Don’t get me wrong, there are some great restaurants in Berks County that have adventurous, creative menus. But for a quick lunch or a simple dinner with the family, less is more.
The restaurant has been a staple on Lancaster Avenue for more than 45 years. While the sign out front is retro cool, the inside feels clean and modern with wood floors, black tables and chairs, counter seating and a stainless steel order counter.
Above the order counter, the menu is scrawled out in colored marker on a black dry-erase board. It’s simple at its core: burgers and hot dogs (with hamburger BBQ and a pork roll sandwich thrown in) with fries, coleslaw and soup on the side.
Simple doesn’t mean boring, though. There are more than 20 specialty dogs and burgers to choose from, everything from California cheeseburgers and Chicago dogs to local twists like the Berks County dog with American cheese, scrapple and bacon or the Pagoda dog topped with hamburger BBQ.
I was flying solo on my visit and wanted to taste as much as I could so I ordered a Coney burger, a bacon BBQ dog and a small order of fries.
My food was out quickly – the burgers and dogs were ready and just needed assembling. I started in on the burger first, a traditional Coney burger with chili and cooked onions. The no-bean chili sauce was mild with a subtle flavor compared to the onions. The burger, itself, was a pretty standard fast-food patty so the chili did add a little extra savory flavor to it. The bun was a bit soggy by the end, but I had the fries to scoop up any sauce that fell out.
The fries were very good, fresh-cut and piping hot. The closest comparison I have to them are the fries from the Oley Fair. I gave them a little spritz of vinegar from the squeeze bottle on one of the tables and enjoyed every bite.
The hot dog was solid, too. It came topped with cheddar cheese, BBQ sauce and a strip of bacon. The Dog House uses Berks hot dogs, which I love. And BBQ bacon is usually my go-to burger order so I knew I would enjoy the flavor combination of the toppings.
With a bottle of iced tea to go with it, my total was just $17. It was more than enough food (though I forced it all, anyway), and I would have been fine with either a burger or a hot dog so I count this among the best bargains out there.
There’s nothing fancy about The Dog House. It’s good food and fast service – simplicity at its best.
BCE Rating Food: Good Ambiance: Good Service: Very Good Price: $
The Dog House 1216 Lancaster Avenue Reading, PA 19607
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: $$
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
With some restaurants, it truly is love at first bite.
The last time I experienced that was with Zaytoon Kabob & Grill. Opened in the spring of 2025, I first visited in August of the same year. (See below for my original review). The lamb over rice platter immediately earned it a spot on my list of favorite restaurants in Berks County.
A year after they opened, Zaytoon has added to their menu, and I was invited to come try two new additions: lamb kabob and lentil soup.
I stopped in on a Thursday afternoon in early May. Despite being in between the lunch and dinner rushes, there was a steady stream of customers coming through the storefront in the Shoppes at Wyomissing. I saw parents with their college students in tow – recently released from their semester at nearby Penn State Berks – along with dine-in and takeout orders as I sat in a booth along the wall.
While I waited for the lamb kabob to be prepared, I had the chance to talk to Bashier, Zaytoon’s owner. Bashier is a Berks County local who saw a lack of halal options in our area, opening the restaurant to fill that gap now that his children are grown.
Meanwhile, Zaytoon’s business is growing – steadily, he says – mostly by word-of-mouth, including unannounced visits and reviews. (See my original post below).
After a few minutes, my lamb kabob platter arrived. Five chunks of lamb meat were laid across a bed of rice with a small side salad and two slices of thin bread.
The meat was tender and soft – not chewy – with just a bit of char on the edges. A few red pepper flakes from the marinade hung around, as did the mildly spicy aftertaste. A little bit of creamy white sauce was the perfect complement, toning it down without taking away from it.
Like the original lamb and rice platter, this comes served with a small salad. (The olives were a new addition). Instead of triangles of pita, it came with two large flat pieces of bread with strong herbal notes.
Honestly, it was too much food for my late lunch. Priced at just over $20, it’s still a good value, especially for dinner.
In addition to the lamb, I had the opportunity to try the new lentil soup. While the lamb was very good, the soup was amazing. It was thick with both bright and earthy tones. I brought home half of it for Julie to try and she had the same “wow” reaction I did. This will definitely be part of my orders moving forward.
Zaytoon was already a favorite of mine, but these offerings are great additions to an already excellent establishment. If you haven’t tried them yet, I highly recommend it.
