Ritz Barbecue

Traditional barbecue and dinner-​style restaurant that specializes in lunch barbecue pork, turkey, and beef. Though the menu is varied I’ve only had the the barbecue. It is quite a different type of barbecue than what some might expect. It is a tradition here and has been the same for years. It is a dry style and served with sauce and raw onions. The service is efficient and friendly. The atmosphere is family friendly and the place is clean. A solid 3 stars but don’t expect gourmet anything.

There is one man’s idea of Barbecue, over the other. Would you believe there are recipes
for Barbecue where not one single ingredient comes near an open flame.
My Wife’s Family enjoys a Church Pork Barbecue Sandwich:
a Pork Roast is placed in a pot, along with sliced onions, seasonings; water to cover.
It is cooked until meat falls away from the bone and can be shredded with two forks.
That is the Pork Barbecue served at a Local Church Picnic, no mustard or ketchup,
the liquid it cooked in is the sauce. Unless you grew up in this world; Ritz Barbecue
will be Foreign to you!
Ritz is situated between a Concert Venue and The Allentown Farmer’s Market.
It is a Diner that augments its’ surroundings. Allentown!
You are a long way from Kansas, you are a long way from the City.
Pennsylvania Dutch, German, and Traditional American* influence the Menu.
It is a Non-​BBQ/​Barbecue Joint, as i said: «It’s Allentown!»
Locals know that good BBQ can be found in the Farmer’s Market or on
The Fairgrounds during Special Occasion.
Perogies, smothered in Onions, Steak Sandwiches fired on the Grill.
Between Fryolator and Plancha/​Grill*^*, there is no escaping their pleasant aromas.
Soda Fountain in Full Tilt Boogie, Grill and Fryors ever strong.
You, the Customer wins that Olfactory Challenge.
No trip to Allentown is complete without a Quick Snack or Meal at the Ritz.
**Think Macaroni & Cheese mixed with Stewed Tomatoes
*^*^a nod to our Latin American Neighbors

Go for the milkshakes and dessert. Blueberry cheesecake shake was delicious for $ 3! The peanut butter chocolate cake was dry and just okay.
Nostalgic dinner that has been around for a long time. My aunt remembers concerts here when she was young.
The waitress was great about filling drinks, recommending the barbecue.
Unfortunately the food wasn’t completely up to par. You get what you pay for. Cheap and decent portion size meals
Don’t look for a vegetable here. This place is more about the comfort food. Cheesesteak had a lot of meat with pickles on top and was good size. Fries were a little undercooked.
Coleslaw was good and fresh.
Grilled chicken salad had a funky tasting marinate on the grilled chicken. Lettuce is bag iceberg lettuce. Onions and tomatoes tossed in with American cheese slices. Would have eaten if the chicken didn’t have such a funky feet smelling taste.

Food was good, prices not too bad. Had the 4 course lunch meal for $ 8.50. Soup or salad, choice of sandwich, side, and dessert from the menu. Took 50 minutes to get food, table next to us had their food in 20 minutes and they came in 20 minutes after us. The reason for the rating was the extremely rude waitresses. Ours hated to be bothered, the table next to us had a waitress who belittled a teenage girl who had confusion over the menu and as we were paying she was talking loudly about other guests, the people that pay her bills. We won’t be back until they get more waitstaff and more importantly, staff that appreciate their customers. The staff at McDonald’s have a more pleasant attitude.

Redneck joint just like the rest of the depressed L.V. of PA. Rude staff, rude customers & half ass food. Go to the Farmer’s Market next door. Don’t care about the Ritz history either.

I was disappointed that this is a BBQ place does not sell chicken. I ended up settling for the turkey, which ended up being pretty bland and pretty chewy, like jerky. Like the other reviews mention, the staff seem to be so bothered to have jobs.
If you want GOOD BBQ that’s close by, check out –any– of the places in the Farmer’s Market.

Poor service, depressing environment with dropped ceiling, and unremarkable food.
Our table ordered soups and entrees that were sold out, and the waitress didn’t inform our table until 15 minutes later after ordering. It took an hour to receive this diner chow.
Salty soups. Dinner rolls were as hard as the ice balls outside in the parking lot.
OK pies and ice cream.
(Review was from the winter of 2014.)

