By David Jones

By now most of all the local Chester County people know about The Whip. When they first got started they were kind of a hidden gem, but they’ve built such a reputation over the years that they had to expand their parking and add outdoor dining to accommodate all of their customers.

I figure it has been at least 5 years since I took the country drive. We had the same experience we usually have after eating at The Whip. We head home wondering what took us so long to return.

The Whip is a dark-paneled English Pub styled atmosphere. It hasn’t really changed much since they opened years ago. They have the same seating area by the fireplace to wait for a table.

The Whip does not take reservations. The chairs and tables are all utilitarian wood, with wooden benches backed to the exterior walls.

The bar is part of the dining experience here and as such is open to the entire dining room. This set up reinforces the English pub style.

The menu is also an extension of the English pub experience. Here you will find such dishes as Welsh Rarebit, Bangers and Mash, and Fish and Chips (English style).

The beers on tap also reflect the theme. Since my last visit they have added a few locally brewed options to the tap. I enjoyed a chocolate stout from Penn Brewery in Pittsburgh.

We lived in Pittsburgh years ago and Penn Brewery on the Northside was a particular favorite of ours. This stout was smooth and creamy with no bitterness on the finish, just the way I like it ($5 for each 10 oz. glass).

They rotate the locals on tap and it’s always good to ask your server because the menu on the table is not constantly updated or accurate. They also offer a wide variety of beer in cans and bottles. There’s something here for every beer lover for sure.

Wine is not provided at The Whip, so if that’s your beverage of choice you are welcome to bring it along for a $2.50 corkage charge. That’s very reasonable.

Some other menu items are not quite as ‘reasonable’ in my opinion. I ordered the Short Ribs with creamy mashed potatoes and an array of locally sourced and in season vegetables. This dish was $28.99.

That’s about 4-5 dollars more than almost every place I’ve eaten in the past few years. With that complaint aside, it is a very tasty version of a popular dish. Is it worth the price? I would probably try something else the next time, like fish and chips for $15.99.

However, even with that dish if you want anything else like coleslaw, you have to pay extra and a simple fish and chips could easily cost you $20 just to get it the way most other establishments serve it for $15.

Lin got the catch of the day, Skate. This dish was sautéed with herbed lentil salad and cherry tomatoes. She enjoyed it immensely.

However, like some other places we’ve been when the server tells you all about their daily specials, she left out the most important part, the price. We had to ask her to go over the list of specials again and give us the specific price of each one.

I had the gazpacho starter. This was $7.99. I was told it was made from yellow tomatoes, even though it had a distinctly red color. No matter, it was excellent.

The service at The Whip is very good. It’s quite comfortable and boasts a neighborhood feel even though its obvious people travel distances to get there.

I have no hesitation in recommending The Whip with the provision that if price is important to you there may be a bit of a shock at the end. Our 2 glasses of 10 ounce beer, one soup and 2 entrees came to $93. This is with tax and a 20% tip.

For our dinner I would have expected something about 5-10 dollars less. That’s not a big deal for most of us, but for a place that purports to be where neighbors gather, that’s a bit steep.

383 North Chatham Road, Coatesville
610.383.0600

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A native of Chester County and a 1968 graduate of Octorara Area High School, David Jones earned a Masters Degree in Medical Ethics from from Villanova University. Mr. Jones served as CEO of both Mayview and Wernersville State Hospitals and later worked directly with then Governor Rendell to modernize and right-size Pennsylvania’s entire state hospital system. Jones and his wife Lynn make their home in Parkesburg and dine out frequently across Chester County and the Delaware Valley.