Shirleys Cafe & Tequila Bar

(¹⁰⁄₁₀₀)
Who do I write to about getting half stars? I was torn on what rating to give Shirley’s Café. I was stuck between a 3 and a 4. Our waiter was really nice and I’d like to come back to try their drink specials so I’ll bump it up to a 4.
I bought a Groupon for Shirley’s Café and Tequila Bar. They had a special that day for an additional 20% on the already discounted price — talk about a great deal!
I met up with an old friend who had moved to Washington state, we ended up staying for over 3 hours. Luckily our waiter was really friendly and didn’t rush us at all.
We ended up ordering:
— 3 hard ciders
— Calamari
— Pork tacos
— Beef tacos
Everything was really delicious. The ciders came over in a chilled glass. They were nice and frosty, the way it should be. We both tried a pineapple hard cider and I was really happy with our choice.
We ordered the calamari as an appetizer. It came out with a lot of veggies around it. At first I was kind of turned off by that, I thought that they were trying to skimp on the actual calamari but I was so wrong. The plate was piled high with yummy veggies and crunchy calamari that was accompanied by a tasty chipotle dipping sauce. We almost ordered another plate, it was that good.
I ordered the pork tacos while my friend got the beef. The tacos came with sour cream and salsa. They were very good. They were not skimpy with the portions either. We both asked for the corn tortilla and they had 3 tortillas, per taco. They were so hearty that they fell apart. Not a problem. I just ate the overflow with a fork. My only complain was that I wish they had come with a side of rice.
Everything was also more than reasonably priced. Our bill came to $ 25 (without the alcohol) so the Groupon covered that. Our ciders were a mere $ 4 a piece. I’d definitely come back again. I’d love to explore their alcohol list. There was a few flight options that sounded delicious. Shirley’s Café and Tequila Bar is a great place to dine and get a drink or two.

I want to give this 5 stars, so bad. And maybe I will at some point. But for now, just not possible.
Only a couple of weeks ago we discovered this place through word of mouth and that word was «you HAVE to go to Shirly’s». So we went.
The first time we went, both our appetizer and dishes were amazing. I had shrimp tacos, he had a pizzadilla, and my margarita was on point. Service was excellent as well and I couldn’t be happier or wait to come back. Nothing special or fancy but they seem to know how to pack a punch of flavor into seemingly simple dishes. Not a Berks county norm and welcome by me.
Only a week later and we were back. Had uhmazing empanadas as an appetizer, both dishes again were great and service was again on point.
Fast forward five days and the man says «hey, wanna do takeout from Shirly’s» and I’m all «as long as I don’t have to go in because this’ll be embarassing» to be there three times in less than two weeks. I order wings, he gets fajitas.
We get home and… there’s maybe remnants of what might have been my wing sauce on the container but basically all of my wings were devoid of any sauce and consequently, flavor. Ho hum. His fajitas were «eh», and barely even cut up so you can fit them in a tortilla, odd.
What was strange was that the place was empty, so had it been a mad house I could let it go but this was definitely disappointing and worth noting.
I, however, will not give up! I really love the place, staff is friendly as all hell, music selection playing is always good stuff, great vibes, and prior to takeout night, the food was excellent, so to all of you kind folks, I say give it a try, I think you’ll ultimately like it and go back for more!

«Tequila. Straight. There’s a real polite drink. You keep drinking until you finally take one more and it just won’t go down. Then you know you’ve reached your limit.» ~Lee Marvin
Happy Hour everyday from 4:00pm — 6:00pm
I don’t know of anyone who visits Shirley’s specifically for the food. It’s about meeting here with your pals or co-​workers, the warm welcoming atmosphere and of course, the Tequila. I admit, I don’t know much about liquor, but when our dear gringo friends invited us to join them for dinner, we were happy to check it out.
The food here is not much different than the typical Berks County meat, but their staple vegetarian Cazuela dish is quite good. A Cazuela is a wide, flat casserole clay pot that dates back thousands of years in Spanish cooking. The clay earthenware holds a slow, steady heat so the food continues to cook when removed from heat. They also have a comprehensive drink menu including Tequila flights, Margaritas, Palomas and beer.
The location can be tricky if you’re not familiar with the area. They are located near the Boscov’s call center offices on the northern side of Reading.

Awesome burger night both quality and price wise. The burger was huge (8 oz. I think), 5 toppings (bacon, mushrooms, peppers, etc) with fries AND a drink (beer or soda) for $ 9. Other restaurants should take note. Service was quick as well. The Groupon was redeemed with ease. Only two things I could see for improvement: the lemonade was very weak and the wings could use a little more sauce. Will definitely be back.

Fantastic! Food is amazing — you would never expect from this off the beaten track bar in laureldale but a real nice surprise. Highly recommended for a casual stop in. Great drink menu and fantastic margaritas.

Went for lunch on a Monday. Barmaid was delightful and sharp. Food was v. well prepared, creative choices and reasonably priced. Heartily recommend.

Not bad, descent appetizers, they have a app but it didn’t work when I was last there so kinda a work in progress.

