Flow Bar & Restaurant

JIm Thorpe is not far from where I grew up so I have taken many weekend trips there and always go here for brunch. I have had their grilled cheese, their fries, a margarita pizza and various cocktails and am always pleased. It’s decorated impeccably and the art in the restaurant is awesome.

My boyfriend and I were in town this past weekend skiing at Blue Mountain, and decided to come to Flow for dinner. We were pretty exhausted and definitely needed a good meal.
Flow is a hidden gem at the end of Broadway, further down the main strip of Jim Thorpe. The walls are lined with art, and there is a book on each table with more drawings/​paintings by the artist. A really great touch.
The complimentary crackers were interesting and were great to snack on with our drinks. We decided to treat ourselves and ordered the chowder with potatoes, trout and bacon and also the bacon mac and cheese. Both were delicious and just the creamy, hearty food we needed after a long day skiing.
My boyfriend got the pork shank with corn and andouille hash, and I got the short ribs with duck fat potatoes. Let me just say, the pork shank was shockingly large (see picture). We both were not expecting that. He loved it, as well as the hash underneath. My short ribs were also great, and went great with the potatoes. The portions were definitely not lacking.
Service and food were both on point. Not to mention there was a huge beer selection. A perfect end to a great day on the mountain.

Great art, fantastic service, and delicious cuisine.

Sigh. Ok, I’m not one to write bad reviews. I want to support small business and I know how hard it is to keep one going, but my family ate here last night and there wasn’t much to be said about the experience except that it took really, really long. There were 8 of us, and one other 4-​top, and 2 people at the bar. There was one person serving the place, which is fine.
Esthetically, the place is totally rad. It is built into the side of a mountain, there is good art everywhere, as well as an art gallery. Cool. But it took at least a half hour to get our drinks, and we waited an hour and a half upon placing our order to get our main meals. My 4-​year-​old son was whining that he was hungry, and we asked the waitress if she could just bring out some fries for him. But he didn’t get anything until our food was brought out. It was just really disappointing. There was no initiative, and I kept getting the urge to get up and do her job for her.
The food was ok. The appetizers were really good, but no one in my family raved about their meals. I got the burger. It was dry, and not worth the $ 12 I paid for it. Eating at a restaurant should at least be less of a hassle then cooking at home, and we all agreed that we would have rather saved $ 300 and stayed home.

The Regulars — Tourists, tourists, and more tourists who are in town to mountain bike, white water raft and for concerts or the quaintness of what we call «The Little Switzerland of America».
Why — Well… the food is great. The Free Bread not so great…:-/ they need to take my advice and stop baking bread. The atmosphere is real interesting. Located in a historic side of the mountain townhouse with multiple floors and narrow stairways and thick walls the place is the definition of quaint. There is also a in-​house museum if you have a love for modern art. Service was very respectable and well timed, the presentation fit the atmosphere and the food was some of the best we’ve had in the Poconos. Made to order Quinoa which the Chef graciously obliged and seared Salmon with grilled veggies made for a healthy, hearty meal. I was a happy girl!
The Best Seats in the House — Ourdoors in the back patio area.
Chances of Getting a Table — Pretty good. Call ahead but don’t hesitate to just stop in if you’re in Jim Thorpe.

I booked reservations a week in advance for a Saturday night. My wife and I were celebrating our 5-​year wedding anniversary and were entirely new to Jim Thorpe.
Flow was sort of a shot in the dark, and although we didn’t leave upset, we were entirely underwhelmed in just about every aspect aside from the cool location and the fact that a visible creek flows under the restaurant.
We were sat immediately upon arrival by a kind hostess and assured a server would be with us momentarily. We were placed in a small alcove with curtains (not pulled shut) next to the area where dinner guests were scoping out the creek that flows under the floor. Had we snuck in and sat ourselves I could possibly understand the neglect. Instead the hostess had enthusiastically sat us in a private, yet highly-​visible spot.
A full 20 minutes after we sat down we were asked by a flustered, nervous-​looking waitress if we had been helped — long after she had passed us by several times looking me dead in the eye. We were in no rush. We ordered drinks, an appetizer, and our entrees. Strangely, table (s) of 4 that had been seated just after us were enjoying drinks and appetizers while were still just waiting to order our drinks.
After the hostess came around again to make sure we had been noticed the waitress arrived with our appetizer and informed me the beer I had ordered was no longer on tap. No prob. After our appetizer we enjoyed another 40 minute wait for our entrees to arrive:
Pro:
the mussels (appetizer). they were absolutely fantastic. chunks of sauteed tomato and andouille sausage to boot. the arrival of this dish helped us to immediately forgive the shoddy service we had experienced up until then.
the short ribs (main entrée). another delicious dish excellently prepared. the fries in duck fat made me swoon.
Con:
the rainbow trout (main entrée). the inspiration must have been one of those frozen Healthy Choice meals. it was a flavorless piece of fish nestled on a bed of cous cous decorated with field greens and a decent vinaigrette. it was not prepared as the menu described.
corn & andouille/​red pepper abomination (side). charred pieces of corn, roasted red pepper, and sausage chunks. seems like it could have been a passable dish but the heavy taste and smell of smoke was overpowering. fail. it was a burnt mess.
By the time our server was asking us if we’d care for dessert (much later) we had decided not to waste any more time. We’d certainly never return, but I can’t deny that Flow has a charming aesthetic and the means to be a really great restaurant. Perhaps we were simply cursed with terrible service that night. Still, that doesn’t explain the rainbow trout.

