3 times and 3 hits entirely out of the park. On our recent visit we were seated at some what of a community table which initially we weren't thrilled about but how they have it set up it truly feels like you're alone at the table, it helped that the other couple was a delight. We ordered the Caesar salad (phenomenal) The steak tartare, just divine perfection The waitress heard me talking about the sweat breads from the chicken dish (that I wasn't ordering, I'll explain shortly) and said the chef could do them as a side dish, DELICIOUS!!! My husband got the world's largest most delicious pork chop. Now, my meal. I ordered the halibut and recognized that perhaps it wasn't for me, but I ordered it it was my choice I wasn't going to send it back. Our waitress took note that I wasn't eating and told me that simply would not do and hustled to the kitchen to come out with the chicken dish, I was so appreciative of her noticing and accommodating this, truly, amazing service and that chicken was succulent beyond words! We also got 3 of the desserts, the seasonal eggnog bread pudding, the cinnamon raisin bread pudding which was insanely delicious as I personally am not a huge bread pudding fan but if every bread pudding was this? That would be my go to! And of course the butterscotch pudding which better never leave the menu because it is lick your plate delicious!!! I also enjoyed a hot cocktail which on a cold night was heavenly. Bolete is such an incredible culinary journey that we specifically go there from our home state because we know it will always be inviting, delicious and warm with heart and soul from the chef and staff. read more

See all

One of my favorite things about traveling for work is experiencing the local dining scene. I scoured online looking for something special and unique in the Allentown and Bolete was an immediate 'yes'. Their farm-to-table approach means a rotating menu and selection of curated ingredients that make up stunning dishes. From appetizer to dessert (which sadly we didnt have room for) the menu is thoughtful and intentional. Starting with cocktails - the famous Sleigh Bells Ring (featured on the cover of Edible Magazine) was perfection. Not too sweet, warming and tart with the mescal and boozy cranberry sauce- and incredible concoction. The Dark Love Story was equally seductive with a vodka base and aperitif blend with red wine reduction. The thought they put into their menu doesnt just stop at food! We were torn between starters but the Tartare was our pick and an excellent one. The egg was golden, the capers crisp, and the truffle aoili was never overpowering. The housemade crisp chips were a welcome change from the often offered toast bites while still being an elevated dish. The potato crsted cod was served beautifully with a lobster broth poured table-aide and was accompanied by fresh clams, shrimp, and mussels- honestly not a critique to be found. The grilled Chipotle flank steak was cooked to perfection and the hen of the woods mushroom was a showstopper. All in all I struggled to not make a reservation for every night I was in town because it is a must to go back. The decor and staff arw welcoming and as thoughtful as the meals served with mushrooms present all throughout complimenting the Bolete name. 10/10 all around. read more

See all

Set up: Very easy to make a reservation here. Head to their Resy listing and go from there. We were doing a make shift Thanksgiving dinner and I had no issue getting a table for four the day prior. https://resy.com/cities/allentown-pa/venues/bolete Food: Several things were ordered but I'm going to focus on what I experienced because this is.....my review. To be honest, to my highly untrained palate, I would say each course went a bit in reverse from the one prior. Starting with the Butternut Squash Soup was a great choice. Fantastic bold flavor with a beautiful velvety thick consistency. It would be damn near impossible to improve on that one. Next, on to the Dayboat Scallops. There's a lot going on with this one. You've got some excellent bitterness with the mustard greens & kale that plays nicely off of the three scallops. All three were cooked to perfection and had great flavor. What I didn't care for were the three pork raviolis that are served at the bottom of the dish. Not too much in the flavor department and all three had different consistencies ranging from very firm to one leaking its filling before it was touched soft. Dessert was a meh. Some type of pumpkin something or other (loaf/bread pudding - ? - it's not listed on the online menu) that was definitely on the dry side. 100% not worth the $14 charged. Service: A mixed bag. There are only two ciders on the menu and while I ordered the non-extra dry one, I was given and poured the extra dry one that I said I didn't want. It took a solid fifteen minutes to actually get a dessert menu as our server forgot twice that neither she nor "somebody" brought them over. The funny part is that no sooner did she drop them on the table, the manager (owner?) is right behind her asking if we knew what we wanted for dessert. I guess eight seconds is enough time to decide? Was the experience good? Overall, yes, very much so. Compared to the usual pubs, watering holes and corner bars I slither around in, this is rarified air. The other three people with me all thoroughly enjoyed their time at Bolete and the only real complaint from two of them was that the dessert (the same one I had) was dry and lacked flavor. Let me finish with this. I get it. It seems like I'm being a hyper-critical A-Hole and in a way, I am. But to me, at this price point the bar is elevated and if I'm dropping over $400, I'm going to be as picky as I want to be if it's not perfect. read more

