Best of the Best: New Places to Try

1906 & The Fountain Room at Longwood Gardens

1001 Longwood Rd., Kennett Square
610-388-1000 / LongwoodGardens.org/Dine

Reimagine dining at the new restaurant unveiled as part of the ambitious Longwood Reimagined expansion. Located in the lower level of the East Conservatory, facing the Main Fountain Garden (book now for summer fountain shows!), 1906 restaurant is joined by The Fountain Room, a private dining room, and a bar and lounge. Chef George Murkowicz and team craft sustainable, farm-to-table experiences — even tables are of reclaimed wood from Longwood. The seasonal winter menu offers Flora (flower salad), Funga (mushrooms) and Fauna from ocean and pastures. Dream, for example, of the roasted Green Circle chicken with garden lavender, wildflower honey, Brussels sprouts, foie gras and cognac, plus warm du Pont donuts with Earl Grey toffee sauce.

The Pear

275 Brintons Bridge Rd., West Chester
484-260-1425 / ThePearDilworthtown.com

Hooray for those who give historic buildings new life. Linda and Nick Farrel, the fabulous folks behind Kennett’s Sovana Bistro, added The Pear at Dilworthtown to their family of restaurants in late October. Elevated tavern food and tastes from around the world are served up on small plates and in bar snacks (Korean BBQ cracker jacks), along with seasonal cocktails (try the Almost Delco and NA options), plus wine and beer (good local craft choices). Enjoy a meal in this cozy space — maybe a wagyu smash burger, fish kebabs, cacio e pepe — and admire the range.

Fond BYOB

21 N. Providence Rd., Wallingford
484-445-2108 / FondBYOB.com

This elegant, contemporary French BYOB from Chefs Lee Styer and Jessie Prawlucki Styer (CIA grads, Le Bec-Fin vets) opened in October in Delco, bringing their three-bell legacy from over a decade of cooking in South Philly before closing in 2021 because of the pandemic. The format will feel familiar to old fans, with some new twists in a new space (formerly La Cannelle Café) serving a new community. Sample their constantly evolving seasonal lunch and dinner menus sourced locally, including the Styers’ own small farm in Media. Come for French onion soup, escargot, chicken liver mousse, seared foie gras, beef Burgundy, butternut crème brûlée and more. It’s très French.

Departure

2 Orange St., Media
610-502-3833 / DepartureDelco.com

Fasten your seatbelts, there’s a new restaurant in Media. Delco natives Rory and Krystal Hirst transformed an old bank building into what looks like an upscale airline lounge, named Departure, but is actually their new dining spot. The airport theme carries through the design and menu, setting the mood for savoring their international small plates menu — think tabouleh, kebabs, dumplings and the like. Check out more airport lingo on the cocktail menu, which can be sipped at the 45-foot bar, and includes The Take Off (vodka, elderflower, lychee, lime), The Contrail (bourbon + two bitters) and International Spy (gin, vodka, Lillet). No passport required.

The Noble Goat

200 River Station Blvd., Downingtown
484-364-4369 / NobleGoatDowningtown.com

Bryan and Andrea Sikora continue to expand their culinary empire — from La Fia, Merchant Bar and Crow Bar in Wilmington plus Hearth Kitchen outside Kennett Square. And now to The Noble Goat (currently BYOB, pending liquor license approval) in the River Station development outside downtown Downingtown. Serving a seasonal, eclectic menu featuring global flavors — some things you’ve had before, some you haven’t — including small plates, pizzas, creative larger format dishes. Examples: tuna crudo, curried lamb empanada or pickled beet jar to start, followed by spicy Calabrian chile and soppressata pizza, or sherry-scented risotto, duck cassoulet, pan-seared rainbow Idaho trout. The kind of inspiring yet satisfying food we’ve come to expect. And love.

