292-Year-Old Old Mill Restaurant Officially Reopens in Hatboro

HATBORO, PA -- The historic Old Mill Inn in Hatboro has reopened as Louie's Old Mill after extensive restoration.

Thanks to husband-and-wife developers Lynda Clauser and Jim Case, the 292 year-old building formerly known as The Old Mill Inn at 18 Horsham Road in Hatboro will be reopening in July as Louie's Old Mill, according to a press release.

The restaurant describes itself as a "neighborhood BYO Italian restaurant," which features the creations of Chef Louie Zweifach. The mill, which is the oldest building in Hatboro, according to owners, is along the banks of Pennypack Creek.

All told, the restaurant will feature 120 seats split between two floors.

Seats for seasonal, outdoor dining on a patio adjacent to the creek will be also available. The restaurant will open for dinner initially, with private events to follow later this summer.

After Hatboro residents Clauser and Case purchased the 5,500 square foot structure in 2013, Clauser began working to restore the property, which previously flooded in September of 2011. A nationwide search for a chef lead them to Louie Zweifach, 48, a native New Yorker who was Chef/Owner of The Meatball Room in Boca Raton, Florida for the past two years, the release states.

"We live nearby and watched the property slowly decline as it sat empty,” noted Clauser. “It played such a vital role in the neighborhood for so long, and we just couldn’t continue to drive past it and watch it deteriorate. We knew that there were so many treasured memories made inside this building over several generations, so we decided to revive it.”

Clauser and Case stripped the structure down to its original “bones”, and removed all of the dry wall and woodwork on the ground floor leaving the 14” square columns throughout the building, according to the press release.

They left the original yellow pine beams intact, and retained the additional steel support added through the years. While all of the hardwood floors were refinished on the second and third floors, Clauser and Case peeled the first floor down to the original stone, stucco and concrete. The color palette will feature Earth tones, with soft browns, beige and green throughout the interior and exterior.

The building originally operated as a grain mill from 1724 until the late 1800s before becoming a machine shop for milling parts, before eventually being converted to a tea room and then a restaurant int he 1900s.
Owners said the mill has been a destination for thousands of weddings, milestones and celebrations for more than a century.

In 2004, Louie became a managing partner at a Boynton Beach pizzeria, where he thrived for several years.
Louie's Old Mill will feature rustic Italian cuisine. Starters including Spiedini Alla Romana; Crab Cakes; Meatballs Louie; Fried Calamari; Mussels (red or white); Scungilli and Calamari; Clams Oreganata; Burrata with seasonal produce and premium balsamic vinegar; and daily flatbreads. Salads include a classic Caesar; Arugula; Louie's Chopped; and Crab Salad. Pastas, which will be available as appetizers or entrees, include Spaghetti & Meatballs; Linguini Carbonara; Linguine with White Clam Sauce; and Scungilli. "The Parms" features Chicken; Eggplant; a Bone-in Veal Chop; and Shrimp. And entrees include Chicken Piccata; Sauteed Red Snapper; NY Strip Pizzaiola; Sauteed Fresh Catch; Veal Saltimbocca; and Chicken Marsala. Desserts will play a starring role, making Louie’s Old Mill a destination for celebrations as well as everyday dining. In addition to featuring what Zweifach calls “massive old-school ice cream sundaes,” which easily feed four guests, he’ll blend up a variety of milkshakes, and offer a trio of cannoli options, a decadent chocolate cake, the requisite Tiramisu, and funnel cake fries.

"When I'm not cooking, I like hanging around the kitchen," Zweifach said in the release. "I want our guests to come to this restaurant and really understand the culture and cuisine that I learned while growing up in Brooklyn. I’m excited to bring my classic Italian cuisine to Hatboro. I want this to be a neighborhood destination for Italian food lovers who want to come back again and again."