Food was great, decor was inviting, staff was super! Had a burger and shrimp tacos. We will be back. :)

Thank you Yelp for always coming through! This place was great! We came off peak time so we were the only customers sitting and eating with the exception of the bar. The hostess and server were friendly enough, which made it nice. I ordered the BBQ pulled pork PO with onions and picked and fries. The fries and bread were fresh, the pickles gave it a nice crunch and the potion was plenty. It was a good and filling sandwich. My wife ordered the fried cat fish PO and she too, enjoyed it. Our friend ordered the shrimp Po which he too, enjoyed. Over all a great experience. We recommend this place. read more

The Bayou - BBQ PO sandwich - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

The Bayou is a family favorite, despite the fact that we've turned largely vegetarian, which means options are limited. We love the ambience: cozy and homey with three distinct seating areas. Outdoors, there are tables out front, as well as there's a bright, private patio in the back surrounded by plants. Indoors, there is the dining area (pictured) and the bar area, a little darker with high tables. Brick walls, natural wood flooring give it a warm, rustic feel. I love the cocktail menu, creative drinks with fun names. The southern menu features indulgent food items, delicious, but too rich, oily, fried and heavy for us to eat regularly. Still, if "calories be damned" is your mantra for the evening, you can't go wrong at The Bayou. Good food, good drinks, and a welcoming vibe. read more

The Bayou - people sitting at tables in a restaurant - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

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We wanted to like The Bayou because we love good Cajun food when we can find it. Sadly, we were very disappointed in the food. We ordered the blackened shrimp tacos and loaded fries off the happy hour menu, as well as gumbo and cornbread. Each of the savory dishes was blander and unseasoned than the next. The worst culprit of all was the gumbo, which seems impossible. How can a dish chock full of sausage have no taste? Somehow The Bayou found a way to accomplish this. In comparison, the cornbread was a highlight, however I think the honey butter was superior to the cornbread itself. The reason for 3 stars instead of 2 is because the service was good. Our server, who turned out to be the manager, came to check on us attentively and listened to our feedback patiently and even took some items off our bill because we were dissatisfied. If this place can work on upping the flavor in their menu, we'd consider giving this place another shot. Until then, it may be best to come for just drinks. read more

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Amazing food, great ambience, and loved the place. Will be back! Make reservations during the busy times!

They wee busy on a Saturday night. Service was slow and took awhile to get food. I would suggest making a reservation. The burger and fries were good. The downfall was the shrimp Po' boy. The shrimp were few and loaded with old bay. Wine and beer a little expensive. read more

My husband and I were looking for a place for lunch today while we were in Bethlehem, and remembered The Bayou. He had been there twice, but I hadn't ever eaten there, so we went. It was a little before 2 PM. The hostess was very cheerful and friendly. She sealed us in a nice table. It took our server quite a few minutes to get to us, despite there only being one other table being seated in our area. Waters took forever. Drinks took forever. The time between receiving our drinks and ordering was ridiculously long, and I am not sure why she didn't take them when she dropped our drinks off. My husband got the fried chicken sandwich. It was delicious. Chicken was hot, crispy, the sauce complemented it perfectly. So good I ordered the Nashville Mac and Cheese. It had a lovely presentation in a small cast iron pan. It had beautifully toasted, bubbly layer of melted cheese over a disappointing mess. Once I pulled back that melted cheese, the breaded chicken was mushy. Actually, I never found the chicken, just breading. ALLEGEDLY, a chicken thigh was in there. My college age son will find it around midnight tonight. The mac and cheese itself was kind of watery. It was not rich and creamy at all. The random chunks of broccoli in there don't make a lot of sense to me, either, if we're going to nitpick. Next time, I know to stick to things like my husband got. Overall, good food, order the right thing. Service is their issue, for me. read more

Finally stopped by and was seated immediately. Ordered Hush Puppies, and the Pierogis Skillet. Both were delicious starters. I ordered the Jambalaya and appreciated the large portion (got to take some home) and the flavor was on point. Savory and not over the top spicy, this dish will become my Bayou fav. Cant wait to visit again read more

