Very accommodating with a shellfish allergy! Corinne was Helpful and extremely knowledgeable on what is safe to order. I ordered the brisket...I can't stop saying WOW! Normally due to a shellfish allergy I can not try the French fries. But..they have a special fryer to accommodate! The French fries are one of the best I have had!! Corinne is the best, talk about cheerful, helpful and enthusiasm. She provided an excellent customer experience. read more

The Bayou - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

The atmosphere had me feeling like I was down south in Louisiana. The staff were all nice and engaging. I got the Cornbread which was absolutely amazing! I also got the phenomenal Crispy Catfish. The spices were on point! This is definitely my new favorite place in Bethlehem! read more

From start to finish this was a great experience. The atmosphere the service were great. The food was some of the best. Juiciest fried chicken I've ever had. This is definitely on my list of favorites read more

The Bayou has very good food... if they are willing to serve you. There is always a sense of judgement in the air if you arent dressed to their standards or it doesnt seem like you can afford the menu. My friends and I always participate in the Easton bar crawl in which they take part in and the service there has always been judgmental. The first time we went we were seated and the service was quite slow (wasn't that busy apart from the bar) but when we got our food it was incredible. The other times however we asked if we could get a table for dinner and the server asked us if we were taking part in the bar crawl. We responded yes and then he informed us that we are only able to get drinks and not food... we asked if it was due to a reservation issue and they informed us it was not (it was obvious the dining room was empty) since then we haven't gone back. Here's a little tip, please dont participate in the bar crawl if all the staff is going to do is judge everyone who comes in and deny services to people. read more

My BF and I recently moved within walking distance to The Bayou. We have become regulars every other Friday. We love to sit at the bar, have a drink and share food. We try something new every time. This past weekend we went for Easter brunch and WOW what a delicious experience. We shared the pot pie, Rueben, Cajun chicken Caesar salad, crab beignets and the champagne experience. The Bayou never disappoints. The food is always delicious, the drinks are always well made (my favorite is the New Fashioned) and the service always great. We look forward to our Friday night date nights there. read more

We've enjoyed The Bayou several times. Their menu is interesting and always delicious!

Pros - From the menu, the buttermilk fried chicken, shrimp po boy, brussels sprouts apps, oysters and pork belly are amazing. Their own non-absinthe version of the classic sazerac is also well-worth the visit. I'd come back if/when in the mood for any of the above. Cons - If you're looking for a quiet conversational environment, this isn't your spot. It's quite loud. Also, don't bother with the tasteless corn meal catfish entree or their super-dry johnny cakes with a microscopic sampling of confit duck. We only made it about 5 bites into the latter. read more

My girlfriend and I went there last night and there was a consensus between us: very good food, very mediocre drinks. We had been hoping for some good cocktails along with the barbecue, and while I think the food surpassed both of our expectations, the drinks (we had three in total) were all about as good as I would expect from a college bar. It probably didn't help that we had recently been to The Bookstore across town, but a mediocre drink is a mediocre drink. Stick with the beer and wine here. I'd strongly recommend the cornbread, brisket sandwich, and short ribs. They were all great. I'd pass on the pork belly if I visit The Bayou again, and I'm normally a big fan of that cut of meat. read more

Just got back from an incredible meal at The Bayou. I wasn't sure what to expect as the reviews are quite mixed, however, I was very pleasantly surprised. I would recommend sharing a bunch of snacks and small plates like we did instead of each person getting their own entree. We got the jalapeno grits, sweet potato mashed, cornbread, and scallion hush puppies to start which were all equally delicious and satisfying. Next we got the house andouille, ribs, fried catfish, and mac and cheese. Everything was superb! The maple peach sour and whiskey crush drinks were also out of this world, but not too alcoholic. To finish off, we got beignets and the guinness cake. Delicious does not even begin to sum up our experience and I must say it was the best meal I've had in a long time. The only negatives to The Bayou are the service and acoustics. The food does take a bit to come out, but it is surely worth the wait. It is also a small space and very loud, but nothing that can really be done about that. Great job, keep up the good work! read more

The Bayou - Beignets and Chocolate Guinness Cake - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

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Awesome as always. Was a special treat to be seated outside on the cool, quiet patio!! Beautiful hidden venue! Ask for it next time! Everything was delish but the crab beignets.... To die for! read more

