My husband and I visited during our stay at the Hotel Bethlehem. He had already eaten dinner, so he enjoyed the panna cotta while I had the French onion soup and macaroni & cheese. We both had coffee. The Mac & cheese comes with your choice of soup or salad. I was able to pay a few extra dollars to get the French onion. The French onion soup was one of the best I've tried. My husband's panna cotta was truly special. It was served with a raspberry sorbet, rhubarb compote and topped with toasted pistachios. It was one of the highlights of our entire week here. The Mac & cheese was a complete disappointment. It was described as having gruyère and mascarpone cheeses with an option of adding lobster. Base cost was $15. Add lobster for an additional $14. I was expecting some really good Mac & cheese. It came out and looked like pain noodles in a bowl and tasted just as bland. This was something I would have ordered for an extremely picky child. It was the worst Mac & cheese I have ever ordered. Oh, and the coffee was good but nothing great. I would recommend The Tap Room to others, but strongly warn against the Mac & cheese. If I ate here again, I would definitely have the French onion soup and just go straight to dessert from there. read more

The Tap Room - Quick shot of part of the menu - Bars Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

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Cozy but busy and a little crowded. The food was very good. I tried the butternut squash soup which had hints of lime and curry.... Very unusual and tasty... Then the beet and goat cheese salad which was very good, and finished off with lobster Mac and cheese for dinner...... Awesome!!!! Servers were very attentive, and were prompt with drink refills. read more

The Tap Room - Bars Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

This restaurant has probably the worst service I've experienced for an establishment supposedly ranked 3rd in the nation. We ordered appetizers that took almost 45 min to come out. We asked for bread, and were told that they were out, but "there was some stale bread a party sent back." At this point, we spoke to the manager who gave us a free appetizer. The appetizers finally came, and were delicious. The food is really good here, and the cooks should be hired elsewhere by a restaurant that cares about customers. After we finished appetizers, the empty plates sat on the table for a half hour. We were never asked if we wanted more drinks. We weren't even offered more water. The service is so bad that I'm writing the review before we get our check. Do not eat at this restaurant. Update: we received our check and it was wrong. read more

It was a beautiful fall day so we were looking for a nice place to have lunch outside in historic Bethlehem. The Tap Room at Hotel Bethlehem has a nice outdoor area with comfortable chairs and a decent menu. I got the grilled chicken sandwich with aged cheddar cheese pancetta, and wild mushrooms ($12). My wife got the seared tuna sandwich ($16). Both came with soup, side salad or French fries. Both entrees were very tasty, but the portion size of protein on both was laughable. I don't think I have ever complained to a server about portion size but did this time as my $12 chicken sandwich had about 1/4 chicken breast pounded about 1/4 in thin and it still didn't even come close to reaching the edge of the bun. The sandwich was supposed to have pancetta and mushrooms. It had exactly 3 small mushroom slices and 1 tiny spec of pancetta. The tuna had 2 small slices of tuna (decent quality) which equated to about 2-3 bites. For $16, this is ridiculous. Both sandwiches were about 60-70% bread We did complain to the server and showed her the, what should have been, embarrassingly small amount of tuna. She just said it was "noted" but they wouldn't do anything...not even an apology. Will we like Hotel Bethlehem, but would not go back to the Tap Room for a meal and would not recommend it to others. read more

My bf and I stopped by The Tap Room during our stay at the Historic Hotel Bethlehem. We opted for drinks at the bar before heading out to dinner. I am definitely a fan of their cocktail menu which had a lot of unique combination of flavors to choose from. We ordered the Christmas in Paris and the Rose Bud, both were delicious and had the perfect pour. Gary was the bartender who made our first drink, he was kind of a grump and not very inviting. A different bartender made my BF's second drink, she was a bit more personable. Being in town just for the weekend we asked both bartenders if they had any suggestions for food/drinks/must see places to visit, neither had any recommendations and didn't seem interested in providing any feedback either. It was very clear that neither bartender was looking to make conversation outside of drink/food orders with their customers. Also, after finishing my first drink neither bartender asked if I would like a second. Rookie mistake, I was on the fence about having another drink which is why I didn't ask for one, but had I been asked I would have definitely said yes. Instead my empty glass sat in front of me until we left. All in all, drinks were delicious and I would love to return and try some menu items, but if you're looking for more than just robotic service, don't sit at the bar and opt for a table with a server instead, hopefully they'll provide a better experience. read more

