Great food, service and bartenders! An amazing date place or night out with friends, this beloved Bethlehem location has it all! As a huge fan of all things NOLA, its authentic southern vibe and menu are spot on. The owner/managers are friendly and took great care in renovating the space. They manage lights, sound and tv from their phones so don't bee too hard on them if you see them focusing on their handhelds. Be prepared for a little wait - this is after all modeled after the Big Easy - plus its been open for less than a month! So take it from this local Bethlum girl, grab yourself a great red or a jalapeno margarita, order yourself some house andouille or charred shrimp small plate, and have a blast in what is sure to be one of the towns favorite hidden gems! Only tip for management: get some southern oysters when they are in season! read more

Been to the Bayou 4x. Since opening. Everyone I have taken there loved the food and service.. Place is busy, Mo and Christian both make your wait pleasant and truly know how to handle their customers. Congrats on you success and may it continue... read more

This place was absolutely outstanding! The food was to die for and delicious. I am coming back again and telling all my friends about it for sure! The manager and owner are really personable and outgping which really added to the experience! read more

The service was awful. They were inattentive and just did not care. We ordered drinks when we came in that sat at the service bar for 15 minutes before my husband said something to the waitress since we could see them dying and she simply stated "i forgot". I called ahead to make the reservation since it was my husbands birthday and told the hostess I spoke with and even preordered a dessert. No dessert no happy birthday no acknowledgement. The manager cared more about flirting and drinking redbull then his guests since he sat next to our drinks dying in the service bar area. I have been in this business 15 years and have never had such terrible service. Thanks for ruining my husbands birthday and be sure not only will we never be back but we will tell everyone we know not to go and my husband is also in the business. read more

The gayest place to go. Hush puppies were like eating deep fried dog turds. The bayou burger....how about the Savannah burger, because it couldn't be any drier. My friend ordered the po boy, instead received a sandwich that tasted like Lysol. Also, the waitress seemed annoyed having to help us. So she can help herself to some unemployment soon. But I did have a great time talking about sharting read more

Visiting home for a few days and turned off by the experience. This place misses the mark on it's advertised southern hospitality. I have lived in the south for over 30 years and never been treated this way! I was turned away (only two in our party) because I did not have a reservation but the tables were barely 1/3 full at the time. Not returning and don't recommend it. read more

Great food! This place is cozy but it adds to the charm! Different mixed drinks you don't find everywhere. Be adventurous go to the Bayou !

Had an awesome meal there last Thursday the 25th with my daughter and her boyfriend. Wish I had the recipe for the black eyed peas.

If you're in the area and you haven't tried this place out you're missing out. The food is amazing, nothing like it in the Lehigh valley. The management is great and the staff are amazing as well. With so much variety in food and specialty drinks, going here is a must. read more

Food has been consistently good. Have never tasted anything bad here. Service lacks a bit. Slightly inattentive but not horrible. Drink menu always seems to be old so when I order a beer they come back 5 minutes later and say they do not have it and I have to relook and hope the next one I pick is available. We have been here quite a few times and will continue to go back. Overall would recommend based on the food. read more

Delicious food, great service, awesome prices. Love the oxtails and the gumbo. It's my family's go-to place.

The Fried Chicken is fantastic. Great prices and service! Also, try the catfish and the banana bread pudding!

Great place, good food. If you like spicy, order the shrimp and grits. They're great.

As you can see by my profile, I don't normally write reviews... But the experience we had definitely is worth the mentioning..... This review is not about food. While the food and the service and the atmosphere were fantastic, what all of us will remember is what happened after dinner. My wife and I went with a group of friends. Where I was seated, there was an AC duct directly above my head. It was a very hot day outside and water was collecting on the duct. Every couple of minutes a drop of water would fall on my head. We shifted the table a bit, but I just kept getting dripped on. No big deal. We were out with great friends and everything else (food, service, our very pregnant and happy server) was perfect. When we were finished, I was the last of our group to leave. The person at the door asked how everything was and I said nearly perfect. He asked what would have made it perfect and I mentioned the drips. I did this less as a complaint than an observation so they could correct it for the next table. He apologized and asked me to wait while he got the owner. I said that was not necessary. I left and caught up to my friends in the parking lot. It was packed that night and we were parked at the far end of the lot. When we got into the car and were ready to back out, there was a knock at my car door window! It was Christian, one of the owners of the restaurant. He wanted to personally apologize for the dripping and insisted that we pull in out front while he went inside. We did and he returned with a gift card for our next visit. All of us were incredibly impressed by this gesture. This is one of the best examples of great customer service that I have ever experienced in my life. This businessman went out of his way to address a situation even though, he didn't need to. We will be loyal patrons of The Bayou and whatever Christian and Mo come up with next! read more

