By Zach Brown, Berks County Eats
Tucked away in the northwest corner of Berks County, the village of Bethel is a quaint little country crossroads. It feels a world away for many in the other corners of Berks County, though it’s an easy side trip for thousands of motorists traveling I-78 every day.
If you exit the Interstate, you’ll find a couple blocks of old buildings, including at least one log cabin that’s been added on to. It’s mostly residential with only a few businesses, one of those being Bouchette Vineyards & Winery.
Bouchette opened the winery in 2017. In May 2025, they added something new: an on-site food truck called the Mountaintop Bistro.
We hadn’t visited the Bouchette before, but the menu at the food truck features two of our favorite things, smash burgers and BBQ, so we had to make the 30-minute drive from Wyomissing to check them out.
We pulled in around 5 p.m. on a Saturday night, Julie and I taking advantage of a babysitter to have a night to ourselves. There was a couple waiting for food, and another person waiting to order when we got into line. We had to wait a couple minutes to place our order as the food truck was a one-man show, with one person both taking and making the orders.
But that gave us time to figure out what we wanted. Then, knowing that we had a few minutes before the food would be ready, we headed inside to check out the winery options.
Bottles of various varietals and vintages line the shelves inside the door. There is also an assortment of hard cider in cans in one corner.
The bar is small with four chairs and room for another person or two to stand. In addition to wines and ciders, they also offer wine slushies. (The featured flavor while we were there: black cherry merlot).
Julie sampled some of the wines and ciders and decided to pick up two cans of cider to take home while enjoying a glass (or plastic cup, in this case) of Daybreak, their strawberry wine. Julie is a fan of sweet wines, and this one was on the sweeter side but not overly so. It had a freshness to it with a subtle strawberry flavor that she really enjoyed.
She sipped it while she ate her Classic Smash smashburger. It featured two three-ounce patties on a Brioche roll with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, ketchup, and burger sauce (and mustard, which Julie opted out of).
The burgers were made fresh, and the patties had good flavor on their own. And there was plenty of fresh flavor coming from the toppings, too. The Brioche roll was the perfect choice because it held everything together nicely.
Not being a drinker myself, I settled for a can of Sunkist to go with my pulled pork sandwich. That was my choice for dinner, and it was a good one. The pork is marinated in their apple hard cider and topped with coleslaw on the same Brioche bun.
The pork was perfect. I could taste hints of the cider in every bite, kind of like how you can taste the subtle notes of the alcohol in a whiskey BBQ sauce. The coleslaw was also very good, the cabbage adding a little crunch to the dish.
Both of our meals came served with French fries (and their French fry dipping sauce). They were absolutely delicious: fresh-cut and reminiscent of the Oley Fair fries. The dipping sauce was like a Chick-fil-A Sauce. I passed on it, but Julie liked it.
There are three distinct seating areas at the winery: a pergola with cushioned chairs and fire pits; a pavilion with bistro tables and chairs; and a collection of uncovered picnic tables. Even though others came and went while we were there, we had the pavilion to ourselves, so Julie and I sat and talked long after our meal was done.
We were there long enough that we decided to go back inside to pick up a couple bottles of wine to take home (including the Daybreak that she had just enjoyed).
In all, we spent $25 at the food truck and about $50 for wine and cider. And though Julie and I enjoyed our date night, the setup makes it a place where we could bring the kids if we wanted.
And maybe we will next time (I’m sure there will be a next time) because both the winery and the Mountaintop Bistro exceeded our expectations.
BCE Rating
Food: Very Good
Service: Very Good
Ambiance: Very Good
Price: $
Mountaintop Bistro
at Bouchette Vineyards & Winery
9684 Old U.S. Route 22
Bethel, PA 19507
This story was contributed courtesy of Berks County Eats, a local resource for food and dining information. Berks County Eats is dedicated to promoting the dining scene in Reading and Berks County, PA, offering restaurant reviews, news, and events, and a comprehensive Berks County restaurant directory. You can read more at berkscountyeats.com.
The post Friday Food Feature with Berks County Eats: Mountaintop Bistro at Bouchette Vineyards & Winery appeared first on BCTV.
Source: bctv