Majolica in Phoenixville to mark its 15th anniversary by closing

Majolica, the sophisticated BYOB that helped jump-start Phoenixville’s restaurant boom, will close Dec. 7, on its 15th anniversary.

Chef-owner Andrew Deery said he wanted to provide at least four months’ notice to allow customers to get in their final meals and to use up gift certificates. “I wanted to do this on our own terms and timeline,” he said, crediting his staff for “a job well done.”

At 49, Deery said he has “hit the wall” and wants to see what else is out there. “I know it seems kind of ambiguous, but I’m not being pushed out," he said. "We didn’t hit rock bottom.”

Deery, a native of Phoenixville, won great notices over the years for Majolica, which he opened in 2004 in a portion of the old Phoenix Tavern with his then-wife, Sarah Johnson. An early Inquirer review noted that Majolica “might seem at first a little too ambitious and grandiose for its largely nondescript, storefront location."

“From a deathly quiet, rain-swept street, I entered into a narrow room bursting with the sounds of people obviously having a good time,” the review said. “That only added to the illusion that this wasn’t the staid Phoenixville I knew, but a place with beautiful hand-crafted architecture and a homey feel.”

More recently, Inquirer critic Craig LaBan said Majolica not only is Phoenixville’s “most sophisticated dining experience, but one of the top restaurants in the western suburbs, period.”

Cheryl Speaker, a longtime employee, helps run Majolica now with Deery, who said he expects his own next job to involve food and cooking.