I was never around when the original or second location called Bayou was open for business. All I know is that we go to this place at least twice every time we stay at the Courtyard By Marriot in Bethlehem. The food is absolutely amazing at this place and I can't imagine getting anything better unless you're in the city of New Orleans. Everything is delicious and the portions are ridiculous. It is definitely one of my top five restaurants in Pennsylvania. read more

Always a great meal at The Bayou. I was surprised by the portion of my chicken and waffles sandwich. Their cornbread is awesome. read more

The Bayou - Chicken and Waffles w fried Brussel Sprouts - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

The food, service, and especially ambiance stands out for me. I just love this restaurant. We also really appreciate the take out available as well as the beautiful tables and setting. Many thanks to The Bayou! read more

How have not been here yet?? Stopped in for lunch on a random Tuesday. The place was open all to me and a cute older couple at the bar. I had one of the most unique and yummy Cubans I've ever had. It was huge and the sauce was amazing. The bread was perfect and the bit of N'arlens flair was evident and perfect! The fries were great too and the service was spot on. I'll be back with friends when I can put a proper dent into their menu. read more

The Bayou - Bayou Cuban - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Stale menu that hasn't made any substantial changes in over 10 years. They need a dedicated head chef and sous chef so that the owners can step back. They clearly are too overstretched from opening and closing locations to freshen up the menu. read more

First time visiting (from CT); had lunch here today with my family. Food was wonderful, only to be outdone by our server, Ques. I rarely leave reviews, but I literally ran here to sing her praises!!! Attentive, warm, funny and truly an exceptional hostess. The food (not 100% traditional Louisiana creole, but delicious nonetheless) and Ques' exceptional service, made us feel like we were experiencing Louisiana hospitality. This is a must try! We can't wait to visit again. read more

Came in skeptical. I have not found a true creole restaurant anywhere in the northeast that serves authentic New Orleans style flavor food. But I have to say this is probably one of the places that comes the closest. I didn't walk away feeling like I was truly in the Bayou, but they have southern cooking on lock. Hush puppies, buttermilk chicken, sweet casserole, all 100% delicious. And I won't even start about the cornbread which I could eat that just by itself. So happy we found this hidden gem. Food was a little slow coming out of the kitchen, but the server was very attentive. But definitely worth the wait. read more

I ordered take-out of two catfish sandwiches, an order of fries with no salt and an Oder of corn bread. They said that the order would take 38 minutes to prepare. When I went to pick up the order I also added and paid for an ice tea and included a 15%tip for the take-out. The order took more than an hour to get ready which caused me to be late for a concert. The French fries were so salty that I only ate a few of them. No ice tea was included in my order and we were so late for the concert that I decided not to go back there for it. The corn bread was burnt on the top ( see the pic that I'm including. There were no napkins or cutlery included in the order. No one told me that fries were already included with each sandwich. The only god thing was the catfish. For $72(including a tip) I deserved a better experience. read more

The Bayou - Burnt corn bread - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

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Hands down, this is the BEST Southern restaurant in the area... by far. Honestly, I don't even know where to begin. I'm from New York, and my sister moved to Pennsylvania, so she introduced me to this spot. Now every single time I visit her, I somehow end up right back here because the food is just that good. They used to have a second location that closed, but honestly, it doesn't even matter because this one was always my favorite, the food here is on another level. We always start with the Brussels sprouts, the fried green tomatoes, or the hush puppies. You simply cannot go wrong with any of them. The appetizers are always hot, fresh, and packed with flavor. And then there's the mac and cheese... absolutely to die for. Even the children's mac and cheese is ridiculously good. Creamy, cheesy, comforting, exactly how mac and cheese should be. Their salads deserve their own shoutout too. The goat cheese salad with pickled eggs is perfection, and the Caesar with cornbread croutons? Genius. It's the kind of detail you don't expect but end up craving every time you think about it. But of course, the real star of the entire place is the cornbread. Truly heavenly. They serve it warm, and the whipped butter melts right into it, it's honestly dangerous how good it is. I could eat the entire dish by myself without hesitation. The service is always great, quick, friendly, and welcoming. It's one of those places where the vibes feel just as good as the food tastes. On weekends, it does get packed, so making a reservation is probably a smart idea. All in all, I HIGHLY recommend this restaurant. The food, the atmosphere, the consistency, everything hits. I will always come back whenever I'm in the area, and yes... mostly because the cornbread is truly that good. read more

Since we were in the area we decided to revisit The Bayou for lunch. We ordered Fried Green Tomatoes, Gumbo & Shrimp Po' Boys one with fries the other with Fried Brusssels. Everything came out in a timely manner was plentiful & delicious. Our server identified on our receipt as Am B was terrific. She even brought us containers for leftovers without our asking. Though we were full we looked forward to sampling their Beignets. After enjoying such a great meal we were disappointed. They were hard (well done) not fluffy (very dense) & had no resemblance to the ones we had at Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans. read more

