Cafe Merlino has opened in Washington Township in the shopping plaza which is off to the side of Kohl’s (Shoppers Lane). While the full menu isn’t in-play yet, I stopped in today and tried Rich’s amazing cheeseburgers, cheesesteaks and Inside-Out fried pizza turnovers!
Also on the menu for the soft opening are “Mom’s” homemade chicken cutlets and slow roasted pork, as well as a Triple Decker Turkey Club, selection of wraps and more.
We first brought plans of Cafe Merlino back in June. The address is 6A Shoppers Lane, Turnersville NJ 08012 609-600-2722
The menu will be growing quickly over the next few weeks, with the full menu and formal Grand Opening taking place in October. Be sure to follow Cafe Merlino on Facebook for the latest updates.
Currently the restaurant is configured for take-out orders only.
Owner and Washington Township resident Rich Merlino prides himself on offering the highest quality ingredients, a true South Philly family recipe dining experience and all at a fair price.
To that point he uses his Mother’s recipe for several items including the cutlets and roast beef, and brings in fresh rolls every day from South Philly’s iconic Sarcone’s bakery. Even the Inside-Out fried pizza turnovers are from South Philadelphia… and once they sell out of Inside-Outs for the day, you’ll have to come back the next day!
But keep in mind that this is just the early stages of the full menu which is expected to include homemade meatballs, pasta dinners, many more sandwich options, salads as well as a variety of freshly prepared to-go selections for today’s busy family.
Rich previously was the owner and chef at Pompeo’s in North Wildwood. He sold that boardwalk restaurant last year, choosing to open up a place closer to his home in Washington Township, where it will be easier for him to balance his family life with the restaurant.
Plus now Rich and his family can share their amazing talents and family recipes with the local neighbors in Washington Township… Gloucester County and beyond!
Rich’s own experiences with his family and young kids is a key theme for Cafe Merlino. For one, he wants to keep prices reasonable, fully realizing that the economy is really making it tough for families today.
He also talks about today’s active family where kids are usually involved in several after school activities including sports and classes… and families can find it tough to have time to prepare a full meal each day. For this, Rich plans on offering a selection of prepared ready-to-go meals which can be purchased with a quick stop at Cafe Merlino on the way home from practice, and warmed up at home in the oven.
I mentioned this is the “soft opening” because it will likely be October before Rich has his full menu available, and of course being a new restaurant there are still some aspects being worked out. Just getting the point-of-sale equipment fully optimized takes some time!
So please keep that in mind if visiting Cafe Merlino (or any new restaurant) in the first few weeks… and be patient!
In fact, the Cafe Merlino signage is still a few days away from being installed (if you’re looking for the Café within the shopping center the next few days, look for the green “Brothers Kitchen” sign… which will soon be replaced by Cafe Merlino)
I stopped in today to visit the very recently opened Cafe Merlino of course, but I also realized it was National Cheeseburger day so I thought I’d ask Rich about his burgers.
He prepared for me TWO different burgers, and then after talking a bit more I got to try an Inside-Out AND a ribeye cheesesteak!
For the burgers I started off with a Big Bacon burger which features the half pound chuck, a pile of fresh bacon stacked up high and Cooper Sharp American cheese. The burger also included lettuce, tomato and a pickle wedge.
It’s a classic American bacon cheeseburger but elevated to a higher level in taste and quality ingredients.
The second burger truly was a specialty recipe featuring grilled spinach, freshly roasted peppers, portobello mushrooms and Cooper Sharp American stacked high on the half pound burger.
Rich topped of the amazing flavor combination with a drizzle of balsamic reduction.
I’ve never tried roasted peppers on a burger before, and honestly the peppers and spinach really added an extra fresh flavorful bite to the burger.
The Merlino Cafe cheesesteak features 10 ounces of high-quality ribeye steak on a Sarcone’s roll. If I haven’t mentioned this, Rich offers a choice of cheeses… I chose to stick with Cooper.
The cheesesteak was prepared “chopped” with the cheese melted into the steak pieces, and also chopped in. Rich says he wants every bite of the cheesesteak to have the mixture of high quality ribeye AND cheese.
Merlino’s Cafe is an awesome cheesesteak of high quality ingredients… and on a Sarcone’s roll no less! How can you go wrong!?
Open currently through lunch and dinner, Rich will be locking in his full hours and menu soon, so follow along on social media at Facebook
Links and Locations
Cafe Merlino – Now Open “Soft Opening”
6A Shoppers Lane
Turnersville NJ
609-600-2722