Gracie’s 21st Century Cafe

The only reason I’m giving this establishment one star is because the waitress was so nice! We actually went there for a meal after trying to cancel due to the birthday girl breaking her back today. I called Gracie and asked her if we could cancel. She explained to me that we could but with huffs she said she requires a 24 hour cancelation and she turned people away cause of our reservation. This policy by the way is not on her website saying cancelation must be 24 hours advance or your credit card will be charged. Or group did then go to the restaurant even though we did not want to due to the circumstances. We planned on just getting drinks and appetizers for a courtesy and informed the waitress of this and we asked her to speak to Gracie if we should stay at the table or free the table and go to the bar. Gracie then came out and was very rude! She told us that we could leave but needed to tip the waitress which we did cause she was very accommodating to us. Gracie herself asked us what hospital our friend was in so she could check. We didn’t lie about this incident and why would we go if we did! We gladly left and paid the waitress for her time. I don’t know how the food is cause we didn’t taste it but I personally will never give my business to such a person and I suggest you do the same and stay away from this rude and ignorant owner of this restaurant.

I don’t mind spending $ 38 for an entrée or $ 18 for a mixed drink but if I’m paying for it, you must deliver and unfortunately Gracie’s fell far short. I guess we should have realized there may be an issue if we got a table for two at 6:30 on a Saturday’s and shared the restaurant with maybe 3 other couples the whole night. I will say that the service was excellent, staff was friendly, attentive, and personable; I was concerned it would be overly slow based on other reviews but the pace of the meal was perfect (it did take a while but we enjoyed our conversation and our glasses were full). The food was mediocre. It would’ve been ok if we weren’t paying so much for it. It was definitely not worth it. Drinks were outrageous, martinis with bottom shelf liquor at $ 18/​each is just not right. Beer was reasonable (but warm) and wine was steep ($ 12/​glass for Malbec that goes for about the same price for a bottle). It’s unfortunate because this place could be great if it just didn’t try to be something it’s not. Sadly, We won’t be back

Definitely overpriced for both food and drinks and service was slooooowwww. We had reservations so we were seated immediately upon arrival. The building itself and décor are cool and interesting. The staff were polite but not attentive until they realized we had been waiting for our appetizer for almost an hour, which by the was a cheese plate. The first food to reach our table was an hour and a half after we were seated. That offering was one small piece of bread with some crackers and ice cold butter. Our two entrees included my paella which was just okay. The asparagus had absolutely no taste, blah, blah, bland. My partner is a better cook but as this was his birthday dinner, I didn’t feel quite right asking him to cook his own celebratory meal. Too bad I didn’t. I would have saved a lot of money and had a much more satisfying meal. He ordered the duck which did have a good flavor but in his opinion not worth the price tag. The greens were a «muddled mess.» We were offered 2 complimentary drinks for our long wait but that did not negate our disappointing experience. Almost 100% sure we won’t be back again.

A group of friends and I had reservations to celebrate a friend’s birthday. The day of our reservation, our guest of honor fell from a ladder and broke vertebrae in her back. Gracie informed the person that had made the reservation for our party that we could not cancel or reschedule without being charged a fee. The rest of our group went to Gracie’s so that our friend was not charged a fee for the table. We were no longer in the mood to celebrate, but planned on having drinks and appetizers. Apparently this was not enough $$ for her, even at her exorbitant prices, because Gracie came to our table and was probably the rudest that I’ve ever seen anyone behave in my life. She informed us that we should leave, that our friend’s misfortune had no bearing on her business, that she could have filled our table (even though the entire restaurant was empty), and even had the nerve to ask which hospital our friend was sent to, because she felt we were lying. She actually told us we should leave multiple times and demanded we leave a $ 70 tip for the waitress, even though we received no service AND were told to leave because we weren’t spending enough money. We did gladly tip the waitress because none of this was her fault and she appeared to be mortified at Gracie’s behavior. I have NEVER seen such rude behavior. Had she just been understanding of what happened to our friend, we likely would have rescheduled and spent a great deal of money here. Please reconsider giving your business to this awful woman.

A friend of mine recommended Gracies so I booked a reservation to celebrate my birthday with my husband. I looked at the menu online but never read the reviews, huge mistake. I kind of wondered why no prices were listed on their online menu.
The service was awful, I worked in fine dining while I was in college so I’m usually lenient when it comes to people making mistakes or being busy but our waitress never checked in on us — not once, our food took an hour to arrive and was bland at best. When we arrived there was only one other couple in the restaurant so I’m not sure why things took so long. I could have made a better meal at home in half of the time. I overheard the table next to us complaining about the portion and prices too, saying they were trapped onced they sat down.
The vegetables were not even al dente but undercooked and charred. They were unappetizing to say the least, my fish and my husbands filet were mediocre at best and the size for the price is mind-​boggling.
I was so annoyed with the whole night out and wasting $ 100 on 2 entrees that I asked the first staff member I saw for the check. I had hopes of having a new fun place close to home but I should have known better from Berks county. We left after cutting our losses and I went home and had a bowl of cereal. Happy birthday to me.