We have visited Jim Thorpe numerous times, because my Dad was born here. We couldn’t believe this incredible restaurant/​gallery we were fortunate enough to hear about. What a wonderful dinner we had! The art gallery was an amazing experience. I loved the lighting, the décor, the creek that flowed under the restaurant. The whole experience was delightful!

After our poor experience with the Mexican joint at the bottom of the hill, then reading poor reviews & poor staff attitudes at other JT establishments, we were delighted to find that Flow far exceeded our expectations. The food was tasty, the service ideal. We would certainly steer folks to Flow.
Check out their gallery too.

We enjoyed our meal at this restaurant as well as the art in the gallery. We had the short ribs and trout. The entrees were delicious. Our son had the mini-​cheeseburgers. He did not like them because they were too charred from the grill. This is not an appropriate way to prepare a burger for a child.
I like my beer cold especially on a hot muggy summer day. The bottled beer was barely cold for my liking. Pouring it into a warm glass did not help.
The waitress was either inexperienced of just flaky. We asked a couple of questions during the evening, she did not know the answer and never returned with one as she said she would. We noticed she was tending bar as well as waiting on tables. There was certainly enough staff on hand where I thought this was not needed. She should have focused on one task or the other. The restaurant had a number of patrons, but it was not full.
We had a 15% discount off one entrée from Unilocal and she forgot to deduct it from the tab. When we reminded her, she deducted it from the least expensive entrée. I thought this was rather cheap on the restaurant’s part, but did not complain. I also hate it when you have to search how the discount was made. It did not show up on the bill as a discount. She simply reduced the cost on an entrée.
We also had dessert which was very good.
I was going to rate this three stars, but it was our first visit and since the entrée were so good, I gave it four stars. We will return to give this place another try.

I have been at Flow twice. Once for lunch and once for dinner. The lunch was good but the dinner was really good. I love the energy of the place. It probably my favorite restaurant in Jim Thorpe. I had an all vegetarian dinner and was very satisfied.

The idea was to have lunch at a nice restaurant having that ambiance of Jim Thorpe. We picked out Flow based on the recommendation of a local boutique’s owner. You do wanna know where the locals eat.
The location is very nice — right in the historic part of the city. The restaurant is located in the same building as the art gallery. The whole building is very art-​filled. The interior design of the restaurant is amazing! Someone did a really good job decorating the place.
The lunch menu is pretty basic — no main course dishes. I wish they had more variety in their food choices. We had to wait for about 20 mins before we got the food despite the fact that the three of us were the only customers in the restaurant. The burgers and salmon BLT turned out to be very tasty. I forgive them for making us wait so long. By the way, their wine selection is great which is a big plus.
We’ve used the opportunity to browse the gallery before we left. Would be glad to go back there again one day. I noticed that they have a beautiful courtyard open during warm weather.

First meal experience in Jim Thorpe and was really impressed. If you’re staying downtown, be sure to drive up Broadway and park in their neighboring lot. We believed the map provided in a magazine that appeared to be 3 blocks away — just shy of a mile (I’m guessing) and through a residential ghost town, we arrived. Cold and hungry.
As others have mentioned, great art on the walls, although you may not want to face some of the youth featured in paintings. A little creepy as they watch you eat.
The Duck Wontons were super rich and satisfying on the belly. The sweet and sour sauce wasn’t my favorite, but they made up for it with a smear of Sriracha. Healthy portion of 5 wontons, plenty to share. The Cheese Plate was also a crowd pleaser — the apple slices drizzled in a curried honey were nice.
After seeing the massive rainbow trout fillet delivered nextdoor, I opted for the healthier dinner accompanied by a sweet pea quinoa and vinaigrette greens piled high. Franky N. opted for the pork shank with corn and Andouille sausage hash. Wowza. Talk about flavor overload (in a good way). I’ve never had a corn hash quite like they served, it was a surprisingly easy pair to the rich, melt in your mouth pork shank.
Somehow we saved room for dessert and went after the chocolate mousse with pink sea salt and chocolate covered (drizzled) pretzel sticks. Rich rich rich and more than enough for two. We had to scrape off a majority of the sea salt — was a bit too much to handle.
Service wasn’t the greatest despite the restaurant being largely empty. In another city, I would’ve dropped a star or so, but the food here really is solid, so the rating reflects the product.