Since Bayou opened I have heard great reviews. Nothing would please me more to write a stellar review about Bethlehem's newest eatery however I can not. Before I even got to the front door I witnessed a man and woman parting ways in the parking lot. She yelled three times back to the man, "are you OK to drive"? Mind you the Bayou is in a residential area. The Dram Shop Act holds a business that serves alcohol to a customer liable for injury caused by that customer as a result from their patronage. The renovations to the building are amazing. The Bayou has done a great job at rebuilding the old Hawthorne House. The Bar 3 sided with granite surface and 24 taps. While the selection is varied, bland domestic to decent craft, one can find the same beers for $1.50-2.00 cheaper elsewhere. Six dollar pints served in Ball Mason jars is on the steep side. During my visit I watched, whom I assume to be the manager on duty, sneeze into his hands twice and habitually text on his phone behind the bar. This did happen and the owners simply need to review the footage from the camera positioned above the bar to see it for themselves. The bartender was clearly put behind the bar as eye candy. She had little to offer in skill behind the bar. It became obvious she was a server that was promoted. I do not fault the establishment for promoting from within. If you are the new business on the block the first year open you should be putting on your A game. Location, location, location... and Bayou does not have it. If you want repeat customers do not hire amateurs, over charge me for a pint of beer and try to pass of Kraft Mac and Cheese as gourmet. Even though not being impressed I will give Bayou another chance. I do not feel that my standards are unbelievably high, I simply have standards. So should Bayou. There is a health code. There are laws governing alcohol sales. First impressions are lasting ones. Time will be the true test. It is my most sincerest hope that I caught them on a bad day and this is nothing more than the shake down period. read more

Bayou has done it right. It is not a wannabe place, posing as cajun -- it is the real deal. Their gumbo is authentic, their cornbread is savory and buttery and toasted and will spoil you for any other cornbread in the future. Even the beignets are perfect -- light and fluffy, with a lovely dipping sauce. French fries come with a lovely herbal crunchy finish. My husband had pulled pork in a po'boy and loved it. The beer list is right on, with lots of good choices...this is not the usual neighborhood bar selection, but rather a thoughtful choice of great breweries. My jalopeno margarita was amazing! sweet and hot and plentiful, arriving in a jelly jar rimmed with salt. I will go back just for that. The place is new, and hopping. It was noisy and crowded -- probably not the place for a romantic dinner, at least not on a Friday night. There will be a line -- be prepared to sign in and then go do something else. ...But it is worth the wait! We have added this place to our list of 'regulars'. I can't wait to go back and try the other entries. 'Mo' the co-owner (I hope I got his name right -- it was very noisy) greets all the customers, and talks of his plans to add music, and is visibly gratified at the great reception to his new place. The people were friendly -- we wound up chatting with several new, as well as old, acquaintances. All in all, a great new addition to the Bethlehem Restaurant Scene! read more

So we tried the Bayou for my husbands birthday. It was pretty good! We started with jalapeño hush puppy and Brussels sprouts as appetizer. The hush puppies were ok, kind of spicy but not much hush puppy flavor. The Brussels were AMAZING! There was a sweet yet savory sauce on them with bacon chunks, yum so good. My husband ordered the fried chicken. He loved it. The chicken was meaty and breaking was light and crunchy! My daughter ordered the Mac n Cheese, she opted to leave the ham out of it. It was really really good, the perfect amount of cheesiness! My other daughter ordered the smoked pork sandwich, it came with a ton of delicious fries. The sandwich itself was not so good, the bread was completely soaked and mushy. The pork itself was pretty good. I ordered the brisket po'boy. It was just so so. I know it's the nature of the meat but it was very very fatty, I know that's how it goes with brisket. Could not really taste much else besides the fat... the service was great. A few times random people stopped at table and asked if everything was ok. (Note I didn't mention the pork or brisket to anyone) I'm certain if I did they'd replace the meal. The dining room is very very nice! Very clean! Oh and lastly I was floored when the server brought out a beignet for my husband and sang Happy Birthday even though we did not order dessert! That was impressive! So over all it was good !!! read more

