Cafe Merlino is coming soon to Washington Township at the Plaza along Shoppers Lane (to the side of Kohl’s), offering amazing South Philly sandwiches, incredible to-go meals, as well as catering.
And everything will be homemade with family recipes… as the logo says “Homecooked From The Heart”
I had a chance recently to speak with owner and chef Rich Merlino who is a Washington Township resident. Rich previously owned and operated the popular Pompeo’s Restaurant in North Wildwood on the boardwalk, and he’s now incredibly excited to bring his culinary skills to his hometown.
For Cafe Merlino he’s taking over a unit which most would remember us being Wing Kitchen, and then for a short while was a soul food restaurant. Rich and his team are changing things up for the space, putting in new equipment and upgrading the interior.
Keep scrolling and reading for more on Cafe Merlino, but also follow on Facebook for latest information.
Rich lives in Washington Township and dines at local restaurants regularly… and during our conversation we talked about the area’s amazing dining scene.
But as a father and husband he’s very well aware of the challenges of today’s busy family lifestyles… With husband and wife both working, and kids involved in a variety of activities.
He shared that many times he finds himself picking up food at multiple area restaurants because he wants a great roast pork sandwich, his wife wants a fresh and healthy salad, one of the kids is looking for a chicken parm entree, and someone else wants wings!
So with Cafe Merlino Rich is looking to provide a full South Philly dining experience and more… with all menu items created with the highest quality ingredients, and all available under one roof.
Cheesesteaks will be shaved ribeye with Cooper sharp cheese, served on the Sarcone’s roll. Roast pork and beef will be 12-hour slow roasted.
The dinner menu will feature amazing fresh pasta, chicken cutlet entrees and more. The menu will be rounded out with many of the classics such as delicious Buffalo chicken wings.
And yes for the lighter tastebuds he’ll offer a variety of delicious and fresh salads, wraps and more.
It’s still early in the process so the entire menu has not been worked out, so this is just a “taste” of what to expect.
While it’s a café… Rich is putting a big focus on fully supporting the to-go aspect of Merlino’s… fitting that same theme of today’s busy families, while you’ll be able to order a sandwich or entrée just the way you like it, Café Merlino will also offer fast and fresh “grab-n-go” options.
Adding to that, Rich has an extensive background in the catering business, and wants to cater your event or celebration!
Another area where Rich sees challenges for today’s family is the increasing cost of food. Being an experienced professional in the restaurant industry he gets to see the challenges from both sides… the increasing cost of products to the restaurants as well as the increasing cost to the families… and Rich is putting a lot of effort into working the numbers of the menu to keep things as affordable as possible.
His overall goal seems simple yet very challenging…Rich wants Cafe Merlino to be known as the best in all of the key categories. Whether it’s cheesesteaks, roast beef, chicken cutlets, pasta dinners, salads and more… whenever those conversations of “who has the best” takes place, Rich wants his Cafe Merlino in every one of those discussions.
The timing for the opening of the Cafe may land around the start of the football season, which is also in Rich’s radar as he’s planning on offering excellent football season deals.
But it’s still early in the process for Cafe Merlino and the full menu is still being developed… to keep up with the latest be sure to follow him at Facebook where he’s planning on posting regular updates
And of course Mark from 42Freeway will be back to try the food and share the experience with readers.
Links and Locations
Cafe Merlino – Coming Soon
6A Shoppers Lane
Turnersville NJ