See all

My husband and I went to Bolete for dinner to celebrate life and we had a great experience. I love their take on classic foods and the farm to table experience. Everything seemed very fresh and the customer service was amazing. We will definitely be back to celebrate life again lol. read more

See all

Brought the family here for Easter. Busy and service was kind of slow, but expected that because it was a holiday. Unique food choices and I had the pea soup followed up with the chicken & waffle. Soup was very good, with some fresh peas in a few of the spoons. The chicken & waffle was okay. More breading than chicken. Waffle was the best part of the meal. I'll be back again as this really is an exceptional restaurant. read more

Bolete Restaurant - Pea Soup - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

See all

My wife and I were out for a special date night at Bolete. The rustic old farmhouse atmosphere is very cool. We were greeted immediately and promptly seated. Our server was phenomenal, great personality, knowledgable about the menu and made some very good recommendations. I had the best grilled octopus I've ever had and I can tell you I've eaten octopus all over this great country. My wife had a pasta dish that came out hot and bursting with the taste of fresh ingredients. We also ordered the bone marrow served with one of the best Italian breads I've ever eaten. Crusty warm bread with a dense well baked center. We finished the evening off with some tasty desserts and espresso. I requested to speak to the chef who did comment to our table. It is rare to have such great meal and have amazing staff. I felt compelled to let the chef, who is the owner with his wife. Bravo! Overall, one of the best hidden secrets in PA. read more

Bolete Restaurant - Entrance - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Good Morning, Chef Will you bring back the, Crab Eggs Benedict for Brunch. I Need to See Another Michelin . Every Plate is Perfect. Presentation, Quality, The Bar, Staff, Professional Service. The Menu, Wonderful and Sparatic Dish/Silverware Placement. The Formal Attire/Cleanliness Everywhere Impeccable. As Much as Timing, Above a 1 Star. Keep Going, Thanks, Your Most Impressed Guest read more

To be honest I would give it 4.5 out of 5 if I could. There is just one piece that I found somewhat disappointing in the otherwise wondrous world of deliciousness. Came here for a Valentine's Day dinner. The place was obviously packed but purring like a well oiled machine. Service was top notch. We were seated immediately as our table was ready. The farmhouse decor makes for incredible experience. Drinks came. Rittenhouse Rye hit the spot and Smoking Joseph! Lovely cocktail! It was obvious that the kitchen was busy but no mistakes everything came perfect. Halibut Ceviche Tacos and Foie Gras Mousse are to die for! Fortune Oysters Bolete Style are incredible. To top it all off we had Black Sea Bass done to perfection and Halibut. I can't say that we had a meal like this in a long time. Chef's creations are absolutely incredible. 2 things that disappointed me which is why I would go with 4.5 vs 5. They ran out of Apple Gallete's and Profiterole's at the end of the night and I was looking forward to that but c'est la vie. The other thing would be the wine list. Generally I would prefer to have wine with my dinner but I couldn't find anything I would match with the dishes. A nice Falanghina or Fiano or Alsacian Gewurztraminer as aperitif would have worked much better for me. read more

My girlfriend and I stayed at Glasbern Hotel in Fogelsville. We had dinner at Bolete and it was phenomenal. Can be considered a NYC restaurant with quality of food. I had Borsht soup appetizer and duck entree. But if you go have the butterscotch pudding dessert Highly recommend. And the service including hot rolls was the best read more

Came for dinner with family, two of them had been raving about the food here, and was very excited to finally try it. While the staff are incredibly kind and attentive, we began to notice that our food was taking an exceptionally long time. We saw people who were seated after us getting Entrees well after our appetizers had been taken away. Came to realize that they had either forgotten to put in our dinner order or had mistakenly given our food to other tables. The only communication to this error was a server, not ours, coming over and finally saying our Entrees would be right out and sorry for the wait. No explanation, no transparency in the situation. Perhaps if we had been more upset when the bill came their mistake could have been reflected somehow. It was not. I was disappointed and no amount of delicious food could change that. read more