This was supposed to be a special occasion for my son’s 51^st birthday which I mentioned to them when I made the reservation. Needless to say our waiter said that so many people arrived at the same time and we had to wait 45 minutes to get a menu, but he was very happy to get our drink request and they arrived before the menus! Next we waited about 1 hour to get some bread — mentioned this many times. My daughter-​in-​law mentioned to me that her glass of red wine cost $ 16 which is outrageous. Finally our meal was served after 2 hours. My filet mignon of pork was delicious and tender, but it was accompanied by totally raw carrots and string beans that were not cooked? Other people at our table ordered the salmon which was very good and the vegetables that were with it. After looking at our watches we realized that we had been there for 3 hours and it was 10:00. Our waiter came by and asked if we wanted coffee and dessert, but we didn’t want to make it a 4 hour event and declined for 2 reasons — the seats are very uncomfortable and the coffee and desserts would undoubtedly be over priced. We all agreed that this restaurant was not worth the $$$ and wait time.

Gracie’s is truly one of a kind… set in the peaceful PA countryside, Gracie and her staff take care of their guests with an eye to detail and the most exquisite service you can find in the area. Best of all, Gracie’s dishes are absolutely delicious, unique, use fresh local ingredients, and are unlike any served at restaurants around the area. Every experience at Gracie’s is at once unique, comforting, and exciting. It’s well worth the trip around the back roads to get to this countryside gem!

My husband and I ate there with some friends on February 11^th. These friends had eaten there many times before and recommended Gracie’s, though they warned us to get the Blue Plate Special as it was ‘only’ $ 15 while the regularly-​priced menu was much more exorbitant. The side of brussels sprouts for $ 15 proved them correct.
Our meals began with a salad, and instead of opting for the house vinegarette, we all paid $ 2.50 each to ‘upgrade’ to the blue cheese dressing. I struggled to find any hint of blue cheese in that dressing and found myself regretting paying the ridiculous upcharge for the apparent privilege of blue cheese. I should have just smuggled in a bottle of Wishbone as it would have been cheaper and more flavorful.
Onto the entrée. All five of us ordered the Blue Plate Special, which happened to be parmesan encrusted chicken breast on a bed of noodles. While the crust of the chicken was very flavorful, the meat itself was relatively dry and the 27 noodles on my plate were totally flavorless. I began regretting my decision to purchase this meal when I noticed something odd as I cut through my chicken breast: a piece of plastic wrap that the chef had probably used to flatten the chicken before frying it. As much as I like gagging on plastic wrap, I flagged down the owner and pointed out that I found a piece of plastic wrap in my food and returned the plate to her. She came out moments later with a newly-​cooked breast sans plastic but at that point, I really wasn’t in the mood to tempt fate.
The $ 15 side of brussels sprouts which were brought out late (we were one of three occupied tables in the restaurant) were cooked well but like the noodles, totally devoid of flavor. For a $ 15 side of brussels sprouts that was no bigger than what I’d get at my company’s cafeteria, I’d expect at least a modicum of flavor.
As far as drinks, I stuck to water as I was pre-​warned by my friends that soft drinks were expensive and there were no free refills. Quite frankly, after paying $ 15 for brussels sprouts and $ 2.50 for a drizzle of bland blue cheese dressing on my salad, I’m surprised that the tap water in my glass didn’t cost me a kidney.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been to places that are MUCH worse than Gracie’s, both in terms of service and ambiance. But for the prices the owner charges, we customers should expect FAR better products than completely bland food laced with foreign objects. Maybe we just came on an off night, I don’t really know. But I’ll never find out as I’m not going to waste my money on a return trip.

