The Bookstore Speakeasy – Bethlehem, PA – First Impressions
When you go looking for Bethlehem’s new speakeasy, don’t be confused at the almost complete lack of signage out front or the Danielle Steel novels lining the shelves as you get your ID checked…it’s just a front to keep the feds guessing. Step through the curtains leading to the main room and you’re transported to another time, a time “when the cocktail hour was a sacred and revered part of the day”. The Bookstore Speakeasy, located at 336 Adams St in Bethlehem, is Bethlehem’s newest and classiest place to get a drink.
The bookshelves lining the walls, the three piece jazz band, and the candlelight in the room will you let know, if you haven’t already figured it out, that you’re at someplace completely different from the mostly college friendly bars you’ll find on the Southside. The interior and furnishings are exclusively vintage and antique. The cocktail menu can be found pasted into the first couple pages of the hardcover book you’ll find on your table. The only thing missing from this modern day speakeasy is a haze of cigarette smoke in the air.
You’re not going to find Miller Lite, Yuengling Lager, or even Sam Adams at the Bookstore, but what you will find are unique, handcrafted cocktails. Take a look at the cocktail menu and see for yourself. Last night I tried the Old Fashioned with bourbon and the Bookstore cocktail. Both were exquisite, made with fine ingredients and an attention to detail rarely found these days. The large chunks of hand chipped ice were a particularly nice touch. But with that attention to detail and those fine ingredients came an appropriate price tag…$11 each.
This isn’t the place you go to for a bachelor party or to watch the Eagles play. This is a place to unwind with friends and savor your hard earned moment of respite. The Bookstore is something that the Lehigh Valley hasn’t had in roughly nine decades…it’s something that the Southside didn’t know it needed until it had it.
9
488
11 Comments
Lehigh Valley Transplant
11.15.2009
Finally, a place where a bartender will know how to make my favorite sidecar cocktail without looking it up!
Joel Williams
11.23.2009
Sounds good! What’s in that?
Hipster06
11.30.2009
I am VERY disappointed to say the least with The Bookstore. Excited about the potential to have access to a classy yet laid back waterhole with character stood out among the vast amount of college typical bars around the Lehigh Valley. I went with a friend on 11-28-09, a thin blond asked if she may help us, when we asked if we could come into the bar she asked us to wait while she “looked”. She came back and stated that they are filled to capacity and to have us come back in 45 minutes and try again. I asked if we could get our names in, she stated that it was a first come/first serve basis. While exiting the Bookstore and walking to our car, 6 more people (two separate groups) went into the Bookstore and did not come back out. I went back in with my friend just as all 6 individuals were allowed access into the bar. When the blond asked us again if she could help us were told that they were still at full capacity. When she was questioned as to why the prior 6 were allowed in her response was they had tables. I asked her to confirm that it was a first come/first serve basis to which she said yes. She then followed it up with “Just try again in 45 minutes.”
It is hard to determine why my friend and I were not part of the “cool” crowd. Could it be because I was not a tall drink of water or because my friend was not GQ material, I am not sure. Either way I am certain that the sour taste in my mouth from such discrimination and brush off will not permitted me from exploring the prospects that could have been The Bookstore.
Sherry
12.01.2009
Went to the Bookstore Speakeasy on Wednesday 11/25/09 around 7 p.m.! It was FANTASTIC! Was pretty packed, but found one empty seat at the bar! Delicious beer, yummy cheese, very friendly waitstaff. Was treated better than often am as a single female at a bar/restaurant. LOVE IT-WILL BE BACK!
Joel Williams
12.01.2009
Sounds like we have two very different experiences from the Bookstore.
Hipster06, I totally agree with you. Stuff like that should not happen. I don’t know exactly what was going through the mind of the hostess when it all went down, but I’d like to think she wasn’t intentionally discriminating against you. I’m guessing you probably won’t be going back after an experience like that?
Sherry, I’m curious what you (and anyone else) thought about the pricing…was your “delicous beer and yummy cheese” worth whatever they charged you for it? They definitely provide a unique experience at the Bookstore but along with that experience comes a pretty steep price tag.
Justin
12.19.2009
My girlfriend and i attended The Bookstore last night and absolutely loved it!!!! Before we went, we took the liberty of calling to make reservations, of which they said a table would be ready when we got there. Finding it was a little frustrating, but added to the thrill of the experience. The interior was fantastic…appropriately designed for the time era, of which my girlfriend and i both adore. Waitstaff, food, and music were all great. The only thing that we were somewhat disappointed with was the fact that we had to order from a specific (and more expensive) menu due to making reservations for a table. But now we know for the next time, which we plan on doing very soon. Bravo to The Bookstore for creating a unique experience!
J.
12.23.2009
Hipster06….
One thing to keep in mind is that they take reservations AND that there is a band that plays one or two nights a week there. So, the fact is, there very well may have been either people with reservations or it may have been band members. Wrong place at wrong time,… that’s probably the issue here, not “discrimination”??