Came here with on our way to a show in Allentown because of the reviews. We got a reservation because it was Saturday night and they were ready for our table of 6 when we got there. Parking nearby was a little tough. The food didn't disappoint though!So much flavor! I got the fried chicken sandwich and it was just excellent. The menu isn't huge, yet it feels like it has a lot of options. We also got the Brussel sprouts, which were quite tasty. The ones on the bottom felt a little over soaked in the hot honey, but overall great. Service seemed a little understaffed maybe? The waitress was hardly around, yet no one was visibly standing around. So that was a little disappointing. However lacking the service, the food was so tasty I'd recommend giving it a try for sure! read more

Service was great, the place had a great vibe, the chicken in my sandwich was a little bit burnt, but still juicy. Would totally come again, killer french onion soup! read more

The Bayou is a southern style restaurant that specializes in soul food. Some of the things you will find on the menu include mac-n-cheese, fried chicken, gumbo, and cornbread. I've been wanting to come here for years and finally made it in. I'm glad I did because everything was delicious! The two items on the menu I recommend are the Nashville Mac-N-Cheese and the Gumbo. The mac-n-cheese has quite the kick to it so if you're not a fan of spicy foods I recommend ordering it without the Bayou Hot Sauce. I will definitely be back to try some of the other items on the menu. The Cast Iron Pierogies are at the top of my list! Gumbo - 7.8 Deviled Farm Eggs - 7.4 Brisket Mac-N-Cheese - 7.9 Nashville Mac-N-Cheese - 8.1 Food - 7.8 Service - 8.1 Value - 7.6 Restaurant score - 78 read more

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Classic New Orleans atmosphere combined with authentic creole food! The staff is amazing and we always have great time! read more

Came in with my family since this is my nephews favorite place. Pretty much everything was good here. I always like trying to find a good Gumbo and jambalaya. The flavor was good but a little salty for me but overall one of the better places. The cornbread is good but the standout was the fried green tomatoes. I didn't have any but was told it was delicious. This place doesn't have a lot of options which I like, and the options they do have are good. The service was good. The only thing I didn't like about the food was the chicken seemed to be cooked in old oil. Aside from that, everything was on point. read more

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Arrived at 6pm for our reservation. Seated promptly and server came by right away. We chatted her up as this is our first time and she made a few suggestions. We stayed on the shareable menu. We ordered the Maple Thighs glazed chicken and Brussels sprouts. We waited a bit before our server came back so we could order a couple of drinks. A bit long in our view. She was around just not paying attention to us. We got a Sazerac and a Magnolia Lane, a gin based girly drink. Chicken came with toasted sprouts. The thighs were delicious and tasty. Highly recommend. Next was the gumbo. Which we shared. There was good Andouille in there. It was creamy and had a nice kick. Tremendous flavors and not too much spice. My bride does not like too spicy and she liked it. Next was pierogis. They were divine. I have had these items in Greenpoint Brooklyn made by my mother and my aunts and these are as good if not better. My relatives would never put crab on one - they should have. A very nice food offering. Ambiance is a neighborhoodly type place. Not stuffy at all. Extremely comfortable. Real cloth napkins! The restaurant had 9 tables and four high tops with plenty of bar seating. The place was 80% full throughout our meal. We got some beignet's for dessert they were tasty but not NOLA. They were more like Zeppoles, which are more doughy as opposed to flaky. Total $99. We highly recommend this place and would return when in the area. We say service "b", food "a", ambiance "b", value "a". Nancy & Mark. read more

The Bayou - The Cast Iron Pierogies. - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

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Definitely would come back. Everyone enjoyed the offerings. While it was a Saturday, service was extremely slow. My dad's salad didn't come out before his main course. Food was yummy. Will Need to try again on a non Friday/Saturday. read more

I was here about a year ago. The food was absolutely excellent. One thing I would say is there cornbread is out of this world. I will have to come back and visit again to give another review. I sat at the bar and the bartender just did not know anything about bartending. Maybe they have new bartenders now, but this moment I have to give this place three stars because it just wasn't, a four or five star experience. read more

