15 tasting menus that are rocking the Philly suburbs

Philly’s suburbs have long had a restaurant scene that boasts fare just as fresh and stars as bright as the city’s, if only more spread out. So it’s no surprise that the ‘burbs also have their share of tasting menus — a trend that emerged as a pandemic survival strategy, affording owners more predictability and chefs more creativity.

Here are 15 spots to order up a tasting menu in the suburbs, whether on the regular or on occasion (keep an eye on the restaurant’s social media and websites). These fixed-price meals sometimes have a higher price tag than an à la carte dinner, but they almost always deliver the most exciting dining experience a restaurant has to offer. As a result, they’re often hard seats to score, so make reservations well in advance.

Recently named one of the top restaurants in the country by the New York Times and a favorite of Inquirer food critic Craig LaBan’s since it opened in 2018, this West Chester destination is not easy to get into. Chef Anthony Andiario’s menu changes weekly, but you can count on local and seasonal ingredients, live-fire cooking, and handmade pasta. $75 per person, wine pairings available, 106 W. Gay St., West Chester, 484-887-0919, andiario.com

Father-daughter duo Levi and María José Hernández serve up a mix of continental and South American treats from morning till midafternoon inside the Ardmore Station Cafe, but come evening, their Venezuelan menu goes full throttle. Think tequeños (crispy dough-wrapped cheese), corn-studded chicken chupe, arepas, and slow-cooked asada negro. You can order à la carte, but the for-the-table tasting menu is a bargain. $55, 4 Station Rd., Ardmore, 484-416-5843, autanapa.com

Dinner comes with a show at this downtown Wayne BYOB: Chef couple Alex Hardy and Tara Buzan design plates with precision, informed in part by Hardy’s time at such late greats as Marigold Kitchen, Majolica, and georges’. The 5-year-old BYOB’s tasting menus have six courses that change monthly, with such recent offerings as scallop crudo over ginger-horseradish puree, duck confit ravioli with Meyer lemon Alfredo, and stuffed pheasant. $120, 11 Louella Court, Wayne, 610-964-9700, atthetablebyob.com

» READ MORE: Let's Eat Dining Guide 2022: The best of Philly's restaurant scene

It may be a trek for some, but this James Beard-nominated boîte just across the Delaware from northern Bucks County is worth it. Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer channel careers in food- and recipe-writing in this charming BYOB, situated in a Victorian-era train station. Expect simple yet surprising fare — deviled eggs, roast chicken, galettes — that changes with the season. $69, $75 for Sunday “dinner” (noon to 4 p.m.), 2 Bridge St., Milford, 908-995-7200, canalhousestation.com

Helmed by chef Kevin Maher, a Medford native who spent 14 years living and working in Italy, with stints at Michelin-starred restaurants, this Pinelands BYOB ranked among LaBan’s favorite tasting menus in 2021. That gives you a compelling reason to go on Wednesday or Thursday — when Maher offers pasta tasting menus — or Sunday for the four-course “sagre” menu, which highlights a different local, seasonal ingredient each week. $45, 20 S. Main St., Medford, 609-654-0101, ita101.com

Husband-wife team Richard and Christina Cusack transplanted their haute French BYOB to Collingswood’s Italian-dominated restaurant scene after the pandemic forced them to give up their lease on East Passyunk Avenue. South Jersey is all the happier for it. Shell out $200 for the “Tableside Canard à la Presse Voyage” for two, a three-course experience in which a vintage press extracts every last drop of flavor from a whole, red wine-marinated Muscovy duck; or opt for the five-course tasting menu, an apt demonstration of June carrying on Philly’s legacy of fine French restaurants. $100, 690 Haddon Ave., Collingswood, 856-240-7041, junebyob.com

This Perkasie BYOB has been ahead of the tasting-menu trend for years. Chef Matthew McPhelin opened this gem in 2009 and has been crafting ever-changing menus with Bucks County’s bounty ever since. Think bison brisket with sweet potato puree, collard greens, poblano peppers, and maple syrup. Fair warning: Dinner here is served at a relaxed pace — Maize’s website advises budgeting two and a half hours. It should be worth the wait. $75, 519 W. Walnut St., Perkasie, 215-257-2264, maizeonwalnut.com