I’m a regular there and no, its not like that,… no GQ BS either.
I’d say try it again,.. say on Dec. 26. I know a few fellows will be there playing 1920s hot jazz. Something you won’t hear at any other venue!
J.
12.23.2009
…Of course if anyone were dressed like a bum or a slouch that probably won’t help get a table anywhere though either!
Tony
01.01.2010
We went to the Bookstore last night for their New Years Eve dinner, our first time. Got there early and got a close parking spot. However they didn’t bother to clear the snow from the walk in front of the restaurant and my wife just about lost her footing a few times. Not a cool welcome, but hey, we made it. Also disappointed that while we went with the suggested dress-code for a special evening, the folks in front of us were Pizza-Hut ready. Got a great table in the almost too–dark space, The food was interesting but not spectacular. The 20′s trio was great. The main course–lobster tail and fillet mignon was good, but–and this was a shocker–no salt or pepper available! WTF? So bring your own if you go. The deserts too were good but not memorable, diminIshed further by shocker #2: We don’t serve coffee! WTF!! New year’s eve, a nice dinner with lots of drinking, and you don’t serve coffee with desert? What sort of culinary tyrant decides to take salt and pepper and coffee off the table?
Moonshine
02.08.2010
It is intriguing to read the diverse blog posts pertaining to the Bookstore in Bethlehem. There is a wide variety of opinions and understanding of what the owners are trying to accomplish. The Bookstore concept is highly specialized and advanced for the Lehigh Valley. It offers products no one else does. Frankly, I am personally thrilled the valley now offers something different then the same mundane sports/college bar or stereotypical modern restaurant. When I read reviews bashing the bookstore it makes me realize that many people are content with the same old establishments offering the same old products. This is fine, I just find it surprising.
Being well versed with a number of the hardcore cocktail/speakeasy joints in NYC (Milk and Honey, Little Branch, Flatiron Lounge, Dutch Kills…) I can attest that the Bookstore is right on par! In fact, their methodology with their cocktail construction, from hand chipped ice to fresh squeezed juices to chilled vintage glassware to liqueurs to garnishes is spot on! The cocktails they are offering cannot be found anywhere else outside of the Philly or NYC areas. Their pricing of $11 a specialty cocktail is actually quite reasonable considering the quality or ingredients and labor put into the cocktails. Also, notice what other restaurants in the area of charging for cocktails that don’t hold a candle to the bookstores… (…more than $11!)
Now, being more of a beer guru than a cocktail guru, I am floored by their bottle list and draft list. They promote themselves as a cocktail joint, but their beers are unbelievable. Many of the brews on their list are rare and obscure, and difficult to track down. Most of them are different, too, then the 200+ bottles they have at their other restaurant, Tap and Table. Their draft line up (6) is always featuring one off specialty brews, often times more unique then what they have on draft at tap and table! When I read posts about “high” beer prices, I have to chuckle. Their prices are very reasonable, taking into account how expensive cases and kegs are of the beer they buy. If you really know your beer, you’d be floored by their list.
The food offered is also very unique to the valley. They have a cheese list of 10 different cheeses, I believe they are all from Murray’s in NYC. They offer small snacks such as a large pickle, seasoned almonds, chickpea popcorn, etc… They also offer more gourmet sandwiches like a foie gras sandwich, kobe and lamb burger, etc… The most unique aspect of their food program is the 4-course meal you can get from 5-9 for only $35 dollars! The dishes offered seem to always be VERY unique…tripe, squid ink, rabbit, prawns, etc…
Let’s not forget the live 1920′s hot jazz music they have every weekend! They completed the scene for me!
Amazing cocktails, amazing beer, amazing food, amazing music…ALL UNDER ONE ROOF!
One last note about the first post on this blog. Perhaps the 6 people that walked in after you and got in had a reservation for dinner? As far as I know, the Bookstore does reservations for the dinner hour but NOT cocktails. Given the diverse crowd I’ve seen on the inside I can’t imagine them picking who they want to come in based on looks. That thought is a little silly. The Bookstore is a 1920s speakeasy, not an ultra-modern, pretentious night club.
Cheers!
Sally Decker
09.18.2010
Maybe I will give this place a second chance, but the experience was weird. Food was gourmet…but odd, and not enuf of it. Dark…like a speakeasy…but so dark, need a flashlight to get to table. Could hardly see plate of food. One benefit. Apparently, we do eat with our eyes – because I didn’t feel all that hungry not being able to see dinner. Nicely decorated. Good service. Expensive drinks…but very cool. Lots of atmosphere. A good place to bring a date.
Saturday – December 5, 2009 – Anniversary of the Ratification of the 21st Ammendment @ Roosevelt’s 21st : LV Scene | Your Guide in the Lehigh Valley
11.23.2009
[...] and transportation of alcohol for consumption.” During this time speakeasies, like the Bookstore in Bethlehem, sprung up all over our country, numbering in the ten thousands and allowing alcohol loving people [...]
There are no trackbacks to display at this time.