I love this place. Food is great and priced appropriately. Staff is nice and attentive. I enjoy the atmosphere. Great when you want to hang at a bar but don’t want to be packed in like sardines or yell at each other over the noise. Very unique in it being a tequila bar. Wait until you see this tequila menu! And don’t worry, they offer some good craft beer and other beverages. Shirley’s fries are awesome. Thanks for the great service, Nate.

Love love the Calamari and of course the margaritas!

I’ve had great food there twice before. However, even visiting with a party the waitress was extremely rude and blaming mistakes on other staff! How does the hostess have anything to do with getting my drink order wrong?! The meat from my tacos tasted like it had been sitting all day. Some people are not fit to serve food. Her boss should tell her to find something she’s good at… Like making excuses.

i went to Shirley’s tonight with my family. We called for reservations and were told they dont take them. But when we arrived at 5:45 pm, the hostess asked if we had a reservation!?! It took one and a half hours of sitting on a backless bar stool before we got our food. The waitress apologized for the long wait and offered to comp us for our sodas and dessert. All four of us requested a dessert to go since our backs were really hurting, but she only brought us two desserts. I’m not gonna say the food was bad, but the service was horrible. I’ve never even considered walking out of a restaurant before getting my food until tonight at Shirley’s. I wont be going back.

The waitress was very helpful, especially when we told her it was our first visit. I had the pizza special, my son had the fish stew special. They were all really good, but my favorites were the margaritas and the tequila special shots. There is a huge menu so be prepared to make time to look over the entire menu before ordering. The special menu was recommended by the waitress. Very friendly staff. Will try it again.

My spouse and I went in today on recommendations from friends. We ordered two dirty martinis and they came back tasting like we were drinking straight from the olive jar. Our server was busy so we approached the bartender Reed who seemed offended and was quite rude. He «remade» them however they came back tasting like the same drinks. We let our server know we were unsatisfied and would be leaving. Although she was very nice we were still charged for the drinks that weren’t consumed. Very disappointing and we won’t be going back.

This place is nice, with a cool casual environment. First time I went we only had beers and a tequila flight. Second time we had food. Split a pork sandwich and a dozen wings. Good was great. Live nearby so I’ll be back.

Shirley’s Café is a favorite restaurant of my wife and mine. We are in at least once a week. Great food, service and prices. I hate to sound like a spokesperson, but all of the friends we turn on to it love it too.
It can get a bit loud around the bar on Friday and Saturday nights — we will ask to be seated sit in the enclosed front porch if the bar area is crowded.
Sundays are «family pizza night» (full-​size pizzaa for $ 8.99 each). And their pizza (and strombolis) are great!
They have a Specials menu every night — if you see *anything* that grabs you on the Specials, *GET IT* because in all of our visits to Shirley’s (probably 25x at this point), we have *never* seen a special come up again.

The food was great but the inmates run the asylum! The waiters and waitresses talk loud with their personal business becomes mine as I hear them clearly as does the rest of the area.
Customers seem to be a nuisance at times. My family of 6 went there because of good rumors we heard. I don’t want to dispel those rumors just have them corrected. I suggest getting the ordering station out of middle of the eating area. It’s a hangout for the help.
Did I mention the food was great?
Charlie

We love Shirley’s and go there for pizza night on Sunday. We have also had tacos, homemade guac and salsa, and shrimp fajitas. Everything was excellent and the pizza is amazing! The margaritas are very fresh and they have unique flavor options. The wait staff is friendly and helpful.

I went to Shirley’s Café with a group last weekend for a birthday celebration. I had a delicious agave margarita. I am not sure how much tequila was in it, because I didn’t really catch a buzz from it, but otherwise it was quite tasty.
We shared guacamole, salsa and chips for the table. You could tell everything was fresh, even the chips. The salsa was nice and chunky and the guacamole was prepared just right.
I ordered one of the specials, the buffalo tacos in flour tortillas. It has been a long time since I had ground meat tacos (probably the last time was when I was a kid and my mom made a (taco kit”), and it was certainly a nice treat when I was presented with these bison tacos that had a spicy, fresh sauce. They were topped with the right amount of cheese, greens and tomatoes. I was just able to finish my whole plate, another bite and I would have been stuffed!
I don’t like in the Reading area, but I would definitely recommend this restaurant for a modern Mexican meal.

Visited here on a Sunday afternoon with my daughters. I was a little worried that at 2PM the place wasn’t bustling. The food was good, service was good, and helpful by explaining some of the things on the menu. I had the Pork Posole Stew which was very good, but the portion was way bigger than I thought it would be so I had to take it home. It was great reheated the next day too!
I asked if they have Coke or Pepsi and the server said we have «cola» and I tried it. It was good. No free refills on the sodas. Hardly a dealbreaker, but maybe the glasses should be a bit larger.
I’ll have to go without the kids so I can sample one of their many varieties of tequila.
I’m happy that every day there seems to be a little more variety in Berks County!
We’ll definitely go there again!

What a hidden gem in the middle of Laureldale! I live about six blocks from Shirley’s and found it recently will walking our dogs around the rail trail. We were pleasantly surprised at the menu and quality of food I enjoyed an excellent chipotle salad with a vinaigrette dressing. That tequila selection is top notch and don’t think I seen a broader selection anywhere else in Pennsylvania. Their specialty drinks are also fantastic. The best thing there though is the service we had a server named Joe who was one of the best waiters I’ve had in years.