Allentown Brew Works

Not the greatest food but great selection of brews.

Pig iron pulled pork sandwich was very good, I didn’t love the sauce but I prefer a sweeter sauce. The beers are very good and quite a bit of variety. Great atmosphere, including a nice bar with tv’s.

I’ll also be posting this review on wedding wire and the knot but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to post it here as well. We had our wedding here last weekend and it was simply incredible. Throughout the course of 10 months we worked with Jackie in helping to plan our wedding. Because of her and the staff, our wedding was seamless. I was always encouraged to ask questions and my emails were answered in a timely manner. As for the weekend itself, it was great. They made sure to not only take care of the guests but to look out for the bride and groom. In the middle of reception chaos they made us each a plate of food and always kept our drinks refilled. Before the ceremony they treated us to snacks and drinks, along with bringing the cocktail hour to us while we were taking pictures.
The venue itself (High Gravity and Five) were perfect, all of our guests commented on how nice and unique each room was. The food was incredible and we were really pleased with how everything turned out. If you are looking for a large venue that’s cool, unique, and super affordable — this is it! Oh yeah, and did I mention GREAT beer?
We can’t wait to go back next time we’re in town. Thank you so much Jackie and staff for making our big day so special and easy. We will never forget it!

Food is pretty good (love their soft pretzels!!) and their manager and servers are awesome, they even gave us a grande tour one time when we came! I find it hard to find the right beers on their menu, as I’m not a super hoppy beer fan and most of theirs have a strong hop taste, but that’s more of a preference thing.

Went to Mother’s Day Buffett. Terrible. Never again. Average food. Average service. Herded like cattle to a dirty 3^rd floor. Never again.

Once a beacon of progress in downtown Allentown, the Brew Works is quickly being overshadowed by its neighbors.
My last visit was, in a word, dissapointing. The menu has recently undergone a series of changes. The latest of which has effectively pared any reason to go here for food. The Brew Works previously offered an abundance of burger options with interchangable patties and sides. Now? Three styles. Two sides. Where once resided a plethora of wing sauces, now lie three. maybe four.
Gone are the daily specials. All creativity and variety apparetly departed as well. Stop in for a beer, eat elsewhere.

We have been here several times to eat, in fact, we even got married here!
Beer: I LOVE the Space Monkey– Raspberry Saison. It is tasty! My husband loves the Steelgarden Wit
Food: I have always been happy with everything that we have ordered. Most recently I got the pulled pork sandwich with brew pub fries.
Get the beer sampler if you are new! It’s a great deal!

The staff were great — friendly, helpful — and did a great job. Food arrived fast, staff checked in with us just the right number of times, not being intrusive but making sure we all had what we needed. My food was good (beer battered fries, Philly cheese steak) and folks in my group seemed to also enjoy their food. My Philly cheese steak could have had a bit more meat in it, but it was cooked perfectly, had the right amount of cheese and onions and great flavor, the roll was good and was soft, which I prefer. Prices were a bit higher than I thought they’d be — $ 10 for my sandwich which I think might have been more like $ 7 or $ 8 for what I got. Overall, a good experience!

It’s not bad. Then menu is a bit small, but I loved my wings. The staff was nice. My reason for the 3 stars is because I clearly asked the waitress if they had a certain type of brand of beverage. She said she had one not the other. Wild turkey honey not honey jack. I said ok no problem. I ended up with plan wild turkey. I didn’t know until the first sip. I told her it was the wrong one. She said «we don’t have honey anything». she didn’t offer to take it back or anything. That drink sat on the table and yep I was charged $ 12. Even though my my husband told me to make sure that drink was removed. I was to upset to speak, and I knew if I did I would not be lady like. Next time she should check the bar! Next time when the manager ask me. I’ll be honest instead of telling him all is well.

Sadly, the menu and food quality are not as good as it used to be. Many good items were removed from the menu while the remaining items are not as well prepared. The hamburgers, for example, used to have four meat varieties and plenty of options. Now there is only two types and they have predesignated toppings. The buns used to taste fresh and be wholesome. Now they look and taste like they were from a Wonder Bread outlet.
This used to be my go-​to lunch place but after the last few visits, I don’t think it will be.

