Very disappointing. Went tonight as part of "Restaurant Week", gorgeous building and anticipation was high. 3 course for $35 sounded good. Appetizers: Parsnip purée soup with mushrooms - more mushroom than I expected but pretty good. Grilled Tuna and pea shoots an radish - tasteless and not a high grade tuna, seasoning of any kind would have helped. Main Course Mahi Mahi over sprouts and other veggies - dry and overlooked, no source and under seasoned dish, could not finish it. Short ribs - sides were good but meat was dry and an au jus sauce was no salvaging the dish Beet Steaks - winner on the entree side, not breaded and sautéed like some, but flavorful all the same. Desserts Lemon Tart - pretty good but very tart, you better like lemon sour patch candy to enjoy this. Penn State Mint Chocolate ice cream - always good, but all they did was put it in a bowl. White chocolate mouse - tasted good, served with a little dark chocolate and fresh berries. I was hoping for so much better from the Bethlehem hotel....not a place for fish. read more

I met relatives at the Hotel Bethlehem for brunch on St Patrick's Day. What a wonderful display of foods including breakfast and lunch items. Since it was St Patrick's Day there was also corned beef and cabbage and Irish whiskey. Musicians played Irish music. I will definitely return to the Bethlehem Hotel and will tell others about what a great place it is!! read more

5 Stars for the Chef - 1 Star for the Front End Staff My boyfriend and I dined here for his 40th birthday. Wanting to make sure that the dinner was special for him, I called to inform the staff that we were celebrating his 40th. I asked if they would bring a dessert with a candle to the table prior to being presented with a dessert menu. I was told that they would accommodate my request. Wanting to be sure that they didn't forget, I called to confirm a couple weeks later. At that time I was told yes, they have my request noted. Lastly, I called again the Friday afternoon before our Saturday evening reservation. I was told that yes, she saw my request in her notes and that there would be a complimentary dessert delivered to our table with a birthday candle. Well, to my extreme disappointment...no surprise dessert and no candle. I was fuming!! I called 3 times over a 2 month period. What else does it take? You cannot redo a 40th birthday... I was, and still am, so disappointed in the disorganization/lack of communication between the restaurant staff. I wanted him to know that I took the extra time out to make sure his dinner was extra special for him. When the waitress delivered our check, I discretely wrote a note telling her the above, along with giving her my credit card. She came back, and right in front of him, started rattling off how sorry she was and how she was never given that note on her reservation sheet for the evening. As if it wasn't bad enough that it was forgotten, she was saying it right in front of him!!! If I wanted him to know about the screw up, then I would have just told her and not written her a note. Needless to say, he was caught off guard and felt extremely uncomfortable. It took everything inside of me not to stand up and say STOP! It was supposed to be a surprise! She should have pulled me aside to apologize. Not said it right in front of him. She tried to right the wrong by paying for our desserts (which I appreciated) but there was no turning back at that point. Aside from that, our dinner was delicious and the restaurant is beautiful! read more

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Just returned from our 53rd Wedding Anniversary dinner at the 1741 Terrace at the Hotel Bethlehem. One of the worst dining experiences of our lifetime! The ambience was awesome. But the service AWFUL. They had only two servers in the dining room and they could not provide the attention deserved from an upscale dining venue. But the other help was even worse. For an entire hour, the wait staff failed to fill our water glasses. They served rolls, but no plates to put them on. I had probably the worst Bloody Mary of my life. Just tomato juice, no spices, and a giant celery stalk. Food took forever to come out and when our entrees finally arrived THEY WERE COLD. We had to send them back and wait another 20 minutes until fresh entrees were re-fired. We complained to the manager who at least comped us desserts. But it was our Anniversary anyway. We were there for over two hours, most of the time wasted. This is not a cheap restaurant. It is supposed to be fine dining. But it was a HUGE disappointment. OVERRATED. read more

My wife and I ended up at 1741 because other very well rated spots, Apollo Grill & The Edge, were closed. Unfortunate. The dining space at 1741 on the Terrace is very nice but, possibly too elegant for our tastes. My wife had the lobster and asparagus salad and filet. She enjoyed both. I had the "duck sausage" which was really just an expensive hot dog!!!! Served with a fair corn sucotash. The Ahi Tuna was good. The herb butter on the tuna...ehhh, could have done without. The Endive was burnt and overall I was just disappointed. To spend all this money on a seriously mediocre meal is disappointing. In reality we should have gone to the BrewWorks down the street. I wish the othe restaraunts were open. read more

