Food Hounds...!!! Brimstone here with another hot spot from the road! We had the amazing opportunity to visit one of the hottest locations in the Reading, Pennsylvania area - Judy's on Cherry. The location itself is chock full' o history... it used to be a Market House and is larger than life! The roof was at least 40 feet high and was reminiscent of Noah's Ark flipped upside down... AMAZING! Judy has been running this eatery for ten years so far and built it from the ground up... we were truly stupefied by how bold, gorgeous, open and spacious the dining room was. So the first taste was the Foccacia bread; made fresh daily in their Hearthstone oven. Made with just a touch of Rosemary and Olive Oil, the flavor behavior was incredible and actually fooled my tastebuds; I actually thought it had butter and garlic - but no; simple and truly amazing! Next up was one of the most delightful flavors to ever hit my tongue... the Gorgonzola Baked Figs wrapped in Bacon! A most unique and flavor-bursting bite of love that I've ever tasted! I could eat these all day every day - a quick blast of flavor from a perfect blend of sweetness from the figs and a creamy cheese texture from the gorgonzola; topped off with a slight salty taste from the bacon. We then enjoyed the Exotic Mushroom Pizza which was unreal... porchinis, shitakes and oyster mushrooms with fontina cheese and drizzled with truffle oil. The truffle oil truly makes the assist on solidifying this pie as a MUST have. Large and tasty with a thin crust, this pie offers a perfect ratio of cheese to oil to 'shrooms. Meanwhile, the caramelized onions proved to be an exceptional addition to complete an exceptional pie. A little hint to you Foodies out there; if you hit them up on Wednesday evenings - you'll catch their weekly Pizza and Wine Night. Judy's is such a terrific place to take a date out for a first time, a group outing or for a classy business meeting; the location and menu works extremely well for all of the above. We moved from the bar to the prime location at the restaurant; the seating surrounding the 'kitchen' itself. Now on to the food... the band RATT once had a hit that stated, "Loving you is a dirty job, and I'm the man to do it" - this couldn't have been truer here! We started with the Crispy Fried Avocado Seviche, an extremely interesting dish where the avacado is served fried offering a unique flavor and texture, coming across warm and creamy while seemingly dissolving in your mouth! The Seviche was a fabulous blend of shrimp, scallops and swordfish that was cool and refreshing; offsetting the warmth of the avocado. Served with homemade flour tortilla chips and a slice of lime; this side is no joke! Next we had an innovative version of Seared Calamari with a shaved fennel pepper salad and yummy lemon aioli. Pan seared with a delicious dash of seasoning which is very well represented... it was like eating a large lasagna noodle! We were given a taste of their Butternut Squash Soup which was a WIN! Sweet, thick and creamy with healthy chunks of savory crab make this soup a MUST have - the curry is there; but sneaks up on you for a very pleasant surprise. This soup is rich, bold and flavorful. My personal WIN was the Braised Boneless Short Ribs of Beef Au Jus - I made short work out of these short ribs that were adorned with tasty roasted fingerling potatoes. Delicious and delightful to my tastebuds, this meat falls off the bone and just melts in your mouth. Another platter made for the meat-a-tarian is the Blue Cheese Encrusted London Broil. The Bleu cheese offers a pleasant change from the norm adding a strong cheesy bite to an already succulent steak. The Cornflake Encrusted Crab Cakes absolutely amazed us for another WIN! One of the top five BEST crab cakes ever eaten by the Hounds. The three blends of aioli created an absurdly tasty and zesty sauce that was BOSS. Made with actual cornflakes and doused with this flavorful sauce - it was a medley of flavor performing on our tastebuds. Lastly, we had the Casuela Roast of Diver Scallops served on a delicious bed of caramelized onions and doused with sherry vinegar butter. Aside from the scallops being large themselves, the portions were insane and the intense aroma of the caramelized onions permeated the immediate area with promises of pleasure filled bites! Dessert - The Salted Caramel and Chocolate Tart offered the perfect blend of salty and sweet all wrapped in one - each bite was equally as delicious. The Warm Honey Pine Nut Tart had a taste all to its own... who knew that pine nuts could offer such amazing flavor? Then we had the BIG helping of Deep Dish Jersey Blueberry Pie ala Mode which was sweet and delicious! The berries were ginormous, fresh and refreshing. We wrapped up this experience with Mrs. Wesner's Coconut Layer Cake, a recipe that has been in Judy's family for the last forty years! WIN! Worth the trip any day of the week! read more

