Mom Chaffe’s Cellarette

I love this intimate dining experience. I have relatives in this area and always try to make it to Mom’s. It was pretty loud this past Wednesday and busy at 8 PM.
The martini olives in size indicate that they know how to make a good gin one.
Apps are great; the hot peppers are killers. The steak entrée was fabulous. Pasta in the past was great.
Service excellent
Highly recommended.

We have been here several times over the past few years. This weekend a friend wanted to join and picked this Italian restaurant. Yes it’s in a cellar, and an Italian family owns it. Those two points are the pluses. The food is the same grade as olive garden in many cases. The salads seemed like they came out of a bag on the last day of the «can use day» and we all looked at each other wondering if it was too late to cancel the mains we ordered.
The mains lack in a big way and offered no taste. Italian food is so easy to get right that they missed on all four dishes. That’s shamefull.
Service was awful and we could not wait to run out of the cellar. West reading /​Wyomissing area has a concentration of some of the most overrated places to eat in berks county. This place is at the top of the list.
No reason to go here unless of course a member of your dinning party has warm and fuzzy feeling about a date he took here 10 years ago.
Strike three mama, we are done with you.

My parents had their most romantic evenings together in this restaurant in 1948! I eat here whenever I’m in town. Never disappointed. Relax, go with the flow, enjoy!

Good food. Service was intentionally slow but very friendly (I think they were waiting for everyone to finish their food before bringing everything)
Their wine was not good, though.

If you like the old school Italian atmosphere, you will love this place. From the outside, this place looks old and worn. The inside is dark and reminds you of an authentic Italian pub that you will find in Europe. Really cool. However, it’s a staple of Reading for years and is just a neat place. I think Mama (sweet older lady) was sitting at the bar when we entered and when we left. This was also cool. I hear she is a pistol. :) Love Mama.
The serving staff is nice and I would say acceptable. They will take care of you with a friendly smile.
I have eaten at a lot of nice italian restaurants. I would rate the food at Mama’s a 6.5 out of 10 (this is good), price 7 out of 10, staff a solid 8 out of 10 and Atmosphere 10 out of 10 (makes the place). Overall, this place is a solid 8 out of 10. It’s a must try if you like old school Italian cooking.
Ask if the table behind the bar is available. Call ahead. Lobster ravioli is a must try. Also, request both regular and garlic bread. Listen to the specials.
Dress is casual. You can wear anything. Jeans and nice shirt… to dressy.
Hope this helps.
Pilot Brad

Everything about this place screams «romance»! Well, except for the drunk businessmen screaming.
Other than that, a meal at this dimly lit restaurant, located smack dab in a small West Reading neighborhood, has all the makings for the ultimate date night.
Even though I’ve lived in the area for nearly my whole life, I didn’t even know this place EXISTED until a few years ago. And I didn’t have my first meal there until last year. I’ve never seen an advertisement for this place. And they don’t have a website. They market the old fashioned way — by word of mouth. So yeah, it took me awhile to finally hear about it, but I’m glad I did!
Ok, enough backstory — you want to hear about the food.
The menu is concise. A lot of Italian restaurants have massive menus with something like fifteen types of ravioli. Is that, um, really necessary? Having choices is great, but I feel it sometimes dilutes the product. I’d rather have a place focus on a few dishes and absolutely nail them. That’s where Mom Chaffe’s excels.
On my most recent trip, my date had eggplant Parmesan, and I opted for veal. The pasta is no doubt cooked fresh everyday. My veal was a bit overdone (read: tough) but still bursting with flavor. The mushroom sauce really salvaged the dish.
If you are absolutely STARVING, I wouldn’t recommend this place. That is, the portions aren’t huge. If you want large quantities of Italian food, stick with Buca di Beppo. But I definitely won’t knock Mama Chaffe’s for that. It’s not the kind of place where you’d want to be seen stuffing your face «trough» style, like pigs on a farm.
Make a reservation, bring your significant other or anyone you’re dying to impress (i.e. first date). and enjoy!
Just don’t be that 54-​year-​old business man with his four buddies getting sloshed at 6:30 pm on a Tuesday and ruin the experience for everyone else.

When you first arrive at this place you’ll notice the authentic exterior immediately. Upon walking inside you are greeted with a quaint cozy interior with candle lit tables, quite romantic if you ever need a place.
The service and food was top notch, great specials and standards with excellent portion, quality, and size.

Always good… a stop during travel… they have a bar if traveling for work alone… good food and good banter… no need for more words

Wow… that is ALL I have to say about Mom Chaffe’s. What a romantic, delicious restaurant this is. I’ve been there several times on dates and once with my entire family, and they were very accommodating. I had 2 small children in my group, and it wasn’t a problem for the staff. In fact, they made sure the kids were comfortable. The food is always amazing and the waiters are courteous and patient.

