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    ZEST bar+grille

    4.0 (253 reviews)
    Closed 5:00 pm - 9:30 PM
    Updated 2 months ago

    ZEST bar+grille Photos

    ZEST BAR+GRILLE ATMOSPHERE

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    Seared Salmon
    Abby F.

    Take the elevator to the top floor, where a friendly hostess greeted us warmly. The service was above average, and the restaurant itself is stunning--definitely one of Bethlehem's more upscale dining spots. The ambiance is elegant, making it a great choice for a celebration or special night out. The Crispy Chicken Dumplings with soy yuzu sauce and cucumber jicama slaw were outstanding! Mixed Greens with shaved carrots, red onion, tomato, cucumber, and balsamic vinaigrette were fresh but nothing extraordinary. Miso Butter Shrimp was solid, rating a 7/10, while the Salmon was decent at 6/10, and the Vegetarian Pasta was also fine. For dessert, the Banoffee Trifle was very enjoyable at 7/10, and the S'mores Lava Cake with vanilla ice cream (a great nut-free option!) was a highlight--absolutely delicious, 9/10. Overall, a highly recommended spot for birthdays or special occasions!

    Bone Marrow App
    Elizabeth H.

    ZEST!!!! I work in the Lehigh Valley and am usually quick to get out as soon as possible because my commute stinks, but decided on a day off to venture back. We were attending a comedy show at Wind Creek and grabbed dinner before. Wanted to find something special, since this was also our anniversary celebration. At Zest- celebrate we did!!! Our bellies celebrated and it was incredible!! The restaurant was packed when we arrived, but were happily and readily seated for our reservation. A nice quiet table in back, yea! Our service was delightful and she checked on us regularly. Conversational, attentive and so polite. The food pace was terrific even considering how busy it was. We started with the bread plate and bone marrow apps. Loved the butter accompaniments with the bread! (I think I am also a bread and butter addict, lololol). The bone marrow did not have much substance, but tasted well and I checked a new eat off the list For entrees, my fiancé had the short ribs and I had a cod dish- Short ribs, fell apart, very good. The five stars most especially is attributed to my dish!!! WHAT????!!!!!! This cod was piping hot the whole time in my eating. But crispy and flaky, elevated in a way I've never had cod before. It was with a romesco, black garlic sauce, I believe, and veggies. The plate was beautifully put together but deconstructed. And cauliflower in the plate- Cauliflower and fish------ Now a new FAVORITE combo!! This cod dish was not only delicious it was inspiring- It changed my thoughts in cooking to a combination I hadn't tried before. And.....I tried to replicate it at home. Nice try, but congrats Zest, you win!!!!!!!! And lastly, they treated us with a glass of Prosecco to celebrate our anniversary. Very good work Zest!!! You'll make me want to hang out in The Valley more!!!

    Bday treat with an expresso martini!
    Jodie V.

    Food was excellent! Drinks were amazing! Expresso martini is a must! We got to sit outside and enjoy the view! Our waitress was great!!

    Grilled Scallops & Shrimp (gluten/dairy free)
    Li F.

    Wow- an absolutely fabulous surprise! Wonderful experience. Will be back soon. Started with the Roasted Bone Marrow appetizer. It was so delicious, melted in your mouth atop roasted bread. Wagyu Beef was so buttery and tender. Topped with bone marrow butter. The dish was absolutely divine! Also ordered the Grilled Scallops & Shrimp, gluten & dairy free. It was very tasty. Sat outside with a view of the valley - very picturesque. Can't wait to go back!

    Chicken dumplings delicious!
    Lisa K.

    Great birthday dinner with my mom! My daughter is up at Lehigh so we went up to celebrate. Zest did not disappoint. Service excellent. View wonderful! Be back for our next celebration'n

    View from outdoor patio
    Rajni D.

    Great trendy place in Bethlehem. Beautiful views and on-trend seasonal/rotational menu. Drink selection is fun. Great for happy hours, dinners, girls nights or dates.

    Boneless short ribs
    Dustin W.

