I am from Louisiana. I grew up on my grandmother's and my mother's creole/cajun cooking. Rarely do I find Cajun/Creole cooking outside of the house or the south that is enjoyable. I still try, because I have ran into a few "Diamonds in the rough". I had been working in the Bethlehem area for a couple of weeks and continuously saw The Bayou pop up on yelp several times while looking for an evening spot. Finally had the opportunity to try it. My two friends and I did not have reservations, but the made arrangments for us on the Patio. The patio was nice and I enjoy sitting outside, if that is an option. The waitress was very plesent. I ordered a bourbon and the Jambalaya. The bourbon came 1st wish definitly helped put the rough day in the past. The Jambalaya arrived and it smelled great. I dug into it and it was different than what I had my taste buds all worked up to receive. Not bad, just different. As a I continued, the cajun flavors were a little more subtle than I'm used to but the dish was really good. The sausage and shrimp had great flavors. I really enjoyed the dish. Now it didn't make me jump back to my childhood, sitting on my grandparents front porch. But, it did make for an enjoyable evening. I do want to get back and try the fried chicken. One of the guys with us had it and it said it was the best he ever had. Thanks Bayou....See ya soon. Do I recommend - Yes Would I come back - Yes read more

Stopped by for the beignets. Curbside service. Friendly staff Delicious beignets. Not burnt. But still fluffy and soft with the powdered sugar. Will be back for the rest of the menu read more

The Bayou food is fantastic. I can't compare this to no other. I had with my husband fried chicken dinner along with brisket Mac and cheese. I never had food that tastes like this. I would recommend to anyone to try. I love the food. I will be back and tell others. read more

Food and service was good. I had beet and goat cheese salad. Dressing really made this dish. Husband had Caesar salad but cornbread croutons could have broken a tooth , otherwise dressing was good. We were able to switch out chicken with Cajun shrimp no problem. Thanks! Experience was good except cackling hens that sat at the next table. Acted like they were the only ones in the place. Had to yell at each other to talk across the table. Decibels went down when they finally left. read more

WOW! We dined on the patio which was a great experience. The drinks were good, we each got something different & enjoyed the flavors of cocktails. The service was wonderful, the food was OUTSTANDING. As a group, we got the hot Brussels sprouts, shrimp & grits, jambalaya, & fried chicken Mac n cheese. All super delicious, flavorful, and large portions. Definitely will be coming back! read more

My best friend made reservations for 7:30pm on a Saturday night to celebrate her birthday. Upon arrival we were checked in & immediately seated in the outdoor patio area. Everyone enjoyed the drinks & meals they ordered. Since this is during COVID; the waitress had her mask on & took all necessary precautions to ensure we were all safe & enjoyed our time. read more

See all

Can I say 4.75? Great food, much unique for this ares, is well prepared. Servers are knowledgeable and "friendly polite". Why the small deduct? Too many of my favorite appetizers and entrees have disappeared: flash fried BEP and Oyster Po Boys are good examples. Please, BRING BOTH BACK. read more

What a great restaurant! I felt like I was in New Orleans! It's a small restaurant but perfect for what I like. The only thing I wish is that they had some booths. I prefer that to tables. There was jazz music playing which made it feel even more authentic. Our server was very pleasant. I wish I could remember her name. I started with a Hurricane, which was delicious. My husband and I shared an appetizer of hush puppies with a chimicurri dipping sauce. They were different than I've had before, they had cheddar cheese in them, but very good. My meal was the catfish po' boy with hand cut French fries and my husband got the brisket po' boy. We shared an order of collard greens, which were some of the best I've ever had! The po' boys were excellent! They were huge and served on soft French bread authentic to Louisiana. After tasting both sandwiches, we both agreed the brisket had more flavor, but both were good. Although we were extremely full we had to try an order of the beignets. They were just ok. Nothing I would likely get again. I had never had beignets before so they could be exactly like they're supposed to be. I just did not think they had much flavor, tasted more of grease than anything. Overall, this is one of Our most favorite restaurants as of late. We will definitely return! read more

