Best Restaurants In Lower Merion (And The Main Line)
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Go ahead and bookmark this page, so that when your favorite dining companions complain that they are tired of eating at the same old places, you can point to these two dozen top picks, and a few hundred opinions about them, expressed by knowledgeable and opinionated Main Line Foodies.
And then you can have a whole new high class problem – too many great places to choose from and not being able to decide where to dine.
What began a decade ago as a Belgian bar with a novel Mexican twist has settled in, refined its Euro-taqueria bistro menu, and evolved into so much more than just a great beer bar.
The meat-centric menu is not always as consistent (or original) as it should be for the prices, though the prime burger is memorable and the dry-aged rib eye is tasty.
A stylish and expansive suburban sibling to their compact bi-level Rittenhouse ode to authentic regional Chinese cuisine. This branch serves similar excellent takes on spicy Sichuan and Taiwanese flavors.
This BYOB has “ladies who brunch” written all over it. And this kitchen delivered one of the best midday meals of my summer: a perfect waffle topped with fresh fruit
I’ve been impressed at each visit with both the quality and complexity of his beans, whether it’s the round and fruity GST espresso (Gryphon Standard Time), or a bag of Guatemalan Rio Azul — full of raspberry, citrus, sage, and bitter-cocoa notes — inspired by a trip to the farm in Guatemala.
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It no longer feels like a three-beller, but it remains a favorite for a special occasion, with the added bonus of good sushi from the Japanese restaurant on the second floor.
It’s all about the live fire at Sean and Kelly Weinberg’s Malvern oasis, where the aromatic wood grill and the flavors of Northern Italy pair with excellent service and great Piedmont wines for a refined rustic vibe that makes for one of the best overall dining experiences in the suburbs.
I loved everything at our brunch, from the buttery chocolate croissants to irresistible cookies and even the pizza. But my highlight was the refined simplicity of an ultimate PB&J, a crusty slice from the bread station slathered with fresh-ground peanut butter and house rhubarb jam.
The food at the rustic Italian BYOB called Fraschetta is always interesting … Demontis manages to coax powerful flavors from good ingredients with smart but simple combinations.
The menu combines the Italian-Med plates of the downtown Tredici with the pizzas of its Zavino sibling, and the kitchen has been delivering with even more precision.
I’ve been especially impressed with the hand-pressed sopes, the simple freshness of the marinated shrimp tacos, the crackly crisp tostada rounds, and pretty much anything in the excellent tomatillo-tanged salsa verde.
We both ordered fajitas, her the chicken and me the carnitas, which were well seasoned with that bit of crispiness that well make carnitas, carnitas. Read more
This is the place to taste the widest array of the ever-changing brews along with a menu of traditional and unconventional tacos — curried cauliflower, carnitas, chicken verde — as well as hummus plates and a good burger topped with HopHands mustard.
The kale salad was the highlight along with the shroom spud balls (both recommended). The vburger and samosas were okay. As for the beer – I wanted something that tasted like beer and not sweet and/or sour fruit drink. The waiter seemed daunted at this idea but the result was satisfying if not spectacular. Read more
This elegant French sweets boutique is like a slice of Paris just steps from the Ardmore train station. French-born brothers Joseph and Antoine Amrani, two veterans of the Georges Perrier orbit, are behind the textbook truffles, colorful macarons, and flaky Viennoiserie
It’s true prize is the okonomiyaki, the delicious savory pancake-omelet hybrid streaked with a lattice of tangy dark sauce and Kewpie mayo, plus shaved bonito flakes that seemingly dance atop the surface in the pancake’s heat.
If you crave a tuna fix, the high-grade bluefin being sliced into toro tastings and platters of colorful maki rolls (Benty, Ramp Roll, Ai Maki) and sashimi set this ambitious newcomer a worthy half-step above the suburban average.
Chill beside the live plant wall with a crema-topped shot from the “green engine” La Marzocco espresso machine, a glass of cold-brew off the nitro tap, or a hot pour-over of Rival Bros. beans at this very cool café beside the Haverford train station.
The kitchen veers liberally from tradition, but leans on indulgent scratch cooking (lots of pork belly and duck confit) to embellish dishes ranging from tacos to Cubano sandwiches and foie gras pierogi. Don’t miss the corn crème brûlée for dessert.
The sushi here is stellar and creative, but don’t miss the crisp lobster dumplings and great steamed pork buns, as well as the wild boar lo mein, tea-smoked salmon curry, butter-poached lobster pad Thai and seasonal specials
It’s no surprise a line forms before the window curtains are lifted each morning. If there’s a better croissant in the region, I haven’t had it. All the pastries here are simply magnifiques.
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Greek classics are also well-wrought, from flakey spinach pie to tender octopus, lamb chops and moussaka, plus tomatoey shrimp Saganaki.
The hummus is silky smooth, and the bread has just a perfect hint of char.. The zucchini and eggplant chips are delicately fried and light and delicious. We always go for the seafood menu. My husband gets the grilled prawns, which are some kind of ginormous, prehistoric prawn species. Read more
It is those prepared food counters where Carlino’s really excels, with great tomato pie, homey soups, myriad variations on labor-itensive lasagnas, tender chicken scallopine and fresh-baked sweets, including cannolis and an olive oil cake my friend Dan swears by
The matzo ball soup, amped-up with a “mishmash” of kreplach, bow ties and rice, had a soulful natural broth flavor. The pickle bar was abundant. And most importantly, the house-made corned beef was superbly tender and full of flavor.
A recent meal in Haverford was satisfying, with truffled Kennett Square mushroom soup, mini-latkes draped in smoked salmon, tender Asian duck skewers over soba noodles and a memorable “Twenty Layer” lasagna. With entrée prices routinely tipping into the $30s and above (the burger starts at $19?!) it feels a bit overpriced.