    Come here for the ambience! Atmosphere is great. Everything is very modern from the light fixtures, to the plates, etc. Hit or miss with some food items. Appetizers - Shrimp and Scallop agnolotti - jam with bacon has the most flavor but the agnolotti tastes like a soggy dumpling with little flavor - would pass on this appetizer - Chicken dumplings - awesome, little on the heavier side but my favorite of the appetizers - Crab mango spring rolls - lightly crispy fried, great sauce little sweet, great for a lighter appetizer - Crispy Chickpeas - not unique for me but I'm also not a huge chickpea fan - Mixed greens: as expected nothing different Drinks - Colada tini - smells like a piña colada, and has a more orange juice taste to it but awesome if you like coconut pineapple - would recommend! - Zangria - very aesthetic looking, has a strong ginger beer taste sangria, if you like ginger beer then you will like this otherwise just ok Entree - Short ribs - soft, little dry, mash potatoes were not as creamy as I'd like. Overall decent not amazing. Dessert - Creme brûlée was awesome! The custard was amazing - I was looking forward to the torte but this was definitely better - Flourless torte: has both a dense and fluffiness to it, not as heavy as traditional flourless cake, was warmed so a little gooey, tasty and enjoyed Shoutout to Hannah who was our main server. She was very polite, and staff came in throughout the day. Could have been a little more attentive with water but otherwise great Food: 3.5/5 Service: 5/5 Ambience: 5/5 Overall: 4.5/5 You should come for the ambience, there are some great dishes but also some that are lacking and felt too many dishes didn't meet expectations. I still enjoyed and would recommend!

    Shrimp and scallops

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    16 days ago

    The menu was not what I preferred and the view was a street and the top of some ugly buildings . Our waitress was wonderful

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    1 year ago

    The food was excellent, the service (Emily) was outstanding, and the view of Bethlehem was beautiful.

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    11 months ago

    Not terrible by any means, but for $30 - $40 per plate you expect to be blown away by the food and drinks. I was not.

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    Page 1 of 7

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    Social Still

    4.2(274 reviews)
    0.4 mi
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    Love love love Can't say enough good things…read more Fantastic food, unique drinks and wonderful service. Thank you!

    Five star French fries. Excellent burger. Service was SUPER friendly, which is the main reason for…read morethe high rating here, because no one wants bad service with the price of going out these days. Overall, the bill wasn't too expensive either. However, the ambience is majorly lacking for how cool the historical building looks from outside. That was a big let down after years of seeing this in passing. It feels too much like a 90s coffee shop from Friends / a poorly converted modern bank lobby with the lighting, and the floor layout lacks flow if you're sitting at the bar. It would be an improvement to see historic qualities restored to the interior, rather than bland sheet rocking, no crown molding, etc. Aside from this, we found the music to be a very distracting and random selection of early 2000s dance, pop, EDM, emo, and rock, mixed with the occasional alt rock hit that was (finally) tolerable enough to fade into the background. The room is vacuous because of the high ceilings and hard building materials, so turning the volume down a little and choosing something consistent in tone (perhaps neo soul or just sticking to alt rock) would be beneficial for the overall atmosphere. Bottom line: would return again for the food, but the atmosphere wasn't what we expected and could be improved for a cozier, vintage styled atmosphere (but that's mostly a matter of preference). Friendly service, affordable prices, and good eats go a long way.

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    Pennsylvania Rye - Roasted Cauliflower ($10)

    Pennsylvania Rye

    4.7(91 reviews)
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    Exceptional as always…read more Denise took care of us, as well as the bartender, in their cool yet warm, modern establishment. The food is always exceptional. In a nutshell, the chef caters to flavor, and balanced flavor at that, which makes each dish phenomenal. I had the grilled octopus appetizer and it is the best octopus I have had since 1989. That is no lie. Their shell and cheese, small beet salad, hummus, and fall risotto special are equally fantastic in their own right. Enjoy the food, drinks, and quiet atmosphere. Whether small plates, entrees, or desserts, you have come to the right place. One of my top restaurants in eastern-Pennsylvania.

    Pennsylvania Rye Company is a New American restaurant and whiskey bar located on Hamilton Street in…read moreAllentown. It's open Wednesday through Saturday from 4:00 PM to 2:00 AM and Sunday from 4:00 PM to 12:00 AM. My friend and I made our first visit early Friday evening. The service was good, and the food more than lived up to expectations. We started with tender, well-seasoned beef skewers, crispy buffalo wings over blue cheese, and perfectly cooked roasted cauliflower paired with a tasty tzatziki sauce and pickled onion. For my entree, I ordered the maple-glazed short rib. It was incredibly tender, practically melting in my mouth, and came with creamy sweet potato puree and roasted shallots. My friend ordered the rich, deeply flavorful bolognese. Although she received the small plate portion rather than the entree, it wasn't a major issue as we had more than enough food. There are still many items on the menu I'd like to try, and after such a strong first visit, I'll most certainly be back.