See all

Always amazing!! I'm a southern girl at heart living in the north. This checks all the boxes for cornbread, grits and fried chicken to delight anyone! And don't get me started on the Bayou Mac n cheese.... Omg, read more

After taking on a few curvy roads and cruising for the day, we decided to leverage yelp in unfamiliar territory. The Bayou came up as a highly rated place and it was on our way home. The restaurant was pretty much empty when we came, but were asked to either wait a few hours or sit out back. The hostess was kind of cold in demeanor, and more focused on placing us then engaging in conversation. We decided to sit outside on the back patio. Service there was better but still lacking, for the number of patrons. Ended up ordering the oxtail and fried chicken entrees; and mac and cheese for my little guy. The oxtail was quite delicious, the fried chicken was presented beautifully, but could have been enhanced with a more herb/spice seasoning. The sweet potato accompanying the chicken was absolutely delicious. The mac and cheese was also gooey and generously portioned for kids. For dessert, we tried the beignets. They came out closer to a dinner roll then a what a beignet consistency should be. The vanilla sauce was a nice touch. Ultimately a nice little establishment in the middle of nowhere. Probably a 3.5 star rating on my scale. read more

See all

Although we used to live in the Valley, we've never heard of this place. Some friends took us there and we couldn't stop talking about it the rest of our visit. The atmosphere was perfect. (We could even bring Rufus on the patio!) The food was wonderful and the service matched. If we ever go "home" again, I'll make sure I stop there! read more

The food is good for the most part. You have to be willing to try something new if you're not used to Louisiana Cajun foods. The service is decent. Sometimes we have to wait a little longer for service, but it's not bad. I love the outside patio in the back when the weather is nice. It's very quaint. read more

Hubby and I visited Bethlehem today for the Christmas market...Great half day! We Yelped restaurants nearby and came up with The Bayou. I'm soooo sorry I didn't take food pictures. I usually do but dug right in today. Sorry folks! We shared a few entrees and they were all truly fresh, flavorful and delicious. This place has a way with chicken. The hot Mac and cheese with fried chicken on top was a gluttonous, fattening, cheesy, gooey, delicious feast. I mean delicious. Good Lord we might just have to drive the 1.5 hours back to Bethlehem in the near future to try more of the menu. A definite winner! Thank you Team Bayou for a jewel of a find! read more

Outstanding food , great drinks. Small "hole in the wall" type of place, away from the hustle of the inner city. Definitely a place to visit for great southern cooking from the bayou. Great atmosphere inside to relax and enjoy a great meal with friends and family. Found this place from a friend , and had to take a trip down and try the food. 100% recommend. Bit pricey , but worth every penny. We visited the Bethlehem location. There's also another in the Easton area, but was told that was a bit smaller inside. read more

See all

Delicious I will definitely be back ! My husband and I are hooked Will be recommending to my parish read more

Food is always delicious! The cornbread...a must. Service has always on point. Great place to catch a few drinks, eat and get together with friends. read more

The Bayou is on our regular rotation in the Valley. That said, my husband and I notice that there have been tweaks to the menu that downgrade things. And prices have increased. For example, the Brussels sprouts used to contain delicious pork belly (maybe bacon), but that's gone now. Ok, maybe some want the veggie option. The chicken and waffles used to have chicken breast. Now only thighs are anywhere on the menu. (Possibly breast on the chicken Caesar salad, but I'm not sure) Last time we ate there I ordered the ribs. Although the preparation seemed good and the sauce was awesome, the ribs were so tough I couldn't get anything cut off to eat. The manager took the meal off the bill, but didn't offer an alternative so I had no dinner except for the app we shared. Th waitstaff has always been outstanding and the drinks good. Nice choice of interesting wines too. Cornbread to die for. We will revisit, but will be more selective in menu choices. read more