I heard that Flow has a new chef and saw the 4 and 5 star reviews so I thought I’d give Flow another chance. They’ve gone from soundly mediocre to definitely subpar (and way overpriced). The duck confit wontons, which came deep-​fried, even though nowhere on the menu does it say they are deep-​fried, had a measly pinch of duck in each of the 5 on my plate. The accompanying sauce was tasty but $ 12 for what is essentially nothing more than the crunchy fried wontons you get for free with your Chinese takeout is ridiculous. The Thai noodle dish with pork was heavy, bland, and without a hint of Thai flavoring. No spicy, sweet, savory, or sour. Thick heavy noodles, definitely not Thai rice noodles, bland and stuck together with a bunch of peanuts tossed in and 3 or 4 shreds of cabbage– nothing else in the way of a vegetable in this dish. To be fair the pork was tasty, which I can’t really understand because the rest of the dish was dreadful. Did one person make the pork and someone else make the rest of the meal?
Any place that only has 6 entrees on the menu and 6 or 8 apps should be able to consistently produce a quality dining experience. Flow does not.

I made reservations at Flow for dinner after a whitewater rafting trip that I had in Jim Thorpe. I went with my wife and a friend, so it was a small, manageable party. Or so we thought.
At first, things went really well. We were seated quickly, and our server was friendly. However, once we placed initial orders, things started to get interesting. We ordered both drinks and appetizers simultaneously, thinking that we would order a bottle of wine with our main course.
It took 20 – 30 minutes for us to discover that the bartender wasn’t interested in making drinks for our table and that some ingredients were «missing» (only after several assurances from our server that the drinks were «coming soon»). My wife even overheard the bartender make an off-​color comment about us asking about our order. In frustration, we ordered our wine and our entrée (the appetizers had arrived 5 minutes after placing the order).
The entrees came quickly after we ordered (we wish the beverage service was as expedient). The dishes were delicious (even though I was still upset about the earlier experience) and we decided to get desserts, which were nothing short of amazing.
It’s a pity that Flow’s service issues sullied my overall impression of the place. The bartender certainly needs to be replaced and there needs to be better coordination between the kitchen and the servers (the food came out way too fast… there was barely enough time to enjoy appetizers before the main course came out). Next time, I’ll probably just do take-​out.
Overall rankings:
Food — 4.0÷5.0
Service — 1.5÷5.0
Ambience/​Décor — 3.5÷5.0

We’ve lived in Jim Thorpe for 6 years, but had never visited this establishment. I’m sorry it took us so long to get in here, because the food was BANGIN’.
The facility itself is a wonderfully old yet beautifully kept building from the 1800s. The visual interest of it is captivating and so unlike modern and boxy utilitarian spaces. The place oozes character, and our staff was friendly and very accommodating.
For those unaware of this trend, the whole «limited menu» thing can be somewhat disconcerting. But a limited menu allows the kitchen to concentrate completely on the dishes provided, do as good a job as possible, and continue to use the freshest proteins and ingedients sourced as locally as possible.
We had the Duck Confit WonTons and Mauch Chunk Chowder to start. Both had a real depth of flavor and were a superb beginning to our meal.
My entrée was the Sea Scallops, prepared with a carrot-​ginger sauce and served over beds of lentils. I’m not a huge lentil fan, but I made a good stab at eating them. Naturally, the scallops were well-​prepared and delicious! As a side, the carrots were delicious and their sauce provided a good dousing for the lentils.
My wife’s entrée was the Free Range Chicken which was wonderfully moist and tasty, prepared with a similar (the same?) sauce as my carrot side. Her side of potatoes fried in duck fat and peas was delicious as well.
Two desserts: Lemon Thyme Panna Cotta and a Chocolate Mousse Pretzel dish not listed on their on-​line menu. Again, both very well executed. The mousse was a touch thick, but understandable as they have to be prepared before hand and refrigerated. Regardless, it was still delicious.
A nice variety of beers available both on-​tap and in the bottle. For a beer snob like me, it was great to have that sleection to choose from and a refreshing change of pace from the usual plebian offerings.
Overall, this place was lovely and we will definitely be back. Despite the tourist trade being the pillar of our local economy, high-​grade offerings in these parts are a rare commodity. Simply put, Flow hit a home run.

