Outdoor lounge seating at Pomelo Rooftop Terrace in Radnor. The expansive rooftop is bordered in glass and greenery.
Philly has more than a dozen rooftop bars.
The Main Line (Conshy doesn’t count) has three: the super-casual Great American Pub in Wayne, a smallish terrace at Lark in Bala Cynwyd, and — drumroll — Pomelo Rooftop Terrace in Radnor.
Yes, it’s earned the fanfare.
Perched atop The Brandywine, the Main Line’s new boutique hotel and a Marriott Bonvoy Tribute property near Radnor High School, Pomelo is a showstopper: an expansive indoor/outdoor gathering space built for conversation.
The glass-walled bar and dining room at Pomelo let the outside in.
The décor and seating — couches, curved booths, a firepit — invite lingering. The cocktails are inventive. The food is polished.
The rooftop seats nearly as many under the stars as it does under its oversized chandeliers: 62 outdoors, another 74 across the bar, dining room and lounge inside.
The Brandywine Hotel offers dining and drinking with birds’-eye views at Pomelo as well as patio dining at Merrick’s Tavern. The poperty is a Tribute Portfolio Hotel by Marriott Hotels and Resorts.
Hotel guests will happily unwind up here, but the real target is locals: sunset cocktails, relaxed-but-refined dinners, and, starting Aug. 22, leisurely weekend brunch.
“We’re focused on building a relationship with the local community, as compared to travelers who might visit us once,” says Pomelo manager Megan Lundquist — who’s as local as they come. The Conestoga ’20 grad says generations of Lundquists have called the Main Line home.
Pomelo manager Megan Lundquist at the bar on the fifth floor of The Brandywine on the Main Line, a new boutique hotel.
The space can be booked for private parties, and in-house programming is already in the works — think sunrise yoga, author talks, whisky tastings, holiday craft nights, and collaborations with local artisans, spirits brands and food producers. It’s only August, but management is already plotting winter “activations” to go with the patio heaters and a serious fire pit.
The fire pit at Pomelo Rooftop Lounge.
The Brandywine went all-in on Pomelo’s décor — leather, velvet, marble, a classic-meets-modern polish. But the bar and kitchen got just as much attention.
At the bar: 21 gins, 12 agave spirits (tequila and mezcal), a solid wine and beer list, and cocktails built around herbs, clear spirits and spritzes. Try the Pomelo G&T, with grapefruit and Spanish botanicals, or the zero-proof Tomato & Tonic, or the Agave & Aloe, a soothing mix of tequila, Lillet, lemon and aloe liqueur.
The gin-forward cocktail menu includes the Pomelo Gin and Tonic ($18), made with Hendrick’s gin, grapefruit, tonic and Spanish botanicals and garnished with black and pink peppercorns, cardamom leaves hibiscus flower. (Below) The Honey Rosemary Old-Fashioned and the Penn’s Woods, with Bluecoat gin, vermouth, lemon, dill, coriander and basil.
On the menu: Locally sourced, globally inspired dishes. Seafood sharables and raw bar, $18 -$26; land-based shareables like deviled eggs and Jimmy Nardello peppers with ricotta and basil, $12–$26; six large plates including a Stone Fruit Salad ($16), fried chicken sandwich and smash burger ($24); plus Rockfish & Chips ($28) and Grilled Branzino ($36).
Our favorite small shareables included corn croquettes with cotija and jalapeño crème fraîche$ (14) (above), and (below) scallop crudo with charred grapefruit, chili and Thai basil ($26).
Prefer to stay closer to terra firma? Merrick’s Tavern, at ground level in the same hotel, offers a relaxed 132-seat patio, 64 seats in a velvet-boothed dining room and bar, and private dining for 14. Executive Chef Michael Davies runs both kitchens.
There’s nothing quite like Pomelo anywhere on the Main Line. Best get in now, before shorebirds return and fill all those couches.
Pomelo Rooftop Terrace, The Brandywine Hotel (fifth floor), 165 King of Prussia Rd., Radnor. Sips: Wed.–Thurs. from 4 p.m., Fri.–Sun. from 2 p.m. Kitchen: Wed.–Thurs. from 4 p.m., Fri.–Sun. from 3 p.m. Closed Mon. and Tues. Weekend brunch, 7 a.m.–2 p.m., begins Aug. 22. Reserve on Open Table. Smart casual dress. Children welcome. Full and partial buyouts available.
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