Had my daughters bridal shower here - had neglected writing a review but - this is the most beautiful place to hold an event like that . The terrace is just beautiful with the windows and the decor is all class. Planning was pretty easy - although I think perhaps some mixup since I opted for the newly offered mimosa bar and yet somehow despite this being self service I noted a bartender was in the rooms bar. The food was very good -one option I had chosen was crab cake and as this was also my personal choice of entree I can say it was yummy. I did like that my guests had choices. The only sour notes were that we were allowed into the room at 11 for an 1130 event and needed to place some decorations and place cards yet despite my request otherwise - they kept the doors open and allowed early guests inside immediately - this caused more stress as they kept coming to me to talk and I needed to finish my tasks . Since there is a large lobby I felt this was not necessary / at least give me 15 minutes !! The other slight rockiness was that I had paid extra again for them To serve the creamery ice cream since my family is big on this confection --and then MORE extra to allow the guests to have a choice between 2 flavors ( I did feel this was kind of ridiculous ) well - I can't say that I saw everyone's serving but the serving I got was about a partly melted half scoop in a dish - for the extra amount I paid - we should have each had a nice serving with maybe some whipped cream or a cookie-- it looked really cheap and didn't fit the rest of the event which was very well presented . Nevertheless I would recommend this to anyone - just not paying extra for options that aren't worth it at all read more

My mother an her friend went to lunch last week Monday. When i asked how lunch was she said they loved it but she felt it was expensive since they didnt drink. This has nothing to do with the service. My mother said the service was good. When my mom checked the bill when she cleaned out her billfold shw noticed at 20% service charge (she tipped the waitress 20%) so for 2 people they are charging 20% on the check when my mom called to inquire the manager was rude an said its on a sign qn on the menu. My moms been there many times an knows what she wanted to order. The "sign" my mom an friend missed it because they were chatting. First of all why is there a 20%service charge for 2 people. 2nd why didn't the server mention it to them when she dropped the check. I dont think this is good business i doubt i would go back when we have gone for Thanksgiving every year. read more

I really enjoyed 1741 on the terrace. I had eaten at the tap room multiple times and really enjoyed it there so I decided to try the more upscale dining. Our server was excellent and actually shook my and when I was leaving. It was great to know there are still great service people in the restaurant industry. Second, the food. The food was awesome. The bread, the salmon and seafood corn chowder were hot, tasty and really great overall. I also would like to add that a young man named TJ was extremely polite and always attentive to water. Probably the best part of the meal. 5 stars easily. read more

We wanted to try this place for many years. We thought after Christmas would be a great time. Our server did a good job, however that's about all that went well. They do not give you bread at all without begging and when they did it was rock hard. The lobster ravioli had no flavor and the topping was hard to chew. The chicken and lamb were good for two of our guests, but overall it is NOT worth the prices. They need an overhaul. read more

Terrible service. We sat and our waiter explained the menu and took our drink order. After 20 minutes of waiting for our drink and our server to take our order, we decided we had to leave since we knew it was going to go downhill from there. We told the maitrede and she said the bar was busy and offered to get our drinks and we explained we were totally ignored by our waiter and left. Not the kind of service you expect from a high end hotel and restaurant. Interesting that we booked thru open table and I was going to leave a review there, but the hotel cancelled our reservation after we left so we could not leave one! I'm sure this has happened before. Just unacceptable service. read more

Had my girlfriends birthday dinner here and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I made every effort to make it a perfect evening for her and the staff was enthusiastic and cooperative regarding those efforts. I had flowers delivered, they were on the table when we were seated. The staff greeted her with birthday wishes and even sent us a couple of complimentary glasses of champagne. Food was terrific. View was beautiful. We had a great time! read more

Wow! Couldn't compliment this place more. Generously portioned, delicious meals. My short rib fell apart and was paired with butternut squash. Our cheese plate had four different cheeses with dates and berries, I recommend trying it. The drinks were good and the server was professional. Went with 6 people and we all were very happy. The atmosphere was beautiful and ask for a table near the windows if one is available. We will certainly come back. read more

Location is excellent on Main Street. Service was friendly and attentive. Enjoyed a dinner and 2 breakfasts. Food was okay, nothing special. Love the atmosphere. I will return, but so many choices in downtown..... read more

To be honest, I only had the Sunday brunch here. It was perfectly fine but a lot of the food they put out was obviously prepackaged or previously frozen. The fresh food like the omelets to order and the carved meat was awesome. I just wouldn't pay this much money for the privilege when I can get an equally awesome omelet for $5 somewhere else. Also I can say that the service was only mediocre. Does everyone just hire local college students with next to no customer service experience or skills? They do make a gigantic Bloody Mary.......... read more