Great food, quick service, and easygoing setting. The cornbread was amazing! The butter on top was sweet and delicious. I tried the fried chicken sandwich, it was very good but I kinda regret not getting the jambalaya or shrimp and grits. If I'm ever back in the area, I know a great place to eat! read more

Great New Orleans style food. Service and patio were nice too. We had all shareable for two people and had leftovers. Best gumbo we've had outside of New Orleans. read more

Super cool vibes, food was good, and the staff was very chill. It wasn't really a complaint but one member of our party said she noticed them walking through the dining area with trash and cleaning supplies. Maybe the layout demands this but generally not something I want to see while eating. read more

I visit New Orleans regularly and the Bayou always hits the spot when I am craving the Louisiana feel. Service is always great. The food is as good as you're going to get outside of Louisiana. read more

Great place, enjoyed the food and the specials were amazing. I'm from the south and whenever I am in town this is my goto place to grab a bite. read more

Hands down best service I've ever had, can wait to come back just for Ques. Now as for the food PHENOMENONAL. We had the Gumbo, Pierogies, Brisket Mac, and Buttermilk Chicken. Every dish was Amazing !! read more

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Oh my! Delicious! We shared the Fried Catfish with Collard greens with maple and rice. The catfish was cooked perfectly. The greens were delicious, with lots of flavor. The rice was good, a little spice for me, but he didn't think it was spicy at all. We ordered a side of the Brussels Spouts, absolutely delicious! Also, ordered a side of the cornbread, the best I've ever had. Cute little place, off the beaten path. They were kind enough to lower the radio. The waitress was friendly and attentive. If I didn't live 1.5 hours away, I definitely would be visiting a lot. We rated it a 5 star which we don't give out that much! read more

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We had a 7:00 PM reservation and were not seated until almost an hour later. Completely unacceptable, especially during the Christmas season. Once seated, our server was the only bright spot of the night, he was amazing and clearly doing everything he could. Appetizers came out quickly and were good: the cornbread was delicious and the cauliflower app was solid. Then everything fell apart. We waited over an hour and fifteen minutes for our entrees, even though the restaurant had basically emptied out by then. When the food finally arrived, some dishes were cold and others were dried out from sitting under a heat lamp. For a place charging these prices, this is unacceptable. What made the experience worse was management's complete lack of accountability. The GM never came over to apologize, acknowledge the delay, or offer any form of compensation, nothing, despite us being patient, polite, and spending over $400. At that price point, basic service recovery should not be optional. This was a frustrating and disappointing experience from start to finish. There's clearly a reason reservations were easy to get during the height of the Christmas season. We will not be returning. read more

My wife and I wound up a Bayou because our first two choices were closed due to the new year holiday. This was our first time here. We were greeted quickly and were seated immediately. The atmosphere is very cozy and has that southern feel as the name implies. Our waitress (Ques) was absolutely fabulous! She gave us suggestions on menu items and took our drink orders. I had a blue Bayou (delish) and my wife had the voodoo juice (also wonderful). Our appetizer was fried green tomatoes that were amazing. The two entrees were crispy catfish for myself and the spare ribs for the wife. Sides were collard greens, dirty rice, corn bread and hoppin John's. I have to say, everything came out in a timely manner and was absolutely awesome! We couldn't say enough how glad we were to wind up here by chance. Ques is by far, one of the best servers we've met. Instead of telling you how good the food and service is, try it for yourself and hopefully you will agree that this is a great place. One regret! I didn't try the Hushpuppies!! I'll be back for them. Thank you Bayou and a bigger thank you to Ques for making a great place even better. read more

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Love this spot, which is one of the only restaurants in Bethlehem open on Mondays. It's a lifesaver for business meals on Monday evenings! The food, also, is phenomenal. The hushpuppies and the crab beignets are outstanding appetizers, and I always go for the salmon entree. It's always good, but lately the salmon has been truly perfectly cooked. So delicate and flaky, and the seasoning and sauce has been unreal. The only reason I can't give five stars is because of how hard it is to bring vegetarians or (even harder) vegans here. I know that that's not the specialty here, but in 2025 having at least one or two options for vegetarians and vegans is pretty standard. Almost everything here (including the desserts) is cooked with pork or pork fat. You can go a ways by substituting sides, but adding one vegan entree would make the restaurant accessible to a much wider group of people. We're so lucky to have this spot in Bethlehem... can't wait to be back! read more

