Limoncello - West Chester, PA

I have been dying to try the food at Limoncello for quite some time now. Ever since I walked past and spotted patrons dining on platters of antipasto with delicately cured meats and cheeses, I knew I needed to check it out. After viewing the menu online, I was excited to learn that Limoncello offers a Prix Fixe menu on Monday and Tuesdays. For $28 you are served a three-course meal with your choice of appetizer, entrée, and dessert. Appetizers range from soup and salads to pasta and seafood.

When we sat down, there was a small plate of perfectly seasoned Bruschetta, along with a basket of bread with olive oil for dipping. For my appetizer, I opted for the Calamari Fritti served with a trio of sweet chili sauce, marinara, and lemon. I was given a healthy portion of hearty pieces of lightly fried calamari. I knew I should stop eating because I might be too full for dinner, but they were so tasty, I polished off the whole plate with the exception of two measly rings. My entrée was Chicken Limoncello: egg dipped, lightly fried chicken in white wine sauce with asparagus, crab meat and Cappellini. It was delicious but I would have liked the dish better if the breading on the chicken was crispy and the sauce had a little more depth. I am a salt lover admittedly, but this dish genuinely needed a good douse of it. The pasta was perfectly cooked al dente and the crab was sweet and not at all fishy. The portion was so large I took more than half of it home.

I was pleased that the restaurant offered a Kids Menu and while limited, it covered all the bases: chicken fingers and French fries, pasta, pizza- perfect. In my heart, I really wanted my son Nate to choose the chicken fingers because I knew they would not be a measly fried nugget, but rather a perfectly golden brown cutlet. No such luck. However, when they brought out the pizza, his eyes lit up like Christmas morning. Okay, so did mine and my mother’s. This was no boxed personal pan pizza (not that that’s what I was expecting). This was a huge, beautifully cooked, picture perfect pizza. He ate all of the cheese off the top, and some of the dough, but had filled up on so much bread before dinner that he was on a bit of carb overload. Regardless, for $7 this was a deal and it kept him occupied the whole dinner.

Dessert was a large piece of peanut butter cheesecake that Nate devoured without incident. I can’t wait to try the chocolate soufflé for the mere fact that it’s served with mascarpone gelato!! With our check came two small glasses of Limoncello which was such a surprise and so appropriate! We did not partake, but I thought this was a nice touch to the end of a delicious meal.

I was expecting the atmosphere to be quiet and quaint but quite the opposite, it was loud and happy, just like all Italian families/restaurants should be. Not so loud that it was annoying or distracting, but loud enough that you knew people were really enjoying themselves and having a good time. My kinda place! I will definitely go back to Limoncello and have already forwarded the menu over to a few friends to check it out. It’s the perfect place for a date, dinner/lunch with friends, or even a small celebration (the adjoining room was hosting some sort of party). Next time I go, I plan to partake in one of the quaint tables outside, enjoy a glass of vino and soak in the town of West Chester that is so near and dear to my heart. Perfetto!