The crowning ingredients that land on the plates at this unconventional BYOB have been hand-plucked by chef Phil Manganaro in the wilds of New Jersey. As a result, you’ll rarely know what to expect — could be anything from flying dragon citrus to black walnut torte to beefsteak mushroom crudo. Swinging a reservation here may be tricky: There are just four tables in the restaurant, which is only open Thursday through Saturday; and regulars enrolled in a dining program snap up many of the spots. But cancellations happen, so give the restaurant a call and get on the list. $100, 7 E. Park Ave., Merchantville, 856-662-2200, parkplacecafeandrestaurant.com

Every day, Aimee Olexy’s vaunted Kennett Square market-cafe shuts down at 7 p.m. and transforms into a cozy BYOB that serves up the Philly area’s OG tasting menu, since 2007. Reservations for groups of either four to eight or eight to 12 book as far out as a year in advance. (Check the website, though, for cancellations.) The reward: a four-hour, eight-course experience that’s exquisitely prepared and impeccably served. $125, 102 W. State St., Kennett Square, 610-444-8255, talulastable.com

This Kennett Square storefront is the culmination of chef Scott Morozin’s career, reached after two decades of working the lines at various Philly-area spots (R2L, Lucky Well, Gayle, Sola, Tangerine, etc.). The menu might change up monthly or even weekly, but it’s always seasonally informed. Look forward to fall hits like butternut squash soup with apple-honey relish and slow-roasted pork loin with kabocha squash. $65 for three courses, $115 for six, 102 State St., Kennett Square, 484-732-7932, verbenabyob.com

Before there was Palizzi Social Club, there was Zeppoli. Chef Joey Baldino, who honed his skills for years under Marc Vetri, opened the snug BYOB in 2011 and began serving some of the best Italian fare in the region. It may be on the noisy side, but traditional Sicilian dishes like finocchi salsiccia, spinach-ricotta gnocchi, and tagliatelle al limone make it more than worthwhile. And of course, don’t skip the zeppoli for dessert.

$55 for three courses, $75 for four, 618 Collings Ave., Collingswood, 856-854-2670, zeppolirestaurant.com

This Wayne BYOB is a favorite for brunch, but chef Ron Silverberg’s dinner service brings his comfort-food-done-right A-game to dinner as well. Tasting menus are offered on occasion, typically around the turn of the season or at holidays. A recent “Shore to Shore” menu featured New Jersey peach crostini, Maine scallops wrapped in thick-cut bacon, and Washington state apple cider doughnuts with maple semifreddo. $75, 503 W. Lancaster Ave., Wayne, 610-688-7646, silverspoonwayne.com

The pandemic has put this Ambler BYOB through the ringer: Its 10-course omakase, once routinely offered, has lately been pared back to a monthly popup while the restaurant builds back to regular hours with à la carte service. But chef-owner Harrison Kim (a Morimoto/Nobu alum) and head sushi chef Mitsutaka Harada’s pre-pandemic performance points to great promise. $135, 51 E. Butler Ave., Ambler, 267-705-2485; sushihatsu.com

When chef Shannon Dougherty and wife Liz Peterson, owners of Fishtown’s Cedar Point Bar & Kitchen, moved to the suburbs, they knew they wanted to open a place closer to home. That’s how their Glenside restaurant Pinto, their ode to Southwestern food (Peterson is an Arizona native), came about. The pair had originally planned on something more sophisticated but adjusted to be more family-friendly and nacho-forward, in an effort to cater to their audience. But once a month, Dougherty and Cedar Point’s beverage manager, Abigail Lewandowski, team up on a themed, five-course meal with cocktail pairings and storytelling. October’s menu — themed “which witch is which” — starts with poached Moondancer oysters with apple butter cream and ends with sweet potato-rosemary soul cakes with prickly pear jam. $75, 24 E. Glenside Ave., Glenside, 215-220-4086, pintoglenside.online/upstairs

Chef Juan Ocampo’s regular menu at Swarthmore’s first wine bar focuses on high-quality approachable food that pairs well with the bar’s finely curated international inventory. But Ocampo — who trained under South Philly chef Dane DeMarco — wanted to expand his horizons and give other chefs a platform to showcase their skills, so he launched the Hidden Talents series, in which he invites fellow industry vets to take over Village Vine’s kitchen for a night, showcasing one ingredient throughout a multicourse menu. The most recent dinner featured Emily Horner, sous chef at Musi, cooking peaches every which way (peach caponata, smoked peach panzanella, stuffed peaches, and peach cobbler). Up next in November is recently departed Her Place Supper Club line cook Zachary Broadman. Menu prices vary, 6 Park Ave., Swarthmore, 484-471-3997, villagevineswarthmore.com