The county seat of Chester County, this borough west of Philadelphia has over 18,500 residents and a food tradition that combines local farm offerings with the big-city vibe of the metropolitan area.
The 16 best restaurants in West Chester listed here suit every taste.
Andiario
$$$$ | (484) 887-0919 | WEBSITE
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For those who desire a classic dinner experience that celebrates Pennsylvania food culture, the pre-set dinners at Andiario will meet your expectations for a high-class meal with high-touch service.
Seatings are carefully scheduled and the menu changes weekly to take advantage of the best produce and meat selections available, though pasta dishes are always on the menu.
BYOB and wine pairings are possible for each meal. Please note that there is not a separate children’s menu for this prix fixe establishment and that the restaurant’s waiting list requires a deposit to ensure seating.
Asuka
$$ | (610) 738-8888 | WEBSITE
Those seeking tasty Chinese and Japanese cuisine should consider a visit to Asuka. The signature sushi rolls, sashimi, and hand rolls offer a great number of options not found at other establishments or on the sushi table at Asian buffets.
The weekday Japanese sushi lunch with salad or miso soup offers a popular choice for those who wish to sample from the broad sushi and sashimi selections.
Chinese options start with a foundation of fried rice and noodle offerings, including Mei Fun noodles, Pad Thai, and either Hawaiian or Malaysian fried rice.
Vegetarian options are available, as are all of the popular stir fries. Lunch specials and dinner combos, along with moo shu, assure that nearly every preference is offered to diners.
Bar Avalon
$$ | (610) 436-4100 | WEBSITE
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This restaurant mixes Italian dishes with other favorites in a lively bar and restaurant atmosphere that has satisfied locals since 2000.
Similar to its sibling in downtown Bryn Mawr, you will find the perfect mix of comfort food, Italian staples, and hearty dishes.
The mussel bakes, heated in the brick oven and accompanied by pizza dough, offer a popular starter.
Those wishing to share and nibble appetizers should consider the baked zucchini, pasta chip nachos, roasted stuffed long hots, cheesesteak eggrolls, or baked meatballs.
Salads, pizza, and pasta dishes are always popular, especially the lamb Bolognese. Burgers, Scottish salmon, and Gulf shrimp are also top menu selections.
Dolce Zola
$$ | (484) 887-0760 | WEBSITE
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The husband and wife chef team of Pietro Belfiore and Antonella Gamba strive to bring the best Italian pasta dishes to the West Chester area.
They include local farm ingredients whenever possible, cooking them in combination with products from some of the best Italian vendors.
The cooking crew prides themselves for focusing on the use of fresh and sustainable ingredients and making selections in-house on a daily basis. Antipasti include ricotta toast, grandma’s meatballs, fried calamari, and a burrata cheese ball.
Popular entrees include the chicken parmigiana, spinach & ricotta ravioli, lobster ravioli, Neapolitan ragu, ragu Bolognese, carbonara, shrimp aurora, pescatore, and creamy saffron. Vegetarian options are also available at Dolce Zola.
Four Dogs Tavern
$$ | (610) 692-4367 | WEBSITE
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A native of West Chester, owner and Chef David Wilcox took control of this tavern in 2006.
He returned to his hometown after an amazing journey through impressive cooking assignments in prestigious kitchens, including time as Executive Sous Chef of New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
His recipes use the best seasonal ingredients available, with menu selections served in a fun and dog-friendly environment. Appetizers (“preludes”) include wild burgundy snails and shrimp dumplings.
In addition to soups and salads, entrees include flatbreads, sandwiches, pasta dishes, and main dishes like blackened tuna and the seven-hour slow cooked pork BBQ.
Gramm’s Kitchen
$ | (610) 429-3903 | WEBSITE
This family diner has filled bellies in West Chester since 2000 with traditional breakfast, lunch, and dinner options.
Known as a great spot that serves breakfast throughout the day, the griddle items are always popular, whether your taste is pancakes or French toast.
Those who like to build upon these griddle selections can create a breakfast combo, while others select the ever-popular Belgium waffle. Breakfast wraps and sandwiches such as the special croissant sandwich and seafood burrito have their fans.
Multiple omelette offerings, the Virginia ham steak & eggs or N.Y. sirloin steak & eggs round out the top breakfast choices.
Those coming for lunch and dinner will find an incredible variety of selections, including comfort-food appetizers, home-made soups, gyros, Philly cheesesteaks, crab cake sandwiches, pattie melts, wraps, club sandwiches, burgers, meatloaf sandwiches, and traditional entrees.
Gran Rodeo Mexican Bar & Grill
$$ | (484) 840-0323 | WEBSITE
This Mexican bar and grill serves all of the popular entrees and offers a budget-conscious way to enjoy the best of Mexican and Southwest selections without the usual fast-food experience.
Begin your meal with an appetizer such as the fresh guacamole, pico de gallo, esquite (Mexican street corn), queso fundido, or one of the dips.
The rodeo taco salad, fajita salad, and taco loco salad meet the expectations of diners who love to mix their greens with Mexican-inspired meats.
The fajita Texanas or seafood nachos offer different takes on a time-honored selection.
The menu offers a variety of build-your-own-combo possibilities, as well as the traditional enchiladas, burritos, quesadilas, fajitas, and their specialty dinners. Vegetarians will appreciate the broad selections available.
High Street Caffe
$$ | (610) 696-7435 | WEBSITE
Since opening in 1996, High Street has been the go-to place for Cajun entrees in Chester County. This BYOB establishment focuses on high-quality food selections.
Donny Syracuse brings the tastiest Creole selections to a location known to be a stopping place for tour buses with popular musicians to visit. Appetizers include blackened alligator, Cajun perogies, coconut beer shrimp, voodoo shrimp.