I decided on going here because everyone I know told me it would be amazing. I love Cajun food and I love to dine out with friends. As soon as I got into he restaurant I got pretty excited, it looked great. I had a great beer and I was greeted promptly. Hospitality is one of the most important things to me when dining and that is why they received two stars. The three missing are for the disappointment from the food. I ordered gumbo because that's a staple in New Orleans and I absolutely love gumbo. The gumbo was watery, I couldn't find any okra, and it just wasn't gumbo. I sent it back and they politely took it off my check. The server even stated it's not normally like that. My entree was an even bigger disappointment, I got the hanger steak and it was cooked how I ordered it, but it was cold. I mean everything, the cauliflower, sweet potato mash, and steak were cold. At this point I didn't even complain because I didn't want it to be redone for me with spit. I ate it quick and got the check. I'm not impressed and I hope it was just an off night for them. read more

tried this place out while in town for the night and was definitely impressed. we ordered the fried chicken and the steak. the steak was amazing, the sauce on top was very good. the fried chicken was served on a nice wooden plate, cool presentation. read more

I USED to love this place. I recently went to the bayou for my birthday and was so excited because I hadn't been there in a while, and the food is usually phenomenal. This time it was TERRIBLE! I ordered fried green tomatoes and dirty rice. The fried green tomatoes where actually regular red tomatoes and were awful. The dirty rice was gummy and over cooked. I sent the tomatoes back and ordered gumbo, which I've had before and enjoyed. Not this time; it was so bland and needed tons of salt. My boyfriend ordered the clams, which he has ordered on many occasions. They were nothing like we remembered them. They came with a hard cracker like bread instead of the soft toasted bread that was served with them before. The sausage that used to be authentic house made andouille is now tiny bits of smoked sausage. We were told by our waitress that they have a new chef. I recommend hiring the old chef back because this is not the bayou experience I was used to at all! It was completely disappointing. Not sure if I'll be returning. read more

Had reservations with another couple & was excited to finally try Bayou from all of the hype. Thought it was unusually busy for a Tuesday night but figured that was a good thing. For starters, our waitress was awful; unorganized & inattentive to our table regarding our apps, orders & checks. 18% tip was extremely generous to say the least. We had a huge draft at our table that the men in our group complained about. The lights kept flickering on and off. Atmosphere was meh. Table arrangement could use some work. The staff seem to struggle navigating around tables, especially considering I was bumped into several times. Seeing into the messy kitchen was a turnoff. Food wise: My fried green tomatoes were plated nicely with arugula which was a great complement, but they were not even green, lacked flavor, way too much breading (my mom's are way better), overcooked to the point I could barely cut them with a steak knife--just a total miss. I didn't finish them. I was disappointed because I had looked forward to trying them all day. I also ordered the BBQ shrimp. The sauce itself was very tasty with the toast dipped and as expected for NOLA BBQ shrimp, but the shrimp were not shelled and just tasted very fishy. My husband and I wouldn't even eat them (and he will eat anything). The cocktail menu sounded amazing but did not get a chance to try any. Overall, we were not impressed with the food or service & did not feel our money was well-spent. Also our stomachs have been upset since last night. read more

If you are looking for a college bar that pretends it is down South, than go to the Bayou. This is not a serious southern restaurant. I made reservations on Open Table and when we arrived, the two teenagers at the desk said and pointed "There's your table". It is noisy, which we didn't mind. We were a table of six, two elderly, two middle aged, two teens. The menu did look appetizing. We started out with four appetizers, the best being the black eyed peas. It seems like the restaurant expects you to come there and wait a while before anyone asks if you want a drink. I'm not certain if they were short on help. When it looked liked we were disappointed with everything, they tried to offer a dessert. You will notice that I am not writing anything about the food they served. Don't expect much. There were six of us, not happy with anything. I was in New Orleans two weeks ago, and the worst food I had there was better than anything at this college bar. read more