The place is in what appears to be an old house. As you enter there is a bar and a few small tables to the left and the main dining area to the right. Seating is cozy but not cramped. We were seated at a table for two in the center of the dining area. It was a bit before 6pm. The place was about 50% full. Tasting menu. Chef prepared for us. It is not on the menu but we saw another group having what appeared to be a tasting so we asked about it. Apparently it is not offered always and is usually a bit longer of an experience. Our first time here. We are informed that the place has been in business here for 16 years. We are in tow for a birthday staying at the Bethlehem hotel. We were taken care of by a very efficient and solicitous team of servers and the owners, the chef's wife was the hostess we learned, and she stopped by regularly to see how it was all going. We got a couple of cocktails. And then a bottle of Landform Pinot to accompany the food. We started with a pair of oysters each. Fortune Oysters Bolete style and surf and turf. They were wonderful. Could have eaten a dozen easily. Yellowfin tuna tartare. We each got a different taste and then shared. Rhode Island Fluke Ceviche. Kabocha squash soup and mushroom soup. All the food was delicious, flavored perfectly and presented well. Next was Scholl Orchards crisp squash and Boletes steak tartare. Next was a cast iron seared Rhodes Island Skate and panko crusted Chatham cod. These were fabulous. We told the staff that the portions were quite large for us - we do tastings all the time but were informed that the chef had decided that his tastings are larger to accommodate the local dining desires. We could not finish all the wonderful dishes. We finished with the cast iron seared ribeye. We asked for only one entree as we were stuffed so split the ribeye which was fabulous. Everything was excellent. The last was a couple of desserts that we picked at. A profiterole and bread pudding. No espresso is available. Bolete means mushroom in Latin, and we noted the wallpaper and table settings. We loved the place. We are not from around here but highly recommend and will certainly return when in town. Total was ~$400 a good value we say. Mark & Nancy. read more

The food was excellent! Service was great! Pleasant place to have dinner. Would definitely go again! read more

We've been here before and loved it. But we really weren't impressed tonight. The food was good but nothing more. The dinner rolls were the only thing we had that stood out as excellent. My wife's salad was good, as was my soup, although it had none of the promised mushrooms in it. Her fried chicken was quite good, while my salmon was nothing special. The salmon also was missing the mushrooms it is supposed to come with, and the combination of blini and dashi broth is confusing -- the blini ends up soggy. Our selections were based on the limited Frugal Foodie menu, which is a subset of the normal menu. While it's supposed to be a bargain, my wife's selections really offered no discount, especially once you factor in the reduced dessert portion (which wasn't mentioned in advance). read more

Start to finish it was excellent! Great oysters and the most unreal bone marrow to start. Perfectly cooked pork chop and halibut for mains. On a whim tried butterscotch pudding for dessert. It was wonderful and really capped off a great experience! Will be back again for sure! read more

Great food. Great service. Very attentive servers! Menu changes every so often. The only con is we were on the bar side of the restaurant and it was a bit loud. read more

Bolete Restaurant - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

See all

Food was too many flavors and nothing to bring them together, drinks not great either, decor, barn style for high end restaurant? All dressed up and next to me a guy in shorts and sweater. Never again, the service was ok. read more

This place is fantastic! We go here every year on our anniversary. Love the unique rotating menu and the niche cocktail and beer options. Service is amazing! Always quick service and the best ambiance. read more

Food and service were excellent! Place is beautiful. Perfect for brunch, lunch or dinner!

Let me start off by saying this is one of the best places to eat in the Lehigh Valley Each night the menu can differ, we had a pretty interesting menu. The Bolete oysters were fantastic, in the smaller side but I might be spoiled because of the time I lived in Chesapeake. The mushroom soup was also a standout! Bread course was delightful and more bread was offered when we devoured ours. Service was on point, our waitress was courteous and the house staff kept our water glasses full. I also liked that they weren't pretentious about the dress code as many places often are. Ambiance is interesting, it's pretty tight in there, and a bit dim, but quiet enough that we could hear other. My only complaint is that the portion sizes (for me) were huge. Many will love that, but I felt like I couldn't finish and had no room for dessert. Would also love if they had a pre-fixe tasting menu even if it was just occasionally. Finally and this is SUPER nitpick but I'm sad there were no Baileys type drinks on the custom list. Ultimately this is one of the best places within 50 miles, you won't go wrong coming here. read more

