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Restaurants

Restaurants Near Santander Arena in Reading, PA

Where to eat before a show at Santander Arena: Cheers Bistro across the street, walkable rooms night by night, and the Sunday and late-night answers.

Berks Connect Blog|Published August 30, 2026
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The short answer for restaurants near Santander Arena is Cheers Bistro at the DoubleTree, at 701 Penn Street, directly across from the arena and open 6am to 10pm every day. Most of the other walkable rooms keep short weeks, so the night you are going decides where you eat.

  • Cheers Bistro: across the street from the arena at the DoubleTree, open 6am to 10pm daily, with free garage parking for diners.
  • Judy's On Cherry: a Mediterranean bistro with a wood-fired oven two blocks away, Wednesday through Saturday from 5pm.
  • The Peanut Bar: the long-running Penn Street tavern with free peanuts, Monday through Saturday until 8pm.
  • The Ugly Oyster Drafthaus: the Irish pub two blocks over with a deep beer list, Tuesday through Saturday.
  • Thorn Alley Kitchen: the restaurant inside GoggleWorks, serving Sunday dinner when most of this list does not.
  • El papi: one block off the arena on South 6th Street, open 8am to midnight seven days a week.
  • Marvel Ranch: the breakfast and lunch counter four blocks away, open from 6am on weekdays.
  • Franklyn's Breakfast Burgers & Shakes: chicken and waffles and milkshakes at 1007 Penn Street, 7am to 3pm every day except Tuesday.
  • Beckett's: an old-school counter for fried chicken, ribs and soul food sides, cooked to order.
  • Platinum Cafe & Lounge: a Latin kitchen directly across from FirstEnergy Stadium, open noon to 2am daily.

Doors open one hour before showtime, and there is no re-entry.

Three arena policies decide your whole evening, and all three are on the venue's own FAQ page. Doors open one hour before the event time. Once you go in and come back out you are not getting back in, and outside food and drink are prohibited, water included.

That is why this is an hours question and not a taste question. A 7:30pm show means doors at 6:30pm, which means you want to be sitting down by about 5:30pm, which means the kitchen has to be open and able to turn a table on a weeknight.

Bags are limited to a clear 12 by 6 by 12, a 12 by 12 clear drawstring, or a one-gallon zip-top, plus a small clutch no larger than 4.5 by 6.5. The Santander Performing Arts Center box office opens three hours before curtain, so if you are picking up will-call you can do that first and eat after.

One more thing to weigh before you book a table. The Performing Arts Center runs its own pre-show buffet, Dinner on the Mezz, open from 90 minutes before showtime until 30 minutes before, with chef-attended stations and a menu that changes by show. It is a ticketed add-on rather than something included with your seat, and the venue lists it on September 6, 9, 18, 19 and 27, October 2 and 11, with more dates after that.

What the arena's published restaurant list does not tell you about tonight.

Santander Arena keeps an Area Restaurants page, and it is the first thing most people find. It lists ten places. We checked all ten against the venue calendar, and here is what came back.

One of them, the Saucony Creek brewpub at Franklin Station, stopped serving as a restaurant on August 1, 2026 and now runs as a private event space, per a July 2026 WFMZ report. Another, Salsa Burrito at 645 Penn Street, is open weekdays, closing at 5pm, and closed weekends, which makes it a lunch counter rather than a pre-show stop. Seven of the remaining entries are in Birdsboro, Sinking Spring, Wyomissing or West Reading, which are good towns and a drive, not a walk.

That leaves exactly one entry on that page that is both walkable from 700 Penn Street and open when the doors open, and it is Cheers Bistro. A list of restaurants and a plan for a Tuesday in October are two different documents, and this post is the second one.

Search has the same gap. The old Destination Downtown Reading dining guide still ranks for this query, but its restaurant page is gone and its home page now redirects to an unrelated company overseas. The improvement district behind it was discontinued on January 1.

Cheers Bistro at the DoubleTree, directly across from the arena.

Cheers Bistro is inside the DoubleTree at 701 Penn Street, which puts its front door across the street from the arena's. It is open to the public, not just hotel guests, and its own site lists 6am to 10pm daily.

The room is a contemporary hotel restaurant doing American plates, brunch and cocktails in a casual setting. Reviewers describe easy company before a crowd: "Nice intimate atmosphere, quiet, nice crowd," wrote one, and "Staff is beyond friendly," wrote another.

One reviewer made the case for a specific order: "Get the Cubano. Huge sandwich ... Includes the best tomato bisque soup ever." Another liked the sides: "The colored greens along with the Mac and cheese were great!"

