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Route 61 Diner

3.5 (81 reviews)
Open • Open 24 hours

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ROUTE 61 DINER ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Good for groups
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - Route 61 Diner

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Shrimp Stir-Fry
Lindsay L.

I have been coming to this diner for a LONG time. I'm 30 years old and still remember growing up coming to this diner as a kid. It has gone through a lot of changes over the years and recently I came here with my parents and boyfriend on a Saturday for lunch. It was busy (good thing)! Everyone was attended to from what I could see. Food was great, vibe was also great. Salad bar is delicious. I will always recommend this diner, never had a bad service here. Everyone is so friendly as well!

Nice counter seating
Elaine H.

The food is diner food. Nothing exquisite. My husband got the wings. They are not seasoned only tossed in buffalo. The grilled chicken sandwich was also bland and he got steak and eggs. The American cheese was laid on top of the eggs and looked like plastic. I'm sure it was Kraft American singles. The onion rings were very tasty though. The waitress was nice. It was late night so the service was pretty quick. The restaurant looks very clean.

2 eggs over easy with hash browns & rye toast
George S.

Folks this is a Diner, expect nothing more than Diner food done right at the right price with friendly local service!

a plate of food on a table

Came to Reading for a wedding and decided to say an extra day. Then I found this fabulous gem! Huge portions, clean, and so reasonably priced. We forgot to take pictures before we ate but I think the empty plates say it all. Did I mention the salad and soup bar??

Cindi H.

Came back for the late night menu and it was just as good! Highly recommend eating here!

Fry's and grill cheese

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10 years ago

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Cafe Sweet Street - Chocolate chip cookies

Cafe Sweet Street

4.5(99 reviews)
1.5 mi
•$$
Vegetarian friendly
Vegan friendly

This is one of my favorite restaurants. I don't go out to eat much because I am handicapped and…read morecannot walk. Sweet Street has really good food and desserts. I was telling my caregiver last week that we need to go there soon. The owners are very friendly.

WORK REVIEW: poor leadership and HR enablement created a dysfunctional work…read more * this is my opinion based on my experience working there* I was the assistant manager at Cafe Sweet Street for a little less than a year. I have a lot of experience in management in another industry but I was excited to get this role as I've always wanted to get into food. Upon starting, my experience was great. It's a fairly easy job and you also get a free meal each shift. That being said, when I was told about all the turnover they experienced - I was confused. I was primarily tasked with running the front of house. The General manager(GM) was also the head chef and primarily managed the kitchen staff. During my first few weeks there, the front of house girls trained me on what to do and it became clear very quickly, that no one had properly trained them. There were no standard expectations set for cleanliness, how food or drinks should be made, and the girls just kind of did whatever they wanted. I quickly took action to set expectations, improve customer service, re-train the girls on cleanliness issues and how to operate the coffee bar. Over the course of my year there, it became very clear to me that the GM was a primary issue. He was rarely present in the cafe, did not take the time to train his people or set expectations, yet, GM would seemingly get upset when things were not done to his liking. Other issues that I observed goes as follows: GM would be passive or speak condescendingly to the girls, make it difficult for more than one person to call off at a time, would not help the FOH staff out if they needed it, and would never take responsibility/accountability when he was wrong. GM would react unprofessional when a pregnant team member started to have a lot of appointments because it would mess up the schedule. Due to frequent call offs, there were many times where I had to close kitchen and FOH alone because GM could not be bothered to stay beyond his scheduled time. It was a running joke throughout all of Sweet Street that he was an asshole. And if you did not know, he is also related to the owners.. which he would often complain about the owner and how she was extremely difficult. Anyways, when I went to finally address these issues with him, he wanted to have a meeting with HR. When we had that meeting, it was a "surprise review" for me rather than a conversation to address some of my concerns as we had previously agreed on. GM took this opportunity to turn the issues on me and made it seem like I was the one who was not doing my job. Mind you, I did not have a single write up my whole time there. As a result of this "meeting" turned ambush, I decided to resign right then and there. When I finally got to addressing my issues, the head of HR (HHR) all of Sweet Street decided to dismiss all of them, gaslight me and continued to enable GM by avoiding any form of accountability. I want to make this abundantly clear: HHR only seems to care about protecting Sweet Street the company, not the employees. I have visited the cafe a few times since resigning because I still have old co-workers there who I visit and the food is decent. Well, my last time visiting the cafe The HHR approached me and asked to speak with me. When getting to her office, she very rudely flooded me with questions, one of which was "why would you ever come back to the cafe?"(mind you, I am a customer who has returned to the cafe several times to eat since resigning). When I told her that I still have old co-workers here and do not mind supporting the cafe by eating here, I was told "we don't need your support" and that I am not welcome here. This is both funny and ironic because the cafe does not seem to be receiving a lot of business most of the time and would more than likely benefit from my support. I suppose what I had addressed from the "meeting turned ambush" left an impression. Anyways, i will not be going back but this is an FYI to anyone applying. I have even heard that they already turned around a couple more people.