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    Thyme Rooftop Grille - Caesar

    Thyme Rooftop Grille

    4.0(117 reviews)
    10.6 mi
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    Great food best in Easton Great service staff is…read moreprofessional and very friendly Great views of the rivers and Phillipsburg Cigar bar Grand Estonian Hotel Glory Donuts and good coffee

    We had dinner at Thyme in Easton last night and overall it was a really great experience…read more We sat on the rooftop next to the fireplace with overhead heaters overlooking the Delaware River and the bridge into New Jersey, and honestly the atmosphere alone was worth the visit. The view of Easton at dusk was absolutely beautiful. We started with the Crispy Chicken Dumplings, and they were fantastic. Perfectly crispy without being greasy, packed with flavor, and balanced really well with the slaw underneath. We also had the Burrata with peaches, honey, crispy pancetta, and crostini, and it was one of the highlights of the meal. Creamy, salty, sweet, crispy... just a really well-balanced dish. I had the Thyme Old Fashioned, which was one of the better Old Fashioneds I've had in a while. Simple, balanced, and well made. For dinner I had the Short Rib and it was excellent: rich, tender, comforting, and exactly what you want from a dish like that. We finished with the churros, which were the perfect ending. Service was definitely on the slower side, but our server was very nice and the overall vibe made it easy to relax and enjoy the experience instead of feeling rushed. Thyme feels upscale without being pretentious, which is hard to pull off well. Great food, amazing rooftop atmosphere, solid cocktails, and a memorable night overall. We'll definitely be back.

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    The Wilbur Mansion - Superior king size room type

    The Wilbur Mansion

    3.6(45 reviews)
    0.3 mi

    First. It's is like dining in a turn of the century (19th, not 20th) restaurant. The woodwork is…read moreunlike anything I have seen except for a Packer Mansion tour we did in Jim Thorpe. I mentioned this and was told that's because many of the same craftsmen worked on this place too. Made me feel smart! If you go. Do yourself a favor and walk around a bit. The food was very tasty I think it is the only restaurant I've been in locally that didn't use excessive amounts of salt. A big plus. The mixed drinks were interesting and reasonably strong. I usually quaff mine down fairly rapidly, savoring the buzz during dinner and still safely driving home after. I had potato soup, which was very good, and Ming had Beet Carpaccio, which was thinly sliced seared root veggies with seasoning. I only had a bite because she wanted it all! Then came dinner. I had the ribeye, which was done so that it was seared one the outside to keep the flavor in and red (while being cooked thru, not an easy feat) and it's was flavored but not overly salty, were unusual. I ordered my usual Worcestershire sauce to clean off the extra salt, but hardly used any. Ming had the crab cake, which was the only negative of the meal. While not overtired or salty, there was a bit of a fishy smell. Not terrible, but off putting. Luckily for me, I don't like crab anyway so I didn't have any. The desserts were good, with a tasty chocolate cake and a peach cobbler that was good but could have had a bit of peach goo to moisten it a bit. The prices were very competitive considering the venue AND the quality of the food. The bar was hopping too because it looked like a great place to hang out with friends!

    Update on Nov 30, 2025…read more We have once again stayed at this beautiful place and am in awe with their attention to details and the lovely holiday decor. We stayed in the premier king with soaking tub room and everything is described to perfection from the spacious bathroom with the soaking tub to the separate get ready changing room. The overall room and establishment decor is one thing, but what elevates this establishment are the personal human connections with the attentive staffs. A huge shoutout to both Sundiata and Lou for their graciousness and hospitality skills. They along with the restaurant bartender tonight, Ashlynn, continue to make us feel like a home away from home. Having been here a few times and been to their restaurant, we highly recommend this place to both locals and visitors.

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    Red Stag Pub - Salad with blueberry vinaigrette

    Red Stag Pub

    4.0(342 reviews)
    0.7 mi
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    I discovered this charming pub while visiting Bethlehem (otherwise known as Christmas City USA)…read moreduring the recent holiday season. The space was lively, yet cozy. First time I visited was for lunch. As soon as I saw the menu, I knew I needed to order the Wild Scotch Egg (difficult to find). I also had the half portion of Fish and Chips. The Wild Scotch Egg consisted of hard boiled egg and sausage, which was panko fried, sitting on Guinness fondue and crisp arugula, topped with Parmesan crisps. I really enjoyed this. The outer breading was light and satisfyingly crispy, while the egg and sausage interior was expertly cooked, tender and well seasoned. Cheesy fondue sauce was rich and creamy. Parmesan crisp was a nice, tasty touch. The beer battered Fish and Chips were also yummy. Fish was succulent, perfectly flaky and flavorful, while the Steak Fries were wonderfully crunchy, full of true potato taste. I knew I needed to return in order to try the Sticky Toffee Pudding, one of my all time favorite desserts. This was served warm, with Earl Grey tea date sponge cake, paired with sweet sticky toffee sauce and clotted cream. So deliciously mouthwatering and decadent! Service was good. The waiter was warm and easy to talk with. Everything came out in a timely manner. Prices were quite reasonable. I'm glad I came across this place to have my fill of some British classics!

    This spot is cute and the service was friendly and attentive…read more The food was terrible. Burger was inedible (the meat tasted old). The wings were char flavored. The roast beef was chewy and just gross. I'm assuming if you are a few drinks deep, you don't notice how bad the food is because there is no reason for this place to be four stars.

