The Trolley Barn: A One Stop Shop!

Olivia Power, Student Writer

The Trolley Barn, located in the town square of Quakertown, is the perfect place to spend an evening with the family. Restored from an old, decaying trolley barn, this public market is home to a multitude of different and exciting vendors. From a microcreamery to a Mediterranean restaurant, and all the way back to a BBQ place, this charming building holds something for the whole family to enjoy. Three of the members of our newsgroup, Rachel, Caroline, and Alex, went to the Trolley Barn to try some of the highly recommended food and talk to some of the owners and returning customers.

The Trolley Barn opened up in 2019 under the ownership of Ian Jeffery and Chris LaBonge. It was one of five buildings that the two men had bought in attempts to restore older buildings within Quakertown and offer different places to relax and enjoy local food and music. While offering a variety of food, wine and beer, desserts, and different merchandise, the Trolley Barn has become just that: A hub for the different residents of Quakertown, and its neighboring towns, to come together and enjoy local eats and entertainment. The Trolley Barn not only offers food and drinks, but it also serves as a huge event hosting location, with different community activities and classes. A few that are coming up include a wood sign workshop, on April 18th, where you are invited to paint your own wood sign. Tickets are $65 and the class begins at 1 pm and ends at 4. However, you are encouraged to come early, before the class begins, to enjoy the Trolley Barn’s popular Sunday brunch. The Trolley Barn also hosts different events involving music, ‘Tunes in Taproom’, trivia, ‘Brews and Brains’, and other unique things, such as a Pop-Up shopping event, which allows local artists to come and show off their work, and the Quakertown Bridal Stroll, which will feature different wedding vendors who will provide different experiences and support to hopeful brides in the area. Happy hours are also a common thing at the Trolley Barn, mostly taking place on Thursday evenings. Locals are invited to come drink, eat, and, watch a live performance in the winery. As you can see, the Trolley Barn offers exciting features inside and outside of their food vendors.

As mentioned prior, three members of our newsgroup went to go check out the Trolley Barn and what it had to offer. In order to try everything the Barn had to offer, each person got a different meal at a different restaurant. From the Mediterranean vendor, True Blue, “we ordered the owner’s recommendation which was a lamb gyro with feta cheese and black olives, as well as ordering a walnut baklava, which features thin layers of filo dough stuffed with walnuts and drizzled with honey syrup.” From Yard’s flatbread, “we ordered the buffalo chicken flatbread pizza.” From Takkii Ramen, “we ordered Spicy Miso Ramen which included rich pork broth with miso, spicy garlic sauce, signature chili oil, marinated soft boiled egg, braised pork belly, corn, bamboo shoots, scallions, nori, fishcake.” This specific kind of ramen was also noted as the most popular kind the restaurant offered. From Batch Microcreamery, an ice cream shop the Barn houses, “we ordered a Batch float which was a customizable ice cream float, which we got with vanilla ice cream and an A-Treat orange soda, alongside a bubblegum flavored ice cream with gummy bears on top.” Finally, from Red Door Coffee Roaster, “we ordered an Iced Honey Love Latte.” All of the food listed above was incredibly delicious and is fully recommended to anyone who travels to the Trolley Barn. Nothing disappointed and the 4.6/5 stars on Google that the Trolley Barn boasts, is well-deserved.

We interviewed the owner of True Blue- Mediterranean Cafe, Z, about the overall experience and environment of the Trolley Barn, “Very very positive [environment]. It’s very warm and welcoming.” He noted that the restaurant’s busiest day is Saturday, which seemed to be the busiest day for the Trolley Barn as a whole. As for the food at True Blue and the most popular item, “Our lamb gyros and honestly anything with cauliflower in it. The people here love cauliflower.” Z also let us in on the source of the restaurant’s ingredients, “We get our ingredients from overseas, all imported from the Mediterranean.” True Blue is authentic in every way and is a must-have for anyone who is planning on visiting the Trolley Barn. Jeffery Scott, a frequent customer at the Trolley Barn, was also interviewed by our newsgroup. Scott told us that he goes to the Trolley Barn about once a week, typically on Fridays, and when asked why he keeps returning, he replied, “It’s close, and it has a lot of varieties of food and drink.” His go-to order is a buffalo chicken pizza from Yard’s Flatbread Pizza and a beer from one of the breweries located in the Trolley Barn. He raves about the quality of the food, and the prices, “I think the prices are fair especially for how good the food is.” When asked about his satisfaction with the restaurants and their servers, he appreciated that they were self-serving and that the workers are very polite. Finally, when asked if Scott would recommend the Trolley Barn, he responded, “Yes, I tell everyone about it!”

The Trolley Barn is a must-visit if you live in or outside of Quakertown, it is sure to surprise and never disappoint. It’s open year-round, 4-days a week. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, they are open from 8 am-10 pm and Sundays from 10 am-6 pm. All information regarding the different vendors, hours, and contact information can be found on the Trolley Barn’s website at trolleybarnpublicmarket.com.