The bayou never fails to satisfy. Went last night with a group of 6 for dinner and the food was amazing! The hush puppies came with a herbed chimichurri sauce that was out of this world. I had the shrimp po boy and it was amazing, only thing was the bread to filling ratio was a little off. There was a little too much bread. Also wanted to mention the French onion wasn't the BEST I've ever had. It has a different taste than most, but I think it's because it's a southern Resturant and not an Irish pub. And whatever you do, save room for dessert because the beignets are to die for! The service was fantastic! We love the bayou and will be back read more

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Food is always terrific. Service was friendly and professional. Great place to try something different. read more

The Bayou - Fried Green Tomato - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

I enjoyed my visit to the Bayou, their wine list pair's nicely with the creole dishes. The decor is great and classic in the creole style, which is a mixture of The Creole style, while often thought of as a "French Colonial" style, in fact is an architectural style developed in New Orleans. It represents a melding of the French, Spanish and Caribbean architectural influences. The service was good, I enjoyed my visit to the Bayou. read more

The Bayou - Nice outside seating area. - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

We went here anticipating something special. We were disappointed. The beignets were like hockey pucks. We shared a plate of ribs that were nothing special. The collard greens were terrible. This place would not make it down by the bayou. The staff were courteous and attentive. It was not an experience to repeat. read more

Had really high hopes for this place and left a little disappointed. The best part was the Brussel sprouts. The jambalaya was tasty, but was not spicy at all. We unfortunately felt neglected and like we never saw our server. read more

The Bayou - Brussel Sprouts - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

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Little New Orleans restaurant on the corner of North St. there's street parking or a lot across the street as well. I ordered the jalapeño margarita, gumbo and fried chicken sandwich, Nashville style. My boyfriend got the sweet tea bbq pulled chicken sandwich and other members for the Nashville chicken Mac n cheese, waffle chicken sandwich, and Cuban po boy. The gumbo was the only one that for a picture. It was a little spicy but really delicious. The Nashville fried chicken sandwich was definitely spicy so don't get it if you can't handle heat. It was good but of course, greasy. Jalapeño margarita was a little sweet and not spicy at all. A little disappointing. My boyfriend got the sweet tea chicken sandwich which has a spicy aioli that has a kick but it's bearable who likes a little spice. He got the New Fashioned which wasn't terrible but they didn't have the real cherry's but the maraschino ones. Not a fan of fake cherries. I tried the Mac and cheese and it's super cheesy and pretty yummy. I don't have a consensus on the waffle chicken sandwich or Cuban po boy but I was told it was good. Fries are hand cut and very good and seasoned well. The service was okay. The server seemed to be annoyed with some requests and overall vibe of servers didn't feel as welcoming. I'd be back though! read more

Driving through PA, was starving and needed a pet friendly restaurant. Although it was 90 degrees we had no choice because of my little dog. Service was friendly and attentive. Delicious food. I had the seafood Monica, sauce was superb however measly seafood portion and shrimp was slightly over cooked. BF had the Bbq pork cuban and loved it. Drinks were okay. It was a nice find and EXPENSIVE. read more

The Bayou - Seafood Monica - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

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The Bayou does the best sweet tea, corn bread and Mac n Cheese. If you order the Mac, give yourself extra time. It takes a while. read more

The Bayou - Famous Nashville Mac at The Bayou. - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Best fried chicken around! The fried chicken sandwich was just as good to go. Crispy, amazing seasoning, and with a mound of fresh cut fries. The homemade pickles really put the sandwich all together. Definitely try their cornbread too, it tastes just like grandmas. Grateful you guys are open during this time. Thanks for a delicious dinner! PS. The curbside pick up was quick, clean, and efficient! read more

The Bayou - Fried chicken sandwich, cornbread - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