This might be my favorite restaurant in the entire world. From the delicious oysters, to the mushroom caesar salad and fresh halibut, decadent jarred dessert...everything was so exquisite Friday night that we asked to compliment the chef in person and came back for brunch Sunday which was equally delicious (scones, ghost of Mary cocktail, French beef entree and of course more oysters!). The low light vibes and tasteful music also added to the ambience. Loved everything about this restaurant!!! read more

An unexpected treat! Have been wanting to come here for a while and was not disappointed. We celebrated a special occasion for brunch and will plan to come back again soon for dinner. The food was inventive and delicious! The mini cheese scones to start were yummy, then the fluke ceviche was such an unusual and tasty combination. While the mushroom Caesar was only fair, my poached eggs with salmon and hollandaise was excellent. My partner got the duck hash which was also very good. We polished things off with the butterscotch pudding. From the charming decor, to the warm ambiance and friendly waitstaff, this has now become one of my favorite places in the area. read more

We decided to try Bolete for it's farm to table menu and rave reviews. We were not disappointed and felt very well taken care of by our server Lisa who worked with our request for vegan dishes and customized entrees. We greatly appreciated her attention to detail and enjoyed the Bolete fall salad, roasted winter squash soup, vegan entrees and The Remedy cocktail. Our new favorite restaurant, can't wait to return! read more

See all

My friend loves this place so we came here on my birthday. Good thing I ate before arrival the menu was strange so I had her order food for herself and I tasted it. Her cauliflower soup was a puree poured over some nonsense which tasted like baby food. Then she got the Rhode Island Fluke Ceviche which was repulsive. I personally made my own shrimp ceviche today which was fabulous btw. I grew up eating ceviche and what my friend had was disgusting. The dessert however was yummy and so was my drink. I would only ever come here for drinks and dessert and that's it. Then I used the bathroom before I left which was dirty. The trash overflowing and toilet paper on the floor, repulsive for what's considered an upscale farm to table restaurant. Sorry chef! I'm a much better cook! Never would I pay to eat here. No, I did not pay my friend did. Next time I will choose the restaurant! read more

Bolete Restaurant - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

I've heard so much about Bolete and couldn't wait to try this place! We made a reservation for a dinner date. We were seated right away. Service was very good. We got the oyster and tempura squash blossom for appetizer. They were absolutely delicious. The tempura squash blossom was crunchy and you can really taste the crab and shrimp. For the entree, I had the halibut. It was crispy on the outside and very soft in the inside. The vegetables that came with it were flavorful. We also tried the Korean fried chicken. Personally I thought it was very think in the breading that could use a bit more seasoning. Lastly we had butterscotch pudding for dessert. Absolutely delicious! I'm in between 4-5 stars mostly because the fried chicken was disappointing. Other than that, we are excited to come back and try other food. One thing I will say... plan for a 1.5-2 hr dining experience. The entree took a while to come out probably because everything was made fresh. read more

See all

Would 100% recommend this restaurant to anyone who is looking for delectable dishes cooked with excellent quality ingredients. You will probably be tempted lick everything off the plate. It's that good. Especially if you appreciate mushrooms, all of the dishes we got were delicious. Roasted Mushroom Soup, Tempura Asparagus and Mushroom, Ribeye, would order again. Our cocktails were strong, but still tasty. And you MUST get the Butterscotch Pudding. Full belly or not, you will roll your eyes back at how good that dessert is. Our only complaints would be 1) the parking situation was a little confusing and strange, and 2) the lighting kept adjusting frequently from nice romantic to so dark we couldn't see our food. But overall, a top tier dining experience! read more

Bolete Restaurant - Ribeye - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

All the food was excellent. The monk fish dish was flavorful and I loved it. I thought my wife's lobster roll was on the small sizbut she enjoyed it. The bass Crudo had lots of different flavors and we both thought it was excellent. Desert was well thought out and was a nice combination of flavors. My only two complaints are the noise level and close quarters but nothing really to do about that. read more

See all

Wow. Just wow. I would tell everybody to go and try this place out, but it is relatively small so everybody won't fit, but the food is amazing. We started with the smoked mushroom soup which was fantastic. The soup itself was good and then there were marinated mushrooms in the soup which really elevated it to another level. We also got the seared labelle foie gras which was delicious. I have a lot of experience with duck and I'll say the flavor and texture of the whole dish was wonderful: from the jam, to the side greens with pistachios and the toasted bread. It was all perfect. For our main course, I got a grilled PA ribeye and my wife got the halibut. The ribeye was cooked to perfection and came with small potatoes and lobster chunks, all mixed into a great sauce. The halibut came with peas, bacon, and gnocchi which just melted in your mouth. We both loved our respective entrees. And how could I forget about the cocktails! My wife got the fleeting spring and I got a Sloane Mae. Both are seasonal may not be there all the time, but were delicious. Great flavor additions that didn't overpower the alcohol itself. read more