This was wonderful! We happened on it by accident. We had planned to go elsewhere and it was completely reserved for private party. So the bartender mentioned this restaurant. From the appetizers to the main course, to dessert everything was delicious. Rachael was our waitress. She was very knowledgeable, and gave us great suggestions. read more

they have taken the scallop entree off the menu and i found out that you can not get pizza on saturdays. i think that judy's feels a little stuffy too. im not sure i like it as much as i used to. i just had ok food when i went back. read more

My boyfriend brought me here a little over a year ago for the first time, and I was blown away. I've never eaten at a restaurant where the food was THAT delicious. We ordered the calamari as an appetizer, and I had the blue cheese crusted london broil. OH MY. First of all, I crave the calamari. It's so light, and not rubbery at all. The amount of breading was just perfect, and whatever that sauce is that is served with it just makes the whole thing incredible. My london broil was the most delicious piece of meat I've ever eaten, and I very rarely eat red meat. My boyfriend ordered the scallops, which were the best scallops I've ever eaten too. Each time I've gone, Judy's has been the best meal I've ever had. read more

We've had one of the best meals here. They are so accommodating to people with food allergies. They will go over everything in detail as far as ingredients. Nan was the best. She sold us on nearly everything on the menu. Drinks were delicious. Atmosphere was amazing. Everything was perfect. Highly recommend Judy's! read more

Judys is one of the hidden gems of Reading. Easily one of the top restaurants in the area. Loved the meals, the atmosphere and the price. 4+ if there were such a rating. read more

The butternut squash soup for last weekend's Rotary event, Empty Bowls, was a huge smash! Every drop was consumed. Obviously I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone dining at Judy's on Cherry. Be prepared for some new customers from Southern Berks now that they have been exposed to a sampling of your awesome food. Thanks Judy for once again delighting your diners! read more

Best restaurant in Reading by far! My wife and I go there for all special occasions throughout the year. They change their menu almost monthly and they always have a few vegetarian selections for my wife (or they'll make up something special). Would go there once a week if we had the money! read more

Similar to another review, if you have A LOT OF TIME, then possibly Judy's may be your choice. We had reservations after an event at the Arena for 8 people. Drink orders were somewhat timely, and it went dowhill from there. We arrived at 6:30, finally got our room temperature to cold dinners between 8:30-9:00, only after we politely brought it to their attention. (2 returned their meals which were literally ice cold and one was partially burnt. Because it took over 2 hrs to receive our dinners to start with, they chose not to reorder and deduct from the bill). The rest of us were starving; althought warm, the food was somewhat palatable. Our bill was well over $400 total, AND, they had the audacity to ADD gratuity, so you cannot tip based on service; Note: THE S-L-O-W-E-S-T SERVICE any of us have ever experienced. It's not like this place is new to crowds, and, it also appeared that another server was somewhat upset will the staff's overall poor performance. I was amazed how we all remained civil, professional, calm, despite the fact that by the time we paid our bill, it was after 10:30pm. JUDY's way to apologize, they 'comped' us with free dessert. That was also a catastrophe! Basically, service is an abomination, food tasted good but may have been rated better if it were hot and fresh from the oven. Adding automatic gratuity is a RED FLAG you're being setup for some form of disappointment. (Any reputable restaurant allows the customer to compensate based on quality and performance - heck, thats what we're paying for!) We had our experiece and most likely, for the price, service, quality, would NOT recommend Judy's. read more