Taste & Sea

1810 Wilmington Pk., Ste. 1, Glen Mills
484-800-8331 / TasteSea.com

John and Christina Talbot’s Taste & Sea restaurant is a new 146-seat fine dining destination — tablecloths, coat check, bottle service. With 30 years’ experience (20+ at Creed’s Seafood & Steaks), Restaurant School-trained John was eager to open his own place and brought Chef Charlie Moronski along to oversee an upscale menu of shellfish and fish, raw oysters and steaks. Find Bombay gin martinis and colossal shrimp cocktails on the menu, along with specialties like salmon Wellington, venison Diane and surf & turf combo of sliced filet and half a lobster tail served within Aegean blue walls.

Carina Sorella

866 W. Lancaster Ave., Bryn Mawr
610-596-9166 / CarinaSorella.com

Meaning “darling sister” in Italian and with a sister spot (Philly’s Trattoria Carina), Carina Sorrella is a welcome addition to Bryn Mawr dining, with a mission to be a neighborhood bistro. The former storefronts were transformed into a lively and lovely black-and-white interior with a mix of what you crave (pizzas, homemade pastas, chicken parm), plus a little something extra. Try the pear pizza with speck, taleggio, burnt honey, or the spicy soppressata, with red sauce, provolone, hot honey. There’s bucatini cacio e pepe, mafaldine Bolognese and branzino, too, on this curated menu. Attentive staff and a full bar ensure repeat customers.

Gentili’s Pizza & Steaks

318 Lincoln Hwy. E., Exton
610-477-7747 / GentilisPizza.com

Mea culpa for missing the late-2023 opening of Gentili’s, a paragon of pizza (& steaks), inspired by a nonna’s love of food and family. Go for airy, crispy crusts in round or square pies baked in a high-temp oven, served up in old-school ambiance boasting family photos, where they proudly “take pizza personally.” Pizza guru Tony’s 30-year obsession with great pizza is tangible in four-day fermented dough, sauce of tomato filet and fresh herbs, with Wisconsin creamy mozzarella. Try the Gentili, Corleone, Donato, Charlie (with hot honey) or another of the dozen signature choices or Brooklyn pies. Life’s too short to eat bad pizza!

LaScala’s Fire

3739 West Chester Pk., Newtown Square
484-900-2828 / LaScalasFire.com

In March, this Philly and South Jersey chain opened its newest location in the former Firepoint spot in Newtown Square (also in Villanova). Now with 7+ locations, this restaurant group started humbly in 1969 in Media, when homemade dough and special sauce recipes gave birth to fan-favorite Apollo pizza, which spawned LaScala’s Pronto, Birra and Fire, plus Beach House. Owner Rob LaScala’s recipe for success is a wood-fired Italian-American menu filled with options you crave. Choose from almost 20 apps, 12 pizzas (from grandma’s pie to hot honey), over a dozen chicken, veal and seafood classics beyond the pasta section. It’s all there. Plus Happy Hour.

Hiramasa

2554 West Chester Pk., Newtown Square
484-420-4023 / HiramasaPA.com

Promising a culinary journey through Japan, Hiramasa has a significantly more upscale vibe than most ethnic restaurants in shopping malls can muster — dramatic lighting, dark wood interiors, handcrafted plates, exotic cocktails. The menu blends time-honored recipes along with modern twists trending toward Pan-Asian, with exquisite presentation — think black truffle garnish or uni, toro and caviar in one bite, wagyu beef ishiyaki (cooked on hot stones). There’s classic maki, signature maki (black rice option), nigiri (and premium nigiri), sashimi, plus sushi entrees and other entrees, and of course, omakase ($128/person).

Rakkii Sushi & Ramen

235 Lancaster Ave., Malvern
610-889-3888 / RakkiiUSA.com

In another shopping mall, this one Liberty Court in Malvern, you’ll find a new BYOB option for your eat-in or takeout sushi needs along with traditional ramen noodles or brothless abura soba dishes. Citing a dedication to authenticity and quality, their flavorful ramen broth has simmered for hours, creating depth of taste combined with hand-pulled noodles and toppings in a perfect bowl to satisfy your soul. Seven abura soba dishes let the noodles shine in an umami-rich sauce. So many choices on the menu, including boba tea.