Restaurants in West Chester

The Classic Diner has always intended its name to be a little tongue-in-cheek. Most diners, after all, do not encourage customers to customize their eggs benedict order with a layer of ahi tuna. A similarly upscale culinary approach informs all of the "diner's" menu items, elevating roadside mainstays to the level of an upscale restaurant's choicest dishes. Apple sausage and turkey-pepper hash accompany eggs done any way, from scrambled to drizzled directly into an open mouth. Omelets arrive stuffed with a smorgasbord of fresh veggies. Fried jalapeños can be easily stacked atop char-grilled Angus burgers. Lunch, served until 3 p.m., ventures outside of the diner definition with parmesan-crusted chicken with saffron risotto and sautéed steak tips in a red-wine demi-glace.

The menu at Johnnie’s Dog House reads like a map of the United States. The Chicago-style dog comes crowned in yellow mustard relish, onion, tomatoes, peppers and pickles; meanwhile, the Texas Tommy’s hot dog is wrapped in bacon, deep fried, and topped in cheese. Baked beans and chopped onions sit atop the Boston Beanie Weenie, and the eatery’s corn dog evokes state fairs nationwide without coming with a prize-winning pig to take home as a pet. The culinary team crafts hot dogs from fresh ingredients, the same process they use to create their burgers and sandwiches, stuffed with combinations of pulled pork, crisp vegetables, fish, and other delicacies.

At Northbrook MarketPlace, guests can enter a restored 1850s fieldstone barn with bright-red wood siding and picturesque white wooden frames to browse the market and grab dishes made from fresh, sustainable ingredients. Chefs fire up tender brisket in the smokehouse, make sandwiches to order, and pluck signature apple-cider donuts from trees. Diners can also nosh on daily hot-meal specials, including chicken pot pies and fish 'n' chips, then slide forks into the flaky crust of the daily pie while sitting inside the marketplace, outside in the courtyard, or at home. For those who want a more leisurely meal, the Chef's Table, which was named Philadelphia magazine's Best Private Dining Table in 2009, proffers an hours-long culinary experience in which patrons devour local, gourmet fare from a tasting menu designed by head chef Rob Boone. The week's BYOB feasts include the Chef's Table banquet; Family Nights, which feed visiting households and peckish minivans with an Italian buffet; and brunch, which mollifies maws with homemade granola and barbecue sliders.

Chef Stephen Guiseppe relishes a good countdown. In the kitchen of Cedar Hollow Inn, he often improvises his daily specials an hour before the menu goes live, crafting modern American meals to complement his pre-existing plates. These entrees add a gourmet twist to traditional comfort food and pub fare—the buttermilk fried chicken still boasts a topping of country gravy, but it also arrives with blue-cheese-braised kale, and the pan-roasted rainbow trout is dressed in the surprising tang of a vanilla-citrus glaze. Though Chef Stephen doesn't shy from robust helpings of meat—the menu offers lobster, filet mignon, duck, and pork belly—he also pioneers small plates. The bar features duck quesadillas and lamb sliders as alternatives to traditional countertop eats, such as chewable drink coasters.

Cedar Hollow Inn balances its contemporary menu with a historical locale. The building, which was constructed in the mid 1800s, resembles a rustic mansion, lined with wide, gridded windows that fill the archways of the sun porch. Guests can dine there, in the dining room, or at the bar, where trivia and Name That Tune competitions encourage competitive chatter on Tuesday and Sunday. Live music plays in the evenings on Thursday–Saturday, enticing guests to remain after their meals and sample one of many rotating craft beers.

Drawing on his culinary background working in East Coast bistros and stately hotel kitchens, Mile High Steak & Seafood’s Executive Chef David Robinson crafts a rotating menu of upscale steakhouse cuisine. Robinson, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, refuses to cut corners with his ingredients, going so far as to fly in fresh seafood and grass skirts overnight from the Honolulu Fish Company. He only chooses aged certified Angus beef for his steak-centric entrees, and he revs up traditional sandwiches and appetizers on the bar menu with high-end items such as shaved prime rib, artisan cheeses, and lobster. These gourmet bites pair palatably one of the bar’s signature cocktails or glasses of wine.

Even in his down time, Robinson keeps his culinary skills sharp, coordinating charity events for the Chester County SPCA and the Brandywine Hospital Strawberry Festival. But even with his busy schedule and impressive resumé, he’s still thankful for landing his “dream job” at Mile High Steak & Seafood.

In its homestate, Jake’s Wayback Burgers was voted Critics' Choice for Best Burgers by Delaware Today three years in a row, and the Thorndale location is a treasure trove of handmade burgers, house-cut potato chips, and throwback milk shakes. From a single location on Route 273, Jake's exploded across the nation, getting pickles and lettuce all over America's most important monuments. The eatery's hand-dipped shakes and monthly burger specials—such as the Texas Jake burger—can be enjoyed in 10 different states, alongside a menu of 100% beef hot dogs and triceratops-friendly veggie burgers.