BCE Rating Food: Very Good Ambiance: Very Good Service: Excellent Price: $$
Zaytoon Kabob & Grill 760 Woodland Road Wyomissing, PA 19610
Having been blogging now for more than a decade, I can say with certainty that Berks County has grown tremendously in the diversity of its food offerings. It’s almost night and day to compare today to when I started in 2014.
Not every new addition has been a hit, and restaurants continue to come and go. But one restaurant we hope sticks around is Zaytoon Kebab and Grill.
Zaytoon opened in spring 2025 in the former Zoup!, in the strip mall known as the Shoppes at Wyomissing. It’s a halal grill, one of the few halal spots in the area (Aladdin in West Reading and Sajal in Kutztown being two other notable ones).
The restaurant is cozy with green-tinted booth seats lining one of the walls – half of them built for four, and the other half built for two – with tables dotting the open space surrounding the order counter. A soccer match can usually be found on the lone TV in the corner.
Zaytoon’s menu is highly focused and rooted in Middle Eastern cooking. That means beef, chicken, lamb and falafel as the stars of the dishes. On my first visit, shortly after they opened in the spring, I decided to try their lamb platter.
It came served in a compartmentalized takeout container with the lamb meat over a bed of rice, topped with white sauce. A small salad and two pieces of pita filled the other two spaces.
The lamb was absolutely one of the best things that I have had. It was so tender and juicy, almost melt-in-your-mouth. And the white sauce was perfect. It’s tzatziki-like in consistency, but I feel it has a more subtle flavor than most similar sauces. It really was there to enhance rather than overpower.
About a week after my own visit, Julie stopped in with one of her coworkers. She ordered the exact same meal as I did. She also gave it a rave review.
It was so good that on my second visit, I once again got lamb. But this time, I got it in a gyro.
The gyro was over-stuffed with meat and veggies (tomato, cucumber, shredded lettuce, and onion). Like the platter, everything was smothered in that white sauce.
And again, the flavors were excellent. Even the few bites where I didn’t have the sauce – just meat and pita – were very good and highlighted just how flavorful the lamb is.
My only regret with the trip was that I had ordered a side of fries that I quickly realized I didn’t need. The fries were fine, nothing special, but I didn’t need them anyway because the gyro was so filling on its own.
Back on my first visit, I also tried their pink chai. As a lover of chai, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try this unique variation.
It was strong, definitely real tea and not made from a powder or syrup that some coffee shops use. It had spice to it, not as easy to sip as the more Americanized lattes that are more sugar than spice, but I enjoyed it and would get it again if I needed a pick-me-up with my lunch or dinner.
In addition to serving delicious food, Zaytoon has good prices. Meals are priced under $15, and with it being a quick counter-service spot, it’s a great place for a quick lunch or a no-fuss dinner.
The lamb will definitely keep me coming back. Maybe I’ll eventually try something else on the menu. But even if I just get the same thing every time, I’m glad to have it here in Berks.
BCE Rating Food: Very Good Service: Very Good Ambiance: Very Good Price: $$
Zaytoon Kabob & Grill 760 Woodland Road Wyomissing, PA 19610
As much as I try to get to all parts of the county, it’s easier said than done. Places with more restaurants – like Reading, West Reading, Boyertown and Kutztown – get more reviews than the rest of Berks.
For whatever reason, the southern end of the county is the one that seems to be the hardest for me to get to. But there are great restaurants to be found in and around Morgantown – restaurants like Nuse’s Deli.
Nuse’s Deli has been serving Morgantown since 1986. New owners arrived in 2019, and they have grown and expanded in the years since. This included adding new menu items like specialty burgers and fries, ice cream and milkshakes, and a variety of sandwich options.
In 2025, the business grew its footprint, moving to a larger space next door in the former Clair’s Family Restaurant.
I made my first visit in early April 2026, arriving a little past 12 noon. There were a couple parking spaces available in front of the restaurant along Main Street (Route 23), but I guess everyone was parked around back because the tables were packed.
The restaurant is split into two sides. The first has a handful of booths around the perimeter with the order counter and deli case at the far end. On the other side of the separating wall is another dining area with larger tables and more booth seats, along with Nuse’s ice cream counter.
I ordered a burger and fries, fully expecting to grab some ice cream before I left. But when the burger arrived at my table, I realized that was not going to happen.
