green plate with two big pancakes drizzled in lemon cream cheese with whipped cream on top
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Review: Quality Shoppe

exterior of the Quality Shoppe in Kutztown

Quality is a word you’ll see in the marketing materials of many restaurants, but in Kutztown, one restaurant puts it in their name. 

The Quality Shoppe is located off Main Street in the Dollar Tree strip mall on Constitution Boulevard. It takes up the corner space in the strip, the words Quality Shoppe over the door are the only hint that there’s a restaurant inside.

Quality Shoppe’s dining area is bigger than it looks like from the outside, partially because the grill is located at the counter service area at the front of the shop. The back half of the space opens into a dining room with booths lining the walls on both sides and tables spread out in between. 

long wooden table with eight wooden chairs in the dinring room of the Quality Shoppe in Kutztown

My first visit was for breakfast. We were seated at a booth not far from the counter seating at the front of the restaurant. The service was quick – it has to be because the food is coming in and out of the kitchen in a hurry. 

The breakfast menu is fairly extensive but rooted in traditional diner favorites like pancakes, eggs, and French toast. But within each there is plenty of variety plus daily specials. 

green plate with two big pancakes drizzled in lemon cream cheese with whipped cream on top

One of the daily specials on my visit was lemon cheesecake pancakes – a dish that sounded so sweet that I couldn’t resist. 

Two heaping pancakes arrived topped with creamy cheesecake frosting, lemon sauce and a large helping of whipped cream on top. I immediately regretted ordering a side of potatoes, but I did not regret getting this sweet treat. 

The lemon sauce had the sour notes you expect, but mixed with the incredibly sweet cheesecake and whipped cream, it wasn’t overpowering. In fact, they balanced out very well. Quality Shoppe does these special cheesecake pancakes and French toast often and I would definitely try another flavor in the future. 

white plate with home fried potatoes and strips of bacon

I mentioned the side of homefries. While I should not have had them, I was almost glad to have something non-sweet just to break up the sweetness bite after bite. They were good, too. They had a nice crispy edge to them. Nothing fancy, just a diner staple done really well. The same could be said about the crispy bacon strips. These came with the pancakes – though they were also completely unnecessary with how large the stack was. 

I finished most of my meal, which totalled around $18 with a drink. 

The next time I stopped in at the Quality Shoppe, in early May, it was lunchtime. Like breakfast, the lunch menu is mostly no-frills diner food with a few daily and weekly specials. There are sandwiches, wraps, burgers, and entrees. 

round blue plate with a burger top bun off topped with cheddar and BBQ sauce and a side of fries

I decided on a burger for my meal – the Texas BBQ burger to be specific. It came topped with fried onions, cheddar cheese and barbecue sauce. 

It’s not the fanciest burger you’ll find in Berks County, but it was good. The BBQ sauce was simple but did the job to give that little bit of smokey sweetness. 

All of the burgers come in either four-ounce patties on a regular roll (like mine) or an eight-ounce on a Kaiser roll. The four-ounce burgers also come with a side of fries, which I really liked. They’re fresh-cut and sliced thin. And there was no skimping on the portions. 

The burger meal was actually a really good deal: it was less than $10 (my drink put it over that mark) and like all good diners, it came out quickly, which is exactly what I’m looking for at lunch time. 

I would say that breakfast was my favorite of the two, but for a reasonably priced meal, good service, and quality food, the Quality Shoppe is a great option. 

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

Quality Shoppe
45 Constitution Blvd
Kutztown, PA 19530

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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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plate with four half-slices of French toast and another plate in the background with homefries
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Review: Queens’ Cafe

outside of a building with a red flag reading "Cafe"

There is nothing like the atmosphere at a popular coffee shop. It’s hard to put your finger on what makes it work, but you know it when you feel it. 

And you can feel it when you step inside Queens’ Cafe in Wyomissing. 

