I'm just an average Joe who loves good food in a good venue. The Boutros family secret recipes offered the amazing Mediterranean fare while the warm and inviting space brought the wonderful vibes. Creamy, light, but powerfully flavorful hummus was carefully painted into a presentation so beautiful it hurt me inside to disturb the art. The plate of fresh vegetables and the Shawarma... man, they know home Mediterranean food here at Riverside. If you're new to Med food- this is a great place to start. They make their food easily understandable and approachable for everyone. If you're into Hookah they've got you covered. Also- what a great space for a group! The owner told me he's got great rates for parties and weddings. I paid for my meal and I'm not related. I'm just an average Joe leaving an above-average rating for a new restaurant that will likely be a culinary hotspot in Allentown for many years to come. read more

Riverside Restaurant & Lounge - Front of house dining area - Middle Eastern Near Me - Allentown, Pennsylvania

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Whole lamb/goat stuffed with Rice was excellent feast during Ramazan aftari buffet and I really enjoyed BBQ grilled chicken, beef kabab , fruits drink was very refreshing, it was very good experience ! Authentic Arabic food you enjoyed in that place ! read more

No one else here during dinner time except guy waiting for takeout, which he got then left while we were waiting for our meals to be served. Waitress said they have parties during weekends, where they get large turnouts. TV monitor on wall was playing Arabic music videos. I asked waitress if she could clean tablecloth, which she was nice about doing, but only cleaned half the table. Friend and I both ordered skewer of chicken kebab with rice, grilled veg, pita bread and water. Waitress brought pita bread sliced in quarters, wrapped in plastic wrap. Friend asked waitress to heat the bread for us, so she took bread back to kitchen, returned with hot pita bread still in plastic wrap. I removed bread from plastic, wrapped it in napkins to keep it warm. We asked for garlic aioli, but they brought mayonnaise instead. My friend called them out on it, so waitress brought us some good garlic aioli. Food was really good; we both enjoyed our meals. We were almost done eating when group of young Egyptian guys came in to restaurant, walked over to dance floor on other side of the room we were sitting in. They sat at a table and started playing their own music pretty loud and smoking cigarettes. My friend asked waitress to tell them to turn music down and put cigarettes out, which she did. They turned music off and I think they put cigarettes out. We were charged extra for grilled vegs even though waitress said they came with our meal. Our meals cost as much as they would if we had gotten 3 skewer chicken kebab platter. We didn't want 3 skewers of chicken, so they charged separately for each item. This place has potential to be successful, but owners don't seem to have knowledge of what it takes to run restaurant at same standards Americans are used to. They cater to young people from Middle Eastern countries, getting by on the fringes of American society. And perhaps that's how they prefer it. read more

The service is excellent the food exquisite and authentic . A taste of syria. The hookah is really a nice touch. Ramadan buffet coming up!

We've been here twice recently and loved it! Once, when we went to the America On Wheels Museum and then after going to the Allentown Art Museum. The people at the restaurant made us feel like we were family and were great about explaining the food. We did the buffet once and off the menu another time. The food is plentiful and delicious. We will definitely be back! read more

The food was fresh, tasty and excellent. Service was amazing and very friendly waiter. Very neat and quiet place, we could hear our conversations with faded, authentic music in the background. read more

Friday night disaster- we should have left right away, when on a Friday night at 730pm there was only 1 table drinking tea and hookah- This is our 2nd time here- 1st time was at the grand opening- for a party- We were not thrilled with the food! But figured its still new- Now after a great recommendation from family- we decided to give it a try again- The waitress was nice- but clearly did not have a clue!! Sit where you like she said- after we sat I noticed the table was dirty- she said "you can move to another table"? Instead of wiping the table- I asked for a napkin n silverware settings- she said it will come when you're food comes out- We ordered fattoush- humus and baba ghanouj- I asked her who the chef was- she said a young girl her age. That the owners and regular chef are at home- that they pre cooked everything they just need to serve. If Anyone knows anything about Middle Eastern food- you know that it all must be freshly made- Especially the salads- That should have been a sign to leave- Where do I begin? -Humus tasted like they opened a premade can and served it- had no tahini- too much citric acid (lemon salt) -baba was not bad- very watery and presented as if it Was ready to be served the day before- with clear oil on top- (not EVOO) -cheese barak was the only thing freshly fried- very tasty too bad barely had any cheese inside. -fatoush- just a disaster!!!! burnt fried bread on top of lettuce tomato green peppers cucumbers and tomatoes. Wilted looked as if it was mixed hours prior- (basic salad with pita chips on top- soaked in OIL! Sorki- the cheese itself was good topped with ( veggies cut for salad) No oil- Then we decided lets try something else give them a chance- we asked for fried kibbi "how many in a order? Waitress replied 3 or 4- which is it? 3 or 4"??? After 10 minutes she came and said that they are out of kibbi- So we said ok- please bring us fried cauliflower and fries- Another 10 minute went by- she came And asked - what did you order again?? Finally the fries and cauliflower came- what can I say- fries are fries and the cauliflower was soaked in OIL- I asked the waitress what they had for dessert? She replied Im Not sure what's available as she asked the guy at the other table- She said we have cookies- The Hookah- Was made by the same Waitress- $25 for hookah that had black coals on it- two thumbs down!!! We actually stopped and grabbed sandwiches on our way home- Unfortunately- we will NEVER come back Here again- very disappointed- NOTE to the Owner- if your chef needs a Day off- You're better off closing for the night - read more

We found this place by searching BYOB restaurants near me. The food and service was outstanding. The downside was that we were the only people there. That's a shame because the food is delicious. It is a family owned business serving Mediterranean cuisine, which was made to order. We had appetizers, Skokie, Spinach Pie, Meat Pie and it was all delicious. We were given a complimentary dessert which was a sort of cake made with semolina, egg, syrup with pistachios on top. It is BYOB, and so very reasonable. We took a star because the menu and table weren't clean, and the restaurant was empty which didn't do much for the ambiance. You should know that it is a Hookah bar, and when we arrived there was someone smoking in the dining room and the waitress was smoking while working. read more

Amazing Mediterranean Food cooked just like my Aunt from Greece cooks. Love this entire menu!