On 2÷13÷16 My wife and I stopped in on our way back to NJ for a snack and some of your outstanding brews.
My wife ordered the mild wings and I ordered the bleu cheese and pear pizza. Even though the restaurant was quite busy due to the local hockey team having a game our order arrived quickly.
Sadly my wife’s taste buds felt that the mild wings were a bit too spicy for her taste and we were going to switch dishes. Our wonderful and attentive server whose name sadly escapes me noticed my wife’s displeasure and insisted we send the wings back. We explained that there was nothing wrong with the dish just that they were a little too spicy for her but our server insisted that a happy customer was more important so my wife ordered the teriyaki wings.
The manager then came over to apologize for the dish and we again explained that the dish was fine just a bit too spicy for my wife. He also apologized that due to the crowd it might take 10 minutes for the second order to arrive.
It took less the 3 minutes for the second order to arrive and they were delicious as was the pizza I had.
I have to add that in addition to our server and the manager, the busboy was also very friendly and attentive.
Many thanks to your great staff for an outstanding experience and we will surely be back the next time we pass through Allentown.

Sadly I am updating my 4 star review for this new two star review. The reasons are simple:
1. Service has slipped.
2. The food has slipped.
It should be a one star but the place is still clean… so they have that.
My husband and I have been here probably 6 – 7 times over the last two years. We are not regulars but we know what to expect when we come. We sit at the bar, watch games, play music, have a couple beers, chat with the bartender, and eat. Usually Saturday or Sunday for lunch.
Service– we sit at the bar. Bartender is nice enough. We notice the menu has grown tremendously since we were last there. So we ask the bartender for his advice. My husband asks about the chicken cheesesteak, is the chicken shaved chicken or diced/​sliced. Bartender can’t answer because he is vegetarian. So clearly the standards have fallen, I don’t care what he eats he should be required to know the menu along with all of the servers. He calls over another server, she also cannot answer. She says she will find out. Ten minutes later she comes back and tells us it’s shredded. While we are at the bar the tvs were on NFL network. It’s Sunday, so we ask if they can put a game on… any game just something for us to watch. A woman comes over with an attitude and tells us the NFL network is already on. My husband informs her that you don’t watch games on the NFL network. She gives a whole lot more attitude… I can’t even recap the rest of the interaction. It was bad.
Onto the food– hot pretzels… MICROWAVED. Seriously guys? I got a falafel wrap. Falafel MICROWAVED. Chicken on the cheesesteak? Sliced chicken breast not shredded. At this point I eat fast and all I want to do is leave and not come back.
Really disappointing experience. On top of this, I send a FB note to Brew Works so I can give me feedback. I get a response the next day with someone asking for my email so the GM could contact me… its been a few days and no email from the GM. Clearly they don’t care so here I am providing my feedback on Unilocal.
Very sad to give this review.

An Allentown Classic.
Great location, great bar, great bartenders.
Beer is good (the Pawnshop Porter is the best) and they have Scotch and cocktails too.
They do have a good bottle selection, and some excellent glass wines too.
The food is Brewpub fare, unfortunately only served until 10 PM. They have a late night menu but really need to look at the new competition and offer a full menu until midnight.
The Pretzel is a great app and the Nachos are high quality.
The Shnitzel and Chicken Bacon Griller are both favorites on the main dinner menu.
The bar gets packed often during the peak hours and as usual, many couples and groups of 4 or more couples eat at the bar. Small town folks are a bit goofy that way, and it should be discouraged by hosts, especially as ABW has great seating all around the bar for larger groups.
Bars are for single people and meetups during peak hours, except on game nights.
Great spot has a lower lounge with Trivia and Music and beautiful upstairs reserved area for special events and weddings.