After another visit to The Bayou, I have to update my review and give them a solid 5 stars. We had our dog with us, so we asked to sit outside. Little did I know that they have a beautiful patio behind the restaurant! I was expecting to sit at those bistro tables by the front entrance. The patio has a pergola with ceiling fans, string lights, and plants that hang off the trellis. Adorable, cozy space. Wish I had known about it in the past We ordered the gumbo to start. A bit overpriced at $7 for a small bowl, but it was delicious. I then ordered the shrimp and grits, which I've had a fair share of throughout the country (even in the south). This was surely in the top 5. The grits were cheesy, bbq sauce added a nice depth of flavor without overpowering the dish, and the roasted tomatoes added a nice level of sweetness. Shrimp was cooked spot on. My only complaint would be that the grits were a little runny. My friend ordered the fried chicken sandwich, which I've had in the past and would absolutely recommend. The chicken has the perfect crispy exterior and is super tender. Service was excellent and we, including my dog, were all well taken care of. read more

See all

I have been meaning to try this place since they have opened awhile back. I was looking for a new place to try out in the lehigh valley, and I kept being skeptical of every place I was thinking of, and then my boyfriend reminded me that we still had to try the Bayou. I got super excited because I forgot and I have heard only good things about the Bayou. We shared small plates, short ribs, mac & cheese, and chorizo shrimp. Everything was outstanding. I almost wanted to order more ribs because they were fall off the bone amazing! There were so many things I wanted to order, but we narrowed it down to these. We had room for dessert for once too and got the Brown Maple Beignets, simply amazing! They reminded me of my mom's fried dough she made us as kids! We will definitely be back to try everything else I wanted! Thank you Bayou! read more

The Bayou - Ty's Mac & Cheese, Charred Shrimp, and Smoked Pork ribs! Everything was fantastic! - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

See all

Omg our favorite place for Fat Tuesday but after Covid didn't know what to expect. Did not disappoint! Vanessa was a fantastic and attentive bartender! Blue crab beignets were to die for and I don't normally like deviled eggs but seriously amazing! So happy we came back! Just as good as always and great environment! Everything was wonderful! read more

The Bayou - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

It hurts me not to put 5 stars. The food is absolutely tremendous!! We had the hush puppies, chicken Mac & cheese, gumbo, crab cakes, burger, shrimp pie boy and fried chicken sandwich. They were mouth watering each and every bite!! The waitress was also amazing, friendly and so inviting. The reason for my 4 star... I ordered a martini with blue cheese olives. The bartender complained about having to make it loud enough for us to hear along with another tables mojito. So sad that it is part of being a bartender you have to make drinks for customers. Please know this bartender will not deter us from going back just upsetting to hear while enjoying our meal. read more

Went to lunch at the Bayou and had the special, which was Cajun shrimp tacos. The food was great as was the service. Highly recommend.

Very cordial waitress. Great Southern Menu! Music was a bit loud for our group; however, they turned it down per our request. Great ambiance! Would definitely go there again! read more

Hearing many a great thing about The Bayou, was super excited to check it out!! (And love a good business lunch!) The decor was cute, a little tight, but nice vibe. But, it's all about the food----- As for veg or pesca items, not much to choose from. (But a limited menu is always preferred over one pages and pages long.) Our table ordered a few Crab Cake plates to share as apps. More lump crab meat please!! So then my belly took me to order the NOLA BBQ Shrimp and Curried Cauliflower. The positive I have to say towards this dish is that the Shrimp and Cauliflower we cooked to great texture. But the flavors, left me puzzled. The Cauliflower was an unexpectedly sweet curry, no zing to it. The Shrimp sauce......ummmm, what was BBQ about it? I understand True Southern doesn't keep to the standard "BBQ" flavors....although this sauce was very thin, no body, dull flavor. I wasn't the only one at the table that said the sauce was better suited to eat with the toasted bread given only. Tried some of the fries, from a colleague's plate. Those- WOW!!!!! Note- order the chicken and po boys, everyone else said their food was very good. So by My Tastings, 3 Stars. Bayou.......redeemed to 3, for the fries. read more

Great service and food. Best part is we can walk there from our home in Moravian Village!