Went to the Hotel Bethlehem to try out the 1741 on the Terrace restaurant. I had a coupon for my b'day to save $15 so I figured it was going to be a little expensive. I was not disappointed. Prices are fairly high. I think the filet mignon was $35 and the salmon was $25. Back to the restaurant. The hostess is/was a college student who was somewhat bored and not at all interested in doing anything but standing there asking us which of the empty tables we wanted. Oh, but you picked one at a window that isn't set (meaning she would have to set it) -- why don't you take the window seat on the other wall. Not a big thing but if you are going into a restaurant that is supposed to be a little higher service that Perkins you don't say that a table isn't available because a place setting isn't on it. The waitress was fantastic. She was attentive (only had about four tables at once all night) and flexible. We started off with wine -- $45 for a nice white -- she asked when she poured it if we would like to sit and talk for a bit and sip the wine before we ordered. This was a nice touch. She came back after a bit and took our orders and then brought some warm rolls (whole grain?). We continued talking when she came around and commented that she didn't know what was taking so long. I suppose if we weren't talking so much we would have noticed but it was fine that it took longer. The food -- Fillet mignon was really a good cut of meat, done well, had potatoes and veggie and was fine. The salmon was a little overdone on the one end because the cut went from thin to thick. But both plates were well presented and the food hot and very tasty. We finished off the evening with coffee and tea. Nothing to write home about. Just your basic fare. The floor in the restaurant was uncovered when they took up the rug and is tile with a lot of interesting shapes in it. The star in the center of the floor was put there in 2005. The marble steps outside the restaurant were uncovered when they ripped up the carpeting on the steps. Amazing what you can find. Overall the restaurant is good but I don't know if the price makes it a restaurant I would ever go to again in comparison to what you receive for the price (the value). read more

Wonderful and beautiful experience. Stayed at the hotel for a night getaway at the end of the holiday season. Learned of the Sunday Brunch Buffet and decided to go. Food and atmosphere were great! A little costly but worth it as the food is fresh and you can listen to live piano and accordion. You can relax and take a little trip back in time. read more

Great location and ambiance. Met another couple for dinner. Service started a little slow but once we ordered drinks the staff was attentive but not intrusive. All our meals were quite good. Molten lava cake for desert was great. Extensive wine list. Adequate beer selection. Would definitely go back. read more

When we arrived the hostess described the restaurant as fine dining. We had seen the reviews and we were looking forward to a great meal however it was not great, good but nothing special. The Caesar salad was bland, the anchovies were missing. The food was very slow coming to the table, when it arrived the sides were cold. A good cup of coffee may have rescued the meal but the coffee was weak. read more

Tap room forced Valentines menu with no other option on February 16th. Grossly over priced and basically ala carte. A salad might have received 3 stars. 3 of 4 of us got ill within 24 hours. Simple pun. $200 down the drain. 1 drink each. read more

We had a wonderful dinner for my birthday. The ambiance was beautiful, especially the gorgeous Moravian tile floor. The wait staff was courteous and very helpful. The food was good. The wine selection could have been better though. This is a fine dining restaurant so it is a little pricey and not appropriate for kids in my opinion, but that is exactly what we look for in a date night! read more

Our experience at 1741 on the Terrace has been consistently good and has been enhanced by the addition of Pianist Paul Brazzo. Paul is a wonderful pianist , his background music is subtle, sophisticated , and beautiful, never overpowering the dining experience , a great mix of different styles . We will return just to hear him again. In addition of course the service is exceptional the management professional and friendly and the food great ! read more

Resto is not spectacular but nice, very Pennsylvania -- trout and hazelnuts and the like -- and the wine list is good, but the managing owner's a far-right misogynist who spends his free time posting sneering stuff about sexual assault victims who testify in front of Congress. You can probably get similar cooking nearby without subsidizing the unpleasant politics. read more

