Garden-Fresh & Local: 6 Farm-to-Table Restaurants in Delco

Summer is the perfect time to explore the farm-to-table restaurants in Delco that prioritize local ingredients and source from nearby farms. Seasonally driven menus at restaurants mean that there’s always something fresh to discover as new produce hits its peak! Eggs, cheeses and meats from Pennsylvania producers are not only delicious, but help both the restaurants and customers to reduce their carbon footprints. 

Farm-to-table restaurants are an eco-friendly, delicious culinary experience — one that you can have right in your own backyard! Here are six farm-to-table restaurants in Delco to try:

 

White Dog Cafe

White Dog Cafe, now with five locations across the Philadelphia area, was founded in University City in the 1970s by locavore champion, Judy Wicks. Beloved for its imaginative beverage program, quirky decor and its long list of local purveyors, the White Dog Cafe has been pioneering a farm-to-table ethos for decades. Its robust menu of contemporary American cuisine is flush with numerous locally sourced products, such as goat cheese from Shellbark Hollow Farm (West Chester, PA), eggs from Sandy Ridge Ridge Farm (Doylestown, PA), and beef from Green Meadow Farm (Gap, PA). 

White Dog Cafe in Wayne is open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., midday Monday through Sunday from 2:30-4 p.m., dinner from Monday through Thursday from 4:30 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 4:30 to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 4 to 8 p.m.; for brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Happy hour is Monday through Friday from 4 to 6 p.m.

White Dog Cafe in Glen Mills is open Monday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Happy hour is Monday through Friday from 4 to 6 p.m.

200 W. Lancaster Ave., Wayne, (610) 225-3700; 981 Baltimore Pike, Glen Mills, (610) 822-2100.

 

 

The Goat’s Beard

Somewhere between a bistro and a gastropub, The Goat’s Beard in Wayne dishes up creative spins on familiar dishes, like sriracha lime chicken nuggets (made with free-range chicken), savory mushroom toast with PA ‘shrooms, and steak mac-and-cheese (with grass-fed sirloin). Whether you’re an adventurous eater or like to play it a bit safer, there is something for everyone on this menu! Twice per season, the menu changes to incorporate the best of responsibly, locally sourced ingredients. 

The beer menu features a number of Pennsylvania beers, and the cocktail selection keeps things interesting with sippers like the 30 Day Strawberry, a margarita variation with strawberry-infused tequila, and First Bloom, with Aviation gin, hibiscus rose syrup, creme di violette and lemon.

The Goat’s Beard is open Monday from 4 to 9 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday from 4 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m. Happy hour is Monday through Friday from 4 to 6 p.m.

103 N. Wayne Ave., Wayne, (484) 584-4979.

 

Terrain Cafe

This airy, charming eatery — with plenty of beautifully landscaped outdoor seating — is attached to Terrain’s colorful garden center and greenhouse in Glen Mills. The aesthetics of the elegant retailer extend to the cafe, and the menu features a number of local farms, like Lancaster Farm Fresh (Lancaster, PA), Jurgielewicz and Sons (Hamburg, PA) and The Farm at Doe Run (Unionville, PA). It’s a BYOB, so feel free to bring along your favorite vino, or choose from Terrain’s botanical non-alcoholic sippers or coffee drinks.

Terrain Cafe is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

914 Baltimore Pike, Glen Mills, (610) 459-6030.

 

 

The Broad Table Tavern at The Inn at Swarthmore

Adjacent to the leafy Swarthmore College campus, this New American restaurant serves up farm-fresh cuisine breakfast, noon and night. Start the day off right with farm-fresh eggs in an omelet or hard boiled with blistered tomato on avocado toast. At lunch, go for the Tavern Burger, made with the Broad Table’s custom blend of beef (or, swap in an Impossible Burger to keep it plant-based). Or, treat yourself to a lovely dinner, starting with a local cheese and charcuterie board, or a chef’s special flatbread, made with seasonal herbs and veggies, followed by a well-composed entree, like seared chicken passata with gnocchi or pork tenderloin with rhubarb chutney. 

The Broad Table Tavern is open for breakfast on weekends from 9 a.m. to noon; lunch Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and dinner 7 days a week from 4 to 9 p.m. Happy hour is on offer 7 days a week from 3 to 6 p.m. 

12 S. Chester Rd., Swarthmore, (610) 543-7500.

 

Rye BYOB

Located in the former Lotus Farm to Table space, this intimate, chef-driven spot has won over Media with its inventive small plates, delicious breakfasts and satisfying lunches. It’s the little chef-driven touches, like pea tendrils on the shakshuka, and the pumpkin seeds and golden raisin on the vegan caesar salad, that set Rye BYOB apart. On the dinner menu, the pasta selections really shine, featuring flavor combinations at once classic (eggplant, cherry tomato) and inventive (roasted corn, hatch chile). 

Rye BYOB is open Wednesday through Friday from noon to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

112 W. State St., Media, (610) 263-7832.

 

The Towne House

This truly iconic, multi-concept space is anchored by a farm-to-table restaurant that pulls out all the stops on its extensive, Irish-inspired menus. At brunch, find local eggs perfectly poached on not one, but three benedict variations; midday, tuck into a wide range of offerings from the fixed price selection, including tacos, wraps, panini and sliders; at dinner, the sky’s the limit. East Coast oysters on the half shell and local charcuterie are luxurious ways to start, and from there, indulge in a fabulous entree, like organic chicken dressed with mushroom, bacon and whiskey sauce, shepherd’s pie with local root vegetables or braised lamb shank with Cabernet reduction. The extensive wine list and massive whiskey selection are not to be missed!

The Towne House is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to midnight, Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to midnight.

117 Veterans Square, Media, (484) 445-2041.

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Want to know more about everything Delco? We’re more than just your source for good eats — we’re your source for where to stay, what to do and more in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. We’re Visit Delco, PA, and we’ve got you covered from Philly to the Brandywine. Find us at 1501 N. Providence Rd., Media, PA, 19063; (610) 565-3679 or online.

— Emily Kovach

 

Featured photo courtesy of White Dog Cafe