It was just within the past couple months that I discovered Villanova University, which is reasonably close to where I live, now has an on-campus restaurant with a menu and decor that looked appealing. The Refectory actually opened in 2019, and I’ve driven past it several times since then. But its signage isn’t easily seen from the road, so it remained unknown to me until I came across it online while searching for new places to eat.
It’s also in a stretch of buildings that didn’t exist when I drove past the Villanova campus with more regularity, but which have an exterior appearance that could easily be mistaken for much older given their classic stone look.
My wife and I met up there for dinner Saturday with several members of my family to celebrate the birthday of Abdel – a.k.a. my brother from another mother.
The Refectory’s interior also has a classic look. It reminded me of a classy old-school supper club or steakhouse, with black leather booths and a lot of wood, as well as a large bar that drew a nice crowd over the course of our meal.
The menu manages to have a wide array of options without being very large overall. One could easily fill up without having an entree, as did my wife Saturday night.
My sister went with 1950s America’s favorite appetizer, a shrimp cocktail, for her first course. She enjoyed it but felt that it came with an unnecessarily large amount of ice.
The charred eggplant dip with pita impressed my wife, although her bread-to-dip ratio was thrown off kilter after my stepfather took one of her pieces of pita. He may have needed it to go along with the potato leek soup that both he and my mother ordered.
I started off with an order of cheesesteak egg rolls that included shaved ribeye, the ever-present Cooper Sharp cheese and spicy ketchup on the side for dipping. The three egg rolls arrived cut in half, and they hit the spot.
As previously alluded to, my wife went sans an entree on this occasion. For a second course, she instead opted to go with The Refectory’s take on Ramen, which included ginger, bok choy, a soft poached egg and Calabrian chili in addition to the broth, noodles and chicken. Not only did she enjoy it very much, but the portion was large enough for her to take home a second meal.
Abdel ordered chicken parmesan and didn’t seem fully satisfied, commenting that the chicken was a little on the dry side.
Our cousin Michele opted for an order of Nova Crackers – the restaurant’s name for sliders – and fries. There were three two-ounce sliders that looked good enough for me to consider ordering them on a return visit.
The rest of us ordered fish.
For my mother, that meant blackened Mahi Mahi with papaya salad, jalapeño emulsion, coconut curry and pistachio.
My sister, stepfather and I all had Branzino filet, which came with sweet potato puree, creamed spinach and pea tendrils.
This may be the first time I’ve posted about me eating fish that wasn’t fried. It’s a rarity. I have always loved shellfish but not eaten much regular fish. The occasional Fish and chips aside, I may be able to count the number of times I’ve ordered it at a restaurant with the fingers of one hand. But of those few times, this Branzino definitely stands out as the best of the small lot. It had a texturally appealing layer of skin on one side that was crisp, yet easy to chew and swallow, while the meat was fairly light and had a pleasant flavor.
In addition to long feeling that I should eat more fish, the vegetables that accompanied it influenced my order. Creamed spinach and sweet potato puree are both near the top of my good veggies list. And they didn’t disappoint.
The portions were a little on the small side, but because I had a fairly heavy first course, there was enough to fully satisfy my appetite. If I had any complaint, it was that I’d have liked a bit more of the sweet potato puree. It was so good, but there was just a thin layer of it on the plate.
After our plates were cleared, we were presented with dessert menus. We had pre-arranged for something to be brought out to Abdel for his birthday, but he was unaware of that and ordered a brownie topped with candy pieces. The bowl of vanilla ice cream topped with a candle that came along side it was the perfect accompaniment for the brownie.
My sister and I were the only other people at the table who ordered dessert, opting to share a blood orange cheesecake brulee.
The blood orange accent to the sweet cheese filling was delightful, while the almond crust had a fairly hard texture, but served its purpose well and also had a nice flavor.
My wife and I agreed that The Refectory must do a huge business before and after Villanova basketball and football games and around graduation time. It also is likely a popular place for visiting parents to take their student children.
With its good food, appealing atmosphere and reasonable prices, I can easily see returning there in spite of having no connection to the school.
BZ Maestro Eats 
You and your family ate quite well!
Looks like a really nice place. Jay Wright would fit right in as the maitre d’.
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A prestigious college deserves a first class restaurant. I’m glad to see they have one.
When I went to college, the dining hall had an upstairs restaurant and a downstairs one. The upstairs one was for the students. I went there once, and once was enough! Just junk food for college kids. I went to the downstairs restaurant after that; that one served the faculty (although students could eat there, too, which was extremely rare). I learned to eat all kinds of food at that place. Vichyssoise soup and gazpacho soup are two that I remember.
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