Photos
Cafe Sweet Street - Some seating and view of seconds freezer

Some seating and view of seconds freezer

Cafe Sweet Street - Jambalaya with rice

Jambalaya with rice

Cafe Sweet Street - Ambiance

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Ambiance

Fresh - Downtown Omelette, no cheese.

Fresh

4.5(62 reviews)
3.5 mi

A cute breakfast spot! Lots of options it known for their sticky buns. We got one with the pecan…read moretopping option, it was delicious and not too sweet which was refreshing for an American treat. I got the avocado toast with two eggs over hard and a side of bacon. The bacon was a bit salty, as bacon can be but the rest of the meal was spot on. Our waitress was attentive and friendly as was all the staff.

Fresh was a mainstay in the brunch rotation that also included, Barley Mow, B2, and Chatty Monks…read more(RIP). It probably has the least amount of seating of the bunch, so combined with their no reservation policy, timing is everything. Weekdays are usually pretty calm, but weekends are a madhouse. Sunday hours are also a bit tighter, open from 9am to 1pm instead of the usual 8am-2pm, so something to be aware of. The food, service, and decor all get high marks. Bonus points for serving sides of jelly in miniature sealable jars. When I see jars, it tells me the owner isn't cheaping out on anything. You won't find any stinkin' plastic ramekins here. Only earthen, stoneware plates and shiny copper mule mugs. Fresh is the rare boutique-class brunchery that respects diners' space by generously giving it to them. With its compact storefront, it was a pleasant surprise to see they didn't try to cram as many tables as physically possible in the dining room. That means on even the busiest of days, you aren't forced to sit on top of your neighbor. This property has an interesting history, having been home to one of my favorite brunch spots back in the day, Bistro 614. Then, back in 2014 it burned down, managed to rebuild and reopen a little over a year later before closing down for good in 2019. Years went by where it was just a barren, neglected empty shell, and people started to wonder if anything, much less a bistro replacement, would ever move in. Our prayers were answered in 2022, and with its opening Fresh instantly became one of the trendier brunch destinations in town. Going more for quaint than SoHo chic, dining here feels like visiting an old friend, an old friend who burned down and bummed around aimlessly for a long, dark stretch, but came back better than ever.

Photos
Fresh
Fresh - My empty martini ( sad face)

My empty martini ( sad face)

Fresh - Coffee and tea

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Coffee and tea

Marvel Ranch - Mini Minimess

Marvel Ranch

3.5(59 reviews)
3.4 mi
•$

The staff were super friendly, and my waitress Rachel was awesome at explaining all the options for…read morethe mini mess. It was my first time stopping in, but definitely not my last. I even heard the cooks in the kitchen making a big deal about me being a first timer, which was pretty cool. I was also surprised at how low the prices were for how much food you get. Already looking forward to going back!

