Bistro 614

To West Reading locals and visitors alike, Bistro 614 had always been considered a hot spot. But in the early morning hours of June 23, 2014, the cozy eatery in the heart of town was literally on fire.
A three-​alarm blaze gutted the restaurant and displaced five tenants living in apartments above.
However, less than a year later, Bistro 614 re-​opened its doors and picked up right where it left off.
The chef offers up a concise yet diverse menu that takes full advantage of the wide spectrum of seasonal ingredients found locally in Berks County and surrounding areas.
As I’ve said before, I’d much rather prefer a small menu done well rather than 1,000 items done mediocre.
Brunch here is definitely a highlight. $ 10 gets you unlimited Mimosas, Poinsettias, and Sparkling Sun Rises.
If you’re over 21, you should be familiar with mimosas by now, as they have been a brunch staple for generations. As for the latter two drinks, they are as follows:
Poinsettia: champagne, Cointreau, and cranberry juice
Sparkling Sun Rise: vodka, simple syrup, orange juice, sparking wine
Note — you can make reservations here for ANYTHING. Lunch, dinner, brunch — you name it. The seating is a tad limited, so I suggest calling ahead just to be safe.

1^st time since the fire. Service is great. Allowed our dog to sit with us outside. Drinks were as tasty as the food.

My wife and I just had a fantastic lunch at Bistro 614. The Chicken Caprese Salad was excellent. The grilled chicken breast was juicy and well seasoned and the tomatoes were sweet and ripe. Combined with the mozzarella and balsamic drizzle it made for a light, but very satisfying salad. The Bistro Burger was amazing. First and foremost, it was cooked to a perfect medium. The beef itself was extremely flavorful and had a nice char broiled taste. The Cooper cheese had just the right amount of sharpness. The toasted ciabatta bun was perfect and made for the correct meat to bread ratio. The fries were hot, crisp and well-​seasoned. We can’t say enough about the great atmosphere and excellent service. We ate at the bar and had a nice conversation with the owner, Rol who makes a damn good Bloody Mary. This is a true gem in West Reading. Looking forward to our next visit.

Favorite place in West Reading for lunch, dinner or just yummy drinks. Service is ALWAYS great — even when we forget to make reservations.
It’s a small place, it’s polite to make reservations, especially holidays.

Delicious food is why I liked this place so much. The hubby and I arrived in Reading and were famished and in search of a good local spot for lunch. Unilocal and Siri directed us to Bistro 614.
We warily read some of the Unilocal reviews complaining mainly about (1) high prices, and (2) poor service — the poor service apparently in the form of a ‘grumpy’, ‘surly’, «old man». Well, we definitely met said gentleman at B614, who was quite vocal about his irritation that we arrived seven minutes before they were closing at 2 PM until dinner, when they reopened at 5 PM. Nevertheless, we elected to sit outside on their sidewalk seating, but still exchanged doubtful looks and whispers on whether maybe we shouldn’t meander elsewhere to one of the other sidewalk cafés that dotted the street (rather than sit through an uncomfortable lunch where it seemed we’d stumbled inadvertently on someone who definitely didn’t seem to want us there!).
Thankfully, the mood lifted instantly and the experience wholly improved to excellent once we had our actual server. We were cheerfully greeted by the sweetest young lady (can’t remember her name, she had a brown ponytail and glasses), who deftly waited on us like it was to her delight to. I ordered the grilled chicken Caprese salad, dressing on the side; my husband ordered the smoked turkey sandwich with a side salad. The weather was beautiful, so he decided to unwind with two Amstel Lites.
I wanted carbs so we ordered fries to share (I might have gotten a sandwich, had I noticed then that they offer gluten free bread as an option — always a welcome touch).
Our lunch arrived promptly — and holy deliciousness, it tasted wonderful and was beautifully presented. I expected a salad-​y salad, if that makes sense, but it certainly wasn’t! I got a filling plate of beautiful, juicy tomatoes, cut into slices and wedges, layered with plenty of soft, luscious fresh mozzarella. A juicy grilled chicken breast sidled next to the Caprese, and all was topped with both fresh basil chiffonade and whole leaves (I love basil, so I was totally won over that the salad didn’t skimp). The chef forgot to have my dressing on the side — but no harm suffered, since it wasn’t a nasty, bottled, overly sweet dressing that I had feared. I loved the rich olive oil and balsamic reduction drizzled sexily — and not overbearingly — over the Caprese and chicken.
My husband loved his sandwich (a big bad boy of a sandwich of smoked turkey-​Brie-​caramelized onion-​and Granny Smith apple, all on a Brioche bun — how delicious does that sound?!). And the French fries were A-​Mmmmmm-​azing: perfectly crispy, piping hot and cracked peppered little batter-​dipped wonders. French fries are dear to my heart, and these were some of the best I HAVE EVER HAD. I don’t know what made them so good, but they were addicting to me — we were supposed to split the order but my husband ended up getting three total and I shoveled the rest into my face.
The sweet little waitress chatted with us pleasantly and tried to lure us with desserts, which sounded wonderful but we were both stuffed (portions were generous, neither of us were able to finish our entrees). Total bill before tip was a little over $ 40. This sounds high for a lunch for two, however the two beers made up $ 10 of the bill (I drank water). The prices for the individual entrees and the large order of fries (could feed two unless you are a greedy fiend like I am) were reasonable and I would GLADLY pay those prices again for the portions and quality of food that we got. I honestly don’t think we will ever be in that area of PA ever again (there for a wedding), but if we were, we agreed we would absolutely return for lunch — and not so close to closing time. If you meet the grumpy old guy, I would just ignore him, and I think he’s probably the all-​bark-​no-​bite type (what my mom calls «quite a character»). Who knows — maybe he has severe food allergies and can’t eat anything on that delicious menu and it puts him in a bad mood. Our girl server was lovely, and I have caught myself longing more than once for those damnable fries and that Caprese salad since our visit.

