wicker chairs set up around round tables with teal tops
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Review: Sweetie’s Back Porch Cafe – Oley

wall graphic for Sweetie's Back Porch Cafe with a graphic of a teal-colored VW bus

There have always been plenty of places to eat along Route 73 between Fleetwood and Boyertown. But the one thing that’s been lacking is a good coffee shop. 

That changed with the opening of Sweetie’s Back Porch Cafe in the fall of 2025.

White door against a building with green vertical siding and a small sandwich board next to the entrance

Sweetie’s Back Porch Cafe lives up to its name, with a location “out back” behind Bella Italia Pizza, Hometown Dental, and Clear Flow Water Solutions. The cafe has an unassuming entrance – a simple white door against the green warehouse-like facade. 

wicker chairs set up around round tables with teal tops

But walking inside, everything changes. The narrow stairway opens into a more spacious dining room with wicker-back chairs at round tables. Tall-backed wicker seats with tan cushions are along the wall. 

two leather coaches in a corner of a room with one peach wall, one white wall, and two kidney-shaped coffee tables in the center

A second room offers more casual seating with a pair of couches and two kidney-shaped coffee tables. 

a look at the order counter at Sweetie's Back Porch Cafe in Oley, PA

On my first trip, I grabbed a corner spot along the wall and set up with my laptop. I arrived around 8 a.m. The restaurant wasn’t empty, but there was still plenty of seating available. 

I ordered a breakfast croissant and a hot chai latte. 

brown mug filled with chai dusted with cinnamon

It didn’t take long for my chai to arrive. Served in a large brown mug, it was sprinkled with cinnamon. It had a pleasant spice to it, warming on a cool winter’s day, though I would gladly drink it anytime. 

brown plate with a croissant stuffed with cheese and sausage

The croissant arrived five minutes later. It was halved with sausage inside and cheese melting out of it. I’m usually not one to order a breakfast sandwich, but Sweetie’s has a fairly limited menu, especially for breakfast. The breakfast sandwich – with choice of meat and either a croissant or bagel – is the only real option outside of toasts. 

But I found the breakfast sandwich to be enjoyable, especially the buttery, slightly sweet croissant. And the sausage was the right choice for the meat. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was good food done right. 

bowl filled with brown rice topped with sliced beets and sweet potato, feta cheese, and mango

When I came back in late February, it was for lunch and their namesake Back Porch Bowl. The dish starts with a base of rice that’s topped with sliced beets and sweet potatoes, mango and feta cheese. 

Beets are not high on my list of favorite foods, but the combination of the slightly bitter vegetable with the sweet mango was very good. Add on the creamy, tangy feta and it was a surprisingly complex, but delicious dish, one that I would gladly order again. 

takeout coffee cup with a cardboard sleeve imprinted with the logo for Sweetie's Back Porch Cafe

Instead of a chai, I ordered a blueberry matcha, one of three blueberry drinks Sweetie’s was offering to support one of the local school clubs. The blueberry syrup was made in-house and was excellent. And with sweet cold foam on top, it was a great indulgence. 

My first visit totaled around $12 while my second was closer to $20, but I felt like it was still a good value for my money. 

And others must agree because the cafe was much busier this time with people eating in and orders coming over the phone consistently while I was there. 

It’s great to see it, too, especially in a part of the county that needed a place like Sweetie’s. 

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

Sweetie’s Back Porch Cafe
1064 Memorial Highway
Oley, PA 19547

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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 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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