mall near the Berkshire Mall. In 2015, it moved to a stand-alone building, the former Ciabatta restaurant along State Hill Road.

The menu has been updated since our visit and I was glad for this because I got to enjoy the poblano soup – an item that was added when the menu was updated.

square bowl with green poblano soup drizzled with crema

I didn’t know what to expect beyond what the description in the menu said: “smooth, slightly spicy and creamy.” I’ve had peppers in soup but never a cream of pepper soup. But after trying it, I would eat this soup again and again.

The soup was definitely creamy and I always tasted the distinct flavor of poblano pepper throughout. I didn’t find it spicy at all – flavorful, yes, but not spicy – so it was easy to eat and enjoy. And the sour cream was a perfect complement.

I can’t imagine a better start to the meal than this.

three enchiladas topped with a brown sauce and drizzled with crema

For my entree, I decided to try the spinach enchiladas – another item that was listed as “new” on the menu.

The plate was beautiful when it arrived (it’s amazing how a little sour cream can liven up a plate). The primary topping for the spinach-filled corn tortillas was a creamy chipotle sauce. It featured a mild spice, nothing overpowering. It worked well with the spinach though and was enjoyable enough, but I would probably go back to the enchiladas poblanos (and the mole sauce) in the future.

three chorizo tacos on a plate with a cup of refried beans and cups of onion, salsa and cilantro

Julie enjoyed her chorizo and steak tacos. The tacos come topped with Chihuahua cheese with cilantro, onion and spicy tomatillo sauce on the side to build to your own taste.

She skipped the tomatillo sauce – the chorizo was enough spice for her taste – but she took advantage of the cilantro and onion. Both helped to enhance, not mask, the flavor of the meat. And the mix of steak and chorizo ensured that the flavors of both shined through in every bite.

Both Julie and I had sides of refried beans with our meals (mine also came with rice). I’m not a huge fan of refried beans but these were good enough.

Kids eat free on Sundays at Alebrije, which had two advantages for us. One, we could order a kids meal for Jakob and not feel guilty about him not eating the whole thing (we did take his leftovers home) and two, we knew there would be other families, most likely with small children, so Jakob wouldn’t be a distraction.

plate with a quesadilla and five chicken nuggets

For his meal, we ordered a combo that included two of his favorite foods: quesadilla and chicken nuggets.

The plate came with one kid-sized quesadilla and five nuggets. The quesadilla was a little simpler than one that you would order off the menu while the nuggets were pretty generic. I certainly wouldn’t order it for myself, but Jakob seemed to enjoy them so I have no complaints.

metal basket of chips with small metal bowl of red salsa

One other thing to mention: like all good Mexican restaurants we had chips and salsa at the table almost immediately. I’m a fan of Alebrije’s salsa. It’s somehow both thin and chunky with just enough heat to have me going back to my water.

Alebrije has always been reasonably priced, and with the kids eat free deal, it makes it even better. For our three meals, bowl of soup and an iced tea, we spent around $35 (kids meals are normally priced at $5.99). Our meal was certainly a good one and for me, the soup was well worth the additional $6.50.

I still can’t believe it’s been five years since our first visit to Alebrije, but I can say this after our latest meal: we won’t be waiting five years to visit the 5th Street Highway location.

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

Alebrije
2224 State Hill Road
Wyomissing, PA 19610

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