Amazing food and amazing atmosphere. The mac and cheese was insanely good and the po boy was great. Real treasure find for us while visiting read more

The Bayou - Brisket Po Boy and Nashville Mac and Cheese - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

we found this wonderful little restaurant by accident, we were looking for outdoor dining where we could bring the puppy. They sat us in the back, the patio area was so very charming, with the music playing, we were kind of lost, forgetting we were in the middle of Bethlehem. The waitress and the manager were all so very charming. We got two appetizers, a crab pierogi and bayou shrimp, they could have easily been the entrée. They were amazing, and we were pretty stuff when we ate those two items. We really enjoyed them they were quite tasty. My honey got the shrimp Poboy and I got the shrimp and grits, we took half these items home. I will definitely be coming back with family members, because it was so very charming, enjoyable, and the food was so good. read more

Every single menu and drink option is off the charts! I love the ambiance and I usually receive great service & sizable portions! There's not one thing I had here that I did not love. My only reason for 4 stars and not 5 is that the last couple times my food didn't come out hot. I didn't complain because it felt unnecessary, but I'm unsure what changed. Otherwise I'll always come back back to The Bayou! read more

I'm usually not a fan of veggies in mac and cheese but I can't help but love their Mac and cheese with peas and ham hocks! Also, the cornbread is perfect! Friendly and attentive staff, family friendly atmosphere, and nice choice of beers on draft. I grabbed a few fries from my husbands plate and tried my daughter's chicken and they were delicious too. We visited on a busy Sunday night. The half hour wait was well worth it. read more

Good ambience love decor, clean could even see the kitchen was clean. Service 8/10 forgot to not put sauce on our burger and to bring things after the fact like ketchup and salt. Food not great. 6/10 good portions for price since the pandemic but taste a bit off from true New Orleans soul restaurant. Bitter greens, salty crab cake and ok burger platter. The gumbo blah no real taste roux a little burnt taste so could just be hit or miss read more

The Bayou - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

See all

The Bayou is a good American restaurant in Bethlehem with amazing appetizers and friendly service. I came here with family on a Saturday night. We made reservations ahead of time, and I'm glad I did because the restaurant was busy. It was extremely loud and some drunk people were being really disruptive near the bar, to the point where we couldn't even hear what we were saying to each other at our table. Luckily the food and service was really good to make up for the noise. We were starving so we split a whole bunch of appetizers to start, including the famous mac n cheese ($13), corn bread ($6), steamed clams ($12), and the french fries ($5). All of the appetizers were first rate and absolutely delicious! The clams were especially good, and cooked in a deliciously savory tasso (pork) and beer sauce. The corn bread was also sooo good...Just a little bit sweet and griddled on one side so it's crispy, it was amazing dipped in the clam sauce (YUM). The appetizers set such a high bar, that I was a little disappointed once our entrees arrived. I ordered the gumbo ($7) because I was craving Cajun. I grew up an hour from Cajun country in Louisiana, so maybe that was a mistake ordering gumbo so far from home. The gumbo tasted like a good soup, but I wouldn't call it a gumbo. It didn't have okra in it, and it wasn't served with rice. I was so surprised that it didn't have rice that I actually asked our server if it was a mistake (it wasn't)...Serving a gumbo without rice is sort of like serving a hamburger without a bun. It's just weird. My mother in law got the fried chicken ($18). The dark meat was delicious and moist, but the white meat was dry and she didn't eat it. My husband got the steak ($23), which was well-seasoned but cold by the time it reached our table. The appetizers were absolutely delicious here, so I would definitely come back for appetizers and drinks! read more