This is my new favorite restaurant! Judy is wonderful! We arrived at the restaurant 10 minutes before they opened; she opened the door and told us to come in! The entire staff was so warm and friendly! I was sitting up close to the table in a booth and Judy brought me a pillow!!! The restaurant is located in a former market house; beautiful! Original art throughout! I saved the best for last - the food! Oh my goodness! We started our dinner with the crispy toasted bread and olive oil! We love love the bread! We shared a red beet Napoleon for appetizer - wonderful! Perfect! Pork chop with cheesy grits and smoked peaches - he said it was the best pork chop he ever had - his eyes were rolling back in his head with pleasure! For dessert we shared a Bavarian Cream Cake with fresh peach! This was so yummy; I could live on this and only this! I asked who made it because I want to marry them!!! We will be back again and again and again! read more

My wife and I went with some friends during the week while on vacation. Reviews on Yelp rated the place highly and so will I. The appetizers were delicious, capresi salad, butternut soup all above par. I must say that the Brussel sprouts were superb. Baby sprouts, caramelized with a great sauce....WOW. My wife and I split a pizza which was very good but not on the same level as the other dishes. One friend had the scallops and we all tried them....and quickly agreed that they were the best scallops we had EVER tried. This is saying something for me as I grew up in Florida and had seafood continuously growing up. I though I had tasted the best seafood and was amazed at how perfectly cooked they were. My other friends had steak and a steal salad. They both raved about the dishes. The only thing holding back the 5th star is the drinks. They were not so great. One really weird thing is that each drink was brought with straws that were to short for the glasses. The straws literally fell into the drinks and you had to fish them out. My wife got some specialty drink and the glass was odd shaped and the drink tottered the whole time. I had a simple knob creek and Coke and it was terrible. The wait staff was overwhelmed and we had to wait several times for refills, more bread, etc. She was very pleasant when she was at our table but we seemed to be an after thought. Overall, it was a good meal but could have been better if the waitress was on her game and the drinks better. We will definitely go back because the food was so good and the flavors more than made up for the minor distractions.. read more

Actually, this is a 4.5 star review. I ate only once here but the food, the ambiance were special. Ambiance: A very interesting building, decorated from the outside as well. The entrance has a vaulted ceiling. There are three dining areas and a bar. The kitchen is open and is located between the first two dining areas. You can watch them cook on the way in and out. Service: The servers help each other and each will take care of your table if your server is not available. Our server sometimes took a bit longer to come back and visit us. So we had to ask other servers for some help. It was a Saturday night and our server may have been overwhelmed. Food: Everything my buddy Jim and I tried was absolutely delicious. We started with the Asian duck pot stickers in a red Concord grape sauce. The pot stickers were savory, crispy on the outside and really good. The skillet cooked clams with chorizo, farro and tomatoes was exceptional. The clams were fresh and tasty, the chorizo added a nice smoky and spicy flavor, the farro added texture, the tomatoes added color and a touch of sweetness. Our ravioli entree was visually beautiful and fantastic. It had two ravioli, two shrimp and two pieces of Caribbean lobster. It was in a rose sauce with tomatoes. Anytime I am in Reading, Judy's is the first place I will go for lunch or dinner. It is worth the trip. BTW, there is a parking lot across the street as well. read more

Judy's on Cherry has a very inviting atmosphere. The restaurant manages to pull off an antique and modern feel at the same time. When in Reading, you might want to make a reservation if you would like to eat here. We walked in on a Friday night around 7 and it was full; we could've stayed to eat but there was a reservation for the table we could have had and there was only an hour and a half to eat. So just to be safe a reservation is the way to go. Like most restaurants you start of with bread; here the flat bread is good. We also had the butternut squash soup with curry and crab, which is excellent!! You must try it. For the entree I had the diver scallops with mashed potatoes. I truly enjoyed this dish. However, if you do not like onions, you probably would not want to try this. My father had the filet mignon, he said it was good, but I do not eat red meat so I will have to take his word for it. All in all, our experience at Judy's on Cherry was a pleasurable one. If you are ever in the Reading area, you have to dine at Judy's. read more

Delicious, great service! Can't really comment on the price, because I was treated. Tasty wine, tasty crab cakes and meats, and good service. Cute little spot in Reading. I'd go back. read more

I absolutely love this place. The food is incredible and the atmosphere is charming. I can't wait to go back.

