Sly Fox Taphouse — Restaurant in Wyomissing

I wish that I could do separate reviews for the beer and the food, because the beer I had was 4 stars (ipa's). I also tasted someone's heffeweisen, and though it's not the style I prefer, it was pretty tasty! Although several of the taps were out of order for some reason. The atmosphere is pleasant. We sat on the deck outside on a beautiful night. Even though the restaurant was full, the food and beer lines were fairly short. Now the food...I've been to the Slyfox in Pottstown a few times and really hadn't enjoyed the food there, but friends I was with wanted to try the new one in West Reading. The menu has a few fried things' some salads, a couple sandwiches (but no burger) and wood fired pizzas. The pizzas did LOOK good when someone at the table ordered it. The other food was just...disappointing? I'd noticed a lot of greens left on other tables' plates when they left, and when our caesar salad came, I saw why. It was a giant pile of romaine with a little pulled chicken on it (this is presumeably the pulled chicken they use in their buffalo chicken sandwich.) Once my friend ran out of chicken and dressing, there was about half the greens left. Speaking of greens, when we went to pack up the mac and cheese to take home, there was a handful of greens hidden under the skillet that had of course wilted to a mush. Why were they there?? They should really rethink their fry shape. It's a wedge shape but shaved very thin. I'd waited for my friends to get their food about 5 minutes (they ordered separately) and my loaded fries were already cool and kind of hard. On the menu it said it came with bacon, fresh tomatoes and a jalapeno cheese drizzle, but when it came, there were no tomatoes, and there was also a ranch sauce and a LOT of scallions. I wouldn't have ordered it if it was correctly described, as I hate ranch and am intollerant to allium plants, but I just picked them off. It's rare that I don't want to eat a fried potato of any sort, but I only ate about a 5th of it and really just because I wss driving home and couldn't just drink beer without eating. There was another menu "typo" as they called it. A friend ordered the cheesesteak after me, which I HADN'T ordered, because it was stated as being smothered in mushrooms. Instead, it came with fried onions, which I definitely would have ordered. As a side note on service. It was completely fine except that they kept forgetting to take our numbers off the table when they delivered food, which is an important part of their job. To be fair, 1 person at our table said it was their favorite new place, but frankly they eat out more than my room mate and I do. When we go out we expect something that is better than what I could make if I scrounged around my kitchen a while on a Tuesday night after work. I'm not even an amazing chef or anything. Maybe it's just that they haven't been open very long, but I won't be spending my own money on trying them again...

Update. June 27 2021

The “efficient casualness” I spoke about is gone, as is the cask ale, and barbecue sauce on the self service counter (which I am not sure is still a self service counter).

The British pub style model, the model that is in part responsible for the Bulls Head Pub in Lititz frequently topping the list of best pubs in PA is….GONE

The model now is 100 percent full table service (other than the bar), which I don’t like. You no longer can choose your spot or change it. But yet it’s not really a formal restaurant. Paper plates and plastic forks. So it’s a weird combo.

I don’t like the model 2 star deducted

Food isn’t as good 2nd star gone

Irrational perhaps, but I feel slightly betrayed. A sense of loss

Beer is the same. Bartender was nice

So two stars remain

———old review—— Both the food and the beer taste really fresh here.

I have been going to the various Sly Fox's for about 15 years (the original and the new one in Phoenixville, the one in Royersford which closed, and the one in Pottstown). Each of these locations had maintained their specific identities, which was reflected in their decor, atmosphere, and food. The beer, though, to me seemed always consistent among the locations, and has remained so to this day. The location in Wyomissing is no exception.

In the last 15 years we have witnessed many trends in beers -- hoppiness, high alcohol content, sours, fruity beers, and many other things. But Sly Fox continues to do what it has always done well. Their beers are not as intense as those you might find at Weyerbacher, Victory, Troegs or Schaylers. Instead, they generally provide a lighter and fresher taste.

Coming here for me is like visiting an old friend, who seems to have developed new interests. The location in Wyomissing is unique in its own way. The service style (with a combination of being able to order at the bar or counter, with the food delivered to the tables, which is similar to the approach used in the very popular and well-regarded Bull's Head Pub in Lititz) works very well and creates an atmosphere of efficient casualness.

Sly Fox Wyomissing is off to a great start, and I am very happy to...

We stopped in for lunch following a medical appt. It was a Wednesday around 12 noon. The place was not crowded at all -- indoors nearly every table was vacant and outdoors a few tables were vacant. (It was a low-humidity day.) I ordered a pizza + a salad; he ordered a cheeseburger + fries. The pizza was very good and since I can't eat cheese, one of my toppings was comped. The smallest pizza was more than I could finish for a lunch -- or a supper, for that matter, unless I were famished. The salad arrived in a 5" square dish -- romaine, assorted greens (the arugula was a nice touch), shredded carrot, diced tomatoes and a cucumber slice or two -- plus the tasty vinaigrette. His burger looked delicious with the melted cheese (provolone, I think) dripping down from it. He usually orders medium-rare but the middle was more done that that. Still, he had no complaints and seemed to enjoy it. The fries looked fantastic but I had enough to handle w/ the pizza and salad. Our server, Amaya, was attentive and helpful. The industrial feel of the place is not the type of decor I gravitate toward, typically, but it was fine. A lot of the tables indoors are of the high-table and high-stool variety. There is a large bar and you do not need to wait to be seated if you sit at the bar. This was not a concern with the place nearly empty upon our arrival. By the time we left, a large group (a busload?) had entered and gone to some side room (? they disappeared somewhere) and quite a few other tables had filled up. The food was very good here. It was $40 for the two of us for lunch w/ no booze - just waters and iced teas. It was probably $48 w/ tip, if I know my hubby. If I had been by myself, I probably would have taken an outdoor table, but with hubby along and a high today of 86, we opted for indoor seating. Great to know that this option exists for the "it's Friday night and no one in Berks eats at home on Friday...