Somehow I missed that these were half-pound burgers. And with my Texas BBQ burger, I also got two onion rings, cheddar cheese, lettuce and BBQ sauce on top.
I’ve had similar style burgers in other places, but this one stood out to me. And it wasn’t just the size. The sauce was just the right amount of sweet, and the onion rings were the right size for burger-toppers. There was a little too much bun, but everything else about the burger was as good as I could have hoped.
The fries arrived five minutes later, and I was already deep into my burger. There was certainly no skimping on portions as the boat was filled with thick-cut fries. Maybe it was the fact that they were hot and fresh out of the fryer, but I absolutely loved the fries. They were golden and crispy, and they were perfect with a little dash of salt.
My only regret is that with so much food already, there was no way I could handle a milkshake on this visit.
That will have to wait until next time. And I’m sure my next trip to Morgantown will be sooner than later.
BCE Rating Food: Very Good Ambiance: Good Service: Very Good Price: $$
You would think after living in Wyomissing for 15 years that Julie and I would have tried everything our hometown has to offer. But there are a few spots that, for whatever reason, we haven’t visited.
The restaurant opened a decade ago, taking over the space at 1147 Penn Avenue. Before that, the location was home to Fausto’s, one of our favorite sandwich shops at the time.
Carlo’s has one of the more awkward storefronts in the region. There is off-street parking in front of the building, but it’s extremely limited – four spaces, at best, on the driveway that goes in front of the restaurant and the adjacent hair salon. And you have to park nose-to-tail so there’s a chance you’ll have to back out onto Penn Avenue if you’re the tail-end car.
But we were fortunate to pull to the front when we picked up our takeout order. There was one table where a person sat enjoying their dinner while the remaining tables were open.
The dining room is small – takeout and delivery obviously being the main business for the small pizza and sub shop.
Everything was ready to go when we got there so we were in and out in no time, pulling out of the driveway as someone else pulled in to take our space at the front.
For my meal, I ordered a meatball Parmesan sandwich. The meatballs were on the smaller side so they fit well into the hard roll. The sauce was a little on the sweet side, otherwise it was good but nothing remarkable.
I had a handful of fries with mine as we split an order among the four of us. The fries were skin-on, fresh-cut style when I was expecting more of a fast food fry. I thought they were very good and with the size of the sandwich, I didn’t need many of them to fill me up.
Julie decided for something simple – a hoagie wrap – which came with a side of chips. (Fries were available for a $1 upcharge). She enjoyed it, getting the essence of the Italian sandwich with the lighter wrap instead of a roll. And she set her chips aside for later so she could enjoy some fries with us.
Originally, I was going to order slices for the boys, but it was more cost-effective to buy a medium pizza and keep the leftovers.
We got it with half cheese (for Lukas) and half pepperoni (for Jakob). The pizza was good, though there wasn’t anything special about it. The crust wasn’t too thick or thin, and neither the sauce nor cheese really stood out. But the boys were happy, and that was the most important thing.
We spent about $45 for our meal – about $10 each for Julie’s wrap and my sandwich, just under $15 for the pizza, and then $5 for the fries. (Plus tax). Slices would have been close to $4 each so a six-slice medium pizza was the right call.
And while Mama’s will probably remain our go-to, I would order from Carlo’s again, whether for pizza or sandwiches. It may not have been fancy, but it was solid and exactly what we were looking for.
BCE Rating Food: Good Ambiance: Fair Service: Very Good Price: $
Carlo’s Italian Restaurant 1147 Penn Avenue Wyomissing, PA 19610
Over the years, the Shillington Farmers Market has been home to some of our favorite spots. Brocmar Smokehouse and Matt’s Chicken were favorites before they closed while Eve’s Thai Kitchen remains one of our go-tos.
And now, I can add That Burger Place to the list of great offerings at the market.
That Burger Place opened in late 2023 as Shillington Burgers and More in the former Matt’s Chicken stand. It became That Burger Place in early 2024, and last year, the business moved to a larger stand at the north end of the market.
I visited for the first time in early January. The stand was hopping at lunchtime with a line of people waiting for their food and another two people in line in front of me waiting to order.
The menu is written out on blackboards on the front of the stand. It starts with cheeseburger combos – quarter-pound burgers with fries and a drink for $8. Other options include grilled chicken, pulled pork and chopped cheese.