A hidden gem that we walked to from our hotel. The food and service were great. Loved the old building and would definitely go back if in Reading again. read more

Wow! Where do I begin with this fabulous restaurant? I had the duck confit pizza with balsamic glaze Gorgonzola and finished with fresh arugula. read more

WAY WAYtoo expensive for what you get. Four of us went for dinner, all had same dish, over 1 hour for dinner and the waitress had the nerve to want to charge us when we asked for more bread cause we waited so long. Nothing but an overrated , fancy restaurant. read more

This was a great place to eat. I was there with two others. Fig appetizer with bacon was fantastic. Brussels sprouts were so tasty with the fried sage sprinkled about. read more

Made reservations here with my lady before seeing a show at the Santander Arena. We each got a veggie pizza... Me: the white broccoli and spinach and the lady: mushroom, caramelized onion, truffle oil & vegan cheese pizza both tasted great and our Appetizer of calamari was phenomenal. We'll definitely come back, very cool ambiance and the kitchen is totally rustic and open in the cool Mediterranean themed decor. Cool vibes, TLC from the owner/chef and great service. read more

A wonderful, welcoming and delicious place to eat, with options for everyone. Housed in an historic and stunning building which is impressive yet cozy, its menu has something delicious for everyone and the complimentary bread will get your taste popping while you wait for your food to arrive. The genuinely friendly staff are wonderful and Judy herself will typically stop by to say hello and welcome. The dining experience goes beyond the upstairs restaurant with an outside dining garden and the Speckled Hen pub, which occupies the oldest building in Reading, of stone and log construction, the three collocated venues cater for all tastes. read more

I live between the Savory Grille and Landis Store Restaurant which are both very good but Judy's could give both a run for their money, Had lunch there with 4 fussy foodies and no complaints just accolades. Their Mushroom pizza was excellent as well as the hazelnut chocolate confection I had for desert read more

Unfortunately was a letdown. Was so excited to try this place based on the reviews- however Judy's did not live up to those reviews. The service was painfully slow and the waitstaff was not attentive whatsoever. The food was barely seasoned- calamari was bland and chewy. Our salad sat on a tray for over 20 minutes nearby before our waitress brought them over to us. The crab papardelle pasta dish that my fiancé ordered had maybe 2 pieces of crab in it. My filet was completely overcooked and the veggies that came with it had no taste or seasoning whatsoever. Sadly will not be returning to this restaurant. read more

We had a dinner at Judy's after our wedding instead of having a big reception. Food was great! Service was good. I would have preferred a more private table. Judy was very helpful when trying to come up with a menu that fit our budget and responded promptly to emails and voicemails. Our only issue was that we had requested a cash bar, but when we got the bill we realized we got stuck with all of the alcohol which didn't make us too happy. Especially since this was arranged ahead of time with Judy. Overall I would go back for lunch or dinner. read more

Unfortunately this restaurant is slipping in both quality and service. The female server lacked etiquette on how to serve. The small crab cakes were mostly filler sitting on top of cold cabbage. Maybe the dinner was sitting before being served to us. Judy used to have delicious jumbo lump but not this visit. My husband's filet with fresh green snap peas looked wonderful. The server never checked on us until she wanted us to leave. This was a very disappointing dining experience for a Thursday night. read more

Any restaurant that serves St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur is four stars in my book. Oh, and there's the Imaginative fare, fresh seafood, polished service, and great art and ambiance. read more

