Sam Abbas’ life has been a culinary odyssey.
The owner of the newly opened Sam’s Wyomissing Bistro got his start cooking in Bergamo, Italy, before taking his newfound chef skills to Copenhagen, Denmark.
His talents then took him to Bali, Indonesia; Calgary, Canada; New York City; and eventually, Berks County.
That cornucopia of tastes inspired Abbas to open a bistro style-restaurant, where he could pepper in the flavors of his Italian and Egyptian heritage, while also not limiting his menu to a single area of origin.
“My kitchen is going to be like, Mediterranean, Italian, international,” Abbas said. “I don’t want to stick with one food. With a bistro, you can do whatever you want.”
Sam’s Bistro was funded by Abbas’ other local efforts — he owns Haven Diner in Schuylkill Haven and New Hamburg Diner in Hamburg.
His Berks resume also includes working at Doc and Bubba’s in Mohnton and B2 Bistro + Bar in West Reading.
But Abbas’ newest project is where he brings his visions for fine dining to life.
“It’s my dream come true,” Abbas said. “We make everything fresh, bring new dishes. Customers like the different flavor. We still have the typical stuff like salmon, snapper, but we add different stuff, like Hawaiian, Asian sauce.”
Abbas said he’s devoting the bulk of his time now to crafting dishes that offer quality, presentation and reasonable pricing.
Sam’s Wyomissing Bistro opened late in May at the site of the former Berkshire Family Restaurant on State Hill Road.
It occupies the rear part of the building. The front portion is occupied by Flora Home & Garden, which is separately operated by Jacquelyn and Stefano Folino.
“This was a diner before, so we get regular customers,” Abbas said. “Everybody loves how we make everything fresh, stuff they didn’t have before. We get a lot of compliments…friends bringing friends.”
Some dishes in high demand are Sam’s breakfast offerings, which include classics with Abbas’ twist, such as a breakfast croissant, breakfast BLT or a brisket burrito.
“It’s not fancy stuff but fresh stuff, avocado toast, harvest benedict, crab meat benedict or Florentine,” Abbas said. “You still get your steak and eggs with your breakfast, but it’s all about your garnish, your presentation, make it high quality, upscale.”
Abbas said other popular dishes on the dinner and lunch menu are brisket sandwiches and other handhelds.
“We have a bistro sandwich, it’s steak but shaved, not like regular cheese steak, you feel like you’re really eating meat,” Abbas said.
Other dinner offerings include pasta primavera, Mediterranean red snapper, lamb gyro, and a “pharaoh’s grill” meat platter, as well as Abbas’ take on classics like quesadillas, burgers, wings and flatbreads.
“Even when you get the regular soup, like chicken noodle, lobster bisque, you’ll say, this is not like the normal one you get anywhere else,” Abbas said. “It’s a different touch.”
Abbas noted he plans to switch the menu every few months so customers can always look forward to new flavors.
Also in the works is an outdoor seating area, as well as a bar, which Abbas said will likely open later in July.
“Right now, we serve mocktails or bring your own, but with fine dining, you want some wine, some cocktails,” Abbas said. “We’ll try to make everybody happy.”
Sam’s Wyomissing Bistro is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday and Monday.
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