It took almost hour to get our food I ordered a kids meal of mac & cheese and fries for my son and then I ordered my meal which is a burger and fries and my husband and his brother ordered their food first before I ordered my son's kids meal in my food and all of our food came out except for my sons and I said where's my son's food and the lady said you didn't order any food for your son and I was like I ordered my son's meal before I even placed my meal. I ordered him mac & cheese and fries and my son was really really hungry so I was upset that she forgot my order and we were still charged for it and received it, but I just feel like it should've been on the house for her mistake and my son loves macaroni and cheese and this macaroni and cheese in my opinion was super cheesy like overly cheesy after a couple bites of their macaroni and cheese you can't stomach anymore. My son had a few bites and didn't want any and he will devour a whole container of mac & cheese and my son is not a craft macaroni and cheese boy I make him macaroni from scratch at home. Also my husband ordered the brisket mac & cheese, and when we saw this on the menu, we were excited we thought we were gonna get mac & cheese topped with a pile of brisket, especially for 18 bucks, but it was the opposite. It was mostly macaroni and cheese rich overly cheesy sauce with little bits of brisket in it. We also ordered cornbread which we thought was gonna come out more on the savory side, but it was sweet and. Had a crispy outside. It was a good cornbread if you like it sweet like a dessert, but we were looking for something more on the savory moist side since we ordered it as like an appetizer my burger was delicious. The fries are good. The food took a while to receive about 50 minutes it may be some people's cup of tea, but in all three of our opinions, we gave it a one and a half two star rating out of five just because the service is slow. We ordered our food, but no one ever came back in between waiting for our food to see if we wanted anything like an alcoholic beverage or more to drink. The food took a while, so do not go there if you're super hungry and have a kiddo. Also it was cold outside and I believe the highchair was kept outside, so my son had to sit in a freezing cold see I had to put his jacket down so his butt wasn't cold. The atmosphere and scenery is nice. We didn't try any drinks because our waiter never came back over in the time that we were waiting for our food to ask if we would need anything so we decided not to order any alcoholic beverages we would not go again but they do make a great burger. Never got to try their chicken. I'm sure it's good but the mac & cheese was disappointing at most was way too rich to enjoy as a main course meal. read more

We were passing through town and decided to try it since you weren't able to find any local good food, but I will say the service is mid. The food is mid and not as satisfying as we thought. read more

We took my friend to Bayou for her birthday on Friday, April 19th. The food was delicious. The Cajun style catfish was not the New Orleans ' style, but a good close second. I would suggest using the Louisiana fish fry seasoning. Of course no one can master the beignets like LA, so do not go there for that.the service was good as was the ambiance. read more

My daughter took me a year for Mother's Day for brunch. It was very nice the food was great and the mimosas were good.

Came here for dinner. Place gets crowded on weekends. For app we tried the hush puppies. Churri churri sauce was really tasty it came with. Tried the bayou ribs and Nashville chicken. The ribs was a big portion and were very tender. Comes with a side of greens. The Nashville chicken was good. Not too spicy. A bit too oily. I've had better fried chicken and it was a bit overpriced at 24. Drinks were strong here as well. Waiters very friendly. Overall it was good but a bit overpriced. read more

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1.5 star but giving 3 out of courtesy of running a restaurant. First meal of day so anything decent would have tasted fine. Nashville fried chicken. - Small pieces, tasted of old oil, spices tasted burnt. Overcooked pieces. - Bread was just way too soggy with oil to the point it was difficult to eat. - Half chicken yet breast seemed like it was half the normal size. - Dirty rice tasted like it was sitting around for awhile then warmed up. No flavor and mush texture. - With a happy hour beer, $35 total. Ate the plate out of necessity as I was starving and got a long drive back home. Slow service. Asked 3 times for check between 2 different waitresses. read more

Meh food, bad drinks. One of the worst margaritas. Not a personal favorite. A solid 4 out of 10.

Yes, yes, yes and yes. I really wish I knew about this place sooner. It's probably the closest to creole food I could find outside of New Orleans. It's a small venue, not sure if there is seating upstairs. Bar with a TV. Nice cocktail list, some whiskey and bourbon too. The food is great! Everything with so much flavor! Shrimp Toast (etouffe), Gumbo, Jambalaya, and Nashville Hot fried chicken. The etouffe was great - it had a good amount of pepper and spice to it. I wish I had more shrimp! The gumbo was on point, great blend of andoullie and okra. Some of the best Jambalaya I've had to be honest. This was the first place I've been to that didn't mix it all together, and to be honest - I didn't mind - it was still amazing. The only thing that was just okay was the fried chicken - but even that was pretty good, I just didn't taste the heat. read more