This joint tucked into the first floor of the Historic Bethlehem Hotel is not a bad deal. Walking in you are immersed by its history and all the distinguished luminaries that have stayed there. We enjoyed the cheese plate, crab cake sandwich, and fish and chips. My wife really liked her cucumber cocktail. read more

Nice hotel but be careful at the bar because they do not know how to manage checks and will double charge you for drinks

I enjoy coming here to hear the live music. The service was not to par tonight, usually they are very attentive but we had to wait a half hour for a cheese plate and a side of fries. Although it was all very tasty we would've liked a faster service and some cutlery with our meal without having to ask for it at the bar. My husband enjoyed his Old Cuban and I just had a Coke because I didn't see anything else on the drink menu calling my name. We would def come back to enjoy the band that was playing, I believe it was the Last Thursday Band with Chet Brown serenading, they where a pleasure to the ear and an added bonus to the environment. read more

The Tap Room - Bars Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Situated in the lobby of the Hotel Bethlehem, this bar and dining spot has a lot of character and charm. We enjoyed looking at the many photos of famous politicians, actors and actresses that visited the hotel and are displayed on the walls. The service is "grand" and fits with the regal atmosphere. The drinks were nicely prepared. The food however doesn't measure up. Lobster roll had a very soggy bun, and the venison burger was very over cooked (well done) when med-rare was requested. Perhaps we'd return to try the brunch buffet but we wouldn't have lunch or dinner here again. read more

We tried out the bar again on a Saturday night and it was MOBBED!! We made our way through the crowd and we were waited on immediately-with enthusiasm and a smile to boot! Went up for a 2nd and received the same great service. I'm so happy that we had such a great experience this time around. read more

We stopped here on our drive back to NYC for a quick bite to eat. Beautiful historic hotel in an adorable Victorian town. Always a good start. The Tap Room is a mix of casual and elegant. There was a large flatscreen on the wall, which much to my chagrin, was showing Nascar. Still, it was completely muted and wasn't really a distraction. We had a comfortable table in the corner, with a nice view of Main Street. The servers were a little distracted, but service was acceptable. We each had a cup of lobster bisque (good) and a salad, which was fresh and hit the spot. Very reasonable pricing! Overall, a nice place to meet up with friends for a drink and a couple appetizers. read more

We went there for New Year's eve 2013. The service was meh... The wine was delicious the food was decent. But nothing crazy amazing. One thing that did stick out was the size of their prawns they were absolutely gigantic! I am a seafood lover so for that I bumped up for their review one star. I ordered a Caesar salad and added for Jumbo prawns it was pretty good! The New Year's eve party was fun but I don't think it had anything to do with the tap room but more so the company we were enjoying. They had monitors so we could watch the ball drop and there was a private party going on in the other room. There was a live band there however it wasn't for the tap room but for the private party. I wish the tap room would put a little bit more effort into their New Year's Eve celebration and I would highly suggest a dance floor and live music specifically for the tap room. I'm from LA so you got some work to do Bethlehem. Hehe... Better up the ante on how y'all party! Nice try though. read more

Probably my fourth visit since the first review, this time I tried the cucumber soup, a special of the night, and the Pocono Trout. A few days ago, I had the Prince Edward Island Mussels and Turkey Club. All four were best in class, a perfect mix of flavors and seasonings. read more

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On previous occasions in the past couple of years, my wife and I have had a good experience at the Tap Room (so I'm only making this a 2 star review instead of the 1 star they deserved last night). However, last night we took our 20-month-old son and my dad there for a simple dinner at 645pm. After receiving nothing but water for 25 minutes, then finally our waitress appears so we order all our food & drink and then still having nothing but water at 730pm, we left and went somewhere else. This was a Tuesday night. It was moderately busy I would say, but we just couldn't wait any longer with our son. Very disappointed to say the least. No sense of urgency from anybody really. On the plus side, the holiday decorations are always nice in the Hotel Bethlehem. read more

