By David Jones

Just to the East side of Exton Square Mall there’s a nice little Italian place that’s offering good food at a decent price. A friend of ours recently reminded us of Rino’s after she went there on a shopping trip with her family so we decided during our holiday shopping we’d stop by and check it out too.

Since telling some friends I found out that apparently quite a few people we know really like Rino’s. And what’s not to like? It’s clean, the food is good and they have a nice selection of alcoholic drinks if your tastes go in that direction.

We had Mom out on a shopping adventure so the three of us stopped by for lunch. Now, Mom and Lin are both lite eaters so we didn’t get to try too much on this one shot. Lin had a slice of pizza and so did Mom.

In addition, Lin had a cup of mushroom soup. The soup was quite good and very nicely presented. Lin and Mom both prefer the thin crispy style of pizza, so Rino’s was right up their alley.

I opted for the Caesar salad and gnocchi. The salad was just right. The gnocchi had a very nice tomato gravy and it was a very nice size portion for lunch. My frequent readers know gnocchi is a favorite dish of mine and I’ve had it many places over the years.

This variety is homemade (in house) and very tasty. I was recently at a place that calls their version, “Love Pillows.” I wouldn’t put Rino’s in that category, but they are quite good.

To be Love Pillows I think they have to be big, soft and fluffy. Rino’s version is normal size and quite dense. I wouldn’t hesitate to get them again though.

Overall, Rino’s is a very nice little restaurant that is clean, efficient and reasonably priced. Our lunch tab was $25, including tax, tip and a 20% tip.

I don’t feel we had quite enough of a sample to assign stars to Rino’s at this point, but I will definitely go back and so, I’d recommend them to our readers as well. Next week I’ll be wrapping up my year of eating out with my best of 2015.

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.