The parking is what changes the math. The DoubleTree offers complimentary garage parking to diners and runs a shuttle to the Performing Arts Center, per the Reading Symphony's own visitor page. Reviewers describe the drill plainly: "Park at the DoubleTree. Get the parking code from the bartender," and "They validate your ticket so it's free!"

Dinner within a few blocks of Santander Arena, by night of the week.

Several of downtown's dining rooms keep short weeks, and that is the thing a list of names never tells you. It is also the difference between a good night and a vending machine. Here are the walkable rooms whose hours we could verify.

More restaurant listings across the county live at our Berks County restaurants category, and our wider best restaurants in Reading roundup goes past the arena blocks.

Judy's On Cherry, Wednesday through Saturday, two blocks away.

Judy's On Cherry is the downtown restaurant with a documented relationship to the venues, and its own site puts it two blocks from the arena and three from the Performing Arts Center. It is a Mediterranean bistro under vaulted ceilings with a wood-fired oven doing much of the cooking, on South 4th Street, and reservations are live online. The hours are the catch: Wednesday through Saturday, 5pm to 9pm, and that is the whole week.

For a 7:30pm curtain that is close to perfect, because a 5pm seating gives you a full meal and a walk. One reviewer points at the bar: "The espresso martini was the best I've ever had. Perfectly mixed." Dessert has a following too, with one reviewer calling it "the best coconut cake in the universe."

The menu includes a gluten free pizza. "We had the gluten free pizza. Excellent choice," one reviewer wrote. Another summed up the room: "Warm & Classy Contemporary; the colors, music, ambiance, smells, lighting and friendliness of staff…Everything perfect."

Judy's On Cherry

The Peanut Bar on Penn Street, Monday through Saturday until 8pm.

The Peanut Bar sits at 332 Penn Street, about four blocks down from the arena, a long-running tavern with free peanuts and an old-school room. Its own site lists Monday through Saturday, 4pm to 8pm, closed Sunday, with reservations at (610) 376-8500. That 8pm close is the number to plan around: this is an early dinner, not a late one.

The peanuts are the identity. "They serve peanuts on the tables and there are peanut shells all over the floor," one reviewer wrote. "The kids got a kick out of it." Another group treated it as a destination: "Our group… would drive 40 miles to enjoy their outrageous concept of all the peanuts one could eat and tossing the shells on the floor."

The room does work too. Reviewers mention "vintage photos of Reading playing on screens" and "twinkle lights in the branches on the ceiling." Order dessert if the clock allows, because "the pretzel ice cream pie thing was so delicious," per one reviewer, and portions run generous enough that another wrote that the "prime rib hooked me up with Fred Flintstones dinner!"

The Peanut Bar Restaurant

The Ugly Oyster Drafthaus on South 5th Street, Tuesday through Saturday.

The Ugly Oyster is at 21 S 5th Street, two blocks over from the arena's corner, and it is the pub option on this list. It is an Irish tavern built around a wooden bar made in England and stained glass, with a deep beer list and pub food.

Its posted hours run Tuesday through Thursday, 11:30am to 9pm, Friday and Saturday until 10pm, closed Sunday and Monday, per its Instagram, which is where it posts. Its old website no longer resolves, so use the phone or the social feed rather than an old bookmark.

For a Friday arena show that is an easy fit. You can be in a booth at 5pm with time to spare, and the walk back up to Penn Street is short.

Ugly Oyster Drafthaus

Thorn Alley Kitchen at GoggleWorks, the Sunday answer.

Thorn Alley Kitchen is inside GoggleWorks at 201 Washington Street, five blocks over at 2nd and Washington, and it serves dinner on Sunday, which most of this list does not. Hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 9am to 8pm, Tuesday 9am to 2pm, and closed Monday, per the GoggleWorks site.

It is a restaurant inside an arts center, which is exactly as good as that sounds. "The atmosphere is cool industrial yet artsy while the service is welcoming, friendly and prompt," one reviewer wrote, and another called it a "creative space with a varied menu of delicious, high quality food."

The Korean fried chicken comes with an explanation. "The chicken was made with rice flour, so it was airy and crunchy," one reviewer wrote. "And you're provided 4 flavorful sauces that complemented very well." The smash burger has its own following, described by one reviewer as "a 'thinking about it days later' kind of burger," and another reviewer noted "how many gluten-free options were available."

El papi on South 6th Street, open until midnight seven days a week.

El papi restaurant is at 100 S 6th Street, one block off the arena's corner, and our listing has it 8am to midnight every day. For a late show, or a show that runs long, that is the whole argument.