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The food, service and ambiance was fantastic! It was a great place to go. We will be returning very soon. Buttermilk Fried Chicken Smoke House Burger w/ fresh cut fries French Onion Soup read more

Thursday night was my first time after living in the Lehigh valley for over 4 years and hearing about this place. Personally, I'm not sure what all the hype is about. I felt the food was average. The corn bread was good so I do recommend that along with the dessert. The ambience and layout is nice too...and the server was attentive, friendly and great. However, both my boyfriend and I got simple meals. He got a burger and I got the chicken sandwich. We both felt like we waited a long time for our food to be ready considering the restaurant wasn't busy or super packed. (We also are mindful that basically the world is understaffed right now.) when the food did come out though, I had to request fresh fries as the fries I received were cold and not even luke warm. The chicken sandwich was great and the server was super polite about the fries. (It happens!). Personally, like I said...the place was average and would not be my first choice for a place to eat or to take guests. read more

The Bayou - Peanutbutter Peanut Butter Mousse - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Cute spot In Bethlehem , decided to try this place because it's close to my parents house ' we waited 20 min but was seated as soon as our name was called ! We ordered drinks and our food and the fried green tomatoes which were delicious and the waiter was super nice ! Prices were reasonable and the setting was really nice ! Will be back to try other dishes read more

Our first time in Easton - this spot stood out right in the center of town. Stopped in for a bite, lots of great choices and the service was great. Love the interiors and the attention to detail and colors, clean and well kept. The Food: The gumbo was delicious and perfect for a December afternoon. The mac and cheese was enjoyable, but I didn't feel it had enough complex flavor. The chicken sandwich though, I loved every bite! Fried to perfection, crispy pickles and that pimento cheese was the perfect addition. The brisket po boy was not loved however - a little dry throughout, perhaps more marmalade or a remoulade on the side? read more

The Bayou - Chicken sandwich - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

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The food is delicious but not cheap for a family of four it was 170 bucks ... not cheap eats also the waitress was also very nice the reason why not 5 stars the manager came over to every table except for ours and asked if everything was fine but he didn't come to our table .. the ambience was also very nice.. the food itself was delicious the blue crab beignets delicious and the old bay shrimp and the fried chicken and cat fish .. very good food read more

My family had dinner here for the first time on 12/11/2022. The food was outstanding. I lived in New Orleans for years and their gumbo was the best I have ever had. The staff was very friendly. Noteworthy was a gentleman named Matt Taylor, who was very generous with his time and hospitality. If Gary Turba, the manager at the Bayou should read this review, let me know if we can have that gumbo shipped in to Fairfax, VA. Bethlehem is very fortunate to have you! Doc@DrAlexCullison.com read more

The Bayou - Mardi Gras 2019, pre pandemic. - New American Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

First time here. Saturday evening celebrating our wedding anniversary. Reservations are suggested and I can see why. Quaint, small, approximately 15 tables and some bar seating. Music was a bit too loud at times making it hard to have a conversation. We were seated right next to server station. At first I wasn't too keen on this, but the wait staff was efficient and not hanging out there like happens in some establishments so it was a nonissue. There is an open view into the kitchen - my husband was facing this way. We started with fried green tomatoes. 3 of them. I was slightly disappointed as the breading was 1/2 inch thick to 1/8 inch slice of tomato. As soon as you cut into it the batter completely fell off the tomato. The batter did have some spice and the maple bacon jam was a really good accompaniment. Overall it had a heavy oil aftertaste which was sad. I had the catfish - was very delicious and did not have the heavy oil taste of the tomatoes. Was crisp, light, VERY delicious. The collards were extremely good with chunks of bacon / ham and a nice vinegar. The dirty rice was very good but too spicy for me (I'm a wimp when it comes to spice). Hubs had the salmon with hoppin john. He loved it. He said "that's how rice should be cooked!" For dessert I had the bayou bread pudding and he had the brownie. Both were large enough to share. Very delicious, homemade - divine. Food was served hot and promptly. They did have a little St Patty's day menu. They do have outside seating when the weather permits. They did a decent take out business during the evening. Overall we liked it. Portions were generous and the price point was not bad. My $12 bourbon and berries drink was a lot of liquor so I did not complain! I do believe we will be back when the weather is warmer. read more