Normally, I would have started with the basics but not knowing when I’d make it back, I couldn’t pass on the January burger of the month: the French dip burger.
Roast beef and Cooper sharp cheese topped the burger which came with a side cup of au jus for dipping. After about a 15-minute wait (all burgers are made to order), I got my food and headed to the upstairs seating area.
To say I was impressed would be an understatement. The burger, itself, was delicious: perfectly cooked and flavorful on its own. The roast beef on top was also flavorful and the Cooper sharp was a great choice for the cheese – melty, but not overpowering in flavor. That Burger Place couldn’t have made a better first impression.
The fries were also good. Though they weren’t anything particularly special, they were hot, golden yellow, and perfectly satisfying while allowing the burger to be the rightful star.
I enjoyed the meal so much that I had to go back for another taste. This time, it was a simpler burger.
The standard toppings are cheese, mustard, ketchup and pickles. I prefer the classic lettuce, tomato and onion so I passed on those toppings and spent the extra dollar for the veggies while also adding some BBQ sauce. It was about a 10-minute wait while they made everything fresh, then I made the short drive home rather than eating at the market.
Everything traveled very well. The burger was excellent again with the patty showing a nice caramelization as it hung out the sides of the bun. It was good from the first bite to the last. The fries also held up well on the trip home and remained crispy.
The prices are excellent, too. The French dip special was $13 for the combo while my custom burger combo was still less than $10. Two meals for less than $25 is a great bargain, but the best part is that That Burger Place doesn’t sacrifice quality for those prices. These are some of the best burgers in Berks at half the price of a sit-down restaurant.
I know I’ll be paying more attention to their monthly burger specials, looking for an excuse to return. Not that I need one, the burgers at That Burger Place are just that good.
BCE Rating Food: Very Good Service: Excellent Ambiance: Good Price: $
That Burger Place Shillington Farmers Market 10 S. Summit Avenue Shillington, PA 19607
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.
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.
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.
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
Earlier this year, I visited Esterly’s Sandwich Shop in Bowers. My post about the little hole-in-the-wall sandwich joint received more engagement than any other Facebook post I had done in more than 10 years of Berks County Eats.
While almost all of the posts were locals attesting to their love of Esterly’s, there were a few who suggested that maybe Esterly’s wasn’t the best in the area.
Mark’s has never really been on my radar. Even back when I was in college, I was loyal to Spuds. But with so many recommendations, I decided to check it out.
The shop is one of the many eateries along Kutztown’s Main Street. On the outside, it’s an unassuming, rather dull looking building – pale yellow with dark red trim.
Inside, I was surprised to find a little bit of a diner vibe with counter stainless steel counter seats to go along with a much larger dine-in section than I expected from the outside. It does have the same colors as the outside so I wouldn’t say it’s the most appealing dining area in the county.
I had ordered my food ahead of time and it was ready for pickup right on time.
Of course, for comparison’s sake I had to order the same steak sandwich that I ordered at Esterly’s – that meant a steak sandwich with sauce and onions.
I have to say that I liked it, but it wasn’t my favorite. Specifically, the sauce was a little too tangy for my taste. But the steak meat was good and done well. I would just prefer to go a little lighter on the sauce next time.
(Even the admin for Mark’s Facebook account agreed, saying they order it with light sauce).
The best part about Mark’s, though, is the fact that they have Dutch fries as a side option. There’s only a couple places that serve Dutch fries outside of the Kutztown Fair, and Mark’s is one of them.
While Dutch fries look like potato chips, they are fried, not boiled, and they are served hot. Some of the fries get crispy, others stick together and come out softer. Both are absolutely delicious.
Again taking my queue from Facebook comments, I headed back to Mark’s, this time for a chicken parm sandwich. I have to say, it fell a little flat for me. It wasn’t anything special, and I didn’t think the roll held up very well. But at least I had a nice big bag of Dutch fries with it.
My total was about $15 each time, just a couple dollars more than Esterly’s. I would still say Mark’s is very reasonably priced, though. It’s kind of the perfect price point for a grab-and-go meal in a college town.
And the food is good enough with excellent service that I’m not surprised they have the following that they do.
BCE Rating Food: Good Service: Very Good Ambiance: Fair Price: $
Mark’s Sandwich Shop 123 West Main Street Kutztown, PA 19530