Queens’ Cafe has a unique location inside the Riverfront Federal Credit Union building along Keiser Boulevard in Wyomissing. It was the former home of one of my favorite restaurants, Squawk Cafe. 

corner of a dining area with two windows an orange mural wall with neon lights reading "Queens Cafe"

Despite occupying the same space, the two cafes couldn’t be more different. While I always enjoyed Squawk for the food, Queens’ Cafe feels more vibrant. The dining area is filled with bright colors – from the selfie wall in the corner to the artwork on the walls to the chalkboard highlighting the specials. 

When Julie and I visited on a January afternoon, we found nearly every table full, which only enhanced the vibe. We ordered our meals at the counter and found an empty table – there weren’t many, and there were even less by the time we left. 

order counter with video menu boards in the background

And while Squawk focused on elevated dishes, Queens’ Cafe offers a simpler menu with classics like omelettes and pancakes at breakfast and cheesesteaks and BLTs at lunch. 

The cafe serves breakfast all day so I ordered a couple of those breakfast staples: French toast with a side of homefries. 

plate with four half-slices of French toast and another plate in the background with homefries

The portions aren’t huge, but they’re not small either. My French toast came in four triangles topped with powdered sugar with a cup of syrup on the side. It wasn’t fancy or inventive, just really good French toast. 

I could say the same for the home fries. I opted to add grilled peppers and onions to it, and there was something about it that just tasted like homemade in the best way. 

pink plate with scalloped edge holding a grilled cheese sandwich and a cup of vegetable soup

While there are certainly familiar items on the menu, that’s not to say that everything is “boring.” Julie found an exciting offering on the specials menu: the apple and brie grilled cheese. 

The sandwich was on the smaller side, but packed with flavor. The sweetness of the apple played well with the creamy cheese, and the multigrain bread was the perfect counterbalance to both. It was enjoyable from the first bite to the last. 

It came served with a cup of soup, and Julie opted for the vegetable. It was a little brothy, but filled with hearty vegetables like cauliflower, carrots, celery and more. Enjoyable, but not the star like the sandwich was. 

green and white matcha latte in a Mason jar next to a jar of iced tea

Julie also got one of the cafe’s drink specials: an iced cinnamon roll matcha tea. The matcha tea was lightly sweetened with the maple syrup and topped with cold foam and cinnamon for a not-too-sweet pick-me-up. 

In all, our meal cost around $35 which felt reasonable. You could certainly spend less (the tea added to the cost) and still leave full at breakfast or lunch. 

I still miss Squawk sometimes, but at least I know there’s a cool new spot in its place. And I have a feeling I’ll be enjoying more meals at Queens’ Cafe in the near future. 

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

Queens’ Cafe
2609 Keiser Blvd
Wyomissing, PA 19610

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plate of French toast topped with cinnamon swirl with a smaller plate of red skin potato homefries
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Review: Annamarie’s on Main

strip mall storefront with a sign that reads "Annamarie's" with tables and chairs out front

When I was working in King of Prussia, I had heard a lot about Annamarie’s Place in Royersford. By that point, the restaurant was 20 years old, cash-only, and had long since been known for its incredible breakfasts. Unfortunately I never had the opportunity to make it to Royersford for a taste.

Thankfully, Berks County has its own Annamarie’s now. Annamarie’s on Main opened in Birdsboro in early 2023, taking over the location that most recently housed Susie Q’s Breakfast & Lunch Cafe. Other restaurants that have come and gone from the space include Dino’s Wings & Things and the Maple Springs Café.

dining room full of tables for four with a large mural of a tree on the far wall

Julie and I visited the café for breakfast in May, making the short drive to Birdsboro after dropping Jakob off at daycare. We were the first customers to arrive and were seated toward the rear of the dining room.

I’m not sure how much work was done by Annamarie’s or how much was done previously, but the dining room was extremely inviting with wooden tables and chairs and brick accents on the interior walls. An oversized black and white photo of a tree loomed large on the opposite wall.

The breakfast menu for Annamarie's on Main

Our server was providing training to a new staff member so we had double the attention during our meal. They were at the table quickly, but with a large menu, we had to tell them to come back for our food order.