We ate here the day of the St. Party’s day parade. We had a decent meal, nothing exciting but decent. We literally took two steps out the door when, of course my daughter said she then had to use the bathroom. We turned around to go back in and the lady yelled and I mean yelled at us. My daughter is 5 and I even tried to explain to her that I had just paid and left and she wouldn’t hear it. I understand if they have issues during events but then move because that shouldn’t be my problem. I was a paying customer and your rude staff made a scene. Even as I left customers said how wrong they were regardless. Shame on you for even turning away a 5 year old.

The Ritz is a time-​honored Allentown tradition. Decent food, great pies and ice cream. Be sure to sit at one of the booths with pictorial history of The Ritz and the Great Allentown Fair.
Oh, I almost forgot… I’m not a big soup lover but their Manhattan Clam soup is great!
My buddy likes their barbecued pork sandwich; hard to find in Allentown since John retired from Liberty Lunch on 7^th Street.

Interesting to say the least. From the outside Ritz looks inviting, I can’t say that for the food. BBQ pork with the onions –not good– pickled cabbage –very small sample but good. Grilled chicken –dry and bland. Had to ask for a fork as none were given. Not a return visit for the food. The ice cream was good and would go back for another single scoop. Not impressed.

The strawberry milkshake was good, but nothing remarkable. The sample appetizer wasn’t good at all. The staff were decently friendly.

How are there 9 reviews for this place and no one has mentioned the clowns?
There are clowns everywhere. In the framed photos on the walls. On the pages of the menu. Underneath the plexiglas covering the tabletops. Hundreds of pictures of clowns, smirking at you with cold, dead eyes. You just know they’re wondering what it would be like to sink their unnaturally sharp teeth into your warm, waiting flesh, to tear it from the bone with a rich ripping noise, as the blood gushes down their chins.
Please tell me someone else sees them.
Good ice cream, though.

My son and I were in town for the weekend and always look for nostalgic places like this.
The food entrees were very bland. The reason I would come here is for the ice cream. Super portions piled high. we had a hard time finishing.
Overall, nice people, decent food, great ice cream.

Another crappy Allentown diner full of geriatrics who pine for the age of racism smoking everywhere, and drinking alcohol at the office … Enough said?

Foodies, it’s time to take a bite out of history here in the Allentown Fairgrounds! Brimstone here and I’m going to tell all of you Food Hounds about our experience at the legendary Ritz Barbeque at the Allentown Fairgrounds. For this tidbit — Etan Wish, Luscious and I were joined by Taimak Guerillo (Bruce Leroy of The Last Dragon). For starters, this place was built in the 1920’s and retains its classic look. You would never know that the original structure had actually burned down in 1998 and was rebuilt to replicate everything down to the nails. Ritz as we know it has been under the same ownership for the last thirty-​two years and has continued the utmost quality that has come to be expected from them. For years they’ve always carried the tradition of down-​home cooking and service with a smile! We couldn’t wait to dig into what they had to offer; we actually felt like sharks preparing for frenzy with the thoughts of the morsels on this extensive menu.
On to the food… we started with a bunch of their appetizers to start. The Sweet Corn Nuggets were simple — sweet creamed corn in a lightly fried batter shell… ’nuff said. I could eat those all day EVERY day… very addicting and utterly delicious. Sauteed Pierogies were smitten with flavor from the sweet caramelized onions while their Potato Pancakes were light, crispy and soft on the inside — they were SO good, we didn’t want them to ever go away! One of our favorites was the Chili Cheese Fries — crispy shoestring fries engulfed with homemade chili and homemade Mmm cheese sauce that was BOSS! Sweet flavor infused with cheesy goodness; the flavor behavior was off the proverbial hook and a WIN!!! Etan tried a side salad with some Hot Bacon Dressing that was purely divine… let’s face it; anything bacon rules.
The entrees were a sight to behold, every single one of them was overflowing with hefty portions of food. The Pub Battered 10oz Haddock Fillet was enormous and filling — fresh, lightly battered and very crispy. Accompanied by their homemade coleslaw, you can actually see the effort put into every bit of the food — finely chopped cabbage and carrots with the perfect dosage of mayo makes this slaw worth eating! Chicken Fried Steak is an old fashioned Pennsylvania Dutch recipe that they do to perfection. The batter offers a thick layer of crunchy southern fried goodness with loads of herbs and spices, while the steak stays moist under its shell. As if all of that wasn’t tasty enough; in comes the homemade brown gravy… damn! Speaking of all the homemade goodies in store for you at Ritz, they make fresh Baked Beans daily, almost ALL of their sauces and one of the most incredible tasting things I’ve had in awhile… Double Stuffed Baked Potatoes — light and fluffy with hints of sour cream and cheddar buried deep within.
Moving right along, the Chicken Pot Pie was classic — a flaky and delish crust that opens the doorway to everything that is good in this world. Lush sampled the Pickled Egg & Beets in which he enjoyed immensely. My favorite hands down WIN, was the Black Diamond Steak. A mound of meat-​a-​tarian perfection, cooked well-​done while retaining every succulent but of flavor behavior — juicy and scrumptious. A local favorite is the BBQ Pork Sandwich — sweet and tangy, melt in your mouth pork! We were treated to a sample of the Manhattan Clam Chowder which was chock full ‘o clam and veggies — chunky and slightly salty make this a great offering of this classic soup. Although in Allentown, we had the Philly Cheese Steak — unreal; reminded me of an Italian steak adorned with hot banana peppers, pickles and Mmm cheese! I enjoyed this version of the Philly tremendously and it certainly didn’t hurt that the hoagie was stuffed! Lastly, we were treated to Poutine (a popular French Canadian delicacy) made with brown turkey gravy and fries (no curd cheese here). That gravy is BOSS and we enjoyed every bite!
I wasn’t sure if we would be able to make it to their dessert menu; but since Ritz is also known for its ice-​cream — we had no choice! I had the privilege of being presented with an Old Fashioned Banana Split… ermehgehrd — this baby was not only ginormous; but sweet, creamy and yummy. Although Ritz used to churn their own ice-​cream on premises years ago, they haven’t in quite some time… nowadays — they order their flavors in from Hershey’s, Dutch Farms and Blue Bunny. We sampled a few different flavors including Butter Brickel, Bing Cherry and Chocolate Marshmallow — all of which were tummy rubbin’ good! We topped off the experience with a homemade Apple Pie ala Mode — sweet and chunky apple pie served with creamy Vanilla Bean ice-​cream. If you are looking for a great spot to take the family for a big meal or a quick snack; you can never go wrong choosing Ritz BBQ & Ice-​Cream. We can’t wait to come back and sample the other half of the menu!