Order the churrasco. "I really wanted steak surprisingly I asked for medium and omg they made it perfectly loved it," one reviewer wrote, and another named "the steak, the tostones and the pernil" together. A third calls it the place for mangu con los tres golpes.

The room is part of it. "They make you feel like family," one reviewer wrote, and another wrote that you are missing out if you do not stop to say hi to one of the most charismatic people in town.

A worked night: a 7:30pm Sunday show at the Performing Arts Center.

Take Sunday, September 6, when Blackberry Smoke plays the Performing Arts Center at 7:30pm. Doors at 6:30pm. Now run the downtown roster against a Sunday and watch it narrow.

Judy's is closed Sunday. The Peanut Bar is closed Sunday. The Ugly Oyster is closed Sunday and Monday, and Marvel Ranch closes at noon on Sundays, and Salsa Burrito does not open weekends at all.

Three of the walkable rooms in this guide survive: Cheers Bistro, open until 10pm, Thorn Alley Kitchen, open until 8pm, and El papi, a block off the arena, open until midnight. September 6 is also one of the Dinner on the Mezz dates, if you would rather eat inside the building.

Now run the same test on Saturday, September 19, when Lil Wayne is at the arena at 7:30pm and Jimmy Failla is at the Performing Arts Center at 7:30pm, two shows in one downtown on one night. On that Saturday, Judy's is open 5pm to 9pm, the Peanut Bar until 8pm, the Ugly Oyster until 10pm, Thorn Alley until 8pm, Cheers all evening and El papi until midnight. Same six blocks, a completely different answer, and the only thing that changed was the day of the week.

If your show is the Reading Symphony, add one more rule to the plan. The Symphony seats late arrivals only at a break in the applause, per its own policies page. Eat early.

Before a matinee or a morning event, Reading's breakfast counters do the work.

Not every event downtown starts at night. The arena calendar has Life Surge opening at 8:30am on September 12, the Royals play a 10:30am Education Day game on November 17, and the Performing Arts Center puts Chicka Chicka Boom Boom on at 2pm on October 25. For those, the dinner rooms are irrelevant and the counters take over.

Marvel Ranch on Penn Street, breakfast and lunch only.

Marvel Ranch is on the 300 block of Penn Street, about four blocks from the arena, and it is breakfast and lunch and nothing else: Monday through Friday 6am to 2pm, Saturday until 1pm, Sunday until noon, per its Instagram. It appeared on Gordon Ramsay's Secret Service, season one, episode five, which aired June 18, 2025.

The pancakes are the thing. "The most amazing thing are the pancakes," one reviewer wrote. "They are the best pancakes I have had anywhere." The other order people repeat is the skillet: "My favorite is the mess with sausage, bacon and ham. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and enjoy with toast."

For an 8:30am arena event, a 6am open four blocks away is not a small thing. Ordering ahead through its own online ordering is there if you are on a clock.

Marvel Ranch

Franklyn's Breakfast Burgers & Shakes on the 1000 block of Penn Street.

Franklyn's is at 1007 Penn Street, three blocks the other side of the arena from most of this list, and our listing has it 7am to 3pm every day except Tuesday. Chicken and waffles is the order. "It is the best chicken and waffles I've had since I left philly," one reviewer wrote. "The chicken was so juicy and crispy and the taste was absolutely amazing."

The milkshakes come up often, with one reviewer recommending the strawberry and banana and another talking up a pecan shake. The room gets described the way people describe a friend's kitchen: "We felt like we was visiting a family member's home for Lunch!"

The soundtrack gets its own reviews, which is a good sign about a place. "The soundtrack inside the place was FANTASTIC! Philly Soul & Motown playing," one reviewer wrote.

Franklyn's Breakfast Burgers & Shakes

Beckett's on Walnut Street, cooked to order.

Beckett's is at 324 Walnut Street, about four blocks over from the arena, an old-school counter doing fried chicken, ribs and soul food sides. We do not have its hours, and it is cooked to order, so call ahead if you are working against a doors time instead of wandering in.

The wings carry the place. "Hands down the BEST fried chicken wings in the City of Reading, Pa," one reviewer wrote. The sides get equal billing: "The Mac and cheese is just out of this world," per one reviewer, and "The collard greens are full of flavor & let's not forget the sweet potato yams!" per another.

One reviewer put the consistency plainly: "No matter how busy they get the food quality is consistent." Another described the owner slipping their group a couple of breaded pork chops as a kind gesture, which is the sort of thing that turns a stop into a habit.

Beckett's

Eating before a Fightin Phils game on Centre Avenue.