After perusing the nearby restaurant options on Unilocal for a birthday dinner I ran across Gracie’s. I consider myself a bit of of foodie (you can tell from my weight) and I don’t mind paying a premium for a quality restaurant so the high dollar ratings on Unilocal didn’t scare us away.
While not too familiar with the Boyertown area we did not heed the warning on the website regarding the proper way to address the location on the GPS. After a few course corrections we arrived to a quaint house like setting and were seated by a friendly and welcoming wait staff in a very cozy table nearby a huge fireplace. The ambiance is a definite plus.
We enjoyed our cocktails (that where spot on) as we studied the menu which had a nice selection; just enough while not overwhelming you with too many choices. After review we decided to go with the wine paring menu which was a four course meal including a wine selection picked by Gracie for each course.
So this is all great but what about the food — right? This is where my elation with going to a new place fades a bit. In general I think Gracie’s menu was interesting and creative. The problem was that our meal was just not executed very well. We started with Amuse-​Bouche which was a potato cake and dill sauce. The dish looked good and had good taste but was cold and soggy. Then we had the pasta course which was a vegetarian ravioli which came out with the same lack of vigor — good taste, luke warm and limp pasta. Followed was the crab cakes which tasted ok after some seasoning. The Blood Orange Sorbet served before the main course was awesome (and frankly the best part of the meal). The main dish was a mixed grill and it was absolutely killed (and not in a good way). All of the meats were not just well done, they were practically burned so I sent it back to be re-​fired. My wife had the same dish and although not destroyed like mine, the meats were also overdone. The wine was great and the server (Brandie) could not be more accommodating. Gracie’s also made a point to stop by the table to check on the status of the re-​fire (which came out much better). For a high priced meal that it was the poor execution and lack of consistency between the dishes was disappointing.
All in all we had a great evening at Gracie’s it’s a very interesting place. We won’t write it off right away but I think we will explore other places before going back.

EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS! Yes, Gracie, Joel and the rest of the culinary and service team at Gracie’s exceed my expectations. We hosted a surprise 90^th Birthday Party for my grandmother. The execution of the event was flawless. Tara did a phenomenal job on the birthday cake, using my grandmother’s own recipe. I cannot say enough good things about my experience at Gracie’s. The energy of Gracie and her staff is infectious. Every trip I make to Boyertown will include a visit to Gracie’s. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I recommend Gracie’s to all!

Gracie’s is awesome. I stumbled upon them accidentally — thought it was a coffee shop — and met a date there. Needless to say it was a most memorable date I ever had, so much so that I later proposed marriage there and my wife and I were even married in the garden behind the restaurant. Gracie, the owner, is super smart, a world traveler, and a loving owner who brings world flavors to the area in a truly unique setting. Almost always there’s a place to sit for a wonderful dinner – its a well kept secret worth exploring at least a few times. And for a special event she is knowledgable and willing — she even planted her flower beds to match our wedding colors. Gracie has become a dear friend to us and even though we live in CA now we make time to stop by for dinner when we’re in town.

I am always so impressed with the special food preparation that Gracie offers. The food is fresh and outstanding in flavor. Thanks foot the special accommodations you always make.

I’m surprised to find two mediocre ratings for Gracie’s on Unilocal.
I work in Manhattan but our office has a headquarters not far from Gracie’s and this is the go-​to spot for people visiting the PA office. In fact, my boss now plans his trips according to Gracie’s Wed-​Sun schedule.
I had my first Gracie’s experience last week and I was not disappointed. The wine and food menu is extensive and the food is delicious. I shared the bacon wrapped shrimp (huge shrimp right off the grill– and you could taste it!) and the seafood crepes (delicious). I enjoyed the crepes and the cream sauce so much that I decided to order the crab and shrimp pasta dish modeled after the appetizer. It was fantastic. I’m told the Jamaican crab bisque, filet mignon, and duck are also delicious.
My «spliff» dessert was amazing! (Apparently Gracie is a huge fan of Jamaican culture.) It was a fried tortilla oozing with melted chocolate over ice cream. Without a doubt, I will order that any time I return.
More and more in life I am finding that you get what you pay for, Gracie’s being the perfect example.

I completely agree with previous comments about Gracie’s being pricey, sometimes I’m not sure how they’re still in business because they completely outprice the area and the portions aren’t huge, so Gracie’s ends up being a place maybe where you go for your birthday or anniversary — except that it’s not a romantic place. If they dropped their prices a bit, this would become more of a regular hangout for me. They have that private, cute setting in the middle of nowhere, the food is tasty with some great ingredients… it’s really the very very high prices (entrees in the 30s!) that keeps me away.
That being said, the food quality is fantastic, the place is quirky and fun (and yes, totally San Fran more than Pottstown area!).

This is the kind of place that you don’t find in PA; This is the kind of place that you find in SF. They use unusual ingredients in creative ways.
I have a love/​not love relationship with Gracie’s. I think it’s very expensive for the portion-​size, but other than the small amount of it, I’ve never been unhappy with my food. I would say that I love the place, except that I don’t think I’ve ever left feeling full and I’ve definitely never left without thinking to myself ‘well, that was pricey!’.
It’s a nice place to take someone for a celebratory meal when you are feeling flush with cash and you want to go out and have a good time. The service has always been good and they have a full bar. I haven’t been for awhile, but I remember thinking the bathrooms were really nice; they had lotions and the like for you to use and the décor was striking.
Gracie is actually there at the restaurant, or at least she has been more than once when I’ve been there.