Any recommendations for a yummy restaurant in Allentown, PN?

[gatorsmom]

We are staying at the Renaissance Hotel in Allentown, PA on Tuesday night. We will be driving there from Washington, DC. Are there any good restaurants on the way or in Allentown that you guys recommend? We only have the older 2 boys with us and they are pretty adventurous eaters. TIA!

[Philly Mom]

Stop in Philly. An hour away. Zahav or Suraya would be my top two choices. For quintessential Philly, Parc is great. For Asian, Dan Dan. There is one in the suburbs (Devon) that may be on the way from DC to Allentown.


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[ciw]

We are staying at the Renaissance Hotel in Allentown, PA on Tuesday night. We will be driving there from Washington, DC. Are there any good restaurants on the way or in Allentown that you guys recommend? We only have the older 2 boys with us and they are pretty adventurous eaters. TIA!

There are a number of amazing middle eastern restaurants in the Lehigh Valley due to the large number of Syrian and Lebanese immigrants. Aladdin is one of the more kitschy places but a fun tourist stop. The food is generally good, the atmosphere is tacky but fun for kids. They have belly dancing some nights. If you order the deluxe dinner, you will get an insane amount of food, but tons of different foods to try. It really is a lot of fun for kids, especially if they don't have food allergies and like to try new things.

If you end up eating elsewhere and still want middle eastern for another day, see if you can swing by Soumaya & Sons bakery for food to take with you -- great pitas, babaganoush, and cheese or spinach pies.

[ciw]

Unless you are driving through Philly, I wouldn't detour there. There are plenty of great places to eat in the Allentown-Bethlehem corridor. Plus, if you are staying in Allentown, I am guessing you are visiting Muhlenberg/Lehigh/ Lafayette or one of the many other area colleges. If that is the case, definitely eat in and explore the area. Easton, Bethlehem and Allentown all have very different feels to them.

Edited to add: If you are looking for popular, non-chain restaurants and Aladdin isn't your thing, some other suggestions would be: Brass Rail or Youell's (both long-time Allentown eateries), Bethlehem Brew Works, Apollo, Bolete, Tapas on Main, or Olive Branch (all in Bethlehem). Wandering around downtown Bethlehem on a summer evening might be fun.

[gatorsmom]

You guys, this is so helpful. Ciw is right- we are touring Lehigh and Lafayette universities. Dh would rather not drive into Philly if he doesn’t have to (bad traffic makes him stressed out and grumpy and we’d all like to avoid that). So this is helpful. We are thrilled to hear there are great Syrian and Lebanese restaurants in the area. We don’t have much of that in our small town in Wisconsin so this will be a treat. Thanks again!

[ciw]

we are touring Lehigh and Lafayette universities.

Hope you enjoy your meals and college visits! Wear your comfiest shoes for those tours -- the hills at both colleges (but especially Lehigh) are brutal.

[gatorsmom]

Unless you are driving through Philly, I wouldn't detour there. There are plenty of great places to eat in the Allentown-Bethlehem corridor. Plus, if you are staying in Allentown, I am guessing you are visiting Muhlenberg/Lehigh/ Lafayette or one of the many other area colleges. If that is the case, definitely eat in and explore the area. Easton, Bethlehem and Allentown all have very different feels to them.

Edited to add: If you are looking for popular, non-chain restaurants and Aladdin isn't your thing, some other suggestions would be: Brass Rail or Youell's (both long-time Allentown eateries), Bethlehem Brew Works, Apollo, Bolete, Tapas on Main, or Olive Branch (all in Bethlehem). Wandering around downtown Bethlehem on a summer evening might be fun.

. Thank you for the recommendations. We stumbled on a truly delicious restaurant run by a Turkish family. It was called, “Limon-Authentic Turkish Kabap House” and everything we had was fresh and delicious. If you are ever in Hellertown I highly recommend it!

Hope you enjoy your meals and college visits! Wear your comfiest shoes for those tours -- the hills at both colleges (but especially Lehigh) are brutal.

Thank you for the good shoe advice. Wow, Lehigh has some stairs! I can’t imagine all the work they must do to clear it of snow in the winter. But it’s such a beautiful campus. Actually both universities were fun to visit. It almost makes me want to go back to school.