Sunday brunch buffet: My story begins just over a week ago when my parents visited from out of town. I had called to make a brunch reservation just a few days prior for a party of five, but they were all booked. The maitre 'D whom I spoke with was so friendly and kind that I made a mental note to dine here as soon as possible. With my parents that weekend we ended up at Blue (amazing), but this weekend my husband, a friend, and myself decided to give the Hotel Bethlehem's Sunday brunch a go. The staff was kind and courteous. The ambiance was nice, I especially enjoyed the pianist. There was a large flat screen on the wall showing the Olympics which was nice because I haven't gotten a chance to watch any yet, though I wouldn't ordinarily associate a fine dining establishment with t.v.s on the wall. I ordered a mimosa and a coffee, my husband ordered an orange juice, and our friend ordered a bloody Mary and coffee which were promptly served. We were also able to explore the buffet right away. The spread was very extensive and very impressive looking. I was so overwhelmed (in a good way, by too many delicious looking options) that I ended up bringing back two plates. There was a carving station as well as am omelet station. There were also many options such as bacon, sausage, belgian waffles, potatoes, pastas, meats, etc. in warmed serving dishes, shrimp, cheeses, salads, fresh fruits, and a wonderfully delicious array of desserts. The quality of all of this food was very mediocre. Absolutely no complaints, but nothing special. I enjoyed how fresh my omelet was, though it needed a sprinkle of salt. The fresh berries that I added to my waffle were also a lovely touch, though I was disappointed to find not real maple syrup but instead the artificial syrup that one finds at diners. By far, the portion of the meal with the best quality food was the desserts and pastries. By the time I returned from them I was very full from sampling the rest of the spread, but I wish that I had passed on some of the other foods instead. There was a praline mousse, scrumptious macaroons, delicious tarts, I could go on for quite some time! Overall I do not feel that this dining experience lives up to the upscale reputation that it currently holds, the exception being for the pastries. For three adults and 2 cocktails our bill came to $108 which is a bit steep for the casual atmosphere that comes with televisions on the wall and the gluttony that can accompany a buffet brunch. read more

We have had brunch here a few times over the last couple years and it was decent, not stellar. We decided to try Christmas brunch and have to say how disappointing. The tables were a mess with food, the serving spoons had food caked on from repeatedly being used but not cleaned or replaced with fresh ones. Around the chaffing dishes food that was spilled was left all over the tables making it messy and not appetizing. Several of the meat dishes, grilled chicken and pork tenderloin were very dried out, they should have regularly had the juice or sauce poured over by staff to keep them from drying out. Also, all the meat was luke warm even the carving station meat. Overall, disappointing and certainly not worth the $59.95 each price! I cant recommend for the brunch as it is too inconsistent. read more

Not impressed at all. Drinks were "eh", food was "blah", prices were "ahhh". Plus there was a wedding upstairs blaring the cheesiest wedding music you've ever heard. Shout, chicken dance & Macarena were all part of our dinner experience tonight...not good. read more

We liked the ambiance of this place, but it does get crowded when events are going on. The drinks were delicious, but the food was a bit underwhelming. The macaroni and cheese was very good - it had the right amount of savoriness and creaminess to elevate it. The burger and the mushroom flat bread fell a bit short though. The burger was considerably over cooked for the requested medium rare and the flatbread had an grainy texture that threw the dish off. Overall, we'd come back for drinks, but would skip the dinner. read more

My family and I had decided to go to the tap room, we were a bigger party that had made a reservation however we were treated as though we were not welcomed. As a family that owns restaurants we understand the pain it can be to take care of a a demanding table so we try to be as easy going as we can. The food overall was okay, the only thing we all seemed to enjoy was the fried calamari. We also were very thankful for our server going out their way to get the wine we wanted. The main problem was service. I understand that there are places that aren't just trying to turn out tables which we appreciate, but we virtually never saw our server. Whenever we'd ask for anything such as cocktail sauce for our oyster or Tabasco sauce it took what felt like years. Every meal took a long time to come out and the follow up for how we were doing also seemed to take a long time. Multiple times our waters weren't even refilled. We were all finished with our dinners, with virtually nothing on our plates for nearly 20-30 minutes before someone came to remove our plates and ask us if we'd like anything else. We'd wanted to give the benefit of the doubt that maybe our waiter was busy or was trying to to accommodate to another table. However, when we were ready to leave and pay the bill our server had to make it a point to make sure we knew that tip would have been included with his knowledge of our family running restaurants. However, the rest of my party wasn't bothered I was slightly peeved. Maybe, it was just a busier night than he usually has or maybe he didn't have enough help for our party of 8 but whatever the problem was I felt very unwelcome. Maybe I'll try to go again with a smaller party in hopes of better service. read more