Amazing food but a bit small. You definitely HAVE to make a reservation. The service was great and the food came out fast! Beyond excited that there is now a second Bayou in Easton that has twice the amount of space! read more

The Bayou - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

The Bayou is owned by a chef from New Jersey whose professional connection to New Orleans is strong. As such this place drips in Deep South influence from sweet tea to oyster po boys. The atmosphere is refined yet rustic and quite comfortable. They have an excellent selection of beer and drinks for you to choose from as well as appetizers and small plates (note the small part is based on the oversized southern definition of small). Dinner offerings are amazing but we settled on splitting the fried chicken and mac and cheese. The fried chicken was perfectly fried in a way that would embarrass my grandma and served with the best pickles and mashed sweet potato. The mac and cheese was loaded with some smokey meat and peas--it may be the best in the world and I'm not joking. I don't do this often but this place has made my top 20 experiences of all-time and one of the top 5 of 2017. It's worth a drive, flight or whatever you have to do to get here. I'll crave that fried chicken forever. read more

The food wasn't bad but prices are high for simple food that I could get at cheaper prices at other places that is this as good . Staff was nice but this place is overrated read more

Had been anxious to try this restaurant for about 3 years and finally had my chance tonight. After hearing good things from friends, I'm sad to say my experience was "meh." The menu was extremely underwhelming, lacking options. Food seemed to be overpriced for the quantity received. I had the short ribs and the sweet mashed. The ribs were excellent! However, my sweet mashed were so spicy I couldn't even eat them. Thankfully, the owner refunded this item. My boyfriend ordered a chicken Caesar salad, which he said was good, but too small. I think we both left still hungry. read more

The Bayou is pretty cute inside. Lots of wood work open concept design - very homey and definitely in need of reservations to secure your spot for dinner. They are on opentable so it is pretty easy to find a time that works. Let's get to the good stuff. The drink menu is impressive. About 10 various cocktails and 20 or so microbrews. For dinner we had the fried buttermilk chicken, shrimp and jalapeño grits and the salmon with the roasted barley. Every meal was delicious from the gravy on the shrimp to the sweet potato mash with the chicken and the pickled mustard seeds on the salmon that reminded me of caviar without the salty finish. The shrimp were nicely roasted in a light coating but the gravy plus the jalapeño grits was a smoky, salty, spicy awesome mix that was to die for. The chicken had a great crunch but still soft in the center. Overall - a great experience. Food was great and if I'm back in the area this place is tops on my list. read more

The Bayou - Salmon with pickled mustard seeds and roasted barley and shrimp and grits. - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

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Been back three more time and continue to have a good experience. Staff is very friendly and they crank out good food for great prices. Plus, they are open 7 days so we often hear of people checking on Sunday and Monday nights (most places are closed around here on those days). Food has some of the traditional New Orleans flavors but it lacks the spicy punch I recall from my visits for New Orleans. That is probably due to local tastes (he says trying not to be too insulting to the locals). Overall, the food is very good. The drink menu is also inventive with our two favorites being the Bourbon Berry and the Jalapeño Margarita. read more

The Bayou - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

I was incredibly excited to check this place out because there isn't much tasty southern cuisine over here in Northeast PA. However, can't say I was much impressed with all their food. Ordered the golden scallion hush puppies, gumbo, charred shrimp, mac & cheese and steamed clams with my sister. We came to the conclusion that everything was "okay." Hush puppies were quite dry and generally wasn't crazy about the sauce. The Mac and cheese and gumbo were more than "okay" though and deliciously comforting, so i would recommend these... Especially the Mac! Ambience, service and drinks were all splendid. It is likely that I will return for drinks. Drank both the whiskey crush and bourbon and berries which were yummy. read more

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

We were a group of 4 and went on a Sunday afternoon (we had reservations). They have a brunch menu on Sunday, but we ordered off regular menu. We shared a bunch of dishes, including the mac & cheese, grits, pear salad, jambalaya, oyster po-boy, cauliflower appetizer, and corn bread. My personal favorites were the mac & cheese and the corn bread. As in, they were probably some of the best mac & cheese and cornbread that I have eaten. My wife also really liked the pear salad. The cauliflower and the po-boy also got good reviews. The jambalaya was good, but I will probably skip that next time. The service and staff were pleasant and attentive, without being overly so. The place itself was clean and nice. Nothing special, but rustic and homey and good enough for me. If I had to pick one minor criticism, it would be that there was live music, which was nice, but it was kind of loud and made it hard to hear/talk amongst ourselves. Overall, I can't wait to go back and try other menu items. Food and service were 5/5. The noise and slightly pricey menu drops a star. Good job Bayou - keep it up! read more