I want to preface this review with a warning; If you are of monstrous stature please do not consider eating here. If you are wary of being in a cellar to eat a meal, do not eat here. It may seriously impact your view of this place, and since this is marketed as a cellarette, it would not be fair to judge them harshly knowing what you’re getting into.
That said, Mom Chaffe’s is easily one of the best dining establishments in Berks County. I have lived here all my life, and I have dined from the coal county down to Lancaster, out to Pittsburgh and back to Philly. They remain my go to for intimate celebrations like anniversary and birthdays.
The establishment is dimly lit. Very quaint, very personal. Despite it being in a cellar, they leave enough room for you and whoever you’re with to have your own conversation and not be included with everyone else. Here’s a hint; if you are able to hear me, I can hear you. This should go for any dining establishment and is often an issue with people being oblivious to social contracts, or just having complete disregard for others experiences.
The food is absolutely amazing. I have had numerous menu offerings and each one has been a home run. The beer selection could use some work, and may be the weakest part of their meal offering.
Do yourself a favor and give Mom Chaffees a chance. It can be spendy, so if you want a full course meal for two for a special occasion, be prepared to hit the $ 100 mark. It’s worth it though!

The food was good. I had the lasagna and it was authentic. I liked the sauce a lot, but my husband did not care for it. We were there on a weekend night, so it was busy and very loud. It is a cute place but very small. I was annoyed by the volume and it seemed like everyone was shouting. I would try it again, but on a less busy day/​night.

Superb salmon appetizer… smoked salmon was so fresh-​served on toasty garlic bread with a delicious light pink cream sauce, filet with mushrooms and sherry is the best I’ve had in this area-​cooked to perfection (I like mine medium rare) and melts in your mouth, daily seafood specials are always impeccably fresh, dessert-​crème brûlée is to die for. Fresh salad, awesome bruschetta appetizer. Love it all! I particularly love the atmosphere-​dark, romantic… great for a special occasion or an intimate dinner. In the front room, you are definitely close to other diners, so if you are claustrophobic you may not like it, but I’ve always enjoyed it. We had a group of seven and really enjoyed sitting in the «back room.» Seven of us ordered the filet and we all devoured it!

Came to Reading from RI for the MAAM WW2 weekend and stayed at the Abraham Lincoln just around the corner from this place.
Italian food with real non extensive menu.
First — the exterior is in NO WAY a reflection of the interior (in a good way)
Second — the service (Nick and Jake I think) was outstanding. They knew the history of the building and made excellent recommendations on food and drink. My wife is a fairly picky eater and was quickly entering this place in her phone as «come back here»
Her chicken parm, she said, was «friggin’ delicious. The salad, bread and dipping oil were all great. I got the pasta (linguini) with hot sausage. I would get it again and again I know full well it would not be finished.
Lastly — It’s a very 40’s — 50’s style setting. The owner was sitting near the bar area and she’s in her 90’s. Very alert and friendly. The bill of fare was very reasonable. We will be back.

Just finished a solo meal at Mama Chaffe’s. Per the other Unilocal’ers, I went with the lobster and crab ravioli. I was not disappointed. The cream sauce was perfect — not too buttery, nor too thin. I had some bourbon as well, and the pour was among the most generous I’ve had in a long time.
Unfortunately, the dessert left something to be desired. I rarely get dessert, and given the wonderful meal I had, I figured the chocolate and peanut butter cake would be worth the splurge. I was wrong. The presentation was excellent, with a chocolate dusted plate. However the cake itself was rather dry, and the whip cream was straight out of a can. I’d expect that from a chain restaraunt, but had higher expectations here.
Dessert was a mistake, but the entrée, and spirits, were great. I’ll be back, but will save the calories on the end next time.