Always great every time we cruise down from Scranton! The tastes and service have always been incredible… it’s funny reading some of the reviews… I keep waiting to be let down but instead am pleasantly always stunned by how amazing everything is…

Everything is 5 star!
Ambiance: stylish place and not pretentious. Very interestig pictures around and the best is a flow — right under the restaurant. You could see it though the glass window. There is a little table for two in the corner which has curtains which makes your dinner even more special.
Food: delisious, organic and unusual. I have never had better vefetable stew. Properly cooked meat. Delicious desert (flavoured cheesecake).
Service: so nice that you want to tip $ 30%. You are taken care of for a whole stay.
Very impressed by this place in a little town.

Memorial day weekend, my family and I decided to take an little last minute trip to the Poconos. So on our way back we were looking for somewhere to eat. We hit the tail end of lunch, but they were more than happy to serve us and give us Ideas what to do in town… though unfortunately with it being Memorial Day, most everything was closed.
Anywho, I got the almost famous grilled cheese, husband got the Angus burger and my son got the chicken fingers with fries. The amazing thing about it is they support local and sustainable food market. Which is amazing. It is nice to just run into a place that is trying to do its part.
They have a an art gallery next door, that you can go look at while your meal is cooking, love all the turtle, very beautiful. They also have a kids art gallery, where they kids can play and have fun.
Our food arrived and was piping hot. My son loved the french fries, couldn’t get enough, his chicken strips were juicy, tender and crunchy with a little bit of sweet! The grilled cheese that I ordered was amazing. I ordered it with out the bacon, so it was cheese with tomato on house made bread. SOOO good. like an explosion of flavor in your mouth! My husband like the burger, had to use both hand to eat it, it was so large. The dishes also came with a salad on the side, which was amazing as well.
I will definitely return…

Hubby and I had dinner here Friday night, our first night of our weekend away in the Pokies. The good: our asparagus croque monsieur was phenomenal, with a perfectly poached egg that yielded its yolky sauce the second the white was broken, and goat cheese paired perfectly against the grilled asparagus and crisply toasted bread. The garlic mashed potatoes was also amazing — smooth and gaslight, just the way I like it. My pan-​seared trout was perfectly crisp, tasted smooth and fresh, alongside quinoa that I couldn’t stop eating. And hubby’s short ribs were fall-​off-​the-​bone good, with a side of bright green peas and a smooth as silk risotto. And the pomegranate martinis were so good, we both had 2 last night.
Now the bad: the smooth as silk garlic mashed potatoes came out at the same time as the asparagus appetizer. Our drinks were so good, and i’d like to credit the bartender if only there was one. Alas, it was our waiter that made the drinks, as there was no bartender behind the bar. The quinoa was rather cold against the heat of the trout, and if not for its wonderful flavor I would have asked that the dish be sent back to the kitchen. And, the risotto was room temperature against the heat of the ribs. Again, an inconsistency within the dish, and one not easily overlooked.
I would cough up the inconsistencies we experienced this evening on an overwhelmed kitchen, but as we counted the heads in the restaurant, Hubby and I realized that I’ve served the same number (and more) out of my own kitchen. The wait staff, we understand, has a high turnover rate — and their inexperience in sequencing the front-​of-​house with the back-​of-​house showed. The menu read wonderfully (single page, high-​style dishes), but when there is such a disconnect between the kitchen and the staff, the experience really suffers.
My recommendation: you take the name of the place at its face value. Go with the flow, and understand that things may not be up to par. You may be pleasantly surprised, but only if you do not go in with preconceived notions of the experience you’ll have in the place.
And as for recommendations for the restaurant? Figure out what is causing the disconnect and the turnover in the joint, and you’ll be able to present a really cohesive experience to your customers. Start there, and your food will follow in kind. (and it won’t hurt to warm up the plates — it helps to keep the food warm.)

Hmmm what to say. FLOW is interesting, in a good way. Nice building, nice gallery, nice restaurant, and good food.
I really dig the gallery. Lots of natural light, nice size. You will see the same prints all over in different sizes, and postcards of the prints, but hey, that’s how you make money.
Lets move on to the restaurant, because I do like the food. I have only been there for lunch, so I can not speak to the dinner menu. But I will say their lunch menu, though short, packs a lot of flavor. I have had a few different sandwiches, and none have let me down. I will also add that my fiancé has no complaints about the food either, in fact we like to hit this place up when she has the day off.
The art continues into the restaurant, that is very modern by the way. Speaking or art, the best piece in the place is the view of the old underground river. I don’t want to take away from the real art, I just really like the view.
I will say I have eaten a fair amount of meals in my life in a bar, I do like the atmosphere of a god bar, but I have never had custom made trays placed in front of me. FLOW has some nice wooded trays that are cut to fit over the brass elbow runner and the bar to give you a nice eating space. So simple and so ingenuous!
I am getting hungry writing this, I may have to bring my visitors here for lunch tomorrow.