The. Corn. Bread. Over. Done. I guess they have other food too, but I mean, come on... read more

One of the best spots in the valley! Great jambalaya, chicken, and even crabcakes. Great atmosphere and wonderful customer service. Highly recommend! read more

BAYOU BURGER Bayou almost singlehandedly spearheaded the Lehigh Valley's culinary revolution when it opened in March of 2014. The area had never experienced such a high quality, progressive-thinking restaurant. Bayou's concept of a menu filled with small plates, all priced under $20, was completely unheard of. And the Bayou Boys executed it flawlessly, as they quickly skyrocketed to one of the hottest spots, and became the hardest-to-get reservation in the Lehigh Valley's history. And rightfully so. Their southern food offerings were a rare welcomed addition to an area otherwise devoid of anything outside of basic BBQ, usually faked by our scourge of inept sports bars and pubs. I personally visited several times within a matter of months, gleefully trying (and loving) nearly everything on the menu. The one main menu item I had yet to try, somehow, was the Bayou Burger. A patty topped with Pulled Pork (BBQ or Plaine), Traditional Slaw, House Bacon, and a Tabasco Aioli. The description certainly fits Bayou's southern theme. On this visit, things went downhill fairly quickly. Visiting this time on a slow mid Saturday afternoon, the service was noticeably poor from the get-go. We've all been there. You're one of the only parties in the restaurant, looking around at the empty tables, and wondering where your server disappeared to. The burger turned out to be even more disappointing. The cook was closer to rare or medium rare, rather than the medium temp it was ordered to be. It lacked seasoning and had no noticeable char. But the patty itself almost didn't matter on this burger because the amount of smoky pulled pork on top masked any flavor the burger might have had. Look at those photos. The layer of pork is actually thicker than the rare patty it sits on. The cole slaw, while added a little textured crunch, added little to no flavor. The strip of dry, chewy bacon didn't help either. And then there's that little strip of BBQ sauce in the middle, which looked more like a mistake than something actually meant to be on the burger. As for the aioli, well, do you see any on the burger? Neither do I, and I didn't taste any either. The bun? An afterthought of semi-dry breadiness. No reason to go any further, so, onto the sides. The fries were average at best. They looked great on the plate, but turned out to be on the mushy, soggy side. As much as it pains me to say it - mostly because of how great Bayou's traditional southern food has been - their burger was a massive letdown. The worst part is, I'm not this disappointed because my expectations were so high, it's because the burger was really that bad, at least on this day. Burgers should be a solid, consistent entry on any menu. Bayou's burger, coupled with the middling burger at Grain (another Bayou Boys joint), is somewhat troubling for one of the Lehigh Valley's hottest restaurant groups. I'd like to head back sometime to give it another go, but the problem with living in a culinarily bourgeoning area... there are too many other new places to try first. Final thoughts: Because of their amazing track record, I'll give them a pass this time. And if you find the burger is back on par with the rest of the menu, please let us know. Otherwise, stick to Bayou's tried and true southern items. See our burger score: http://lehighvalleyburgerblog.com/bayou/ read more

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I'm always a little skeptical when I go to a restaurant above the Mason-Dixon featuring southern food due to my ten plus years living in the south. I have to say The Bayou is the real deal. The greens are amazing and the special twist on the black eye peas, flash fried, will have you coming back for more. There's a good mix of different drinks to fit everyone's palate and each time you go you have to try a dessert. Everyone goes for the house speciality, fried chicken. I will say the Mac & Cheese is my favorite as well, especially since they started topping it with ham hock. read more

