Best of the Best: West Chester

Morning: DK Diner

609 E. Gay St.
610-692-2946 / DKDiner.com

Opened in 1952, the chrome and teal DK Diner has anchored West Chester’s eastern gateway for nearly three-quarters of a century with a friendly smile and a hot cup of coffee. Pull open the glass front door and grab a seat at the counter or slide into a vinyl booth. Prepare to discuss the weather or the Eagles’ season while you oscillate between the stack of blueberry hotcakes and the homemade creamed chipped beef. Before you slide out and into the rest of your bustling day, settle your bill and leave a tip on the table for the trouble — both in cash, please.

Morning: Market Street Grill

6 W. Market St.
610-429-5328 / TheMarketStreetGrill.com

The Greco family has been serving breakfast and lunch to hungry West Chester residents for more than 20 years now, and yet, they still manage to cue a line on Sunday mornings. Relying on a combination of one-of-a-kind signature dishes and fun daily specials, they’ve earned their reputation as among the best around. If you’re out past brunch, check out their hot sandwich lineup. Specialties like the chicken panini or the andouille and chorizo stuffed Liam will leave you glad you spent that extra hour in bed. Have a hankering for their famous sausage gravy? No worries. Breakfast is served all day.

Noon: Penn’s Table Restaurant

100 W. Gay St.
610-696-0677 / @PennsTableRestaurant

You won’t find limit-pushing or trendy concoctions at Penn’s Table. There are no hot honey sandwiches or “chickles” (pickles coated in melted cheddar cheese). No green juices or butter espressos either. But not every meal needs to be a foodie challenge. For those days when comfort and familiarity best new and novel, head over to the Gay Street mainstay that’s been serving lunch classics for nearly 50 years. The egg salad is on point, the “Best Reuben in Town” won’t do you wrong, and if you get the chance (it’s seasonal), order the Goshen Road Roast Beef with a black & white shake. Yum.

Noon: Limoncello Ristorante

9 N. Walnut St.
610-436-6230 / LimoncelloRestaurant.com

Each Limoncello entrance feels like you are 20 minutes late to an epic family dinner. Hostesses dance by, the chatter is on high while temping platters of food buzz right under your nose. For nearly two decades, the Mingrino family has greeted residents and visitors to their bustling North Walnut Street establishment with their favorite Sicilian family recipes. If you can’t make it over for dinner, don’t fret, Limoncello’s lunch is a delight. Served Tuesday through Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., no need to wait until the end of the day for favorites like Maria’s meatballs or the penne alla vodka.

Night: The Original Spence Cafe

131 N. High St.
610-918-1272 / Spence.cafe

For over a century, there’s been a through line to West Chester dining — the Spence Cafe. In 1896, the Spence family swung open the doors on Gay Street’s Spence’s Central Cafe and Restaurant, and for many years the cafe was a popular community gathering place. But times and tastes changed, and the borough went Spence-less until acclaimed chef Andrew Patton opened his Spence Cafe on Gay Street in 1996. He repeated his restaurant concept another time or two before settling comfortably into his current North High Street BYOB. If you have not yet been, grab a special bottle of wine and order the spring lamb ravioli or always-popular seafood special, and get ready for a memorable meal.

Night: Teca

38 E. Gay St.
610-738-8244 / TecaRestaurants.com

In 2002, West Chester’s dining revitalization was in its infancy. It was a time ripe for innovation. And exactly what owners Roberto Guadagnini and his father had in mind — an old-world Italian dining experience with upscale surroundings in the heart of West Chester. The original location sat only 25 for dinner, but the food was excellent, the vibes welcoming, and the wine flowing. Over time Teca earned its reputation as the town’s Friday night go-to. In 2007, the Guadagninis purchased the old firehouse and expanded. Now nearly two decades later, Teca continues to beckon friends and strangers around a seasonal flatbread and good bottles of wine.

Night: The Mediterranean Restaurant & Bakery

150 W. Gay St.
610-431-7074 / TheMedWCPA.com

Each year on the first weekend of October, Margaret and Joe Andraos celebrate the anniversary of the day they took the plunge and opened The Mediterranean. They toyed with the idea of opening a pizza place, but couldn’t find the right space. Instead, they fell in love with 150 West Gay Street and cooking together. They blended her Italian heritage with his Lebanese roots and crafted the basis for their ever-changing menu. That was 1997. To this day, anytime you tuck into the charming Gay Street BYOB, you can expect fresh seafood, handcrafted pastas and grass-fed meats cooked in cold-pressed oils — healthy and delicious — just as Margaret and Joe intended.

