My spouse and I visited Cutillo’s at the Sanatoga Inn for a
late lunch on a Saturday afternoon in early June 2017. Cutillo’s is open for
lunch and dinner on Wednesdays through Sundays. We did not have a reservation,
although you can reserve a table via telephone. The restaurant offers
complimentary parking in a dedicated lot.
Cutillo’s is located in the small village of Sanatoga, positioned
between Limerick and Pottstown. We visited Cutillo’s after a shopping trip to
the nearby Philadelphia Premium Outlets (about 3 miles away). The restaurant’s
origin dates back to the late 1700s, when it was called the Crooked Hill
Tavern, which operated as a popular stagecoach stop between Philadelphia and
Reading. One hundred years later, Crooked Hill changed its name to the Sanatoga
Inn. (“Sanatoga” is an Indian name that means “crooked hill” or “swift stony
stream”, depending on who you ask.) In the late 1940s, the Cutillo family
purchased the Sanatoga Inn, which included hotel rooms, dining room, bar, and
barn. Thirty years later, a disco (first called the Lion’s Den and later
Huckleberries) operated in the basement, and apartments were created to house
workers who built the nearby Limerick power station. Around that same time, the
owners built the formal restaurant that exists today.
Cutillo’s main dining room offers seating on two levels that
faces glass walls overlooking the Sanatoga Creek. The bar/lounge area includes
a large rectangular bar with seating on all sides, and small tables that
overlook the stream. In warmer weather, you can also dine on a brick patio with
a slight water view. Cutillo’s also offers a banquet area that seats about 100
patrons. Décor features many windows, lots of wood (including wood beams and
slats on the high ceilings), wrought-iron railings and dividers, and live
plants.
Cutillo’s offers American cuisine that ranges from appetizers,
sandwiches, and pizzas to complete entrees. Because we dined outdoors and it
was late afternoon, we chose some lighter fare. We shared the pepperoni roll to
start, which was a sort of stromboli/calzone of dough filled with pepperoni and
mozzarella cheese. Then we ordered two sandwiches: the Reuben and the Italian
hoagie, each of which was served with our choice of one side dish (including French
fries, onion rings, potato salad, or pasta salad). We shared the carrot cake
for dessert. The restaurant offers some daily and happy hour specials, and
takeout is also available from a special kitchen in the rear of the building.
Cutillo’s offers a full bar, including beer, wine, and cocktails.
We will visit Cutillo’s again if we find ourselves in the Sanatoga
area.