There are a seemingly endless number of omelets, French toast, pancakes, waffles and breakfast sandwiches to choose from, along with a laundry list of sides. Ultimately, I decided on the cinnamon swirl pecan stuffed French toast with a side of homefries.

plate of French toast topped with cinnamon swirl with a smaller plate of red skin potato homefries

The French toast came out stacked with one atop the other, but slightly askew (there was an option to get three slices, but I stuck with two).  Where the two came together was a swirl of cinnamon-sugar sticky bun filling that was drizzled on top with pecans and powdered sugar.

One look at it and I knew there was no need for the bottle of syrup that was on the table. It was sweet enough without it, though not overly sweet. The cinnamon-sugar filling had a deeper flavor than I was expecting, but one that I enjoyed, especially when mixed with the nuts.

Did I need the homefries? No. But I couldn’t resist giving them a try and was glad that I did. The homefries were made with red skin potatoes which, in my mind, make any potato dish better. They were cooked to the perfect soft inside with just a little texture on the outside. Next time, I would look for a smaller main dish and definitely order the potatoes again.

blueberry pancakes with poppyseeds from Annamarie's on Main

Because I went French toast, Julie ordered pancakes – lemon ricotta blueberry poppy pancakes. For me, these were the best that we got between us. I especially love the pairing of the tart lemon with the slightly sweet ricotta. Adding the fresh blueberries on top made it even better. Julie gave me a taste, and I stole a few more bites at the end, too, because it was so good.

Overall, Annamarie’s provides a good value. Both my French toast and her pancakes were more specialty items, but even with the homefries we spent less than $25 between us. And you could easily spend less. A plain pancake (which the menu warns is the size of three pancakes in other places) is less than $6 for a single. The highest priced item on the breakfast menu is a Cajun shrimp benedict that comes in at $16.99.

I may not have made it to the original Annamarie’s yet, but I’ve now been to Annamarie’s on Main. And I can say that for me, it lived up to my expectations.

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

Annamarie’s on Main
339 W Main St
Birdsboro, PA 19508

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cinnamon french toast with icing with a side of corned beef hash in the background
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Review: Crossroads Family Restaurant

sign along Route 61 near Reading, PA that reads "Crossroads Family Restaurant"

At the intersection of Routes 222 and 61 is one of Berks County’s busiest diners.

The stainless steel exterior of Crossroads Family Restaurant can’t be seen from 222, but driving north or south along Route 61, you can’t miss the shining building with the packed parking lot.

entrance way to Crossroads Family Restaurant near Reading, PA

We visited on a recent Saturday morning and found the parking lot almost at capacity. Lucky for us there were a few select spaces left in the last row of the lot.

Crossroads is the quintessential diner. Rows of booths and tables span the large dining area. Two private rooms – one on either side of the building – are separated by glass windows. We watched as one of the rooms emptied out, and the windows were slid along a track in the ceiling to open up the space for more seating.

bakery counter at Crossroads Family Restaurant near Reading, PA

Despite its size, Crossroads had no problem filling the tables on this Saturday morning. We had a five minute wait when we arrived at 8:30, but as many people as were beginning to wait, just as many people were filing out to pay at the register, which was flanked on either side by cases full of tempting cakes, pies and baked goods. Behind the register, I was surprised to see a fully stocked bar.

After our brief wait, we were led into the main dining room where Julie and I sat at a booth with Jakob next to us, car seat atop a high chair. As usual, Jakob was the center of attention, with waitresses and other staff stopping by to take a peek at the four-month-old with us.

pile of creamer cups and a pourer of breakfast syrup

We perused the robust breakfast menu: skillets, French toast, pancakes, waffles, eggs and an array of sides. I joked about going big with my side and ordering the 14-ounce ham steak (no joke, this is a real side dish. As is the eight-ounce black diamond steak).

I still went big, opting for the L.A. cinnamon roll French toast with a side of corned beef hash.

plate of cinnamon French toast topped with icing and powdered sugar

You may remember my cinnamon roll French toast from Jukebox Cafe in Boyertown where I enjoyed an actual cinnamon roll that was made a la French toast. This was different: two thick slices of cinnamon swirl bread with a vanilla glaze.