I have always enjoyed my dining experience at the Taproom, but was disappointed today and embarrassed. I brought three friends and we all ordered the Caesar salad which had little or no dressing...shaved cheese and the chicken portion added was skimpy. Our waitress was sweet but young and was not on top of the tables order. :-( read more

Made a reservation in the Tap Room for lunch. Arrived and was told that we could enjoy the buffet and that lunch in the Tap Room did not start until 2. Why would you make a 12:30 reservation for a meal you don't serve. The buffet was overpriced and the food was mediocre. We were seated in a dimly lit ballroom---no ambience at all. Would not recommend. read more

Great beer great burgers great atmosphere burgers cooked exactly as desired can't wait to come back

2 stars just for the atmosphere and happy hour prices because the food was just horrible. The "potato soup" was the blandest excuse for soup I'd ever had. I would rather have eaten progresso. Our entrees were ok, but far from what we expected for such a classy place. It was clear that we were treated differently by our waitress because we look young (we are young). A much older crowd is the regular scene I guess. read more

$15 frozen (bubba) burgers, 6 draft beer selection - why are they calling themselves a "tap room"? Very nice ambience and good live music. Nice place for older couples. read more

My husband and I chose this restaurant for a night out. It was cute enough, being open to the lobby so you could watch who was coming in and out. There was a wedding going on in one of the ballrooms nearby, so it was nice to people watch. The hostess was snotty and clearly had better things to do than work, but our waitress was nice and the service was good enough. The food was almost perfect (my mussels had a little bit of grit on them and my spinach seemed a excessively bitter). We decided we would come back, but more likely for lunch or for drinks and light fare. read more

Had reservations for easter. Someone from the hotel called me saying they had an opening for 10:30 and that we would be set. When we got here we were told that there was no reservations for us. Very very disappointed, please get your act together my easter is now not as I planned. It really does suck. read more

Great atmosphere, friendly service and decent drink menu. Location is excellent.

Nice spot in the Lobby of this Historic Hotel, I enjoyed the atmosphere and it just felt historic sitting and enjoying an adult beverage. The bartenders were friendly and the drinks were reasonable. It was a great spot to meet up with an old friend and chat. read more

Over priced and mediocre food. The ambiance is nice but not what I was looking for in terms of lunch. Good for drinks and brunch but that would be it. Small portions and nothing particularly special despite the enticing menu. There are other, better places where you can spend your money. read more

We had lunch today with my daughter who is home for college break. We thought this would be a great place to eat and do some shopping for Christmas. The lunch was rather expensive and frankly, the food was terrible. I expected much more. My flat bread was soggy and bland. The lobster roll was just ok at $22. I will never go back or recommend it to anyone else. read more

Went for lunch and had the burger which was made perfectly nice and juicy and also had the grilled chicken sandwich with bacon, cheese, avacado, chicken was done just right definitely would recommend! Wait staff was very attentive. read more

Great bar!. They tolerated my dumb friends and I. Served us with happy faces and the crowd was dope.

Ok, I come here frequently, so my comments are well founded and based upon a history that eclipses a one time visit. It's Christmas eve, and I stopped for a cocktail with a friend. While busy, the bar wasn't "slammed" .... So I was particularly disappointed that Gary, a long-time bartender, could not bring himself to look at ANY customers in the eye, acknowledge anyone's presence, nor say hello, please or thank you. I regrettably anticipate this lack of professionalism - but choose to stop in for the historic beauty of the structure. I was saddened by the fact that visiting couples on both sides of me did not receive any sense of warmth that should be a standard of a Hotel with pedigree. After reading the generally consistent reviews on Yelp, assembled over a few years - I see the mediocrity reported by patrons has not been addressed by management. My question: why? I wish the ownership would pull their head out of their ass, fire this clueless curmudgeon of a bartender, and get the kind of charismatic professional bartender/raconteur that brings generations of regulars and travelers alike in, crating a sense at place/heritage. Let's get on the ball guys, does anyone in management or ownership read other peoples honest reviews? Look at what happened to the King George: warning Will Robinson. read more