I will say that I really enjoyed my pulled pork sandwich for $ 10 and the atmosphere is really sleek. Everyone at my table was completely satisfied with their food and again… Very affordable. Great vegetarian options for my vegetarian friend too!
Why 4 stars? Idk. The staff wasn’t great. When we told the host «table for 4?» he asked for our name and assumed we had a reservation… odd assumption considering we didn’t say we had one and it wasn’t busy… but alas we tell him we just walked in. He asks for our phone number and we give it to him and he simply says «okay». Haha we say «ok what… oh are you trying to tell us there’s a wait and you’ll call us when ready?»…yes is the answer. We go ahead and ask him how long and clear things up. Just such a… odd exchange. My bartender and waiter were kinda eh too but I won’t go into detail.
Great food great value… odd staff

Compared to the Bethlehem version, this is a huge space, but also a big letdown. Where the Bethlehem location has a relaxed upscale atmosphere and a micropub feel, this is a bit more like a Denny’s upstairs and a frat room decorated for a wedding downstairs. The bar is large, but had no room to even stand before a game at the PPL Center because of the setup. Even the high top tables near the bar are only for service, so there’s no real options for having a drink before a game. The downstairs is trying to be trendy but ends up with a strange mix of beer cellar, speakeasy, and sports pub that feels strange. The beer menu seemed more limited than the Bethlehem one, though there are some solid brews available. Service was pretty poor from the host to the bartenders who really seemed like they would rather be anywhere else.

I travel all over the country for work, so it’s always nice to find an all around good place like this while away from home.
The first night I was dining alone so I sat at a VERY busy bar. I ordered their triple IPA, and had the meatloaf dinner. The food was very tasty, came out hot, and I didn’t wait very long all things considered. The beer was phenomenal.
What gave the place 5 stars was the employees. Bartenders Scott and Kyle were attentive, quick, and came off as the kind of guys who really liked their jobs. Owen the bar back was working his backside off to keep up with the crowd and had a good attitude about it. I didn’t catch any other names but I was impressed with the rest of the staff’s hustle too (front & back of house).
They also have a full bar/​lounge in the basement with great live music.

Love this place ! Visited for a second time on Saturday with my fiancé. I had a wrap with blackened chicken, and brew city fries. Both were absolutely delicious. He had the Mac and cheese with chicken and bacon — I stole a few bites and have to say it tasted like heaven.
I’m not much of a beer person, but from what he says they have a good (and tasty) selection. I opted for a Raspberry Long Island Iced tea — I had one last time as well and thoroughly enjoyed it.
The space is cool, and good for a nice (but casual) night out. The menu has a good selection of apps, entrees and sandwiches. You could go multiple times and probably find something to suit your hunger differently each time.
I’ll definitely go back. It’s quite a haul from where we live. But when in the area it’s definitely worth the stop.

NOT A HAPPY CUSTOMER!!!
I ordered a salad to go that cost $ 16 and when I got back to my office NO DRESSING… Hmmmmm
I called and was only offered an apology
BAD BUSINESS! Not only am I out $ 16, I am still hungry… NEVER AGAIN! Customer service means a lot … Hope they get better

I really like this place! I love their selection of beers; both made by fegley’s and other craft brews. The only downfall is that we did have a friend that doesn’t enjoy craft beer and they don’t offer any of your standard beers.
We had a few appetizers before a phantoms game and everything was delicious. My favorite were the fried cauliflower bites. You could get them with any of their wing sauces. We liked them so much that we are going to try to make them on our own. Another staple are the pretzels– delicious, but a little greasy.
The restaurant has two large floors and one kitchen. We were surprised by how well they were able to manage the volume of people. We never had to wait long for food or drinks and our waitress was extremely attentive. The quality of the food and drinks are worth the little bit more you pay.

This place is the sister brewery to Bethlehem Brew Works. They brew different beers but may have each others available in either on tap or bottled form. They share the same food menu.
This location is more modern than the Bethlehem location which has a more industrial feel.
I planted myself at the bar and ordered a flight. The only one that stood out to me as the Triple IPA, Hop’solutely. Such a smooth beer for a Triple IPA and that could be dangerous! I ended up with 3 glassed of that, bought 2 four packs and left with a good buzz.
For food, I ordered something off the PA Dutch section of the menu, a perogie casserole. It was delicious but perogies are not PA Dutch, they are Polish. It came with seasonal veggies were were decent even if they were smothered in butter.
But that beer, Hop’solutely, had me hooked and I went out of my way to find it in my 10 day trip to PA. And I’ve shared it with some friends in NC who also rave about. I’d love to see it distributed here soon!!!