By Zach Brown, Berks County Eats
A good lunch spot is more than good food. It has to be fast and close to home (or work) and have good food.
Living in Wyomissing, we have a lot of great lunch spots around us. One of those is Gourmand Cafe.
For a few years, the cafe felt like it was open sporadically. Gourmand was running two food trucks and a catering business. At different times, they also had a stand at the Fairgrounds Farmers Market and a short-lived cafe in West Reading. All of this took time away from the cafe on Berkshire Boulevard.
Hours are more regular now, with Gourmand serving breakfast and lunch every day but Monday. Julie and I stopped in on a September Friday just before noon. A catering order was heading out the door as we walked in. There was one couple ahead of us at the order counter where an employee took their order, then delivered their drinks before taking our order. We were pre-warned that our food might take 20 to 25 minutes because she was also on grill duty.
We were fine with the wait and took a seat by the front window. (A couple came in behind us, received the same news, and left.)
A terrace of wicker baskets and ribbons hung above the dining room. Generic food-related primitive signs hung on the walls with simple phrases like “stay awhile” and “eat.” They stood in stark contrast to the menu board behind the counter, which was hand-drawn with little flourishes on the ends of the letters.
Thankfully for us, our meals arrived quicker than advertised, about 15 minutes after we placed the order. And in true Gourmand fashion, the portions were huge, and the presentation was top-notch.
I ordered the sub-bourbon burger, which featured a patty soaked in maple-bourbon glaze, topped with bacon, onion straws, and Cooper Sharp. On the side, an intimidating mound of French fries.
The burger was huge, a half-pound patty that was thick but cooked perfectly. It had a mild sweetness from the glaze, but it wasn’t overpowering. The Cooper Sharp was the right cheese choice, beautifully melted to hold everything together. It was delicious and satisfying.
It was almost too satisfying because I barely touched the mound of French fries. They were good, simple shoestring fries, but most of them went home in a takeout box.
Julie went with one of her favorite sandwiches — a tuna melt. Gourmand’s version is nothing like any other tuna melt in Berks. It’s served open-faced with melted Swiss, not uncommon in itself, but then Gourmand adds bruschetta and balsamic drizzle. The side of seasoned pretzels — cinnamon sugar for Julie — was placed in the middle of the four slices of rye.
The result was a plate with barely a speck of whitespace and a dish that goes from a traditional hand-held sandwich to a meal that requires at least a fork for cleanup work. The tuna itself was delicious. It tasted freshly made. The bruschetta, balsamic drizzle, and tuna made an unexpected combo, but they worked really well together.
The seasoned pretzels are a classic Gourmand side, lighter than fries but still substantial. Like me, Julie couldn’t finish her meal, taking more than a quarter of it home with her.
Both our meals were $12, so our final total was around $26 with tax, a great price for the amount of food. (We skipped drinks and stuck with the free water). And despite warnings to the contrary, our food arrived quickly and was exactly what we were hoping for.
I’m glad Gourmand is back to its consistent hours. Maybe we will be back more consistently.
BCE Rating
Food: Very Good
Ambiance: Good
Service: Good
Price: $$
Gourmand Cafe
945 Berkshire Blvd.
Wyomissing, PA 19610
This story was contributed courtesy of Berks County Eats, a local resource for food and dining information. Berks County Eats is dedicated to promoting the dining scene in Reading and Berks County, PA, offering restaurant reviews, news, and events, and a comprehensive Berks County restaurant directory. You can read more at berkscountyeats.com.
