One hundred years ago, in the time of prohibition, speakeasies were everywhere. These were discrete places to get an adult beverage during the brief moment in history when it was illegal.
Today, you can look at any destination and find a “speakeasy.” But in a time when alcohol is perfectly legal, it begs the question: “what is a speakeasy in 2024?”
A Light in the Attic bills itself as “a modern speakeasy.” Located above the Barley Mow in West Reading, it operates as a separate restaurant with its own menu, staff and entrance.
The speakeasy theme begins with the entrance, which can be found along the side of the building at a stairway with a small light hanging over the door.
(There is also an elevator for those who need one to climb to the third floor).
Just as an old-time speakeasy would have disguised itself, so to does A Light in the Attic. Inside the door is what looks like a library. It is only after you’re greeted by the hostess that she takes you through the curtain and into the not-so-secret dining room.
The dining area is quite a unique area with hardwood floors, exposed brick wall, and white lanterns among the rafters. Each table has a small lamp that can be adjusted to various warmth levels.
We had an early dinner reservation – 4:45 – and there were a few other tables seated when we arrived (all of the tables for two would fill up before we left). Our server was attentive and quickly delivered our menus and was back for our drink orders.
Julie had a pineapple coconut daiquiri that she said was excellent. Not being a drinker, myself, I tried one of Reading Soda’s botanical series offerings. It’s basically Reading Draft’s version of flavored sparkling water. My peach basil was good, and certainly better than most sparkling waters I’ve tried, but I’m not going to rush out and buy more.
I would, however, happily take many more orders of the rosemary bomboloni, our appetizer for the evening.
A bomboloni is a type of Italian doughnut, usually sweet, but this was savory with short rib, onion and black truffle pecorino on top. And it was phenomenal. I love a good sweet and savory mashup and the puff pastries had just enough sweetness to complement the juicy short rib. There was also a green sauce (perhaps a chimichurri) that gave a little tang as well. It was a perfect warmup to our entrees, which arrived a short time later.
I ordered the forager’s wild boar. It was boar pulled pork style boar meat with calvados (fruit brandy) atop a bed of pasta with a side of asparagus. The boar meat was juicy and tender. It wasn’t gamy at all. And the light sauce that it had been cooking in was just perfect.
Across the table, Julie ordered the Tunisian lamb rack. The waitress warned us that it was the spiciest dish on the menu, but Julie asked for the harissa that would have normally been on the lamb to be served on the side, and it went from spicy to a perfect little kick.
The lamb was cooked perfectly. It came with a mint chimichurri and Greek yogurt, which made for excellent complements. On the side, or more accurately underneath, were delicious roasted yams.
Both of our entrees were ones that we will be talking about for a long time.
As much as we enjoyed our meals, and as full as we were, it didn’t stop us from being tempted with dessert. And for that, we ordered the ube cheesecake.
Ube is a purple yam that gave the dish its very distinct color. It came topped with blackberry sauce and a light cookie (it had the consistency of a fortune cookie) with a dusting of sugar and two slices of peaches for garnish.
The cheesecake was decadent and sweet. The cookie added a nice little crunch. Did we need it, no? But it was absolutely worth the indulgence.
And A Light in the Attic is certainly an indulgence. The total was $140 for the two of us, putting it among the highest priced meals in Berks County.
But it was among the best meals we’ve found, too.
So, what is a modern speakeasy? If it’s a playful location with top-notch food and drinks – like A Light in the Attic – I’d say it’s exactly the kind of place we want to experience.
BCE Rating
Food: Excellent
Service: Excellent
Ambiance: Excellent
Price: $$$$
A Light in the Attic
719 Penn Avenue
West Reading, PA 19611
