Tuesday, December 29 2020 10:18

Malvern

Written by County Lines Magazine

Classic Diner

352 Lancaster Ave., Malvern
610-725-0515 / TheClassicDinerPa.com

We love hearty breakfasts, especially the way the Classic Diner serves them up at Malvern (since 1995) and West Chester (since 2014), plus catering and now significant takeout and delivery. Not your typical diner, their self-described meals are “generous, delicious, well-presented traditional and nontraditional” meals. While we’ve always been partial to the awesome breakfast fare—from peanut butter and banana stuffed French toast to breakfast sandwiches your way—their new dinner packages are a hit. Try Southern Comfort Fried Chicken, Street Taco Bar and Braised Short Rib Package for 4 (short ribs, truffle whipped potatoes, herb roasted veggies, hippie salad). Classically good for every meal.

Dixie Picnic

215 Lancaster Ave., Malvern
484-320-8024 / DixiePicnic.com

Get some good southern cooking in Pennsylvania! Huh? Maybe they’ve relocated the Mason Dixon line? Dean Prescott and Tracey Deschine, the owners of Dixie Picnic, explain they “just want to celebrate the food and family they love, all from the American South.” And so, calling on the recipes of Momma, Ruby, Bucky, Anne, Aunt Myrtle, Aunt Sadie and Aunt Bert, Dixie Picnic offers a unique, slightly Southern take on box lunches, artisan sandwiches and flavorful, fresh baked goods from the on-site bakery. Our fave is the “upcakes”: a cupcake flipped over so the tops and sides can be iced. About 20 varieties, and they’re all sooo good!

General Warren Inn

9 Old Lancaster Rd., Malvern
610-296-3637 / GeneralWarren.com

Every celebration at the General Warren is sublime. The white tablecloths are elegant; fresh flowers are inviting. Jewelry sparkles in the candlelight and smiles are reflected in the crystal-clear wine glasses. You’d expect nothing less at a place celebrating its own 275 years of hospitality. And oh, the food—shrimp cocktail and tableside-prepared Caesar salad appetizers, and Beef Wellington and grilled scallop entrees. Classic crème brulee and anything they ever offer with chocolate is so decadently delectable, whether dining in, taking out or enjoying in tents or the new igloos, bubbles or terrace huts. Thank you for adapting!

Restaurant Alba

7 W. King St., Malvern
610-644-4009 / RestaurantAlba.com

Ah, the aroma of a wood-burning stove. A smooth red wine to sip. For over 15 years, Sean and Kelly Weinberg have served up wholesome contemporary cuisine—homemade rigatoni, wild mushrooms, polenta and parmesan, grilled trout, butterscotch budino—made from high quality, locally produced foods. Think simple but sublime—bruschetta with whipped ricotta, honey and sea salt. Restaurant Alba has an ample wine list—over 100—and was recently awarded by Wine Spectator. Sean has also won a James Beard award. What’s not to love?