King Street Grille—What’s In a Name?

The name of the King Street Grille is a bit confusing to those of us who aren't familiar with the original restaurant that opened in 1989 on King Street in Malvern. It has since moved to a strip of shops on Route 30 in Frazer, between Margaret Kuo’s Mandarin and an adult video and gift shop.

The family-friendly breakfast and lunch spot offers more than what one expects from a “grille,” including Cheese Blintzes ($9.69), Smoked Salmon Benedict ($11.99) and a Korean “Celebration” Soup Bowl ($9.49).

We were greeted by a server passing by the front counter as we entered the dining area. She grabbed menus and asked us if we’d like a booth or table. We chose a booth along the window. As she placed our menus on the hunter green resin table set with paper napkins and utensils, she asked for our drink orders. Two acrylic glasses of ice water and straws appeared almost instantly.

The menu covered traditional breakfast and lunch items with some interesting twists. A stack of three plain pancakes ($5.49) was at the bottom of a list of eight flavor varieties ($6.49 - $6.99) ranging from apple pecan to chocolate chip or peanut butter, all served with cinnamon butter. Separate sections of Vegetarian ($7.69 - $8.79) and Asian ($9.49) lunch items added to the Angus burgers ($6.49 - $8.09) and hot or cold sandwiches $5.99 - $8.59).

Overwhelmed by so many choices, we decided to stick to some of our standard items. Our server took our order and quickly returned with a glass of Pepsi and a refill of our water. We had a few minutes to admire the professional, framed photos for sale that hung on the patterned wallpapered. Grandparents with grandkids, families and other couples sat in the mauve, padded, honey wood booths that lined the tables in the two dining areas.

The Quesadilla “King Street” ($9.29) lived up to its billing as the “biggest and baddest one anywhere.” The huge, crispy herbed tortilla stuffed with melted cheese, blackened chicken, black olives, scallions and pickled jalapeno slices barely fit on its platter. Three plastic containers of sour cream, homemade salsa and guacamole were placed on it. We liked the idea but found that the combination of olives and brined hot peppers drove up the saltiness. The homemade salsa had a hint of chili powder, while the guacamole was fresh avocado and lime juice.

A browned Plain Belgian Waffle ($5.89) dusted with powdered sugar came with packs of whipped butter, a syrup dispenser and a cup of cinnamon butter. While the waffle was standard, the sweetened cinnamon butter elevated the dish to above average.

We chose to have our order of Two Eggs ($4.09) served scrambled. A fluffy, pale yellow cloud of eggs cooked to be firm but not dry filled the dish. We added a dash of salt, thankful that it was left to our taste.

Although we had to ask for a container to take half of the quesadilla home, we ordered a Classic Clubhouse Sandwich ($7.99) without the ham to go, with our choice of potato salad.

The sandwich was made of three layers of toasted bread, thinly sliced deli meat turkey, lettuce, tomato and bacon. The predominant flavor was from the turkey, not the bacon or thin slice of tomato. The potato salad was a mild dill mayonnaise version with small potato cubes, carrot threads and celery rib. A whole garlic pickle was crispy and delicious.

King Street Grille

182 Lancaster Avenue, Frazer

Telephone: 610-644-2644

Website: kingstgrillepa.com

Hours: 6 a.m. – 2 p.m. everyday

Cost: Breakfast items, $2 to $12; sandwiches, salads, burgers, $6.50 – $9

Credit cards: VISA, MasterCard

Special Features: Vegetarian options, Asian dishes, family friendly