I'll keep this brief and to the point. If you are looking for a dining experience that is disgusting then you won't be disappointed! The hygiene of the person that waited on us was unacceptable. Let's just say I had night mares for days to followed after that dining fiasco. I don't believe that a waitress should use her sleeve as a tissue then serve a meal, but perhaps i'm just a snob. read more

The servers have no training at all and/or are just clueless. I guess they think that because they have a built in clientele from hotel guests they can overcharge for everything. Bartenders aren't friendly. The food is okay to good, but nothing to write home about and overpriced for what you get. If you're staying at the hotel go across the street to Tapas or up the street to Brew Works for better value. Or go to Apollo Grill for better food. read more

For a hotel that claims to provide the utmost in customer service, servers were unknowledgeable of even the most basic food and dining requests. The server actually asked me how to spell Malbec..... read more

I approached the host inside and asked abouted outside seating. He told me to grab any table outside and he would send someone right out. I sat down at a table and waited at least 7 minutes and no one came out to even take my drink order. I ended up leaving and eating somewhere else. Disappointed. read more

The only reason I'm giving this even 2 stars is because of the food. The service was terrible and didn't deserve even one star. Our party of 12 had a reservation for 5pm yesterday. We were seated right away. It took a few minutes for someone to take our drink order. Some drinks were delivered and we placed our food order. We had to ask where three of the drinks were since they were never brought to us. By the end of the meal, one of the drinks was never brought to the table, but of course was on the check. The majority of our party ordered burgers and the time between when we finished our salads/appetizers until our meals were put on the table was too long. We only ordered burgers. The burgers were cooked well except for one that had to be sent back because it was too rare, but that was quickly resolved and returned with another order of fries. I had the grilled salmon and thought it was pretty good. Once we finished our meal and the plates are cleared, we had to wait at least 20 minutes for the checks to arrive. The overall time we were there was 2 plus hours. We really only ordered burgers so this amount of time was very excessive. My complaint about the staff was that they weren't attentive or friendly. They rarely checked on us, we had no idea what was going on with our order, and it seemed like they spent more time talking with each other rather than be concerned with their guests. Also, I understand for parties of 6 or more, gratuity is automatically added, but the restaurant automatically adds 20%, which we knew beforehand. It should really only be 18% and then let me decide if the service merits additional compensation. This service didn't deserve even 5%. I felt that they knew they'd be getting their 20% tip so they didn't need to put in the effort. Unfortunately, I would not return here due to the service we experienced. read more

Hosted a bridal shower brunch at Hotel Bethlehem in the back corner of the Tap Room for my sister and the experience was phenomenal! The atmosphere is classy with touches of art deco and provided the perfect backdrop for the bridal shower. They let us move the tables we had reserved however we needed and allowed us to put up beautiful displays on some extra tables between the bar and our area. The servers were so attentive and being so close to the bar allowed us the option to have the men meet us after the shower was over for a champagne toast that truly made the event! During the planning, I worked with the director of events, Kathleen, who was beyond helpful and accommodating. They really went above and beyond what I could have ever imagined. Excellent experience. Would host another family event there in a heartbeat! read more

Went out for dinner with a group of friends for our annual Christmas outing. We made reservations weeks before for this dinner. Upon arrival we were given menus with 5 dinner choices. These choices included Asian noodles and no meat, macaroni and cheese, and 3 expensive seafood options. The people next to us had the typical extensive menu filled with tons of choices. We asked if we too could have the regular menu that we were expecting when we made the reservation. We were told that we could not, but that we could have the addition of a cheeseburger and a chicken salad sandwich. It was explained that all parties of over 4 receive this menu from Dec 1st to 31st to "get them through the month of Dec". We let them know we were unhappy that we were not informed of this when we made the reservation. Still, we were not allowed the regular menu. To make things worse, no more than 10 minutes later a party of 6 was given the regular menu a few tables away. We began to notice several of these larger parties with the regular menu. Finally, our dinner took 2 hours to come, the overflowing bar crowd was practically standing on us, and the server was grouchy. Do yourself a favor and go to the brew works where you know what your getting. You're even better off at McDonalds in my opinion. Hotel Bethlehem, don't overextend yourself at the expense of your customers. read more