The glaze was light – not a thick icing but a subtle glaze that provided enough sweetness that butter or syrup would have been overkill. The cinnamon toast itself was very good with big cinnamon swirls.

The L.A. cinnamon roll French toast is not one of the breakfast items that is available all day, which is a shame because it would make a great dessert.

On the side, my corned beef hash was more than I needed. The hash was tightly formed and cut in half. It was good if a little on the salty side (though in fairness, I think I’m much more sensitive to salt than most). I would have been satisfied with half the order, but I finished it anyway.

plate of eggs, homefries, wheat toast and bacon

Julie went with a more traditional breakfast of eggs, potatoes, toast and bacon. While she enjoys all of the above, she ordered it specifically for the homefries, which she requested deep-fried.

After visiting Crossroads several times with some of the ladies from our church, Julie had learned of the deep-fried homefries and couldn’t wait to order them. The deep-fried potatoes were crispier and more flavorful than if they had been pan-fried.

The combo meal was only $5.95 so Julie didn’t feel so guilty about leaving a couple slices of toast.

Both of us ate enough at breakfast to skip lunch so I would say the $20 we paid (I had a $2 orange juice on the bill as well) was more than fair.

It was my first visit to the restaurant, and I left impressed and full. There’s no doubt that Berks County has no shortage of places to grab a good breakfast, and Crossroads is definitely among them.

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

Crossroad Family Restaurant
4643 Pottsville Pk
Reading, PA 19605

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Hawaiian bread French toast with breakfast potatoes
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Review: Brooks Cafe

strip mall storefront with a sign that reads "Brooks Cafe Breakfast and Lunch" in Douglassville, PA

It’s not often that Julie and I get to go out for breakfast.

During the week, my commute to King of Prussia is a major hindrance to enjoying a morning meal together so we end up going out for dinner much more often.

So we usually reserve breakfast trips for weekends and holidays. And on Labor Day, with Julie and I hosting dinner, we decided to treat ourselves to breakfast.

We needed a restaurant that was open, and one that we hadn’t yet checked off our list. The name at the top was Brooks Cafe.

black dry erase board with mult-colored specials

Brooks Cafe is tucked in a strip mall along westbound 422 in Douglassville. The location was formerly home to Don Julio Mexican Restaurant (whose logo still appears on the marquee along with Brooks’).

The breakfast-and-lunch joint took over the space in 2016 and has made it their own. Posters and portraits of Audrey Hepburn in her famous Breakfast at Tiffany’s style cover the walls around the dining area.

dining area with paisley patterned booths on the sides and wooden tables in the middle

The dining room itself is much larger than expected. There is seating for at least 80 – fourteen tables, five booths and one combination of the two fill the room. Audrey watches over them all.

Also larger than expected: the menu. Breakfast is two full pages, with a wide selection of bowls, omelets, eggs, pancakes, waffles and French toast.

When I say a wide selection of French toast, I’m not just talking about toppings. I’m talking about French toasted croissants, banana nut bread, cinnamon buns, and my choice – Hawaiian bread.

Hawaiian bread french toast topped with shredded coconut, pineapple and yogurt

Brooks’ Hawaiian bread French toast featured three slices of Hawaiian bread (duh) topped with stripes of pineapple, toasted coconut and yogurt.

The meal was also served with a cup of pancake syrup that I found entirely unnecessary. Hawaiian bread has a sweeter flavor to begin. The pineapple – and to a lesser extent, the coconut – added to that. And the yogurt gave it the same consistency.

It was a filling and enjoyable start to the day – quite a pick-me-up.

small plate of homefries

Not being able to help myself, I also ordered a side of homefries. Everyone does homefries a little bit differently, and these were the kind that I like best – large slices of potato that are browned on one side and perfectly soft on the other.

While I always go for the French toast, Julie leans toward pancakes. And at Brooks, it was banana nut pancakes.