Four of us dined at Judy's for the first time on a Saturday at 6pm. The atmosphere is very cool. We loved the decor and feel of the loft. The service was prompt and friendly from start to finish. The menu is a little pricey, but we were all very pleased with our meals, and the presentation was beautiful. The only complaint we had, although very minor, was that the music was a little too loud. That aside, we will definitely go back to Judy's and hope for another satisfying experience! read more

Loved the setting and the staff was pleasant from the get. I was with a group of six and although I don't eat bread those that did loved it and the olive oil it was served with. I had their Squash soup which was delicious and the others raved about the Kale Caesar salad they started with. For my Entrée I had the Peppercorn Steak and it was very good. Everyone enjoyed their meal and I will make it a point to come back! read more

Great dishes and and really fun decor, the bread baked on their own brick oven is amazing. Servers genuine and helpful not fake enthusiastic. I tried the clams and chorizo, outstanding. When you consider the price it's 5 stars. read more

This place makes me happy. I've come here twice now and it is my favorite place to eat in the area. The environment is lovely, warm brick and high wood ceilings. The food is consistently fantastic and of high quality. Both times the wait staff has been helpful and attentive. Plus, off-street parking. Though it is a little pricier than some restaurants in the area, it's for good reason. Easy five stars. read more

Your review helps others learn about great local businesses.So glad I listened to Steve our waiter and chose the Limoncello Chicken! Whomever created that was a genius!Nice Lehigh Valley Riesling too. read more

Always a great meal and great service. Also love Wednesday pizza and wine night. Love when we get Peg as our server.

Whenever I'm in the mood for some upscale dining I think of Judy's on Cherry. They have a fantastic menu and ambiance. Everything they serve is delicious, sometimes it's hard to pick one dish because it's all so good. read more

My family loves Judys. We try to go for dinner every other month or so, and are rarely disappointed-- even in the tiniest detail of our food (as in too much pepper). The waitstaff are efficient and friendly. The restored building is awesome of course, but the attention to 'taste' and 'texture' and 'fresh' is what has us coming back. The pace of serving apps then salad then main entree has never been uncomfortable (where we were waiting...and waiting) and we have never tried something on the menu that was not as tasty as the last thing we had. The presentations are killer, too. In other words, Judy's menu allows for venturing beyond your 'favorite' dish. We consider it 'the' high end restaurant in the area, on par with trendy restaurants we've enjoyed in much bigger cities. Expect to make reservations early, especially holidays. read more

It was the best! I've told everyone in the Lehigh Valley they must make the trip! Great food, great ambiance, and wonderful service. What more could you ask for! read more

I have eaten here a few times. The food and service have consistently been excellent, but not exceptional. I would definitely suggest this place as somewhere to go. read more

We didn't have reservations but they squeezed us in even though it was farm to table night during restaurant week and they were packed. Service was great and the food was delicious. Lovely atmosphere. read more

Cappuccino martini was delicious. Food was very good. Service was great. Would dine again. Prices reasonable.

Great great great! Outstanding service and food was amazing!!! Love this place! Very clean atmosphere! I'll be back!

The service and atmosphere were 4 star, but the food was lacking and in desperate need of seasoning. Ironically the best tasting thing we had was the complimentary fresh, warm bread. We started with a mushroom pizza($13) as an appetizer after reading the glowing reviews. But the crust was soggy and overwhelmed by the thick layer of oily cheese. Only after adding salt, pepper and a couple of squeezes from the lemon wedge from my water glass did the flavors come together at all. For our lunch entrees we each ordered a sandwich that came with a few pita chips and a sprig of over-ripened (semi-spoiled) red grapes. The day's special of Beef Short Rib($11) with pickled onions was ok, but a bit overwhelmed by horseradish cream sauce. The Turkey Club($11) was piled high and looked great, but was the most flavorless sandwich I've ever had. The dining room itself is warm and inviting. But there really should be some mention on the restaurant's website that all of the seating is located on the second floor and is only accessible up a long flight of stairs. I have another gift certificate to use, so hoping a visit for dinner will have better results. read more