Night: Kooma Asian Fusion & Sushi Bar

123 N. Church St.
610-430-8980 / KoomaFusion.com

By 2002, the West Chester dining scene was starting to form, but in those early days, most dishes were Italian and the drinks were beer. Initially opening on Gay Street in 2002, Kooma saw the opportunity to do something different. Instead of heavy plates of pasta and pints of lager, they lightened and brightened things up with an Asian-fusion menu, solid sushi offerings and a cocktail menu full of candy-colored “‘tinis.” It quickly became a hit. In 2013, Kooma relocated to its larger space on Church Street. Today a modern, neon-dotted interior and an expansive bar continue to complement a fun, vibrant menu.

Happy Hour: Iron Hill Brewery

3 W. Gay St.
610-738-9600 / IronHillBrewery.com

A quarter century ago, Iron Hill owners Kevin Finn, Mark Edelson and Kevin Davies signed a lease for the old Woolworth building in the heart of downtown West Chester and launched a dining revitalization — perhaps, fittingly, launched with a draft of beer. The significance of the Gay and High Street corner goes back before the brewpub, before the Woolworth’s, back to 1777, when it was home to a small schoolhouse converted to a hospital treating wounded from the Battle of Brandywine. While the purposes differed, the corner’s commitment to community has remained the same. Today Iron Hill has built a reputation for delivering on that “all are welcome” environment with a versatile menu, casual vibe and rotating selection of 86 award-winning beers.

Happy Hour: Kildare’s Irish Pub

18 W. Gay St.
610-431-0770 / KildaresPubWC.com

When Kildare’s opened in 2003, it brought a little bit of Ireland to the borough — literally. The bar that serves as the heart of the establishment was designed and built overseas, then shipped stateside and installed at 18 West Gay Street. Irish pubs are known for their friendly, casual atmospheres, and Kildare’s delivers. Guinness is always on tap and a Premiere League match on the telly. Stay for the conversation and 10 of their famous whiskey BBQ wings. Just be sure to slip out by 10 p.m. when the college crowd starts to take over.

Happy Hour: Ryan’s Pub

124 W. Gay St.
610-344-3934 / Ryans-Pub.com

Like many establishments that have found longevity in West Chester, Ryan’s Pub is a family affair. But, unlike most families here, the Ryans weren’t in the restaurant business — they were in the bar business. Since the turn of the 20th century, there’s been a Ryan behind a bar in the area. West Chester joined the tradition in 2002 when Pat and Paul Ryan opened Ryan’s Pub. They envisioned a lively tavern with high-quality food and drinks. Now, more than two decades and significant competition later, the pub remains a popular hangout and a testament to the Ryan family name, now in its fourth generation of barmen.

College Bar: Jake’s Bar

549 S. Matlack St.
610-431-3900 / @JakesBarWestChester

Jake’s Bar has been a mainstay of the West Chester University college experience since before West Chester became a university. The family-owned establishment on South Matlack Street was taken over entirely by Orazio “Jake” Nastase after his sister’s death in 1975. Under his management, the bar leaned into its signature draws — cheap beer, acerbic bartenders, cramped seating, sticky floors and good times. Although Jake passed in 2017, his pub remains your classic college bar, one of the best around according to Barstool Sports. Stop by anytime to relive your college days or chat with the “old-head” regulars over a $2 pour.

Town Bar: Jitters

146 W. Gay St.
610-696-0427 / Jitters-WC.com

Narrow and deep, Jitters has sat on the west side of Gay Street since 1985, building its reputation as the place the locals go, and sometimes the students, the occasional passerby and, when in town, a TV star or two. In other words, it’s your quintessential townie bar. The focus is not on ambiance, frills or fancy menu items (except maybe in the “Florida Room”). Instead, you come here to cheer on the Eagles (Sixers, Flyers or Phillies) surrounded by fellow fans. You come for a modest-price drink and the company you’ll keep. You come for the jukebox and a night you won’t soon forget.

Don’t Miss: Chester County Restaurant Festival

West-Chester.com/139/Parks-Recreation

Every second Sunday of September, thousands of visitors descend on Gay Street ready to enjoy the fall sunshine, some live music and a beer at the beer garden. But mainly they’re there to eat. More than 50 food vendors representing local restaurants, independent food artisans and the area’s most popular food trucks all pack the street for the borough’s biggest event. The menus are meant to encourage tasting. Small bites of this and that. A trio of barbecue ribs, a freshly fried egg roll or maybe a handmade macaroon? For the last 45 years, West Chester has warmly welcomed the county to join it in a culinary feast.

Don’t Miss: West Chester Chili Cook-Off

WestChesterChiliCookOff.com

If the Restaurant Festival is about trying a bit of everything, the Chili Cook-Off is about eating lots of chili. Restaurants, home cooks and nonprofits are all invited to break out the family recipes and craft their best batch of beans and beef for 10,000 fans. Tops in each category win a cash prize and, more importantly, bragging rights for the year. For 21 years, the West Chester Rotary Club hosted this popular fall fundraiser. In 2024 the baton was passed to a nonprofit food brokerage firm, Fiorenza’s Food for Friends (F4). All that leftover chili — if there ever is any — won’t go to waste. And the tradition continues!