The journey to Northbrook Marketplace starts with a scenic country drive through a thicket of trees, rolling rivers, horse farms and country estates. Whether you are looking for a grab-and-go meal or an elegant evening out, it can all be found in their iconic red barn located at 1805 Unionville-Wawaset Road in West Chester.
Upon entering the market, your senses are tantalized and your eyes are drawn to their beautifully restored fieldstone. The 1850’s era barn is adorned with wooden casks and photos of horses and farms, as well as the fresh aroma from their bakery. In the deli and hot bar area, hungry customers choose from a variety of soups, dips, deli meats and cheeses by the pound, hoagies, breakfast dishes and sandwiches, paninis and finger-licking BBQ straight from their own smokehouse.
Before you leave the bakery and market, be sure to pick up one of their signature apple cider donuts, which they have been churning out for over 25 years. Northbrook has everything to start your day off right: Lamont Coffee by the pound or freshly brewed, danishes, bagels, muffins, scones and plenty of pastries.
Northbrook is heaven for anyone with a sweet tooth. The bakery is stocked with 16 different types of pies, custom cakes for any occasion, cookies, bars, cupcakes and even their own ice cream parlor with homemade ice cream.
Northbrook is your local holiday headquarters for everything from the Christmas ham to all the trimmings. Northbrook’s grocery section is stocked with local dairy products, eggs, soup mixes, sauces, produce, dairy, snacks, pretzels, coffee, honey, crafts from local artisans and their very own and addicting tortilla chips—Robritos that pair perfectly with their homemade guacamole or hummus.
Northbrook is also a place to savor a BYOB, home-cooked meal or pick up the stellar ingredients needed to craft one. On Thursday nights from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., you can as twirl as much of their Italian pasta buffet as you desire for $10.95 for adults and $5.95 for kids under 5. Eat like a king on Friday nights with a Prime Rib and Baked Fish dinner from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. for $18.95 for adults and $8.99 for kids.
Every Sunday, Northbrook offers a BYOB Brunch buffet from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. that will wow any brunch-lover. Cost is $14.95 per adult and $9.95 for kids (3-11 years old).
“Growing up, I used to love to go on our family adventures to Northbrook Orchards – picking apples, pumpkins and, most of all, grabbing a warm apple cider doughnut. Every fall I think about Northbrook, but it wasn’t until this year, about 10 years later, that I made my way back,” said Mike Cangi.
“From fresh breakfast potatoes, to hot eggs benedict, to their prime rib, Northbrook had everything I wanted to eat for brunch, along with some dishes I had no idea I wanted so badly; like the apple cider doughnut bread pudding french toast (my personal favorite of the morning).”
Every Wednesday and Saturday starting at 6:30 p.m., new and old friends gather around their 22-seat Chef’s Table, which was voted “Best of Philly” for Private Dining Table in 2009. For $75 per person, diners are served a 7-9 course chef and market inspired meal. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 610-793-1210.
Many Chester County residents have memories of Northbrook being an apple orchard, but the orchard was sold off 10 years ago and the market was created five years ago. In 2008, the culinary couple, Rob and Christine Boone jumped at the opportunity to own their own restaurant. Rob handles the kitchen and is a veteran chef whose worked for Stephen Starr and was voted one of Conde Naste Travel’s top Chefs in 2004.
Christine manages the front of house and catering duties and used to be the Director of Catering at Omni Hotels. The upstairs private room, with wide beamed ceilings and original 1850’s hardwood floors, is a space which used to be reserved for sorting apples, and can hold between 30-100 people for any special occasion. “We do a lot of things under this roof,” said Christine. “We can do anything from a grilled cheese to a four star meal, we try to customize each event as much as possible.”
Northbrook Marketplace is open Monday through Wednesday from 6:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Thursday from 6:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Sunday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
As I pulled away from Northbrook Marketplace‘s beautiful red barn, I could easily picture bikers parking their bikes out front for a quick doughnut stop, party guests enjoying the view of the property’s green pastures beyond their gazebo and families waiting in line for the ice cream window on a warm summer’s night.
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