FirstEnergy Stadium is at 1900 Centre Avenue, north of downtown and a genuinely different neighborhood with different answers. It is home to the Reading Fightin Phils, the Double-A Eastern League affiliate of the Phillies.

The clock works differently here too. Per the team's published ballpark guide, gates open two hours before first pitch for the Diamond Credit Union Plaza and general admission, and one hour before for the rest of the stadium, so there is a long pregame window inside the gates: a stage, picnic tables on the plaza, a fries stand, a pizza stand, a grill, milkshakes, and an all-you-can-eat ticket add-on that covers better than two hours in the left field corner. Parking in the lots west of the stadium is free.

Here is the timing note that matters right now: the season ends at home. The final regular-season homestand runs Tuesday, September 8 through Sunday, September 13 against the Erie SeaWolves, with a 1:15pm finale on the 13th, when the team plays as the Reading Prost. Weekday first pitch has been 7:00pm, Saturdays 6:45pm and Sundays 5:15pm, which is the number your dinner has to beat.

Platinum Cafe & Lounge, across the street from the ballpark.

Platinum Cafe & Lounge is at 1925 Centre Avenue, directly across from the stadium, and it is open daily from noon to 2am, which covers every first pitch on the schedule and the hours after the last out. It occupies the former Six One O Cafe space.

The kitchen is Latin. "The food was amazing churrasco con tostones y mofongo good music and great customer service," one reviewer wrote, and another said simply, "The mofongo is to die for!" If you are ordering for the table, one reviewer was emphatic: "Most importantly I HAVE to tell you to get the BBQ wings. Im in LOVE with them."

There is a dance floor and pool, so it also works as the place you end up after the game rather than only before it.

Mike's Sandwich Shop on Centre Avenue, for the walk-up order.

Mike's Sandwich Shop is at 1755 Centre Avenue, up Centre Avenue from the stadium, and our listing has it Monday through Saturday, 10am to 7pm, closed Sunday. That is a counter order before a weekday first pitch, not after one.

The buffalo chicken cheesesteak has a fan club. "Best buffalo chicken cheesesteak sandwich I've EVER had!!" one reviewer wrote. The smash burgers get named after the cook: "The food, especially Ron's Smash burgers are to die for." And the house sandwich is a local rite of passage, per one reviewer: "Get a Godfather, grab a bag of Goods & Clover Farm & Ur officially from Reading!"

The welcome is part of the deal. "As soon as you walk through the door, the entire staff stops and greets you," one reviewer wrote. If sandwiches are the whole point of the trip, our Berks County cheesesteak guide goes deeper.

Mike's Sandwich Shop

Mike's Tavern on Exeter Street, for a beer and a band.

Mike's Tavern is at 135 Exeter Street, the neighborhood bar half of the ballpark pairing. Hours run Monday through Thursday 3pm to 11pm, Friday and Saturday to midnight, closed Sunday, so a 7:00pm weekday first pitch fits with room to spare.

It is a beer bar first. "Good beers on tap, fully stocked bar, and beer fridge," one reviewer wrote, and another appreciated the "amazing selection of drinks, including NA beer." Ask about the Boilo, the traditional Pennsylvania drink one reviewer was pleased to find here.

The live music is the other draw, including a Wednesday open mic that one reviewer clocked at 8pm. As another put it: "Always love a local place that has local bands play original music." More rooms like it live in our Reading bars guide.

Mike's Tavern

Legends and Nino's, if you are coming in from the north.

Legends is at 2545 N 5th Street Highway, with a kitchen running 4pm to 10pm and closed Tuesday, per its own site. It is a bar and restaurant with a separate live-music room, and the food people name is the pub food: "Fantastic pizza and wings! Overall, a great time and great food," per one reviewer.

Nino's Pizza & Italian Restaurant is at 515 Richmond Street, a short walk from the ballpark, a family-owned room going since 1993, doing Neapolitan pizza and Italian entrees with beer and wine. We do not have its hours, so call before you count on it.

If you would rather eat before you drive in at all, B2 Bistro + Bar at 701 Reading Avenue in West Reading serves 11am to 10pm Monday through Thursday, with its cafe counter running 7am to 2pm on weekdays, and takes reservations online. It is a drive from both the arena and the ballpark, not a walk.

Legends Inc.

NINO'S PIZZA & ITALIAN RESTAURANT 515 Richmond St Reading PA

Parking near Santander Arena, and what changes two hours before doors.

