Best of the Best: Downingtown

Morning: Green Street Grill

150 E. Pennsylvania St., Downingtown
610-873-1700 / GreenStGrill.com

Green Street serves breakfast all day every day, or at least until they close at 2. And it serves everything to your liking. From The Joanie — smoked salmon, capers, onions, tomatoes and cream cheese on a toasted bagel — to The Telly — three eggs, scrambled, with cheese, onions and peppers, with spicy andouille gravy and scrapple. Or you can have French toast — try the Bullotta, with bacon, bananas and honey, topped with peanut butter. Another option, the pancakes topped with assorted fruits. They call eggs Benedict “Bennys” here and serve them seven ways. You can always build your own omelet or choose from 10 different omelet recipes. A great way to wake up!

Noon: Station Taproom

207 W. Lancaster Ave., Downingtown
484-593-0560 / StationTaproom.com

It’s a small place, by the tracks, and it may strike you as just another doorway … until you enter and smell the food. You’re in for a tasty surprise. The tamale pie, made with Wyebrook Farm’s beef, is amazing, the hot chicken mac & cheese is deeply satisfying, and the shrimp & grits is out of this world. Try the delicious pulled pork sandwich, yummy smash burger or scrumptious chicken sandwich — we’re running out of adjectives. Wash it all down with one of their carefully curated beers — Root Down Deep Six or Tröegs Hop Cyclone. Enjoy, but be prepared. You may miss your train.

Night: Anthony’s Cucina Frecsa

78 W. Lancaster Ave., Downingtown
610-873-5544 / AnthonysCucinaFresca.com

This inviting trattoria is known among locals for top-notch Italian fare made with the freshest organic and all-natural ingredients. The menu, inspired by owner/Head Chef Danilo Angelucci’s Sicilian roots, features tantalizing appetizers (stuffed figs, baked eggplant, Danilo’s Tasting Board), a dozen different pizzas, handmade pasta dishes (squid ink linguini with lobster tail, specialty raviolis), burgers and sandwiches, plus delectable entrees (seafood risotto, dulce de leche short rib, Italian-style filet mignon). Be sure to pair your meal with a glass of wine or craft cocktail — including the ever-popular Stormy Monday with Johnnie Walker, honey cordial and applewood smoke — and finish with a decadent dessert.

Happy Hour: Victory Brewing Company

420 Acorn Ln., Downingtown
610-873-0881 / VictoryBeer.com

Victory’s Downingtown dining room is set right next to its working fermenters. Although much of the operation has now moved to Parkesburg, Victory still brews 20,000 barrels per year in Downingtown. And the restaurant now seats about 300, serving, among others, appetizers, loaded fries, fried pickles, jalapeño poppers, three kinds of wings and seven pizzas, as well as a variety of handhelds and burgers, several soups and salads, and six main dishes, including fish’n’chips. Of course, come for the beer — 30 on tap — and service gets superlative reviews as well.

Don’t Miss: De La Terre

47 W. Lancaster Ave., Downingtown
610-269-2431 / DeLaTerreBYOB.com

This former pizza place turned 40-seat, white-tablecloth BYOB is a must — both local and food critics agree. De La Terre (from the earth) added major buzz to Downingtown’s dining scene, garnering a Best of the ‘Burbs nod from Philly Mag. It’s all due to the artistry Chef Andrew Hufnagel (stints with Steven Star, Jean-Georges Vongerichten) brings to his changing seasonal menus of “French classics with inventive regional fare.” From foie gras, escargot, to boeuf borguignon and Royale with Cheese (wagyu burger), the starters plus small and large plates are exquisite — beautifully presented, but more important, absolutely fabulously delicious. Tip: don’t miss the triple-cooked, duck fat pomme frites, even if you don’t get the steak frites.