The Gladwyne Lunch Box is Small but Mighty

Thanks to its monthly “Tide to Table” dinners, owner Theo Gerike’s 500-square-foot spot offers more than meets the eye.

With eight stools lined up along an L-shaped counter and just four tables, the 500-square-foot Gladwyne Lunch Box doesn’t feel much bigger than the classic, somewhat kitschy container it takes its name from. Fittingly, the old-school lunchboxes cover a shelf by a large chalkboard displaying daily specials that range from simple breakfast and lunch items like pancakes and waffles to homemade tuna, egg and chicken salads, along with burgers and steak sandwiches.

The tiny spot’s (semi)secret draw occurs one Sunday each month, when owner Theo Gerike—who’s also an oyster farmer in Tuckteron, N.J.—offers two seated six-course BYOB “Tide to Table” dinners at 5 and 7 p.m. The evening is all about seafood, typically beginning with oysters, raw and wood-roasted with thyme butter, followed by either steamed clams or chowder.

The usual main course is a day-boat scallop dish with risotto in winter or creamed corn in summer, plus fried oyster sliders. The meal ends on a sweet note with apple pie à la mode or crème brûlée.

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These extra-special dinners are $75 per person and cash only.

951 Youngs Ford Road, Gladwyne, (610) 642-9608.

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