An Allentown classic that keeps getting better and better. Known for there fantastic pork BBQ sandwiches, they also have very good deserts and the staff is friendly and helpful.

The Ritz is another longtime Allentown restaurant, located on the Fairgrounds. Lots of parking, with the exception of the days the Fair is taking place. A very old casual place with tables that are covered with old time Fair Photos. They have sandwiches and ice cream. The food and service are good. An inexpensive place to have a bite.

Another Allentown classic. During the fair this place is clearly the place to be, but all year round it’s got something special to offer. Not sure if they still have the tables with the photos in them but they better– those were my favorite when my Grandad would take me and I’d look for all our old friends and check out the other characters.
The window is so essential, delicious ice cream and my favorite as a child coconut custard pie. I think you can order anything from here though. Most of my memories of this place are too old to be accurate, like the bathroom you used to walk all the way down the steps to get to and the servers who knew my Grandad and I when we walked in the door.
Upon a recent visit though it still had all the same charm, some things have changed and it’s definitely not the same servers. Prices have gone up a little bit, but it’s to be expected since times have changed. Order the perogies, the ice cream, the cheesesteak is good, onion rings are good, and when I was a kid I always got the black diamond steak. Support a local classic and eat at the Ritz!

This place has good reliable, food. It has a very classic menu and classic feel. The reason everyone comes here is for the ice cream. It is awesome, they have the best around. If you ever are in the mood for ice cream check this place out.

For a Happy Days blast from the past, or just a good old fashioned ice cream joint, check out the Ritz. It is always packed.
I was there Friday evening and ordered a draft root beer from the window (it’s that kind of place). Standing at the window and sipping on my root beer while waiting on my change took me back to the 1970’s.
If I were older, I have the feeling it could have taken me back even further. A woman I know who just retired last year told me that when she went to William Allen High School in the 1950’s, she and her friends would head over to the Ritz for burgers, fries and shakes. Her memories are of sitting on the hood of a 1958 Chevy in a circle skirt. It’s the kind of place to rekindle those memories.
If you’re in the Lehigh Valley for one of the auto or truck shows in Macungie or you’re visiting the America On Wheels Museum in Allentown, swing by the Ritz Barbecue for the full experience.