Bistro 614 has a nice setting, good menu and pretty good execution of that menu. And for the most part the staff is nice and attentive. But there is an old guy that works there that is a complete ass. Not only does he get mad about you not having a reservation — even if the place is mostly empty — but he is generally pretty surly. He gets annoyed by having to get you drinks or if you have children or simply are in his line of sight seemingly.
Today I called about a reservation for Mother’s Day. Sure I waited until the day before. But his manners on the phone were completely uncalled for. He was rude and then condescending about when I should have called. So to recap, no reservation is unacceptable but calling for a reservation after there are none available makes you some sort of moron.
I hope for Penn Ave’s sake he is just some guy they can replace and not the owner. Because it’s a good and needed local spot. But I won’t be going back there while that dude is around.

First time in quite a while I ordered a medium rare steak and it was served medium rare. Delicious sides, excellent service, reasonable priced wines. The onion soup was not salty or overpowered with croûton. The broth was delicious and just right as an appertif. There were delicate treats on the table from breads to olives and dried tomatoes. We were never rushed and enjoyed a lovely table by the window.
You can not miss the local artwork as soon as you walk in. It is stunning. Will be back. I am a bit confused about the bad reviews myself. I agree more with the hidden reviews that tend to be more along with my experience.
This is a local place worth the extra couple bucks for their extra effort.

First of all, I absolutely love Bistro 614 for the atmosphere and service. However, I think their food is so-​so and overpriced. I wish they varied their menu more. Also, I never order mixed drinks there anymore — while their drinks are beautiful-​looking, I got tired of watered-​down, overpriced cosmos!

I’ve eaten lunch at Bistro 614 twice now and I’m so impressed by the food. The soups are amazing. Everything is very flavorful. Deserts made on premises. Even the coffee is high quality. Cap a great meal off with friendly and timely service and it’s done. Mark it Donnie!

Went here last night with my parents. We were surprised by the price ($ 24 is the cheapest entrée you can get). However, we were VERY happy with our food. I ate the best ribs I’ve eaten in my life. The service was very friendly and the outdoor seating was very nice. Will definitely return here.

This update was in response to the restaurants reply to my original post, which has since been deleted. «
What response do you want? That I will not spend my time or money dining at a place that I personally had a bad experience at? The food as I said was subpar and I don’t give things a second chance.»

AMAZING!!! Some of the best food I have ever eaten. Definitely the best restaurant in Reading, PA.

I hadn’t been to this restaurant in many years, so when I returned recently, I was pleased to see that it hadn’t changed much. The food is still delicious, the staff is still friendly, and the décor is still fascinating. The art may not be for everyone, but I love it. It’s like eating an elegant dinner in a museum.
I had the Mahi Mahi, which was cooked to perfection. Very delicious. My girlfriend had the pork. I didn’t try it, but she said she really enjoyed it.
It’s so nice to find a nice restaurant that I can rely on in Reading. So many other good restaurants go out of business or change chefs.

