The Borough — Restaurant in Downingtown

Knowing this is their first week, I'll go easy on them. I'll update my review the next time I go.

We went at 6:15 on a Friday. The wait for inside was 90 minutes but we decided to brave the first cold evening of October and sat outside. It would have been nice to have outdoor heaters, but hopefully they come in the future.

We had movie tickets so we ordered all our food and drinks the same time: waters for the table, two sodas, a draft beer, cucumber vegetable sushi roll, side of baked Mac and cheese, cheeseburger, and cheese steak. Our server brought us seasoned chips which were very tasty.

All of our food came out at different times. First the sushi, then the cheese steak and Mac and cheese. About five minutes later, our server stopped by the table and I had to ask for the burger. A food runner brought it to me a few minutes later.

My youngest daughter absolutely loved her sushi. My teenage daughter enjoyed the baked mac and cheese, but it looked like it could use a little more cheese. The cheese steak was a large portion and served on a seeded roll. The meat was tasty but a little overcooked. The burger was served on a brioche bun that was bigger than the meat patty, and was served almost well done even though I ordered it medium. The bun was too dry for my liking. I always try new burgers without toppings other than cheese, and this burger, which had a nice char from the grill, did not have enough flavor to carry the burger on it's own. I added ketchup, which was served on the plate.

The true star of the evening was the French fries. We had both the regular fries and the Parmesan truffle. Both were served hot and crispy, and had a delightful crunch while still being tender inside.

We used the women's bathroom which was clean and provided upscale hand soap and lotion. My daughter loved the smell of those! I appreciate their efforts to include upscale plush toilet paper, but the dispenser was covered with paper lint and particles flew in the air when unrolling, which made my daughter cough.

All in all, it's not a bad start. Next time we go we'll try the wings and some cocktails. Hopefully they find their rhythm and improve...

Are you a sports bar? Sushi bar? A restaurant with a 60s vibe? Or an after hours club? Went there with a few friends and we were immediately confused by the decor. Obnoxiously large circular seating that takes up a lot of space which could be used to seat more customers, and it reminded me of seating from clubs during the Sinatra era. The logo also appears retro so not quite sure of the targeted theme. The seating away from the bar was overrun by TVs and loud speakers playing a football game then music.

Not quite sure about the upstairs either. The room with the bar and large, circular benches seems like it could be an okay place to hang out, but the other side that is intended for bands/DJs is small and again, has the large, circular benches that take up a lot of room, doesn’t make sense to me. There were, maybe 10 benches (?). To me, that does not seem like a financially good decision, especially if you only have 2-4 people in a seat.

The menu is not cohesive at all and some of the items just seemed strange, not a lot to pick for an entree. It seems the owners are trying to go too far out of the box.

The fries were great and my steak sandwich was okay, but not worth going back for.

I had high hopes for this place from the time they started posting signs that it was opening, but doubt I will go back. For some reason, sushi seems to be a large part of their daily menu and was the only thing on the “specials” menu.

With the place being so new, I was expecting an owner or manager to stop by and ask how everything is going, but no.

I guess there may be an audience for this place, but it’s not me. The one good thing I can say is that it’s better than its...

This is a Downingtown gem. My husband and I decided to give this new restaurant a try, sitting outside and enjoying the community atmosphere. The biggest thing I have to say is that their menu explores the limits of flavors while remaining rooted in the famiar. Lily was our server; she was attentive and friendly.

In addition to two refreshing cocktails, we ordered their Borough Sushi Roll as an appetizer and it was a mouth explosion. We fought over the last piece (It was mine, by the way). For our entrees, I ordered the French onion bowl with mushrooms and my partner ordered the Borough Burger accompanied by nice, crispy fries. I took a chance on unfamiliar flavors and was grateful I did because even though mushrooms are not a favorite food, they were an amazing lift to the well-seasoned steak and sauce. On my partner's burger, the greens and cheese combined as a strong foundation to the beef; excellent balance of ingredients and quantities.

We shared the crème brûlée and the goats milk cheesecake. The crème brûlée had a thick brûlée crust and was so rich and good, I almost licked the dish. The goat's milk cheesecake with a raspberry-mint compote was so dense, creamy and rich that I had to fight off his fork.

All-in-all, an excellent experience. My only complaint is that the music was too loud.

I can't wait until they...