Burger topped with onion rings, bacon and BBQ sauce with a side of fries
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Review: Saucony Cafe – Kutztown

brick building with a sign over the doorway reading "Saucony Cafe"

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. 

interior of Saucony Cafe in Kutztown, PA

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. 

Burger topped with onion rings, bacon and BBQ sauce with a side of fries

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.

order counter at the Cougar Cafe in Kutztown Park

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. 

chicken sandwich on a seeded roll with fries

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. 

trophies on the wall of the Cougar Cafe in Kutztown Park

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: $$

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styrofoam container with a chicken sandwich, fries, and a cup of coleslaw
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Review: Fry Daddy’s at Renninger’s Kutztown

indoor market stand with a sign that reads "Fry Daddy's"

As much time as I have spent in Kutztown over the years, I’ve spent very little of it at Renninger’s Farmers Market. 

The Friday-Saturday schedule makes it tough. And with excellent markets in Wyomissing, Shillington, and Muhlenberg, Renninger’s is often an afterthought. 

I did stop in back in 2023 when Heart & Hearth first opened, but visits have been few and far between. I decided to change that back in October, and after weighing the options, I decided to give Fry Daddy’s a try. 

As the name implies, Fry Daddy’s is a stand with a singular focus: deep-fried foods. The menu includes French fries (of course), fried pierogies, chicken fingers and sandwiches, fish and chips, and deep-fried hamburgers and hot dogs. 

styrofoam clamshell filled with chicken fingers and fries

I decided to try a combo meal of chicken fingers and fries. The price is unbelievable. For $6.50, I got four large chicken tenders, an order of fries, barbecue sauce for dipping, and a small side of coleslaw. 

(For another $1.50, I got a Brisk iced tea bringing the total to $8.00). 

For the price, I didn’t expect the portion size I got – almost enough to feed two. And I also didn’t expect the quality that I got. The chicken may not have been the most outstanding that I’ve ever had, but they were good. The fries, though, were excellent. They were fresh-cut style with skin-on cooked to a crispy golden color. The small, bite sizes fries were easy to eat a handful at a time. They’re definitely hard to top. 

styrofoam container with a chicken sandwich, fries, and a cup of coleslaw

I enjoyed my meal enough to return in early January. This time, I opted for the chicken sandwich combo meal. Once again, it came with fries and coleslaw for $6.50. (I skipped the drink this time). 

Topping options are limited – cheese and mayo – and I decided all I needed was a little bit of mayo. 

Again, it’s simple, but I really enjoyed it. The sandwich, while still hearty, was more manageable than the chicken tenders and I didn’t feel as overly full. The fries were excellent again – some of the best around. 

The coleslaw is also solid. It’s not the most flavorful, but it’s creamy and made for a nice addition to the box. 

blue and yellow can of Brisk iced tea next to a napkin holder with the the words "Fry Daddy's" on it

There’s nothing fancy about Renninger’s. It’s a no-frills farmers market inside and out. Fry Daddy’s feels like the perfect fit. It’s not that they take shortcuts, they just keep things simple. In doing so, the food is good, the service is strong and the prices are among the lowest in Berks County. 

It’s a mix that will keep me coming back. 

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

Fry Daddy’s at Renninger’s
740 Noble Street
Kutztown, PA 19530

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bowl with pulled pork, avocado, grilled onions and peppers, and corn topped with green sauce and crumbled cheese
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Review: Morning Fuel – West Lawn

Building with copula and words over the door reading "Morning Fuel"

There are a lot of brunch spots in Berks County – places that serve breakfast and lunch only with the full menu available all day. And I’ve enjoyed trying many of them while exploring Berks County. 

One that has caught my eye – and my tastebuds – recently is Morning Fuel in West Lawn. 

bar seats on the left with a chalkboard sign that reads "Happy New Year 2026"

Morning Fuel occupies the former Friendly’s along Penn Avenue in 2024. The parking lot always looks bustling during breakfast and lunch, the two meals that Morning Fuel offers. And on our visits, we can confirm that the dining room fills up fast. (The restaurant has been popular enough that they opened a second location near Harrisburg in late 2025). 

booth at a restaurant with a wooden honeycomb on the right separating it from the booths on the other side

It still has the diner vibe to it – especially with booths accounting for most of the seating – but it feels much more refined with a full bar at the front entrance, large murals on the white walls, and a menu that is more curated than Friendly’s ever had. 

close-up of a grilled chicken sandwich topped with lettuce and tomato with a side of fries topped with garlic and parmesan

Our most recent visit came in January with Julie and I getting together for a weekday brunch date. I ordered the chipotle grilled chicken sandwich, grilled chicken with tomato, lettuce, avocado and chipotle mayo. To be honest, I was a little disappointed to see that the grilled chicken wasn’t a chicken breast but the sliced chicken you can get in a bag at the grocery store (except cut thicker). That said, everything else about the sandwich was very good – even the chicken had a good flavor. I also liked the little kick out of the chipotle mayo, and the avocado went well with it. 

The fries were great. They were loaded with garlic and Parmesan, my favorite fry toppings. There was no way I was going to leave any of them. 

bowl with pulled pork, avocado, grilled onions and peppers, and corn topped with green sauce and crumbled cheese

Julie’s meal was much more impressive. She ordered the Tex Mex bowl with carnitas – it started with a bowl of purple rice that was topped with black beans, corn, onions, and peppers. That was topped with the carnitas along with avocado-cilantro sauce, sliced avocado, and queso fresco. 

