Cornerstone in Wayne and The Refectory in Villanova are the only two Radnor Township restaurants named in Main Line Today's summer raw bar roundup, published Aug. 7. Both spots offer happy hour deals on oysters and cocktails along the Lancaster Avenue corridor.
Cornerstone: $2.50 oysters steps from the Wayne train station
Chef-owners Christine and Nick Kondra opened Cornerstone at 1 West Ave. in 2015, building the menu around their shared history on Nantucket, where Nick trained at the Straight Wharf Restaurant. The couple's coastal New England identity shows up most clearly at Oyster Hour: $2.50 oysters Tuesday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 2 to 5 p.m.
During those windows, select wines run $12 Tuesday through Friday and $10 on Saturday, with $10 cocktails and $6 draft beers. Cornerstone also stocks a caviar program with flights and $18 bumps, according to a February post by Philadelphia food account In & Around Philly on Instagram.
The restaurant is closed Sunday and Monday. Dinner runs Tuesday through Thursday from 5 to 9:30 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m., with Friday lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Cornerstone's wine shop and market keeps separate hours, open Tuesday through Friday starting at 11 a.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m.
The Refectory: $7 oysters and a 150-seat patio scene
At 862 East Lancaster Ave. in Villanova, The Refectory sits within The Commons at Villanova University, at the corner of Lancaster and Ithan avenues. Chef Biff Gottehrer, whose work includes Ripplewood, The Dandelion and El Vez in Philadelphia, leads the kitchen alongside operating partners Kenneth Kearns of 118 North in Wayne and Chris Perella of Ardmore Music Hall and 118 North.
The 150-seat restaurant's raw bar menu features spicy tuna tartare, oysters, shrimp cocktail and a market crudo that changes seasonally, according to Main Line Today. The restaurant's happy hour menu adds mignonette and fresh lemon with the oysters. Diners can order items solo or stacked in a tower.
Happy hour pricing puts oysters at $7, cocktails at $8, draft beers at $6 and house wines at $8. Those deals run 4 to 6 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the bar and patio, and 4 p.m. to close on Wednesdays and Sundays. One caveat: happy hour is blacked out on Villanova men's basketball home game days.
The Refectory is open seven days a week, with lunch Monday through Friday starting at 11:30 a.m. and weekend brunch beginning at 10:30 a.m. Free validated parking is available in the I-1 garage on South Ithan Avenue directly across the street.
Planning a visit
Cornerstone sits directly across from the Wayne SEPTA station (610-688-1888). The Refectory offers free parking validation (610-519-5786). Both accept walk-ins.