See all

This was one of the best meals I've ever eaten. From the appetizer to dessert, everything was incredible. We appreciated so much how kind the staff were about my husband's food allergy. The chef made him something off menu and it just made the experience that much better. The low lighting made for a very romantic feel. read more

Farm to Table at its finest! Menu changes daily. Small, large and desserts were all very tasty. Dishes were creative and well executed. The ceviche, squash blossoms, oysters and cheesecake were the most memorable dishes. Make a reservation and enjoy the experience. read more

Bolete is incredible, like nothing else in the Lehigh Valley. We have never been disappointed, and when my parents came to visit for a week we came here twice. They wanted to go a third time as well. The cocktails are outstanding, I've never had anything I didn't like. The lobster roll is always stellar, as are any of the salads. The fish dishes are amazing, and they always have a vegetarian option available. I've also really admired their dynamism and inventiveness through the pandemic. They are the gold standard for how to adapt while keeping everyone safe. I have nothing negative to say about Bolete! read more

What a wonderful little gem for a romantic date night dinner. Great atmosphere and delicious dishes. I would recommend making reservations and it's fine dining so dress accordingly. Can't remember the different dishes we all had but everyone was happy with their meals as well as the service. I would recommend giving this establishment a try. read more

This is the Lehigh Valley's best restaurant, by a wide margin. The food is delicious and creative; the service is always exceptional; and the farm to table ambiance is perfect for a fine dining experience that is not too stuffy. I recommend this to anyone who is in town and looking for a fine dining experience that rivals options of larger metropolitan areas. read more

My first time there and already looking forward to returning. Great food, drinks and service. I can't say enough good about this place. A must try if you haven't already. read more

Bolete will always be one of our favorite places to dine. The bread alone will keep you coming back. The staff are so amazing and well versed on the menu. Although I'm mostly plant based, but eat fish and seafood, I'm able to find something in the menu. Food is always fresh and delicous. read more

See all

Great overall experience. The food was amazing, the drinks were awesome and really great service.

Dined on the patio just after a rain storm. It was beautiful and private. By far the best dining experimce I've has during these weird times. The food, drives, and service were top notch. The best sandwhich ever is indeed the best sandwhich ever. All other sandwhiches will be ruined for you. read more

See all

The mussels are excellent. I highly recommend this restaurant; we go here for special occasions. The food is always good but the ambience is the best. It's in a lovely location. read more

Best place for a truly unique dining experience. Come early and sit at the bar and watch Steve and his magic!

Service and ambiance were great but I was not wowed by the food. My husband gets the steak pretty much everywhere we go - the steak here was $50, with no crust and insipid flavor. I got the lobster roll that was well reviewed on here, and it simply tasted like mayonnaise. Exceptions were, the spiced beet appetizer and a ginger cocktail were very flavorful and good. Didn't try dessert because we waited about 45 minutes for our main course and couldn't wait to get out. read more

Went for the later seating tonight to celebrate anniversaries (23rd for us, 48th for my parents) and everything was fantastic. Had our own space (shed #1) and we really enjoyed the cozy ambiance and thoughtful sequence of platings. The crudite were roasted and/or pickled veggies, very tasty with sourdough slices. The sip of soup (don't call it "pea soup!") was potato, parsnip, and pistachio. Beef tartare with quail egg and truffled cauliflower was next; very delicate and balanced. A mushroom tart with light and flaky pastry dough followed. Marinated salmon with perfectly seared and crispy skin, then braised short ribs with gnocchi and beet puree, both perfectly balanced and proportioned, even though I was getting full already by this point! The "perfect bite of cheese" was truly just that; chevre with an apple-date butter. Dessert was Pink Squirrel inspired with a generous dollop of pink amaretto cream atop a round slice of chocolate cake. One of our diners has a gluten sensitivity, so they got served chocolate sorbet with cherries instead. Make your reservations and come out to Bolete now that they've re-opened with this new format; you won't be disappointed! read more