Veekoo Asian Cuisine, Debuts in Berwyn

It’s been a banner year for Lancaster Avenue’s food scene, with a handful of restaurants flocking along the Main Line corridor to call this well-traversed zip code home. The latest dining establishment, Veekoo Asian Cuisine, perched on the left-hand corner of the Berwyn Shopping Center, swung its doors open on July 9.

Owned by husband-and-wife duo Tony and Shelly Li, the pan-Asian BYOB is the second location for the pair’s fusion brand (the first is in Royersford). With a good chunk of the original location’s loyal following living and working along the Main Line, the couple was inspired to expand closer to their clientele.

The brand-new BYOB arrives with clean, crisp white finishes, from the six-seat, high-top sushi bar to the extensive, mod-chic dining room dressed in moody mahogany leather seats and yellow drapes. A private eight-seat dining area is also available, tucked deep into the dining room.

The real magic of the newest Veekoo Asian Cuisine is apparent in the versatility of the house chefs. A pair of top-level chefs man the site’s impeccably fresh sushi program, artfully crafting both by-the-book traditional maki rolls and splashy, outside-the-box specialty rolls (the inventive, eel-stuffed Dragon Roll—actually constructed to resemble a dragon—is a favorite). Lighter sushi bar options like the sashimi salad, as accented with salmon, white tuna and avocado and tossed with wasabi dressing, also allows the high-grade seafood program to shine.

Better yet, behind the kitchen doors, chefs are preparing authentic Chinese, Szechuan and Thai dishes with absolute gusto—but their range doesn’t stop there. Consider the whole Peking duck traditionally trimmed for your tasting; the spicy tangerine drenched jumbo shrimp, scallops and chicken; or the flavorful-and-fun pine nut fish that’s flash-fried and drizzled with sweet and sour sauce.

Veekoo Asian Cuisine’s appeal, besides its all-pro staff, is its ability to provide a worldwide snapshot in Asian cuisine without ever sacrificing quality. Discover the newest Main Line spot for yourself at 564 Lancaster Avenue in Berwyn; phone: (484) 318-7655. Hours of operation are as follows: Mon.–Thurs., 11 a.m.–10 p.m.; Fri.–Sat., 11 a.m.–11 p.m.; Sun., 2–9:30 p.m. Take-out and catering also available.