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CITY GUIDES | NORTHEAST

Allentown’s Best Restaurants Right Now, From New Openings to Local Standbys

By Maria Rodriguez | Jan. 3, 2025

AUTHOR BIO: With a day job that requires constant travel, Maria Rodriguez is likely a regular at your favorite restaurant. She’s reviewed restaurants since 2007 in magazines from Barcelona to Bakersfield.

I’m in Allentown for work more than I’m in the actual city where I live. Which is how I started keeping a running list of the city’s best restaurants. At first it was damage control, because conference schedules do not care if dinner is bleak. Then it became a habit, because the best places to eat in Allentown keep multiplying, especially around downtown Allentown and the West End. Now I land, drop my bag, and go straight to whichever spot on my list fits the mood and the clock. Here is the list of the best Allentown restaurants right now, straight from my notes app to you.

Fegley’s Allentown Brew Works

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This is a beer-first place that also takes food seriously, which is the only combination that matters at the end of a rough day. Chef Jill Oman’s menu does the hearty things well, including High Gravity Mac & Cheese and the Pig Iron Pulled Pork that leans into the brewery’s stout. The room has that loud, convivial brewpub energy that forgives a tie and rewards a second round.

Best for: A post-work reset that still counts as dinner

Grille 3501

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Grille 3501 is the “go ahead, order the steak” option, the standard choice in Allentown for that celebratory meal. Chef Jacob Watson’s menu leans upscale without turning precious, with signature items like the crab-and-mango spring rolls sitting comfortably next to more traditional steak-and-seafood choices. The dining room feels like a place where the staff has seen every kind of hide-a-ring-in-the-cake night and can steer the meal accordingly.

Best for: An important dinner that needs to land cleanly

Henry’s Salt of the Sea

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Henry’s is old-school seafood: steady, confident, and uninterested in trends that disappear by the time the check arrives. Chef-owner Brian Krans, has built a loyal following on classics like lobster française and other straight-ahead seafood plates that reward regulars. It is the kind of place that makes a random Tuesday feel like it has a point.

Best for: Seafood that plays it straight

Love’s Restaurant and Lounge Best Allentown Restaurants.

Love’s Restaurant & Lounge

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Love’s is part restaurant, part nightlife project, and it commits to both, right down to a posted dress code and a space designed for late hours. Owner Bazz Jarjous and co-founder Brianna Morales built it as a place where dinner can slide into music, with a menu that spans sushi and showy plates like mofongo paired with churrasco or seafood. It is not subtle, and that is the appeal.

Best for: Dinner that just might progress into rounds of shots

Max & Butters

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Max & Butters is a morning place with personality, built for the days when work travel requires coffee, sugar, and a plan. The menu leans into playful comfort, including Butters Cakes and the “Morning After” pancakes that read like brunch with a wink. It is the kind of stop that makes a hotel breakfast bar look even sadder than it already is.

Best for: A breakfast that feels like a small win

Notch

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Notch is modern American comfort food with a chef’s touch, the kind of place that feels right at a bar seat or a big table. The menu is built for sharing, with crowd favorites like “Notch’os,” bao buns, and duck fat wings. It is lively without feeling chaotic, which is harder than it sounds.

Best for: A group order where everyone “just wants a bite”

Okatshe

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Okatshe is James Beard Award winner Jose Garces doing a Japanese izakaya in downtown Allentown, with a menu that clearly expects people to order a lot and share without overthinking it. The hits include takoyaki, yuzu salmon tataki, and broiled scallops finished with miso butter, plus plenty of sushi and Japanese whisky to keep the pace moving. The vibe aims for Tokyo-night energy, which makes it a useful antidote to a day of meeting rooms.

Best for: A small plate dinner that feels like going out

Pennsylvania Rye Company

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Pennsylvania Rye Company is a whiskey-forward bar that also happens to run a kitchen with ambition, which is why it ends up on my list more than once a month. Chef Eduardo Aburto’s menu reaches beyond bar standards with dishes like grilled octopus, while still respecting the need for a proper burger when the day has been long. The room feels like the kind of place where one drink can turn into four without any drama about it.

Best for: Cocktails and a dinner that can keep up

Rosa Blanca

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Rosa Blanca is Jose Garces’ Cuban cafe and rum bar, and it leans into comfort with a little showmanship. The menu runs from empanadas and croquettes to a proper Cubano with lechón asado and smoked ham, plus snackable starters like chicharrones with guasacasa. It is bright, upbeat, and designed to make a quick meal feel like a break from Pennsylvania weather.

Best for: Cuban flavors by Allentown’s most celebrated chef

Simpatico

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Simpatico is a downtown Italian spot that treats pizza and pasta like the main event, which is exactly the correct approach. The menu mixes shareable starters like whipped ricotta with bigger plates that lean classic, including chicken marsala over fettuccine when the night calls for comfort. It is polished enough for a work dinner but relaxed enough that the table can stop talking shop.

Best for: Italian that works for both dates and debriefs

Union and Finch Best Allentown PA Restaurants

Union & Finch

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Union & Finch is a neighborhood bistro that understands the power of a great burger and a great bar, and it does not overcomplicate either. The Union Burger is built with Pat LaFrieda beef, and the poutine comes loaded with duck jus gravy, goat cheese, and cheese curds, which is enough to reset a long day. It is casual, busy, and reliably satisfying, which is why it stays on my shortlist.

Best for: Comfort food with a great bar behind it

Westside Grill

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Inside the Renaissance Allentown, Westside Grill is the rare hotel restaurant that feels like it belongs to the city instead of the lobby. Chef Ian Beard’s menu runs from snacks like baked brie to fuller plates, and brunch leans into the classics with stations and staples that make weekends feel less like errands. It is an easy default when timing is tight but dinner still needs to be respectable.

Best for: A dependable meal with serious steaks