Delco’s Restaurant Scene Is Undeservedly Underrated, Says Food Critic Craig LaBan

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The storefront of 320 Market Cafe in Swarthmore.
Image via Craig LaBan.
The storefront of 320 Market Cafe in Swarthmore.

The Philadelphia Inquirer food critic Craig Laban turned his eye on Delaware County’s restaurant scene and he liked what he saw.

“We could have gone anywhere, but the land of hoagie dip and scrapple fries was calling,” LaBan wrote in his Philadelphia Inquirer column.

Delaware County had been that place one county over from the city line, references from Tina Fey’s Upper Darby roots and Kate Winslet’s Mare of Eastown Wawa devotion notwithstanding.

Then he found himself happily browsing the “impressive selection” of craft beers and natural wines on the shelves at 320 Market Café in Swarthmore.

There was the sophisticated, handmade and accessible meal from rye byob chef-owner Ryan Sulikowski that showed Media was “finally beginning to fulfill its potential as a vibrant suburban dining hub.”

Diners inside rye boyob in Media. Image via Yong Kim, The Philadelphia Inquirer.

LaBan also discovered that “this quirky county with a patchwork of 49 municipalities … is much more dynamic than its caricature as a home to dive bars, convenience stores, and hoagie shops.”

There were breakfast gems, dim sum destinations, stellar craft breweries “and a vibrant nexus of immigrant flavors in Upper Darby.”

Delco dining is distinctive, diverse and certainly one of the most underrated food destinations in the Philadelphia region,” he exclaimed.

Read Craig LaBan’s extensive review in The Philadelphia Inquirer

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