The pancakes had walnuts cooked into them with slices of banana and a dusting of powdered sugar on top.

Banana nut pancakes and bacon.

I always enjoy walnuts in pancakes – for both the flavor and the crunchy texture that they add. It contrasts nicely with the soft banana slices and melt-in-your-mouth pancakes.

Unlike me, Julie was not shy about adding syrup to her pancakes. Either way, they were also very good.

She also couldn’t resist an order of bacon. Crispy, savory bacon. There’s not much else to say about them.

The only other thing left to say about Brooks Cafe is that it is priced perfectly. We both had excellent breakfasts, left feeling full (too full for a real lunch) and spent less than $20.

Everything combined to make our first visit to Brooks one to remember.

And while Julie and I may not dine out for breakfast as often as we would like, Brooks is on my way to work. So I will definitely stop in again.

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

Brooks Cafe
1139 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy
Douglassville, PA 19518

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Review: Cheers American Bistro

sign at the entry way for Cheers American Bistro shows the retaurants hours

There are many great reasons to visit downtown Reading, but none are as high profile as the 18-month old DoubleTree Hotel.

The DoubleTree is a big deal. The hotel brings meetings, conventions and visitors that would otherwise be staying outside the city. And it also brought a highly regarded restaurant.

I have eaten in a lot of hotel restaurants, very few of them offering anything remarkable, but Cheers American Bistro gets high marks across all of the major review sites (4.5 stars out of 5 on both Yelp and TripAdvisor).

While I have wanted to go in for dinner, my first opportunity to try Cheers was a Sunday brunch with Julie and 10 members of our church congregation.

buffet table with various breakfast items including toast, potatoes and eggs

Because of our large numbers, we were seated in the Boscov Executive Board Room, a private space normally reserved for small meetings.

It was a different experience from the dining room – private and quiet with desk chairs around a boardroom table.

The brunch buffet was on the other side of two small sets of stairs. On my two trips to the buffet, I peeked into the dining room – lots of tables for two, a combination of booths and tables (and some seats that were a mix of both). If not for our large numbers, we wouldn’t have needed reservations as there were plenty of seats available.

plate with a southwest omelet and a dollop of salsa

The buffet was fairly standard. It was dominated by breakfast foods, the lone exception was the tray of meatballs in marinara sauce. After surveying the landscape, I went to the made-to-order omelet station.

Mine was stuffed with onions, red bell peppers, spinach, tomato and cheese. On the side, I had a dollop of fresh made tomatillo salsa (the three salsas were labeled – hot, hot and very hot).

The omelet was very good. The ingredients were fresh and vibrant. But the hot salsa made it memorable. It had heat but also a great flavor that accentuated the vegetables instead of hiding them.

plate with a slice of French toast, a biscuit covered in gravy and a serving of cubed breakfast potatoes

On my second trip, I loaded up on breakfast buffet staples: French toast, home fries and a biscuit with cream chipped beef.

The French toast was just a small piece, but it was rich and tasty, if a little crispy from sitting in the warming dish. The home fries were well-seasoned and enjoyable.

But the most remarkable item on the plate was the cream chipped beef. It was very rich with a buttery note. On the buffet, it seemed runny, but it thickened up nicely atop the biscuit and I found myself really enjoying it. The biscuit, like the French toast, had been on the hot bar for a little while, but it wasn’t bad.

buffet station with various pastries next to a selection of fruits

If I have one regret, it’s that I did not have room to indulge in any of the dessert pastries. The strudel bites, cinnamon rolls, Danishes, muffins and assorted breads all looked delicious.

Overall, everyone was very happy with the experience and food at Cheers. It wasn’t the variety that Wyomissing Restaurant & Bakery offers, but it was enough to please everyone at the table.

And the $14 per person price tag was in line with what I would expect to pay for a good breakfast buffet. (And you don’t have to pay to park because the restaurant will validate the parking for you, as long as you use the DoubleTree’s lot).