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    F&A Grog House

    F&A Grog House

    4.3(40 reviews)
    0.1 mi
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    We visited on a Saturday afternoon around 1:30pm. Place wasn't busy which was great. We were able…read moreto get seats at the bar. I've been here before after my kids hockey games at steel ice. It is definitely a college town bar (I'm in my early 50's). The bartender was prompt and took our drink orders right away. The cook is right in front of you at the bar which is kind of cool. You could tell by speaking with him that he took pride in their menu. He let us sample some of the sauces which was great. I had the special of the day which was a grilled tomato/bacon cheese on Texas toast and a tomato soup with rice, ground beef, onions and peppers. It was fantastic! I also had the Cowboy bites which were jalapeños with cream cheese, bacon and corn - my goodness they were so good! My bro had the "what came first". Fried chicken sandwich with a fried egg and bacon. It came with fries and he said it was really good. My husband had Tri-tip cheese steak with no mushrooms. He said it was delicious. We were there on our own time without a schedule, so we didn't mind having to wait for our bartender. It started getting busy while we were there so the vibe was pretty cool. We will definitely be going back!

    We have been here a few times now and it's been the same each time that I've learned what to expect…read moreand can pass it along to anyone who wants to check it out. You walk in, you are at the bar area,But, there is a hostess stand there if you are interested in grabbing a booth to order food. Which is what we have always done and is what we will now never do again because service from this 1 particular shorter waitress is awful. After she dropped our food to the table we didn't see her for an hour despite trying our best to flag her down and asking the other waitress to get her for us so we could have our bill. The owner was working harder than this waitress collecting our empty dishes,asked us if we needed anything, cleaning tables( our waitress removed a used empty glass when she seated us) and I have no clue where she went or what she was doing that while time that she failed to see if everything was okay, we needed anything/refills or were ready to the check. Instead, since my daughter is a regular, she gave us a tip to sit at the bar and order food. Service is much better. Every time we've gone there the food has always been good. This time I got a chicken philly cheesesteak and it was delicious also! Can't say much about the crowd. It's definitely a spot for the younger groups to hang out since the college is so close. The bad thing about that is that they don't respect you at your booth if you are in one just for food. They stand right in front of your table in groups talking and you have zero privacy and it's actually a bit suffocating. When they finally did all move for a moment, I could finally feel the air circulation. This was only around 5:30pm. Service- still awful Food- great Atmosphere- depends what you're looking for

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    F&A Grog House
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    Edge Restaurant - Thai Chicken Curry

    Edge Restaurant

    3.8(267 reviews)
    0.8 mi
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    Edge has a fantastic and open decor, friendly and helpful staff, and great food and beverages. At…read moretimes, the menu is a bit limited but still enjoyable. This is another great establishment where you can relax and talk without being overwhelmed by loud music, so it's also a great stop for couples. My girlfriend got grilled chicken on spring mix salad with pecans and mandarin oranges. She loved it. My short rib over risotto with broccolini was phenomenal. The rib truly melted. For dessert we had an incredible peanut butter and chocolate pie. Our drinks were good but something seemed to be missing from each of them. I know my vodka martini had too much vermouth. Normally, the bartenders are spot on. We will certainly return.

    Edge Restaurant, located on West Broad Street in Bethlehem, is a New American restaurant with…read moreFrench and Asian influences. It's open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 AM to 8:30 PM, and on Friday and Saturday until 9:30 PM. I stopped in on Thursday night for an early dinner and had a great first experience, with friendly service and delicious, well-prepared food. My friends and I started with the crispy dim sum (chicken), essentially crispy chicken dumplings, served with a sweet-spicy Thai chili sauce and savory soy sauce. Next, we tried the crispy calamari, lightly crisp and tender, with medium-sized rings served alongside romaine and baby arugula, red pepper, ginger-sriracha dressing, and fried capers. For my entrée I went with the Thai Chicken Curry, prepared with tender chicken, fingerling potatoes, cauliflower, scallions, cilantro, and red pepper in a rich, creamy coconut milk broth. The steamed jasmine rice soaked up the sauce beautifully, making this an entrée I absolutely loved. My friend had the Farfalle Pasta, composed of roasted chicken breast, sautéed spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke, lemon beurre blanc, grana, and crispy prosciutto. It's not something I would ever order, but it looked great and she really liked it. My other friend had sautéed Angus beef with sugar snap peas and hoisin jus, as well as the seasonal flatbread, which happened to be a spicy margarita. The beef was juicy, and the flatbread had a nice crisp to the crust. He enjoyed them both. From the appetizers to the entrées, everything at Edge was wonderful. It's definitely a place I'd return to for both the food and the atmosphere.

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    12.18.2025

    ZEST bar+grille - newamerican - Updated May 2026

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