Phoenixville’s Steel City Coffee Emphasizes Local Ingredients

The music mainstay is bringing delicious bites to customers under its new owners.

This past fall, the recently married Ed Simpson and Laura Vernola purchased and (rather quietly) refurbished downtown Phoenixville’s Steel City Coffee House. The place was already known for its great live music and caffeinated beverages. Now, the food is getting some serious attention, as well.

Simpson and Vernola—who earned their stripes in the hotel, restaurant and PR industries—bring a cultured cohesiveness to an already intimate listening room. “This spot is perfect for a full-on BYOB dinner-and-show experience,” says Vernola, perhaps stating the obvious.

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Steel City’s new menu is succinct and tasty, with an emphasis on local ingredients. Comfy starters include bacon-wrapped pretzel bites stuffed with provolone cheese, flatbreads, cowboy chili, carrot ginger soup, and a hummus platter filled with accoutrements.

With its fireplace, tables and stools, couches, and candlelight, the club-like atmosphere has only been enhanced. Fittingly, the stage and a Steel City mural continue to anchor the space. Nostalgic album covers, posters and autographed prints jam vibrant walls, and high ceilings offer ideal acoustics for the performers who engage the mostly over-30 crowds well into the night. 

203 Bridge St., Phoenixville, (484) 924-8425.

Steel City’s Breakfast Flatbread//Photo by Tessa Marie Images.

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