Best of the Best: Other Main Line

Morning: The Black Cat Cafe

42 Berkley Rd., Devon
610-688-1930 / TheBlackCatCafeDevon.org

What’s better than breakfast with cats? This cozy café is home to adoptable cats from the Pet Adoption and Lifecare Society (PALS), one of the largest cat rescues in the area. From 9 to 2, feast on breakfast faves, many with on-theme names like the Garfield Sampler (an egg, pancake, French toast, sausage, bacon and home fries), Tigger’s Caribbean French Toast and the Puss ’n Boots (creamed chipped beef on toast). The standout may be the pancake board, with pancakes, sausage, bacon, berries and more toppings. With 100% of proceeds benefiting PALS, eating at Black Cat makes you feel good as you help kitties in need.

Noon: Terrain Garden Cafe

138 W. Lancaster Ave., Devon
877-583-7724 / ShopTerrain.com

Ah to be a lady who lunches! Then an obvious destination would be mid-Main Line at Terrain’s Garden Cafe, set in Devon Yard, complete with a garden center and Anthropologie store for post-lunch shopping. The sun- and plant-filled greenhouse space can make diners feel like well-tended orchids. And the seasonal menu (actually called a brunch, not lunch menu) with select local produce, cheeses and meats from purveyors listed on the menu makes you feel healthier for reading it. Quinoa fritters, beet and burrata salad, wild mushroom frittata, flowerpot bread. Plus coffees and teas, nonalcoholic garden sips and, happily, garden cocktails (pomegranate mule, fig leaf daiquiri and the real dill bloody Mary). Save us a seat.

Night: Nectar

1091 Lancaster Ave., Berwyn
610-725-9000 / TasteNectar.com

A tall silk-screened Buddha set against stone walls and high ceilings oversees your meal. Your waiters are knowledgeable and patient. You’ll feel exalted, even before you order. The late, great Patrick Feury founded Nectar as a fusion of French and Asian cuisines, selecting the finest and seasonal seafoods, beef, lamb, pork, poultry, fruit and vegetables available, and passed his recipes to Executive Chef Kenny Huang. Begin with a cocktail. Continue with dumplings or sushi. Then, for the main course, try lobster, rack of lamb or tea-smoked venison with sides of lo mein, fried rice or pad Thai. Take your time. Savor. And leave sated.

Happy Hour: The Pullman Restaurant & Bar

39 Morris Ave., Bryn Mawr
610-727-0777 / ThePullmanRestaurant.com

Executive Chef Corey Baver welcomes you to the “Social Hour.” Don’t worry, you’ll feel happy with live music and $10 drinks (martinis, negronis, old fashioneds, margaritas), $4 beers, along with small plates (lobster bites, mussels, tuna nachos, grilled shrimp) for under $12. Served only at the bars, and only Tuesday through Friday, 4:30 to 6:30. Pullman is located in the old Bryn Mawr train station, where Tango used to be. Enjoy an elevated experience — cozy, intimate, sophisticated — as you watch the trains go by.

Don’t Miss: Amada Radnor

555 E. Lancaster Ave., Wayne
484-429-2158 / AmadaRestaurant.com

How lucky we were when James Beard- winner Jose Garces opened a third Amada in 2023 in the Radnor Financial Center, seating 250, and offering the “Taste of Andalucia.” His extensive network of 10 restaurants in Philadelphia and Atlantic City include two Amadas, four Buena Onda Baja Taquerias (one in Radnor), Garces Eats at the Wells Fargo Center, the Olde Bar and Village Whiskey. Don’t miss a chance to enjoy 10 kinds of tapas, including spiced lamb, Galician-style octopus and crab-stuffed peppers, plus sausage, prawns, lamb on the grill, paellas and, with notice, a roast suckling pig. Wow!

Don’t Miss: Hymie’s

342 Montgomery Ave., Merion Station
610-664-3544 / Hymies.com

If you want to reenact the deli scene from When Harry Met Sally, don’t go to Katz’s. Instead, head for Hymie’s on the Main Line, and don’t get Sally’s turkey sandwich. This classic New York-style deli wows fans, including Craig LaBan, with dishes like a corned beef/ pastrami combo called the Shmoozer. Go for all-day breakfasts (until 3), all the deli classic — chopped liver, lox spread, knishes, cheesecake — and all the deli-licious sandwiches. Even after 60+ years, Hymie’s keeps it fresh with açaí bowls and … gluten-free bagels.