The Bayou - Fried chicken, the special of the house. Mmmmmmm! - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Amazing find. The service was great, the drinks were great, the atmosphere is cozy and casual yet energetic from the bar. Not too loud not too quiet. The food... Ok first of all, everything sounds amazing, they have a large selection of exciting dishes whether it be a small plate, a snack or a sandwich, they have a lot to offer. We had the hush puppies, pork belly, clams, gumbo, oxtails, shrimp po boy and Brussel sprouts. My husband did not enjoy the gumbo and after 3 bites decided to give up on it, but let's talk about the braised oxtails, by far one of the best dishes I've had in the last few years. It was spiced to perfection and had an amazing corn and okra 'ragout' which was surprisingly cooked just right, not mushy. We took a week long trip to New Orleans this past summer and I'll tell you this place has better food for sure. Thank you for a great night. read more

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Not that impressed, also the staff wasn't friendly. The only thing worth trying is the cornbread, it was the best I've ever had 10/10 other than that everything else was a disappointment. read more

Best fried chicken sandwich I've ever had!! Mac n Cheese is delicious and filling and the service was so great. They really treat you like family there! read more

Love this place. Delicious food and cool Ambiance. Food is very rich as you would expect and you will not leave hungry. read more

This place is great! Both traditional and bold new items as well. This is a cajun delight. The service is terrific and the drinks magnificent. Do yourself a favor and reserve a table now. I'm making my 2nd visit this week. read more

The food is natural, fresh, and flavorful. The choices are plenty. The prices are very reasonable. The place itself is comfortable and clean. Not fancy, but a nice blend of rustic and modern. One gripe: they won't provide takeout service on Fridays or Saturdays. Not a problem for most folks, I'm sure. read more

I'm conflicted. The southern fried chicken was great, as were the cocktails. And the service is spot-on. But most other entree's are "just ok", and the sides too are "just ok". It's like 3.5 stars, not quite 4....but I'm giving them 4 because locally owned restaurants like this need all the support we can give them. read more

Food was AMAZING!!! Haven't had gumbo in a long time, and I will be dreaming about for the next week. Had the fried catfish, and it was incredible! Wish I could give more stars. read more

One of my favorite Lehigh Valley spots The food here never disappoints. Everything ordered is rich and mouth watering to even read aloud! My favorite item to introduce my friends to is the Black Eyed Peas! They are an unexpected gem but when you try them once , you won't visit without 'em! Also- never forget your order or corn bread for the road! read more

You're paying for the ambiance at this place. Food was barely warm and the drinks were week. It's a shame because it is a nice place inside. Maybe we'll go back on day. read more

I came here after an afternoon at Crayola! This is a delicious and unique spot. A bit pricier, but worth it. The pulled pork is fantastic, as is the macaroni. Our waiter was fantastic and super friendly. When leaving, the hostess offered to take a group photo for us (I had a friend in town visiting). Will definitely go back! read more

Wel love The Bayou!! But today it was early when we went, feels like service went down the drain!! Sad!! But, also bartender not only doing service then he was waiting on tables as well!! And, the attention at the bar pretty poor. And food runner was like not paying attention I'm super surprised most people's Mac and cheese didn't all land in floor.... Hope this improves, since things may be getting to some kind of normal.!! read more

The Bayou never disappoints. I've been here numerous times and was here last night for my birthday dinner. We shared the jalapeño grits which were super smooth and creamy. I ordered the BBQ shrimp and jambalaya small plates and my husband ordered a sandwich. The jambalaya was spiced perfectly and the BBQ shrimp were tender and juicy. Will definitely go back, and continue to recommend to friends. read more

The Bayou - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

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Amazing! Food was excellent and I was impressed with their Covid safety measures! Had the gumbo delicious and such deep flavors. Cornbread was excellent with the sweet butter. Ate outside and well spaced and I saw them wiping tables chairs and umbrellas! Everyone wearing a mask properly! read more

The Bayou - Side of fried chicken with their hot sauce - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

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Long overdue review. Love this joint! The food is delicious. Good servers. Very loud in there but I love it. It feels lively. Every dish is worth it. The beignets are a great finish to your meal. read more

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The food was excellent. They have unbelievable specials on crab during the week. The service was excellent and the atmosphere was nice.

This place is a wonderful gem of a restaurant service was awesome and there are not enough words to describe the food everything we had was fabulous from the beet salad to the fried chicken and the short ribs where a dream come true in culinary delight!!! Go check it out read more

GREAT FOOD AND SERVICE This was our second time there. Each time the food and service were extraordinary. I had ribs and slaw. Bill had shrimp and grits. read more