Cajun calamari, and crawfish popcorn. The gumbo always warms the heart, before moving to entrees such as their gluten-free jambalaya, etouffee, Bourbon cashew chicken & shrimp Orleans, double-cut pork chop, and blackened red snapper.
Jerk chicken tacos, blackened chicken tacos, the jambalaya wrap, and a Johnny Cash burger round out the menu.
Limoncello Ristorante & Caterers
$$ | (610) 436-6230 | WEBSITE
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Along with its companion location in Chester Springs, this semi-formal venue brings the best of old Italian cooking traditions to the area. Limoncello features Sicilian family recipes, from arancini and cannoli to pizza and stromboli.
You can choose to make a custom pizza or select from their regular options, including the Carne with Tuscan salami or Frank’s Favorite with crumbled sausage, chopped Italian long hots, and grilled onion.
The braised short rib, buffalo chicken, and grilled veggie flatbreads receive much praise, as do the cheesesteak stromboli and calamari fritti.
Market Street Grill
$ | (610) 429-5328 | WEBSITE
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This eatery has received high-marks for breakfast for years, offering traditional and New American food selections, brunch, burgers, and Creole/Cajun selections in the heart of West Chester.
Eggs, omelettes, griddle selections, and benedicts are served all day.
Lunch offerings include all-beef chili, French onion, and mushroom bisque soups, along with Caesar salad, strawberry salad, flank steak salad, and other healthy salad options.
Sandwiches include the standards, such as the BLT, grilled cheese, and classic club. Burgers, wraps, gyros, and Philly cheesesteaks are always popular selections.
The Marshalton Inn
$$ | (610) 692-4367 | WEBSITE
Chef and West Chester native David Cox celebrates the best of French-styled cooking in this American brasserie.
Some of the most popular selections include comfort foods standards, such as macaroni and cheese with a selection of five cheeses, blackened tuna, sautéed crab cakes, and outstanding flat breads.
The burgers, chops, chicken, seafood, and meat dishes are served with beautiful presentation in a place that mixes fine food selections with a great vibe in a classic setting so different from the usual bland modern architecture.
Penn’s Table Restaurant
$ | (610) 696-0677 | WEBSITE
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For more than 45 years, this restaurant has been a popular gathering place for those who enjoy home-cooked breakfast and brunch in a warm and inviting setting.
Penn’s Table combines budget-friendly menu options with a wide selection of dishes that are cooked and prepared to perfection.
Franklin’s French toast leads the griddle options, with egg dishes that include all of the popular options, including scrapple, turkey sausage, corned beef hash, or pork roll.
Breakfast sandwiches include the ever-popular pepers & egg, BELT (a BLT with egg and cheese added), and the rib eye & steak.
Pietro’s Prime
$$$ | (484) 760-6100 | WEBSITE
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For an upscale dining experience, Pietro’s Prime offers diners a variety of beef cuts, seafood dishes, and some of the tastiest martinis in the area.
With a popular happy hour and live entertainment offered on select evenings, this is a go-to destination for both formal diners and those who enjoy excellent food in a comfortable and business-casual environment.
Lunchtime appetizers such as Pietro’s crab cakes or shrimp lejon transition into the ever-popular Plaintiff (1/2 sandwich and soup) or Defendant (1/2 sandwich and salad) options, along with entrees that range from the New York strip to grilled ahi tuna salad and the dijon chicken pretzel sandwich.
Dinner selections feature surf & turf, as well as tasty poultry and seafood selections.
Roots Cafe
$$ | (610) 455-0100 | WEBSITE
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This downtown eatery serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner with farm-to-table options that win great praise.
Hash, the chicken & waffle sandwich, duck leg hash, corned beef hash, homemade biscuits & gravy, and the bacon & arugula sandwich are great morning starters.
Diners should also consider the chorizo frittata or pork belly benedict. A wide variety of lunch options fill the bill, including the duck sandwich, vegetarian mushroom cheesesteak, and turkey Rachel.
In addition to sandwich options, those coming to the Roots Cafe for dinner may want to consider the gnocchi pomodoro, grilled free bird chicken, or the salmon.
Split Rail Tavern
$$ | (484) 999-8895 | WEBSITE
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Since opening in 2015, this destination has become an enjoyable gathering place for those who enjoy great food, served with cocktails and a couple-dozen-or-so craft beer selections.
Brunch selections include egg dishes with hash browns, French toast, pancakes, biscuits & gravy, and their always-popular sausage & pepper hash.
Salads and sandwiches on this menu also transition into lunch offerings that include small plates, such as the Sugartown smoked salmon toast, cheese and charcuterie boards, and sandwiches like the pickled-brined fried chicken salad or tofu banh mi.
Dinner entrees such as the duck breast, chicken ballotine, steak frites, and pan seared salmon also command attention.
The Stone Tavern 1867
$$ | (610) 436-5222 | WEBSITE
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The former Blarney Stone has become the Stone Tavern 1867, serving some of the best Irish fare in a historic Chester County setting that also celebrates the history of Irish cooking and spirits.
Begin your meal with the apple & blue salad, Caesar, side emerald salad, or a cup of onion soup composed of Guinness Stout. Transition to pub plates that span from black angus chili and Scotch eggs to buffalo wings with a variety of rubs and spices.
Popular sandwiches include the Irish Italian, hot roast beef, smokehouse chicken, butcher burger, ribeye cheesesteak, and chicken salad wrap.
In addition to the always-popular fish & chips, those wanting a traditional meal should consider the corned beef brisket, shepherd’s pie, chicken pie, or Scottish salmon. The vanilla bread pudding is a great way to end the meal.
A Delicious Destination
During your next visit to West Chester, consider a stop at one of these 18 locally-inspired culinary destinations.