I really liked the bite I got to try. The carnitas were tender and flavorful, and I liked the brightness of the sauce. Grilled onions and peppers are always good in my book, and the purple rice was a nice touch. 

There was way too much to finish in a single meal so Julie brought half of it home, and we shared the rest in a breakfast bowl with some egg the next morning. 

white plate with chorizo, potatoes, and avocado topped with scrambled egg and a chipotle drizzle

My previous visit to Morning Fuel was for breakfast in late December. I met my friend Justice for breakfast where I got my favorite menu item: the breakfast chorizo bowl. It included chorizo sausage, potatoes, black beans, eggs (I ordered them scrambled), pico, cheese, avocado, and chipotle crema. 

For me, chorizo is the best meat for a breakfast bowl or burrito. It has the right level of heat to add flavor to complement the eggs. Add on the chipotle crema and it’s a breakfast with a bite to it, but I loved it. 

two plates, one with a breakfast burrito and a side salad, one with homefries, from Morning Fuel in West Lawn, PA

Justice ordered a breakfast burrito which came filled with many of the same items as my bowl – the only difference is no pico de gallo and it comes wrapped in a tortilla instead of a bowl. 

I had ordered the burrito on my first visit to Morning Fuel, and while it was good, I found it didn’t have the level of flavor as the bowl, probably because the tortilla tones it down a little. 

matcha latte with floral milk design from Morning Fuel in West Lawn, PA

My go-to drink order at Morning Fuel is their matcha latte. Normally, I’m a chai guy, but I tried the matcha at Morning Fuel and really enjoyed it. It’s sweet, but not like drinking a dessert, and the latte art is a nice touch. 

The vast majority of the menu items at Morning Fuel are priced at $15 or less with only a couple burgers, two steak-based dishes priced higher. For our lunch, Julie and I spent $38, which included a matcha with our lunch platters. Breakfast items run a little less, but still in the $10-$15 range.

menu for Morning Fuel in West Lawn

I’ve also never had bad service at the restaurant, which is impressive based on how busy it gets. For our brunch, Julie and I arrived just after 11 a.m. and were seated right away. But by the time we left, there was not a seat to be had. 

Morning Fuel is a solid stop with a lot of good dishes and a few great ones with solid service and a cozy atmosphere. It’s easy to see why it’s so popular. 

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

Morning Fuel
3024A Penn Avenue
West Lawn, PA 19609

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plate of French toast with two cups of syrup and orange wedges next to a plate of homefries and a to-go cup of coffee. Behind it all is part of a computer screen
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Review: Cloud 9 Cafe

wood tables with black chairs in the middle of a dining room with a large window and doors in the background and black booth seating to the right

A restaurant doesn’t need to be flashy to be good. I ask three basic questions when I visit a restaurant for the first time: is the food good, is the service solid, and is it a location where I would eat again. 

One spot that checks all the boxes is Cloud 9 Cafe in Wyomissing. 

Located in the Village Square shopping center, along with Isaac’s, Duck Donuts, and Sublime Cupcakes, Cloud 9 is one of those places that may not elicit a “wow” in any particular area, but it doesn’t disappoint either. 

high-top tables along a white wall with octagonal tile floors

The cafe has a pretty simple setup, it’s a counter-order spot with a handful of grab-and-go items to complement the main menu. Like many cafes, it’s only open for breakfast and lunch (open Monday through Saturday). 

There are some booths, but it’s mostly table seats, a combination of low-tops and high-tops throughout the dining room. The red-brown tile floor gives it a bit of a 90s vibe.

round plate with a chicken sandwich and french fries

I’ve stopped in for both breakfast and lunch with my most recent lunch visit coming for a solo working lunch where I ordered the figgy chicken sandwich. The menu touted it as a “new” item, and the combination of toppings: bacon, goat cheese, American cheese and fig spread. 

I’m not a fan of American cheese, but I can tolerate it when it’s combined with other flavors. In this case, the fig spread and goat cheese really shone through as the stars of the dish. I loved the sweet figs and how well they went with the savory chicken and bacon. I really enjoyed it and would order it again. 

On the side, I opted for fries. They were a slight upgrade, and honestly, I think next time I would just stick with chips because the fries are good, but nothing remarkable. 

plate of French toast with two cups of syrup and orange wedges next to a plate of homefries and a to-go cup of coffee. Behind it all is part of a computer screen

While lunch at Cloud 9 is good, breakfast is better. It’s a simple menu of the usuals – breakfast sandwiches and burritos, pancakes, omelettes, and French toast. 

The French toast was my choice on my last breakfast visit. The short stack comes with two slices, halved, dusted with powdered sugar. On the side are two syrup packets and a couple pads of butter. There were also the two orange wedges which give me flashbacks to my childhood brunches at Heidelberg Family Restaurant three decades ago. 

close-up view of fried homefries with a to-go coffee cup in the background

There really is nothing fancy about it, but the French toast is good nonetheless. The homefries are one of my favorites, though. The potatoes are cubed and fried to a golden crisp. Despite feeling full with half a plate left, I still finished them off. They are that good. 

One thing that I will never pass on at breakfast is a chai latte. Cloud 9 does not have an “authentic” chai, it’s more on the sweet side but still enjoyable. 

The prices are pretty typical for a cafe with breakfast items available for less than $10 and lunches ranging from $10-15 (with upgrades available, of course). 

I’ll just add that I have always found their service to be very friendly and quick, which is definitely one of the things that keeps me coming back even when the food doesn’t quite match some of the other coffee shops in the area. 

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

Cloud 9 Cafe
84 Commerce Drive
Wyomissing, PA 19610

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