See all

Very good soul food Service was great For a spice fan Nashville is a great option Definitely recommend extra water! read more

I was very excited to try this restaurant as I just moved to the area and love Cajun food! Overall I had a good experience and would visit again. The food and drinks were delicious. I had the catfish and my boyfriend had the Nashville hot chicken, and we also shared their classic mac and cheese which was amazing. Huge portion size! Drinks were also very good, and we finished the meal with their beignets that I very much enjoyed. The service was a extremely slow and it took a long time to get our food and drinks. There was an issue with the mac and cheese and it came out right before our entrees despite it being ordered as an app, but they comped it which was much appreciated. In total we spent about 2.5 hours at the restaurant, which is a pretty long time but the food was very good. Will be back! read more

Stopped by here after a hike. We loveeeee both cajun food and Nashville hot chicken so were extra excited for The Bayou! Ordered their smoked chicken wings in their hot sauce, Nashville hot chicken platter (came with sweet potato mash and homemade pickles) and nashville hot mac and cheese. The wings were delicious- they didn't have too much of that overbearing smoky flavor smoked wings sometimes get yet fell off the bone and were so moist! Also you could tell their ranch was homemade, some of the best I've ever had (and my fiance said the same about the blue cheese). My fiance loved the Nashville hot chicken, he said it was probably some of the best fried chicken he has ever had (and we recently lived in the south so that's saying something!) The breading was light, crispy, and perfectly spiced! I didn't much care for the mash but that's because I like sweet potatoes more on the savory side, but they weren't bad if that's your preference! The mac n cheese came out a little cold (assuming they were probably waiting for the fried chicken to be done) so the cheese was a little funky at first but they popped it back in the oven for me and it was incredible once heated up! It was super creamy and topped with nashville fried chicken pieces & hot sauce, with broccoli mixed throughout. The mac and cheese skimped out on the chicken a bit, definitely could use more, but the taste overall was great (once hot). The service was a little frustrating- we sat outside (trying to avoid indoor seating as much as possible due to covid) and were neglected a bit with drink re-fills and checking back on food (I had to go find my server about the cold mac n cheese) but I'll try and write that off as an off day! Overall can't wait to come back for more. read more

The Bayou - Nashville hot mac and cheese and peach iced tea - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Hmmmm.... Great for Instagram pictures.... wasn't too happy with my food. The shrimp tasted like it wasn't washed. & the food was just eh. Fried chicken isn't anything out of this world as it looks. Atmosphere was really nice! Corn bread is on point ! Mac and cheese is on point! read more

Excellent food and service! My favorite meals are the traditional southern dishes. You will live this place. We regularly go here,

Not a fan:(. Tried a couple times and just not impressed with their food. I ordered chicken and waffles and chicken was super dry; very disappointed. read more

Brisket Mac and cheese was worth the wait! It was so delicious. It is a small restaurant so we sat at the bar.

First time visiting the Bayou in Bethlehem. I just want to say that the food was amazing. We started off with the hush puppies, which were delicious. Served in a small skillet. My wife had the blackened salmon over a salad, which was amazing. I had the Nashville hot chicken. The dessert was the bread pudding. Everything was so delicious and drinks from the bar. Your great as well. I think what I was very impressed with was our waitress Amy!! She went over the menu & drinks and led us in the right directions!! Very personable, and friendly. To finish off, we spoke with the general manager, Gary. He was very nice and friendly!! We left there wanting to go back soon.! So overall service was great. The ambience was great. We look forward to sitting at the bar next time we go. read more

We order take out , the food was definitely not what we were expecting. The sweet potatoes were salty, the pierogies were bland except for the salty sweet potato sauce on the top, the chicken (5)pieces one of which is a breast cut in half, the bread pudding was dry, . Needless to say this was not a good experience. As for the service and ambiance I can not comment because we got carry out. read more