We were in Reading, PA for a show at the Santander Center last weekend and stayed overnight so in…read morethe morning we looked for a local breakfast place and happened upon Marvel Ranch. It's in the downtown of Reading on a corner. There is plenty of parking on the street. We walked in and there was a sign that said we should seat ourselves. There were quite a few open tables at that time so we picked a table that had a bench seat on one side and a chair on the other. The decor was simple yet updated. The seats were comfortable. We were soon greeted by a friendly server who got us drinks. The menu has many breakfast options, including eggs, sandwiches, omelettes, and messes. I didn't feel like having any meat, so I ordered two over easy eggs with rye toast, and added on their cheesy home fries. My husband ordered the big mess, which was a mixture of eggs, potatoes, onions, peppers, cheese, and he added in hot beef Italian sausage. It came with toast. That dish was huge! He really enjoyed it because he cleaned his plate. My dish also was wonderful. I loved the cheesy home fries paired up with the eggs to sop up the yolk. We did notice that they do a lot of food delivery business, with at least six people waiting to pick up food at any given time. By the time we left, the place was almost full. If we lived in Reading, we would frequent Marvel Ranch all the time. The food was great, the service was wonderful, the prices were reasonable, and the people were friendly. When we got home, we did watch the Gordon Ramsay Secret Service episode from earlier in the year and the staff really took what he had to say to heart and are still killing it!

Photos
Marvel Ranch
Marvel Ranch - French Toast with bananas

French Toast with bananas

Marvel Ranch - I got off the old menu. But looks like you get more now! The food was so good! Better than before!

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I got off the old menu. But looks like you get more now! The food was so good! Better than before!

The Pike Cafe - Undercooked

The Pike Cafe

3.8(129 reviews)
2.1 mi
•$$

This is the perfect neighborhood eatery. The key is the menu, and the quality of the food. It was…read morelocated across the street from the venue we were playing at, and this was a pleasant surprise. The menu had great variety and the place was packed. Plenty of tv's and entertainment. They have everything from fajitas, to steaks, to burgers, and more. I would definitely give it a try if in the market, as this is a winner winner chicken dinner.

What a place! I stopped in here for an appetizer and a few beers before the Death Angel show down…read morethe street at Club Reverb. Based on the number of metal-shirt-wearing folks at the restaurant, I figured I'd found the best local spot before the show. Next time I'm at the Pike Cafe I'll get more to eat; this time all I needed was something small and their bruschetta plate was just what I'd been in the mood for. I haven't had bruschetta this style before, with a bowl of the bruschetta components and the bread separately. It was unbelievably good. I wish I was eating it again right now, as I type this. I didn't try the fries, but my friend did, and he said they were some of the best fries he's ever had. The servers were friendly and beer prices reasonable (Sunday nights, Miller Lites $3!). The people next to me got to pull a number out of a raffle, or something like that, since they were wearing sports clothing. So, something to keep in mind next time.

Photos
The Pike Cafe - Another angle.

Another angle.

The Pike Cafe
The Pike Cafe - Dozen Wings (1/2 mild and 1/2 sweet chili)

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Dozen Wings (1/2 mild and 1/2 sweet chili)

Judy's on Cherry - Mrs. Wesner's Coconut Layer Cake

Judy's on Cherry

3.9(258 reviews)
3.5 mi
•$$

Great spot for more formal dining with ample dining space located upstairs (there is an elevator…read morefor those who need it). The menu offers appetizers, soups, pasta, pizzas, salads, entrees, and desserts with at least several options under each heading. The food was tasty and well cooked, and the portions were ample to generous. The service was attentive. The establishment makes it clear that there is a mandatory gratuity for groups of six or larger, split checks are not guaranteed for larger groups, and there is a 3% surcharge for credit card transactions. Be mindful of what you order. It can add up quickly. My companion and I wracked up a $200 bill between our drinks, appetizers, entrees, and dessert. Free parking is available after 5pm in the Cherry Street Parking Lot.

Stopped in for dinner and drinks before a show right when they opened and sat at the bar in the…read moreback area. They have a large hearth wood fired oven in the center, and the place has a rustic feel. Cocktail menu has some classy drinks on it. Drinks were made fine and priced reasonably well. The dinner menu has a bit of everything. Cowboy ciao salmon salad was crispy and fresh, large and chock full of mix-ins. The steak and gorgonzola pizza was perfectly cooked and the gorgonzola was phenomenally savory! Definitely was surprised how good this combo was on a pizza. Had peach tart for dessert which was alright but felt a bit lacking after such a strong dinner. Presentation on all food / drink was quite nice. Overall, everything was great. Thanks

Photos
Judy's on Cherry - Comfortable to eat at the bar

Comfortable to eat at the bar

Judy's on Cherry - Fig appetizer

Fig appetizer

Judy's on Cherry - Aviation cocktail

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Aviation cocktail

Route 61 Diner - diners - Updated May 2026

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