By Zach Brown, Berks County Eats
While there are plenty of places in Berks County for a date night, there are far fewer places that Julie and I choose to visit for special occasions.
One of the restaurants that has become a celebration spot for us is Mom Chaffe’s Cellarette in West Reading.
It has been more than a decade since our first visit (and review) of Mom Chaffe’s. Our last visit came three years ago during West Reading Restaurant Week.
Three years is a long time, so we were ready to go back, and with our anniversary approaching, Mom Chaffe’s felt like the perfect place to celebrate.
We arrived about 15 minutes early for our 6 p.m. reservations. We were surprised to find the dining room mostly empty. Apparently, everyone else had reservations for 6 or 6:30 because it quickly filled up behind us with just a few tables left open just a short time later.
The restaurant is celebrating 90 years in 2026, and the dining room maintains a lot of historic charm — from the ornate bar to the framed oil paintings that fill the walls to the chandeliers that hang from the textured ceiling. The table linens add to the upscale feel, but Mom Chaffe’s still feels approachable, and there were plenty of diners in the room dressed casually.
Our server was with us quickly. Even after the room filled up, she was never far when we needed something.
Mom Chaffe’s has a relatively small menu, especially compared to other Italian restaurants in the area. That’s not to say there aren’t plenty of choices — from traditional pastas with red sauce and a choice of meat to more creative seafood and veal dinners. And there are always great specials.
We ordered one of the restaurant’s appetizer specials: prosciutto-wrapped melon.
It was a very different, but very enjoyable, dish. It featured three thick slices of cantaloupe wrapped in thin slices of prosciutto atop a bed of greens. Everything was then drizzled with balsamic vinegar.
There were moments with the balsamic and the general brightness of it that reminded me of Caprese, but the sweet and salty combination of the melon and prosciutto was unique — and very enjoyable.
For my main course, I again ordered off the specials menu — penne pasta with hot Italian sausage in a vodka sauce. It was excellent — exactly the right amount of spice to add flavor and make me feel it while not being unbearable. The vodka sauce would have been good even without the meat, creamy and delicious. And the pasta held it all together well. If it were a regular menu item, I would order it again.
Julie went with one of Mom Chaffe’s classic entrees — the lasagna. Only available Thursday through Saturday, it’s a favorite of many. And you can include us among those after this meal. The lasagna comes in a large crock with layers of noodles and ricotta cheese topped with a delicious red sauce.
Our meals also came with salads, and Julie and I both decided on the Parmesan peppercorn dressing. The salads are simple — greens with onions, a couple of cherry tomatoes, some cucumber, and sliced carrots. The dressing was delicious, a little thick, but with the nutty notes of Parmesan and the little spice of the pepper.
Because of the salads — and because we wanted to save room for dessert — we both took half of our meals home for dinner the next night.
The dessert options change regularly. On this night, it was the coconut cake that caught our attention. Layers of white cake were separated by frosting with coconut flakes on the icing and the plate. There was also a dollop of whipped cream that added just that little extra decadence to it. Overall, it was a great way to finish the meal.
In total, including an iced tea for me and a mixed drink for Julie, we spent about $100 on food and drinks, but that included four courses and enough entrees for leftovers. The food was excellent, too, so I would say it was well worth the price.
At 90 years old, Mom Chaffe’s is as good as ever — good enough to keep us coming back for more.
BCE Rating
Food: Excellent
Ambiance: Excellent
Service: Very Good
Price: $$$
Mom Chaffe’s Cellarette
148 Tulpehocken Ave.
West Reading, PA 19611
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.
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