Loved the wine and beer list! Yum! Also had a tasty dessert!

Wrote this review on my Unilocal phone app while on vaca after the holidays. Took forever to actually log in on the computer and post it — -so review date is really January 2012.
2 stars for the man named Brian who came to our table after the previously mentioned (in other reviews) «snarky» man seated us. Brian was friendly, welcoming and chatty. Thank u, Brian.
LIving in the Mecca for the slow food movement, Northern California, I have experience with well made meals (and well served). I found Bistro 614 to be overpriced for what it was (and spending $ 120-​$ 150 for a special dinner for 2 is our typical budget, to give you a frame of reference for my «overpriced» comment): not fresh (my fish was fishy and chewy, definitely not fresh caught), over cooked and served (an hour after our order) with a sneer.
My father was so excited to take us out to a special meal. He had never been to Bistro 614 but thought that since it was white tablecloth and the menu looked creative it would be an exceptional meal. Unfortunately, we all agreed that the carton ice cream we enjoyed at home after the horrendous meal at the restaurant was better than anything we could have tasted or paid an arm and a leg for at Bistro 614.
I should say that we were a big ticket table for the restaurant. We (5 adults) ordered appetizers, a bottle of wine, a couple glasses of bubbly, salads and main courses all around. We were not in any way stingy orderers with the menu or wine list and we did not in any way deserve the service or the quality of food we received. I felt cheated, and am sure that my father felt even more so. Until something changes there, we will not be back.

I wanted to like this place. I really did.
My friend and I walked in on a weekday for lunch.
Uh Oh.
We were the only ones there?
AHHHHHH!
But we’ve been to other restaurants on the street and we wanted to try something new.
I had the turkey sandwich on Brioche and my friend the crab cake sandwich.
Both just ok.
The bread pudding is more like flan… did not go over well.
The cheese cake was okay…
BUT…try the mushroom soup.
It was delicious.
But overall not worth another vist
Sorry (:

Not sure about the reviews on bad service. If you’re that sensitive about people laughing when you make a reservation at 7pm on Valentine’s, please go away. I’d laugh at you too.
Reading is the WORST place to eat. Either chain rest, cheesesteak, or wings. There are other high end dining joints but this one nails it. Food is amazing, elegantly presented, flavorful, and the owner Mike is as passionate as it gets about food. This place is a home run… coming from a guy who eats REAL FOOD in NJ. Yeah we have guidos, snooki and other ridiculous claims to fame but nobody touches our food. Gotta try this place. Tell Mike I sent you in !
PS the clown with the bottomless mammosa… they’re giving you endless mammosa’s and you want them to do what 100 glasses an hour? Please do us all a favor and c**ke yourself.

The restaurant had a cute appearance from the outside, but that is where our nice experience stopped. The staff was abrupt and rude. The food was in small amounts and of bland. An option is a bottomless Mimosa, but their policy is not to fill a glass with a small amount in the bottom as «We do not use new glassware». The menu was very limited and repetitive.
We will not be going back.

I’ve enjoyed a cocktail and really good tea here, late in the evening and out on the sidewalk. So we decided to eat here as the West Reading Fall Festival was winding down. There were plenty of empty tables, but everyone ignored us as we stood at the door. Servers loudly commented to each other that they were not taking any more reservations and that they were really busy, but no one addressed or acknowledged us.
Yes, I get that a festival is going to ramp up business, but doesn’t that mean you schedule more help? Many new people may be attracted to your business, which is an opportunity to impress. Please, small business, let us give you our money.
Even if someone had made eye contact or apologized for not having room or told us the wait, we would have been very understanding. But no one did, so we went down the street to Aladdin where we were greeted and seated right away.

I can’t comment on the food, but I called to make a reservation for this evening and an older man, who I can only assume is the same one Katie Y. refers to her in her review, LAUGHED at me when I told him I’d like to make a reservation. Yeah, it’s Valentine’s Day weekend, but still… is this the best customer service Bistro 614 can muster? Get over yourself.
I’ll assume this is a clear indication of the service that can be expected at Bistro 614– I’m crossing it off my list.