Splendid Dinner at 1741 on the Terrace at Hotel Bethlehem After several nights of Spartan dining at home (e.g., grilled cheese sandwiches) and at chain restaurants, we decided to return to the high-end venue of 1741 on the Terrace in the Hotel Bethlehem. We hadn't dined there for dinner for a few years as I was disappointed in our last experience. At that time, it seemed to me that the quality of the steak did not match-up to the price and my expectations. There were some other shortcomings as well. And I didn't understand it because the Chef has outstanding credentials. Whatever, we decided to finally re-try the restaurant. We arrived on a chilly and gusty Friday night for our 7:00 PM reservation. We were greeted warmly and immediately seated at a wonderful table at the windows with the view facing Main Street. The restaurant was surprisingly empty, with only 5 tables occupied. We recognized our waiter Bob (a seasoned veteran), and he provided professional and engaging service. For pre-dinner drinks my wife had an Apple Martini and I had a glass of a California Red Zinfandel, both very nice. Warm soft delicious rolls arrived (but HEY the butter pats were cold and hard!). For starters my wife had the '41 Caesars Salad while I enjoyed the Shrimp Cocktail (described as 3 colossal shrimp, lemon creme fraiche, lemon zest, chives, w/cocktail sauce) The Shrimp Cocktail was $19 but lived up to the description and more -- chilled and delicious. For the entrees we both ordered steaks. My wife had the Grilled Filet of Beef Tenderloin and I had the Prime NY Strip Steak ("12 oz sourced the Chicago Stockyards"). Both steaks were perfectly prepared, medium as requested, and totally exquisite; really excellent quality beef. There is one adder I would have liked: a choice of a sauce accompaniment, for example a Béarnaise, Red Wine, or Peppercorn sauce. The sides were pretty good. We both saved a bit of our dinners for take-home so that we had room for dessert. My wife had a warm Toffee Pudding with Ice Cream and I had a Crème Brûlée. Both nice, albeit filling. Coffee and Cappuccino finished the evening (we like our coffee very hot ; these were only mildly hot, but okay). Bob stopped by a few times to see how things were going, and the Manager stopped by as well. Our total bill was $179, high but not for a splendid evening. We enjoyed it. As feedback, I think we both wished the entrée selection was a bit larger (8 choices). We're always looking for lobster tail with browned butter (has to be browned to measure up, not drawn! ) or surf and turf, but it was not to be. Still, we'll be back. read more

While the ambiance was very nice, the piano player was great, 1741 Terrace is just plain overrated. The service felt more like a banquet hall not a restaurant where you pay $38 for a filet. 1. We ordered a bottle of wine and our wine glasses were never refilled. Additionally we got banquet hall quality glasses while the table next to us got high quality wine glasses, appropriate for the wine they ordered. 2. We asked for bread but the man who brought our appetizers out said "oh, you can ask your server for that". 3. I'd say the best part of the service was TJ. Our water was always filled and our plates were promptly cleared. 4. There were tables that had French onion soup and salads. Apparently they ordered from the Tap Room menu...that was never offered to us. It seemed like perhaps there are regulars at the restaurant that are treated very differently than new comers. 5. Prices are WAY out of whack. $40+ for the NY Strip, $38 for the filet. Let me be clear...I would pay that in a heartbeat for a high quality piece of meat. The food was marginal. Our shrimp cocktail was actually disgusting. I'm surprised none of us got sick from it. I get nauseous just thinking about it. The artisan cheese plate was ok. The scallops (4 tiny little scallops) were tasty but it was not an entree portion. The filets were ok, mine was overcooked. NY Strip was undercooked. The sides had a banquet feel. This visit was very disappointing. We will not return and unfortunately I could not recommend. read more

Reservation for 5 people at 7 pm was never found but we were seated anyway because the dining room was over half empty. The waitress never asked if we'd like a kid 's menu for our 5 year old, so we requested one twice as she forgot to bring it after 15 minutes. Ordered a bottle of wine which took 25 minutes to come because they couldn't find it. Sat down at 7, ordered at around 7:30 and received our apps at 8:10. Our daughters Mac n cheese arrived at this time as well and was luke warm at best. Our main courses showed up at 8:40 along with a beer which took 15 minutes to show up. No fresh pepper offered for our salads or mains. The food was very good, but with a tab of $275 which included a $4.95 Mac n cheese, the rest of us ate for $65-$70 pp. Absolutely overpriced, slow kitchen, mistake-laden service and inexperienced management make this place a big miss. read more

I had breakfast here a few months ago and it was just lovely. If you want a cheap, greasy diner breakfast this is obviously not your place. I came in with my parents, who were both staying at the hotel and because of this got a discount on breakfast, so for us the price was just fine. I got the eggs benedict, which I rarely order because there are too many places that mess it up, but it was perfect and delicious. My mom got a smoothie that was definitely made from the freshest fruit and was sweet and delicious, my dad had a standard eggs, toast, hash browns deal that looked great. The service was great but professional and not overdone, and the atmosphere of the restaurant was beautiful and elegant with huge windows and marble floors. read more