The DoubleTree Hotel will continue to bring thousands of people to downtown Reading year after year. Those people will come to stay, to explore and to eat.

And it will bring me back to try dinner.

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

Cheers American Bistro
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel
701 Penn Street
Reading, PA 19601

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Review: Wyomissing Restaurant and Bakery

exterior of Wyomissing Restaurant & Bakery

“Shady Maple north east.”

Those are the words of Hamid Chaudhry as he described his vision for the Wyomissing Family Restaurant to the Reading Eagle in December, shortly after he became the new owner.

Lofty goals, indeed for a restaurant that had fallen on hard times in the years before. On our walks and drives through town, we could see the number of cars in the parking lot slowly start to shrink.

But new ownership has breathed new life into the location, and spawned a new name, the Wyomissing Restaurant and Bakery.

griddle station with chalkboard signs reading "pacncakes and french toast" and "bacon, scrapple, toast"

When Julie and I visited for Sunday brunch a few weeks ago, the parking lot was fuller than we could remember seeing in a long time. Thankfully, despite the crowd, there was no wait for a table for those of us doing the brunch buffet.

We were seated with all of the other buffet-goers in what would be the banquet room. With no large groups closing off the space, it was the closest seating to the all-you-can-eat  smorgasbord.

buffet station with various breakfast and lunch items

Five stations of varying size waited for me and my fellow eaters. On the left sat a small table where I found my orange juice and assorted breads for toasting.

Against the back wall was the griddle, where pancakes, French toast and omelets were made to order. A hot bar in the middle featured breakfast favorites: scrambled eggs, ham, bacon and three kinds of potatoes, as well as a couple lunch options like mac and cheese.

I started among these three stations, choosing cream chipped beef over toast, homefries and French toast for plate number one.

plate with cream chipped beef on toast, French toast triangles and homefries

I was expecting one slice of French toast with my order. I got three, and loved them. The powdered sugar was there for you to sprinkle on yourself so I added just the right amount of sweetness for myself.

The chipped beef was also very good (had I known I was getting three slices of French toast, I probably would have skipped it, though). It was rich, but not too much. The homefries were good, though I had to add a little salt and pepper to them.

plate with French toast triangles, red skinned potatoes, mini sausages, scrambled eggs and a cup of syrup

Julie’s seasoned potatoes were quite the opposite. If anything, they were a little oversalted. She enjoyed her French toast as well (throwing a few chocolate chips on for good measure). The bite-sized sausage links were very flavorful, and the eggs were also nicely done.

Not a bad first plate for either of us.

With plate two, we both migrated to the middle island and lunch. The full salad bar was open with two kinds of soup and two pasta options (the soup, salad and pasta buffet station is available for lunch every day).

plate with a bowl of borccoli soup, vegetable lasagna, ziti in sauce and a small dinner roll

I had a bowl of cream of broccoli soup with a helping each of vegetable lasagna and penne pasta with clam sauce.

The vegetable lasagna was delicious, with layers of pasta, cheese and plenty of veggies (broccoli, carrots, and more). The cream of broccoli soup was good, too, though if I wasn’t blogging, I probably wouldn’t have needed both the soup and the lasagna. I’m also not a fan of clams, but I tried the pasta and actually enjoyed it. It wasn’t too clammy, though you could definitely taste it.

plate with a salad topped with hard-boiled eggs with two cubes of jello

Julie’s second plate was a little lighter as she went for the more traditional salad options. She was happy to see that her favorite item from the old salad bar was still there: Jell-O. The options were actually very impressive, with a wide variety to build a nice side salad or even make it an entree.

The final station was serving up sweets: waffles and soft ice cream. For research purposes, Julie and I both made mini sundaes to cap off our brunch.

two cups of ice cream - one chocolate covered in ranbow sprinkles and chocolate syrup, the other vanilla topped with Oreo cookie crumbles

For $15 per person (discounts for seniors and children), the brunch buffet is definitely priced right. The buffet definitely seems like the way to go, with reasonable prices for breakfast, lunch and dinner throughout the week.

