Skylight Cuisine & Bar

Skylight Cuisine & Bar is a Latin American restaurant and bar located at 600 Penn St in downtown Reading, Pennsylvania. The kitchen works primarily in the Dominican and broader Caribbean tradition, with a menu that runs from breakfast plates through lunch, dinner and dessert, supported by a full bar serving beer, wine, cocktails and hard liquor. The restaurant sits on Penn Street a short walk from the Santander Arena and the Santander Performing Arts Center, placing it within the stretch of downtown that draws office workers during the day and event crowds in the evening.

The restaurant operates as both a sit-down dining room and a bar, and the two sides of the business tend to overlap. Guests arriving for a midday meal find table service and counter service, while evenings bring live music, televised sports and a later kitchen that continues serving food after many downtown establishments have closed. The space itself is finished with attention to detail, and the dining room is used regularly for private functions as well as regular service.

The Food

Dominican cooking forms the backbone of the menu. Mofongo, the mashed plantain dish built with garlic and pork cracklings, appears in several forms, including versions that combine plantain with yuca rather than relying on plantain alone. Fried fish prepared in the Dominican style is another staple, typically served whole and paired with sides drawn from the same tradition. Rice, beans, stewed meats and tostones round out the plates that regular customers return for.

Beyond the core Latin American offerings, the kitchen maintains a broader range than many restaurants of its size. The menu includes small plates suited to sharing at the bar, a salad bar, quick bite options for guests on a short lunch break, and dishes identified as vegetarian, vegan, organic or otherwise lighter in preparation. All-you-can-eat service is available, as are happy hour food and drink offerings. Desserts are made in house and are ordered frequently alongside coffee at the end of a meal.

The kitchen has a reputation for accommodating modifications when a guest asks for a change to a listed dish. Plating receives visible care, which matters at a restaurant where many tables are occupied by groups marking an occasion or by business guests entertaining colleagues.

Bar and Entertainment

The onsite bar pours beer, wine, cocktails and spirits, including Dominican and Caribbean brands that pair naturally with the food. Happy hour covers both drinks and food. Live singers perform on a regular basis, and the music program is a significant part of what distinguishes evening service here from a standard restaurant dinner. Sports are shown on screens in the bar area, so the room shifts in character depending on the night and what is on the calendar at the nearby arena.

Catering, Private Events and Group Dining

Skylight Cuisine & Bar handles catering and hosts private functions, and this side of the business is substantial. A private dining room is available for seminars, business meetings, birthdays, baby showers and similar gatherings. Organizations in Berks County have used the restaurant both as a venue and as a caterer for events held at other downtown locations, including arts and cultural spaces in the area. Large food orders are prepared for pickup, and the restaurant also delivers.

Reservations are required, which is worth noting for anyone planning a visit. Calling ahead at +1 610-396-1010 is the way to secure a table, discuss a group booking or begin a catering conversation. For events tied to arena performances or downtown conferences, early booking is advisable, since the restaurant's proximity to those venues means demand clusters around event dates.

Location, Parking and Access

The Penn Street address puts the restaurant in walking distance of the Santander Arena, the DoubleTree hotel and a number of downtown offices and government buildings. Visitors staying overnight downtown can reach it on foot, and workers in the surrounding blocks use it for lunch. Parking is available in both a free lot and a paid lot, with paid parking directly alongside the restaurant.

The building is set up for wheelchair access throughout, including the entrance, the restrooms, the seating area and the parking lot. An assistive hearing loop is installed, and Braille menus are available. These features are not universally present in older downtown buildings, and they make the restaurant a practical choice for guests who need them.

Service Options and Practical Details

• Dine-in with table service and counter service
• Takeout, delivery and curbside pickup
• Outdoor seating, with dogs permitted in the outdoor area
• Breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner and dessert service
• Late-night food
• Catering for offsite events
• Private dining room for groups
• Kids' menu
• Free Wi-Fi and onsite restrooms
• Debit cards, credit cards and NFC mobile payments accepted
• Reservations required

Atmosphere and Clientele

The dining room is casual and cozy rather than formal, and the restaurant draws a mixed crowd: families with children, solo diners stopping in for lunch, business travelers, groups celebrating occasions and people heading to or from events at the arena. The restaurant identifies itself as LGBTQ+ friendly and as a transgender safe space. Staff are known by name among regular customers, which reflects the family-run character of the operation and the consistency of the people working the floor.

Because the restaurant serves breakfast as well as dinner and keeps the kitchen running late, it functions in several different roles across a single day. The same room that handles a quick weekday lunch for someone with an hour to spare becomes a dinner destination with live music later on. Service tends to move quickly, which suits the lunchtime crowd working around meetings and shifts.

Contact

Skylight Cuisine & Bar is located at 600 Penn St, Reading, PA 19601. To make a reservation, place a takeout or delivery order, or ask about catering and private events, call +1 610-396-1010.