I loved everything about this place! The atmosphere was wonderful. We sat right next to the giant (and beautiful) windows and not once did I feel a draft or get cold. Our waitress was knowledgeable when we asked her opinion on the large selection of wines. She suggested a wine that would best go along with our meal and also explained why. She was always smiling and very polite. There was also a pianist playing very lovely music! I don't have a single complaint about this place. Dress up! read more

5 star for the ambiance, the music and the window view. 2 star for the food. they have the hardest steak and tasteless seafood. the best food we found was the fries from the kids menu, which was better than McDonald's and comparable to any decent restaurant. it is really a shame for such a nice location. however, that being said, if food was not the main reason to go to a restaurant, one might enjoy Terrace 1741 tremendously. i would recommend it only for very special occasions. very very special occasions, something like once in 10 years. Just so one can proudly say that they dined at the famous landmark in the beautiful downtown of Bethlehem. read more

Took my girlfriend out for her birthday and was honestly very displeased with the service. The food was good however the service we received was not on par with the amount of money we spent. Multiple plates were dropped in the dining room by different staff members causing everyone to jump out of their seats. Soup was brought out without a spoon and we had to wait 10 minutes to get one even after asking. Knives weren't brought out without entrees. Food was lukewarm at best when it came out. We were never checked on to relay any of this information to our server so I ended up asking the busser/back server. It seemed as if our server Max was taking care of every table in the dining room. He was flustered and the whole staff appeared to be rushing which is why I think plates and silverware were continually being dropped. My girlfriend and I used to both serve/bartender in the fine dining/banquet setting so we get it. I gave our server the benefit of the doubt in the beginning because he seemed flustered and I know how that feels but towards the end I was very displeased. There was no manager circulating in sight and the lack of staffing resulted in poor service. When I'm throwing a couple hundred dollars at dinner, I expect better service. The night prior we had dinner and cocktails at Oak Steakhouse in Easton and had excellent service and great food and I racked up the same bill. Not worth it. We have received better service at The Tap Room which is the other side by the bar. read more

Where to begin? My husband took me to dinner to celebrate my birthday. All I can say is I have not had this perfect of a meal in 20 years!!!! I travel all the time, am a real "foodie", and like paying extra for a good meal to get good food. The menu was pricey, but worth every penny spent! Everything was cooked to perfection, right down to temperature, seasoning, and the food they paired with each entree was absolutely perfect. Everything complimented each other nicely. The filet just melted in your mouth, and the accompanying mashed potatoes and vegetables were so flavorful and not overly sautéed in their sauce. We started with mussels and the pumpkin ravioli, and again, pure perfection! Cocktails were generous and extremely tasty. I cannot think of one thing that went wrong. Not one thing! My husband and I could not believe how wonderful everything was from start to finish. We haven't experienced that any place before. We will be back!!!!! If I could afford to eat there every week, as my eat out choice, I certainly would. Delicious! Also, there are two restaurants at the hotel. If you prefer a more romantic seating, quieter ambiance, this is the one to choose. The other (The Taproom) was right inside the hotel lobby, very noisy, and very congested. This restaurant sat up a flight of stairs, and although the entrance door was open, you could not even hear all of the noise in the lobby. Also, the large palladium windows offer beautiful views of Main Street Bethlehem. It was very pretty there last night with the town all decorated with Christmas lights. read more

I was disappointed by our meal here, which I really wanted to like. My main complaint is that most of the food that was served was NOT hot, and we all commented on this. It was being carried some distance from the kitchen to our table (the kitchen is apparently not connected to the dining room) which I imagine accounted for some of the coolness. My sister's soup was so cold when it was poured into her bowl (by an apparently oblivious server) that it was gelatinous. She had to send it back. And that was after my mom had already sent back her salad because it was drenched in dressing. I could have sent back my appetizer and/or entree but I did want to get out of there at some point. (We weren't in a hurry, but the service was somewhat slow.) The atmosphere was certainly beautiful and I enjoyed the live piano music in the background, but these things to me weren't enough to compensate for the food's shortcomings, especially in light of a bill that was $200-plus. The maitre d' obviously knew that we weren't completely pleased, because--as a compensatory gesture--she brought over two free drink tickets (a $14 value) at the end of our meal. We didn't order dessert, but I suppose that could have been comped if we had. Overall I thought the service was good and I'm not writing this review to chastise the hotel. Instead I hope it will be interpreted as constructive criticism (assuming it's read). As a local resident and a Bethlehem native, I genuinely *want* this restaurant to be the jewel it deserves to be, and it's just not right now. I hope it will be in the future. read more