NORTH COVENTRY – If you’ve ever wondered “where’s the beef?” the Mercury Muncher has found it. It’s at Coventry Pub, and they have the right to boast the roast.

Since 1960 Coventry Pub has served roast beef sandwiches, hand carved from a slow-cooked tender beef round while you watch, the same way since the restaurant opened. While 35-year tenured owner Bill Owen has been recently making improvements to the building, such as new air conditioning, and dining room and bathroom renovations, the roast beef is one untouchable recipe for success that is steeped in tradition.

Coventry Pub also offers appetizers, soups and salads, burgers, hand-carved sandwiches and desserts. A variety of home-style dishes are offered, including pot pie, shepherds pie, and beef stew.

Soups such as French onion and chili complement the soup of the day, which changes daily. There is one soup that Coventry Pub is especially known for: The fresh snapper soup is a delicious break from the ordinary culinary options. The snapper meat comes to the restaurant in a turtle shell and is cooked in house. Generous portions of the meat complement the thick beefy sauce to create a homemade delicacy.

Weekly specials such as “Yuengs and wings”, Taco Tuesday and pasta night give diners a reason to visit Coventry Pub every day. On Sunday’s, a dinner entrée purchase comes with a free dessert.

For those looking to fill a frosty mug, there are 11 beers on tap, including local craft beers from Lancaster Brewing Company and Victory Brewing of Downingtown, as well as Spaten seasonal beer from Germany.

For a sweet treat, Wert’s birch beer is also offered.

One of the best features of Coventry Pub is the hometown feeling you get when you walk in the door. A disc jukebox stuffed with oldies, doo-wop, classic country and timeless hits creates an enjoyable ambience that keeps regular customers happy and makes new ones feel comfortable.

With a friendly staff, televisions playing local sports games, and country furnishings adorning the building, it’s easy to feel at home. And that’s just the tradition Coventry Pub has been creating for more than 50 years.

The Muncher recommends:

Freshly-carved roast beef sandwich au jus on a crusty Kaiser roll

Homemade snapper soup: snapper meat, tomatoes, celery, onions, carrots, traditional herbs and spices in a thick brown sauce

LINFIELD – Tucked away next to a curving part of the road at 1233 Main St. in Linfield, Serendipity Café is one local eatery that offers the perfect combination of value and quality. For a restaurant that features 6-inch cheese steaks and hoagies for $2.99 and Italian Zeps for just $2.59, it is hard to disagree.

“I guarantee you won’t get better for less,” said owner Kenneth Kopystecki. Kopystecki is proud of the establishment, which he continuously worked to improve since 2004, when he purchased the restaurant formerly known as Randy’s Mini Market.

Renovations include adding pizzeria facilities in 2005, interior renovations including the installation of two wheelchair-accessible restrooms in 2006, and the implementation of SuzyQ’s ice cream shop to the facility in 2007. Services include local delivery, catering, and pizza, hoagie, and zep fundraising options.

Breakfast is served until 11 a.m., and after that one can enjoy a full ensemble of burgers, hoagies, grinders, steaks, pizzas, strombolis and much more. For dessert, treat yourself to hand-dipped Nelson’s ice cream and hand-spun super thick milkshakes.

Serendipity Café stands out from the crowd by offering some of the best specials in town. Where else can you enjoy free Yuengling lager or fountain soda with daily eat-in food specials? The inflation fighter lunchbox special includes a 6-inch cheesesteak, fresh-cut boardwalk fries and a fountain drink for just $4.99.

Pairing a stacked lineup of food options with a courteous hometown atmosphere is something that makes Serendipity Café stand out from the rest. The management and staff strive to provide prompt, friendly service, high quality food at a good value, and a pleasant and enjoyable experience for all.

Serendipity Café is open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and is closed Sundays and holidays. For more information call 610-495-6239 or visit www.serendipitycafe.biz.

The Muncher recommends:

Zep: Cooked salami, Genoa salami, capicola, provolone cheese, tomato, onion, and an Italian oil that features oil, vinegar and Italian seasonings

PHOENIXVILLE — Foresta’s Country Market was started in 1934 on Church Street in Phoenixville. Four generations later, the business is now at 1098 W. Bridge St. Daily offerings include full-service meat, deli and grocery products, as well as catering and prepared foods.
A special feature of Foresta’s is the grab and go selection, where shoppers can quickly choose from a variety of freshly prepared foods. Freshness is a staple at the market, where premium-quality foods are prepared on site.

The goal of the restaurant is to ensure the highest quality of foods by demanding high standards from all of their suppliers. The staff is happy to provide the combination of excellent food and service to the community. As the premier local butcher, the store’s meat case showcases a variety of cuts ranging from poultry, beef, pork and more.Visiting www.forestasmarket.com takes the viewer to an array of weekly specials, including a variety of specialty meat packages. Also offered are details of pig roasts and deer processing services.

Foresta’s is open Monday to Thursday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call 610-935-1777.

The Muncher recommends:

Steak Lovers Package

USDA Choice Beef

2 T-Bone Steaks ¾-inch thick

4 New York Strip Steaks ¾-inch thick

2 Boneless Sirloin ¾-inch think

4 Delmonico Steaks ¾-inch think

2 London Broil 2 1/2 to 3 lbs.

2 Top Round Steaks ½-inch think

BOYERTOWN — When you strive to make your products the best that they can be, it helps to have the freshest ingredients possible. For Frecon’s Hard Bean Café, using locally grown ingredients from Frecon Farms has created a bona fide recipe for success.

“We don’t cut costs to make a great drink,” said Hank Frecon, who has owned the business since August 2009. Fine distinctions, such as avoiding powder mixes and making their own whipped cream, separate the Hard Bean from the typical coffee shop.

Frecon, who helps run the family-owned Frecon Farms, bases the shop’s use of fresh products on the Frecon Farms model. He described the farm’s whole foods model as one where certain fats and sugars are done right and not processed.

Included on the drink menu is a full lineup of fresh-brewed coffee, espresso, cappuccino, lattes and other specialty drinks, including all-natural smoothies made with Frecon Farms fruit. Fresh wraps, breakfast sandwiches, cookies, cakes and pies round out the food assortment, and Frecon hopes to develop the full-service lunch menu.

Complementing the wide array of food and drink options, the Hard Bean offers weekly live entertainment, utilizing their recently upgraded stage and sound system to present the best in local music.

“We want to get in people’s Friday and Saturday night plans,” said Frecon.
Featuring live music every Friday and Saturday night from 8 to 11 p.m., The Hard Bean showcases artists from a number of genres, including singer/songwriter, bluegrass, country and jazz. Open Mic nights are held every second and fourth Thursday of the month at 7 p.m.

In addition to giving teens and families a place to go, the Hard Bean works to create a professional environment for their musicians.

“We built a new stage with new lighting and sound infrastructure. Artists just have to show up. (We’re) giving them a venue to feel like a true artist,” Frecon said.

For Frecon’s Hard Bean, creating the hometown feeling of friendliness comes natural to them. Frecon summed up the mission of the store, which is to “provide a pleasant atmosphere for the community to enjoy specialty drinks and entertainment.”

As the Mercury Muncher enjoyed a wrap and a coffee on the front porch, it couldn’t help but agree.