A bottle of white, a bottle of red
Perhaps a bottle of rose instead
We’ll get a table near the street
In our old familiar place
You and I-​face to face
A bottle of red, a bottle of white
It all depends on your appetite
I’ll meet you any time you want
In our Italian Restaurant.
Billy Joel must have nailed this song after visiting Mom Chaffee’s in Reading. Mom Chaffee’s is the kind of place Buca de Beppo wants to be; it’s intimate, oddly homey, and purely authentic. It’s the kind of secret you want to guard, or else the lines from the chain resturaunts will form on Tulpehocken Avenue. It’s the kind of place, I told my wife during dinner, I want everyone to go for lunch the day they plant me in the ground… in the meantime, I’ll bring the woman I love and married here so that I can look deep into her eyes, and see the reflection of her lobster and crab ravioli! Now that’s what I’m talking about!
Walk in– after making a reservation, please– and you will be seated at a table that will be in close enough proximity to smell your neighbor’s appetizers, and closer enough yet to borrow his fork when he isn’t looking. And this is acceptable; that’s the kind of atmosphere your are going to get, and it is good.
The menu– purely Italian– isn’t enough to overwhelm you, and it keeps the selection process simple enough that you can focus on the conversation without being dragged into a culinary vortex of chaos and confusion. We went with the garlic bread and mozzarella over tomato ($ 8) appetizers… bread was excellent, but a basket of 4 slices didn’t last, so for $ 3 we had a second basket with dinner. House cabaret was decent.
For dinner, we went by the Unilocal recommendations of Crab and Lobster Ravioli ($ 25), and the lasagna ($ 15). The lasagna really good, but the nod goes to the ravioli… outstanding. Lobster inside, crab on top. My wife and I generally do the swap halfway through, and neither of us was let down… but ho mama, the ravioli rocked our socks. Yes.
Dessert consisted of peanut butter and chocolate cake, with coffee. Great way to polish off a great meal.
I think the last time I was at Chaffee’s was around 1995, and although the interior seems different, it’s the same. Excellent authentic Italian food, intimate atmosphere, fine service. What makes this place special is the intangible quality that you are eating somewhere really unique, memorable. It can’t be recreated with a 10-​page Olive Garden menu or Applebee’s «neighborhood» faux decorations; this is the real deal, purely authentic. It’s the place oft imitated, but never recreated. It’s hidden on a side street in a cellar, and it’s one of the best-​kept secrets of Reading.
Don’t tell anyone.

I guess for Reading, PA it’s what can be expected but it’s basically extremely Americanized mediocre (at best) Italian food. Basically a family owned version of the Olive Garden. They don’t even use romain lettuce, iceberg all the way lol.

Based on the reviews on Unilocal,we (party of five) stopped at Mom Chaffe’s. We were absolutely thrilled. The service from Rose was outstanding and the food was incredible.
The Snapper special was amazing. The sauce was just superb. The chicken parm and the lobster ravioli were also terrific. I never order dessert. But, I have a weakness for coconut cake. It did not disappoint.
I have a knack for finding great local restaurants on the road. My colleagues agreed that this was one of my best finds. This is now at the top of our list of Reading restaurants.

I have a hypothesis that restaurants with interesting signs out front often yield interesting dining experiences within and Mom Chaffe’s holds true. Outside it has a 1950’s, when-you-could-still-get-to-Reading-on-a-freakin’-railroad feeling to it. Inside is close and warm and inviting and intimate and pre-​we-​need-​to-​have-​tvs-​or-​music-​or-​something-​grabbing-​your-​attention-​all-​the-​freakin’ time.
We’ll definitely be back with family on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday to try the lasagna.

I’m not one to nitpick about ambience as I have found that the most hole in the wall places tend to have the best food, so my reviews are all based on food quality. With that out of the way…
The seafood lasagna will change your life. I’m half Italian and have Italian food more often than most so I consider myself an authority on good Italian food. It pains me to say this, but the food here blows my own grandmother’s homemade Italian food out of the water. I’m sorry grandma, but it is what it is. If you are looking to have the best (Italian) meal of your life and have a chance to dine at the Cellarette, don’t delay.

Ok, in my opinion, hands down the best place to eat in Berks County.
They don’t try to be cool or trendy, the décor on the walls is filled with picture frames that look like they were grabbed from my grandmother’s walls and garage sales, but it as quaint and romantic place to have dinner in the area.
When you walk in, you’ll probably see the mother of the owner sitting behind the bar answering the phone. The restaurant has been in her family forever or since 1919, whichever is longer. She’s an old sweetheart and you’ll most likely talk to her when you make your reservation, which you should do especially if dining on a weekend. Also, if when you do make a reservation, ask to sit in the front. The atmosphere is a little nicer in the front and there’s less foot traffic, due to the kitchen being located in the back. Also, just as an interesting note, Mom Chaffe’s may have the smallest bathroom in the County. It’s absolutely tiny. I’m not sure how this affects your dining experience unless you need cathedral-​like restrooms, but I will say it is shockingly tiny.
The food is delicious. Always, believe me, ALWAYS, wait to listen to the specials from the wait staff. You won’t be disappointed and I almost always get something on special. My favorite item off the regular menu is the lobster ravioli and the veal parmesan is also delicious. For an appetizer, the calamari is the best I’ve had anywhere and the fresh bread they serve with garlic oil is perfect as well.
The only thing I would say negatively is the garden salad that they serve with the meal is pretty basic/​almost boring and isn’t anything to write home about.
The wait staff is great and friendly and quick with your food and drinks. The place is almost always full on weekends and I hardly ever remember waiting long for anything.
I’m not Italian, but I love Italian food and the total experience you get at Mom Chaffe’s is wonderful. From the low ceilings in the cellarette (my head almost touches the ceiling at 6’3″) to the romantic ambiance at a private table for two, this is the place to go for Italian fine dining in Berks.
Overall, I give this restaurant an A+