Gelato, Coffee And Trains At Mad Anthony Wayne Cafe

RADNOR, PA —Neighborhood friends from Radnor stopped in for gelato treats Thursday afternoon at Mad Anthony Wayne Cafe at the Wayne train station.

They walked over to the train tracks, took a seat, and watched the R-5 train go by while enjoying their gelato cones.

Mesmerized by the speed of the train, it was as if they were watching a movie.

The afternoon outing supplied the perfect entertainment on a sunny afternoon just before school gets underway.

Inside the cafe, Blaine Scott, 63 and his daughter, Dani, 40, were enjoying their weekly stop at the cafe for treats.

“My daughter gets her treat,” Scott said, as his daughter was enjoying chocolate gelato. "I enjoy coffee.”

Scott said met the cafe owners at the Bateman Gallagher American Legion Post, 401 East Lancaster Ave.

He and his daughter are regulars. The cafe provides freshly brewed coffee, expresso, gelato, pastries and other treats.

Three local U.S. Army veterans open the train cafe in the midst of the pandemic.It’s a perfect spot for commuters, tourists and locals to get a taste of Pennsylvania history.

The station dates back to 1882 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s a Victorian building overlooking the center of downtown Wayne.

The owners, Anthony and Melinda DiStephano and Joe Lewis, met in U.S. Army base in Fort Stewart, Ga., and became close friends. All three fought in Iraq.

Lewis, 43, shared the three opened the cafe on Memorial Day 2021.

The wanted to keep the historical charm so they named the cafe after Anthony Wayne, a senior officer in the Army who was born in Wayne and served in the Revolutionary War.

He suffered in the battle of Paoli but was praised for his leadership in the 1779 Battle of Stoney Point. There is a statue of General Wayne in Valley Forge National Park.

Lewis said since the pandemic has subsided the pace at the cafe has picked up.

“We have a lot of children in the neighborhood coming in for gelato,” he said. “People come in for lunch.

"Commuters stop in early for coffee. We’re a community stop. We provide quality coffee and a community feel.”

Coffee beans with descriptions of the Paoli Massacre, Stormy Stony Point and Valley Forge are available.

Valley Forge National Park and Paoli Memorial Grounds and Battlefield Historic Park are nearby tourist sites.

On weekends, locals can stop in the cafe for coffee and take a short train ride to Philadelphia to visit museums and other tourist attractions.

The cafe is open from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. More information is available at 484-367-7249 here.