This is my first time in Pennsylvania and I'm here for a few weeks for work. I'm relying on reviews to decide where I want to eat. The Bayou has great reviews and they don't lie! I ordered the crab pierogis and fried green tomatoes. Both are unbelievable! They are so good, I haven't even finished eating before writing this review. The place is clean and the staff were friendly. All around an awesome place! read more

The atmosphere inside was decent looks like a great happy hour spot. I ordered the crispy catfish a waffle for my kid and Nashville hot chicken Mac n cheese. The catfish was good came out piping hot, the greens had a bit of a bite along with a sweet and spicy hit at the end. The rice was very bland, kind of mush and a bit very cold compared to the rest. The waffle was fluffy and had good flavor without syrup. The Mac and cheese was underwhelming, probably bc of what I was expecting vs what I got. Wasn't terrible experience as I would go again and try other items. Wait staff very friendly and welcoming and not a long wait time for a Saturday around lunchtime. Price point I guess is standard, the fish plate was about $30 and the total bill for all the above items was about $60. read more

We waited almost an hour for our food. After 30 minutes or so, our waitress told us that the kitchen was "backed up" but offered nothing to make it up to us. (She should have brought us something to nibble on, offered free drinks, etc.) Eventually the food began to arrive one dish at a time, so I had to sit and watch my dining companion eat while I waited for my food. She complained several times with no reaction from the staff. I asked to speak to the manager but was told he was unavailable. Finally -- and only after being specifically prompted -- our waitress agreed to comp us on dessert, and discounted the bill by five dollars. When something goes wrong, a server should offer to make things right immediately, rather than acting like it's of no consequence. The food was good but the indifference of the staff ruined the experience. read more

I'll start by saying that the ambiance and vibe of The Bayou was wonderful. I ate at the bar around 5:00 and it wasn't busy yet. The bartender and wait staff were great. I ordered the shrimp po' boy with fries and the po' boy was really disappointing. It seemed as though they had run out of shrimp in the kitchen. As pictured, there was a sparsely arranged single layer of small shrimp on the bread. I probably got a sample of shrimp in about every other bite I took of the sandwich. And the shrimp were so over cooked that they had the pull of beef jerky. The sub roll that was used in the sandwich was great though! The fries served with the po' boy were delicious! read more

The Bayou - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

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Stopped back again during our annual exploration trip to Allentown and Bethlehem and Bayou is always on our list for great eats. With a dog we love that we can sit in a covered cool outdoor area to enjoy the delicious food. The staff was so enamored with our dog that it made it like coming home again. For this trip around, we decided to focus on appetizers and drinks and these are some of our staples. The fried green tomatoes are always 100% outrageous the white wine clams again 100% outrageous every time this time we tried something new the cast iron pierogies and I'm glad we did. It was so tasty and everything is so beautifully plated . For our beverages, my wife ordered the best drink ever the jalapeño margarita if I wasn't driving a long trip home I certainly could've put two down myself, but I would've been down on the ground and out for the count so she enjoyed that I had a beer and there were so many beer options to choose from it's great that they offer tastings. Be sure to see our scrumptious food photos and don't blame me if you drool on your iPhone while you're looking at this in read more

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The food, drinks and service were perfect. We enjoyed the fried green tomatoes with bacon jam, outstanding . I had the shrimp po boy on garlic bread, fantastic. My friend enjoyed a monster size Nashville hot chicken sandwich, delicious. So much food we had to take half home. Try the voodoo punch, while feeling like your New Orleans. Love this place read more

We celebrated my Aunts birthday here, and the service was wonderful. It's a large bar in the center of the restaurant, but plenty of seating at tables around it. Parking across the street is convenient. The food was delicious!! Not quite like New Orleans cuisine, but delicious in its own style. I loved my chicken and waffles. The drinks cocktails were good. My family were all happy with their meals and loved this venue. read more

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Fantastic food. I will be dreaming of that cornbread for the rest of my life, lol. The fried chicken was also amazing and they certainly did not skimp on the bourbon in my drink! The service was also tip top. The ambience could be better, though. The tables are very close together and it was so loud we had trouble hearing each other. Also, the parking isn't great. But I would not hesitate to order from them again through a delivery service! read more

We both enjoyed the jambalaya! It was very good. and the portion was large. We both ended up taking more than half of our plate home. The waitress was extremely nice. It was crowded on a Thursday night, but not loud.. read more

Overpriced and I got chicken it was dry Service was good and ambience The one in Easton was better so sad it closed read more

Delicious meal again last night at The Bayou. Our kids enjoyed delicious mac n cheese and apple slices (could be more apple). I enjoyed the Nashville hot chicken sandwich with deliciously seasoned fries and the sweet mash casserole was devoured by all of us. My Hubby enjoyed his jambalaya and i enjoyed the bites he shared with me. Our waitress was happy to offer suggestions and was running her butt off all night. Can't wait to come back!! read more