I won't say I'm a regular, but we eat here at least once a month. I've always had great food and service here. Last night, not so much. We were there to celebrate our anniversary, but left annoyed. We had drinks and were waiting for our already ordered appetizer to be delivered. Another 15 mins later, a table who just walked in after we had already ordered was given our Mac and Cheese. 15 mins later, our server comes to admit to such....and told us ours was being made. Mac & Cheese finally comes and within minutes so does our meal. Both of us had ordered the Hangar Steak medium well. My husband's steak came out so rare it was bleeding on the plate. Finally tracked down the server and had it re-fired and it came out better, but left me eating alone, and same with him as I was done by the time his came back out. Water and iced tea were rarely tended to... and usually we had to flag her down to refill us. Dessert (peanut butter mousse) was great as usual. Didn't see a lot of the servers we had gotten to know- perhaps a lot of new staff? Regardless, we were there almost 2 hours. Sadly, service and food both not up to par last night. read more

I have been to the bayou a handful of times now and I am torn loving and hating it. It falls shot of being a great restaurant. That being said I love the food on every visit it has been simply wonderful and it has been consistent. The fried chicken sandwich is an item I find myself craving. I love that they have a great draft beer list. I have never had horrible service. So why the hate. It is loud very loud and if a foot ball game is on its even louder. There is a tv in the dinning area that ends up being a focal point with patrons direct there attention there Instead of with their table. There is no intimacy at any table and the noise makes it hard to hear your party. Lastly the cocktail menu is strait off a college campus. The south has a wonderful cocktail culture they have done themselves a disservice by pulling their cocktail menu from bourbon street and not from the historic dining areas of the French quarter. Leave some fun but pull in some classics. read more

My wife and I had dinner last night; my second time here, her first. Very nice atmosphere and decor. Our server was very nice and knowledgeable, except the overall service was slow. Food was ok, but not as I remember from my first visit about a year ago. The brussel sprout app was very good and the cornbread was awesome with that butter. But I think it took a step back at the entree, I tried their "talked about" fried chicken. Maybe I watched too many Gordon Ramsey and Robert Irvine..but I could tell their oil was old as the chicken was on the edge of being returned/burned. My wife had a salad and the gumbo; the gumbo, IMO, took a huge step back from my last visit. For dessert, we tried their chicory coffee and a PB mousse--the mousse was excellent! Plenty of flavor!! The coffee? Warm and extremely bitter. Since it was our first time having chicory, I asked around after; as we figured, it's not supposed to be bitter. Overall, an ok experience, however, we'll probably not make an effort to return. read more

We found this restaurant on yelp and went in to try it. We LOVED the food- the poor rating is for our later experience. We liked the food so much, we came back the next afternoon, to talk to a manager/owner about catering our wedding. We were told they were to busy to talk to us on a Saturday afternoon, we would have to call and make an appointment for a week day morning. My Fiancee called SIX times and left messages with the hostess/secretary- requesting call backs about catering. after two weeks he finally got a call back with an apology requesting he come in that Friday, and lunch was on the Manager. At 10 O'clock Friday morning a hostess called to cancel the appointment saying the Manager was too busy, and he would call Monday to reschedule. We got a call back THREE WEEKS LATER. Despite the great food, this has left a more than sour taste in our mouths. We will not be going back. The food may be great, but I would strongly discourage anyone from attempting anything more than a casual dinner here. read more

Nice place, I met the owner Cristian, what a charmer ! He bought me multiple drinks even had a few shots with me. I had the fried chicken, not bad a little heavy with ok flavor. We had a good conversation about cocktails he told me his story and struggles he told me he always wanted a bar were he and his friends could have a party and he was having a party that night. There was a nice mature blond server seemed a little out of place that had a tendency to interrupt us, and seemed annoyed that Cristian was making her get us multiple drinks., I am assuming because the place was busy, and she had to focus on us.This was a busy bar, people were waiting for cocktails. fortunately for me I had the owner taking care of me and I didn't have to wait. As the evening progressed people were partying and started to get a little loud. Cristian told me not to be concerned it was his friends there harmless and rowdy. As the place got more crowded Cristian offered to keep me safe I had to go. it was getting loud and both of us slurred as we spoke. The only bad thing I can say is I was a little uncomfortable exiting the place there were many male smokers that glared at me and the parking lot had some bottles be careful if you wear heals. I would go back again but not alone think I will eat first and drink later and go with my friends, I originally thought this was a restaurant with a bar not a club with food. read more