Every garage and lot around the arena is run by the Reading Parking Authority, and the arena's own parking page names the closest ones: 2nd & Washington at 25 N 2nd, Fourth & Cherry at 29 S 4th, Chiarelli Plaza at 25 N 3rd, Front & Washington at 27 Front, 7th & Washington at 700 Washington, South Penn at 635 Franklin, the State Lot at 644 S 7th, 6th & Cherry, the DoubleTree Garage at 600 Court, Reed & Court at 666 Court, and Poplar & Walnut at 130 Poplar.

Entry is gateless with plate reading, and you pay within 15 minutes by app or text rather than at a booth. The detail that matters for dinner: flat-rate event parking begins two hours before doors, per the parking authority's event schedule, so the terms depend on when you pull in.

Two more things. Meters are free after 6pm Monday through Saturday, which is often the simpler answer for a short dinner. And there is no tailgating at the arena, so the pregame happens at a table, not at a bumper.

What is coming up at the arena, the Performing Arts Center and the ballpark.

Santander Arena, at 700 Penn Street, holds up to 8,800 for concerts and 7,200 for hockey, and it opened in September 2001. On the calendar: Grupo Frontera August 29 at 8pm, Omar Courtz September 10 at 8pm, Ryan Castro September 13 at 8:30pm, Lil Wayne September 19 at 7:30pm, Don Omar September 25 at 8pm, Taste of Chaos September 26 at 5pm, Ole 60 on October 2 at 7:30pm, Lucha Libre Mexicana October 3 at 7:30pm, Method Man and Redman October 23 at 8pm, Gavin Adcock November 7 at 7pm, Sugarland November 14 at 7pm, and Perreoland featuring Nicky Jam November 27 at 8pm.

The Santander Performing Arts Center, 1,700 seats at 136 N 6th Street, is home to Broadway on 6th Street and the Reading Symphony Orchestra. Coming up: Blackberry Smoke September 6, Candace Cameron Bure September 9, the Reading Symphony September 12, Men At Work September 18, Jimmy Failla September 19, The Fixx September 27, CAIN October 2, the Symphony again October 10, Latin Urban Fest October 11, Cary Elwes with The Princess Bride October 17, Dan and Phil October 19, Collective Soul October 21, My Hero Academia in Concert October 22, The Sixties Show October 24, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom October 25 at 2pm, The Bodyguard October 30, and a November run that includes Mannheim Steamroller on the 27th and World Ballet's Nutcracker on the 28th.

The Reading Royals open on the road October 16 at Greensboro, then play the home opener Saturday, October 24 at 7:00pm against the Kalamazoo Wings, with an October 25 game at 3pm and 36 home dates in all. Add the Fightin Phils closing homestand, September 8 through 13, and the fall calendar in this city is dense enough that checking a restaurant's hours before you drive is not overcautious. It is just the move.

More places to look at near the arena and the ballpark.

Questions about eating near Santander Arena.

How early should I get downtown before a show at Santander Arena?

Work backward from doors, which open one hour before the listed event time. For a 7:30pm show, doors are 6:30pm, so a 5pm or 5:30pm seating gives you a full meal without rushing the kitchen. If you are using a garage, flat-rate event parking begins two hours before doors, so when you pull in changes the terms.

Is there anywhere to eat near Santander Arena that is open on a Sunday?

Yes, and the list is short. Cheers Bistro at the DoubleTree runs 6am to 10pm seven days a week, and Thorn Alley Kitchen at GoggleWorks is open Sunday 9am to 8pm. Judy's On Cherry, the Peanut Bar and the Ugly Oyster are all closed Sundays, and Marvel Ranch closes at noon. El papi on South 6th Street runs 8am to midnight seven days a week.

Can I bring food into Santander Arena, or leave and come back?

No on both counts. The arena prohibits outside food and beverages, including water, and re-entry is strictly prohibited once you exit. That is the whole reason the pre-show meal matters here: whatever you eat, you eat before you scan your ticket, or you buy it inside.

Where should I eat before a Reading Fightin Phils game?

Centre Avenue is its own neighborhood. Platinum Cafe & Lounge sits directly across from the stadium and is open noon to 2am daily, Mike's Sandwich Shop up Centre Avenue runs 10am to 7pm Monday through Saturday, and Mike's Tavern on Exeter Street covers the beer-and-a-band version of the evening. Gates open two hours before first pitch for the plaza and general admission, so eating inside is a workable plan B.

Are there restaurants within walking distance of the Santander Performing Arts Center?

Yes. The Performing Arts Center is at 136 N 6th Street, a block off Penn Street, so the whole downtown list here is in range. Judy's own site puts it three blocks from the Performing Arts Center, and the DoubleTree, home to Cheers Bistro, runs a shuttle to the venue.

Sources.