The Bayou - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

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Service is friendly and knowledgeable. Food was delicious and true to the region the restaurant is named after. I think that Michael needs paid time off to go to New Orleans for research purposes. read more

The bayou used to be one of my favorite spots in the Valley a few years back. In the present, I can't say the same. As a lot of the old favorites are still on the menu, the attention to detail that was once a standard at this restaurant has gone by the wayside. Whether it's been burnt fried chicken, sloppily made sandwiches, or just not feeling the food is getting the same love it used to, the place just isn't the same anymore. At one time I would say this was a top 5 restaurant the Valley had to offer, I haven't been able to say that for a few years now. read more

It's so hard to find great places to eat quality food...food that is well thought out, and catered to perfection. I truly enjoyed this place. The fried chicken was moist and tender. I am not a fan of yams, but I loved these yams! They were smooth with not too much sugar. The gumbo was perfect!! Not too spicy, the right amount of meat, and the flavor was out of this world. Well done chef, well done! We will Be back. Oh, and our server was amazing!! And so was the bartender. read more

Honestly, it can be hit or miss depending on what you order. Don't get me wrong. The service is amazing as is the restaurant itself, but sometimes the food can be questionable. read more

As a southerner I was hopeful seeing this restaurant in the area. I tried the catfish po'boy and the beignets today and were sadly disappointed by both. The catfish is not breaded in the traditional way. And the beignets were practically rolls with no powder sugar. If you aren't used to eating food from Louisiana you'll probably love this place - but if you're looking for catfish and beignets that you'll get down south. don't get your hopes up. Servers were nice but wait time was also longer than advertised online for a pick up order. read more

When in Bethlehem go to the Bayou. It doesn't disappoint. Maybe the only thing that could've made this better would have been to sit outside. But, it was just a bit chilly for that. There is outdoor seating. It's so happened we stumbled in on "Chicken & waffle Wednesday". Lucky us! Being as this chicken was one of their recommended meals of course that's the direction we went. There's a menu I attached for this special Wednesday offering. You'll see a few options on there. Had to go with the "Nashville" hot waffle. Absolutely outstanding! Hot but not super hot. Amount of chicken on the sandwich was huge. Too much to eat for one sitting. The waffle at the base was delicious. The chicken is nicely coated with a jalapeño thousand island dressing combo. Sweeeet! read more

The Bayou - chicken and waffle Wednesday special. Nashville hot. - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

We went on friday with 5 people and we had to sit at the bar because there were reservations all night! Good food and vibes. Recommend you get there for happy hour and try the apple pie mule and the old bay shrimp! The other food was fine- nothing too special. I would go back and try other things! read more

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Good food and atmosphere but the wait staff seemed over worked. We didnt have a dedicated waiter/waitress and ended up waiting long periods between ordering our drinks, food, to go boxes and bill. Because of this we realized after the fact we were charged for 4 drinks instead of 3 because we felt rushed to pay but I guess thats what happens when several people are taking different parts of your order. I will go back but they needed to maybe have one more person on staff. read more

I've been to The Bayou once before and had a great experience. The food was delicious, and I was looking forward to coming back to try more of the menu. Unfortunately, today's visit was a letdown from start to finish. We arrived, ordered quickly, and were excited for another good meal. It took quite a while for our appetizer to come out, but we didn't think much of it... until we noticed another table that had been there before us still waiting for their entrees. They looked understandably frustrated, and we overheard the server apologizing and mentioning they'd be comped for some of their items. After we finished our appetizer, our server said our entrees would be "right out." Fifteen minutes later--nothing. In that time, a party of five who arrived after us had already received both their appetizers and all their entrees. We checked in again and were told it'd be "another minute," but after several more minutes of waiting with no food or updates (about an hour and twenty minutes after we first ordered), we gave up and asked for the check on just what we'd received. A different server brought the check and apologized but didn't offer to comp anything (not even a drink), which felt like a real miss in basic customer service. We waited again for our server to come by and take our card but after a few minutes without her coming by, the other server said she would just take care of it. The whole thing just left a bad taste, which is a shame because the appetizer was tasty. What made it even more disappointing was noticing a possible pattern... both our table and the other group who waited ages for their food were people of color, while the larger party that came after us and got their food promptly was not. I'm not making any accusations, but it's hard not to notice. Overall, the kitchen delays happen, but the lack of communication, empathy, and simple gestures of goodwill turned what could've been a forgivable hiccup into a frustrating experience. Sadly, it's enough that we won't be returning despite how much we enjoyed the food the first time. read more