While we were at the ice cream station, we had a chance to chat with Hamid Chaudhry. In between hosting duties, he was greeting regulars and striking up conversation with newcomers.

“What do you think of the changes?” he asked.

Julie and I both agreed, the changes are positives.

It’s not Shady Maple, but as long as the restaurant holds on to those aspirations, it will be a great buffet.

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

Wyomissing Restaurant and Bakery
1245 Penn Ave
Wyomissing, PA 19610

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Review: Jukebox Cafe

sign that reads "Jukebox Cafe" with a drawing of a jukebox

Growing up in the far western reaches of Berks County, Boyertown always felt like a world away. I only remember going there once when I was younger (for a double-digit loss in a Junior Legion baseball game). Even through more than a year of weekly reviews on Berks County Eats, the map of my visits had a noticeable gap in that part of the county.

It’s not for lack of wanting: a combination of bad timing and poor planning on my part had left the area as uncharted territory. I knew I had to make an extra effort to get there so my wife and I carved out time on a Saturday morning and headed east for a late morning visit to one of the more popular spots in town, the Jukebox Cafe.

The Jukebox Cafe sits along Reading Avenue to the south of downtown. The two-tiered parking lot was nearly full when we arrived, but we grabbed one of the few remaining spaces and took the stairs down to the front door.

The diner plays up on the jukebox theme with a decor reminiscent of a 1950s drive-in with a checkerboard trim, musical notes and records on every wall. Inside the front door was the namesake jukebox, though I have no idea if it actually works. With a number of groups waiting ahead of us for seats, no one would have been able to get to it if they wanted to.

We took a number and I grabbed a copy of the Boyertown Bulletin and passed the time reading about Amelia Earhart’s connection to Boyertown and brushing up on my Pennsylvania Dutch with an article on planting potatoes.

There is not a lot of seating in the dining area, but the tables were turned over quickly so we did not have to wait long before we were escorted to a corner booth.

Going in, I had every intention of ordering lunch; a burger and fries was sounding really good. I decided to take a look through the breakfast menu anyway (because like all great diners, they serve breakfast all day).

That’s when my eyes spotted four words I had never before seen together: cinnamon bun French toast. I realized then that my burger would have to wait another day.

cinnamon roll french toast topped with strawberry syrup and whipped cream

I wasn’t entirely sure what I was getting until the plate was laid in front of me. It turns out that it is exactly what it sounds like: two cinnamon rolls that have been put through an egg wash and grilled like French toast. A layer of whipped cream was sandwiched between the two rolls, and the whole thing was swimming in strawberry syrup with more whipped cream on the side.

With every forkful, the warm cinnamon filling oozed out of the center. Somehow it managed to taste both like a cinnamon roll and French toast without sacrificing either flavor. The strawberry topping was something I never tasted along side a cinnamon roll before, but those sweet, fruity notes were a perfect match. The whipped cream was just the icing on the cake (or cinnamon roll, as it were), adding one more layer to an already divine dish.

red skin potato homefries topped with fried onions

To temper the sweetness of the main course, I also ordered a side of home fries with onions. For its home fries, Jukebox Cafe uses red skins potatoes which are so much more flavorful than yellow potatoes to start. With the mound of fried onions on top, it was a delicious, though unnecessary add-on as the cinnamon roll French toast would have been more than satisfying on its own.

omelet with red peppers on a plate with red skin potatoes and wheat bread

Julie also opted for breakfast during our visit, ordering the Little Richard: an omelet filled with bacon, tomato and cheddar. The ingredients were finely chopped with a pool of cheddar inside to ensure a flavorful bite every time. Her meal also included home fries and toast for a hearty breakfast.

Everything we had was enjoyable and made the trip to Boyertown worthwhile. With a check totaling less than $20, the prices are pretty good too.

Whether the jukebox plays or not seems irrelevant because the real star at the Jukebox Cafe isn’t the jukebox, it’s the food.

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

Jukebox Cafe
535 S. Reading Ave
Boyertown, PA 19512

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