Bar Louie opened recently in the Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley. We were each out running some errands and decided to meet up in the middle for an early lunch. We went in at 11:30- they opened at 11, so we figured this was an early enough time without walking in right as they opened. It was fairly empty, and we opted to take a low maintenance seat in one of the comfy chairs at the bar. The space was an odd mixture- the seating, tables, booths, etc were all on the elegant and classy side… but the bar decor and the general staff vibe seemed to say that they were aiming for a casual, “this is a place you get drunk” kind of environment. Side note- it was also freezing in there!!
Once seated, we were greeted fairly quickly. There were silverware and bar plates set in front of each seat already-unfortunately, my plate, T’s plate, and the plate to my right all had some chunky food residue on them… You could tell they had gone through the dishwasher, but perhaps the dishwasher was overfilled, or maybe the food was already stuck on before they went in…whatever the case, it was quite off-putting. We didn’t need them, so we just ended up stacking them and setting them aside…
Well-stocked bar
Unfortunate plates
We placed our order: The Louie burger with fries ($10.75) for T and the chicken parm slides with tots ($10.95) for me. Considering how empty they were, the food took a remarkably long time- just about 25 minutes. We were a bit worried as we awaited the arrival of our plates. We had seen some poor reviews online, and the unpleasant plate incident didn’t give us much hope. But, after receiving the sandwiches, we were relatively pleasantly surprised. It wasn’t mind-blowing, but I’d go so far as to call it slightly above average- mainly driven by those chicken parm sliders. They were listed as an app, but the
Yummy sliders
portion was definitely enough for a meal. The sliders had grilled chicken thigh meat- the good juicy stuff. They had fresh tomato and spinach, asiago cheese, marinara, and pesto mayo. As I write this, I’m actually starting to crave those bites. They were cheesy and had a nice hit of spice. And the bun- the bun was so awesomely toasted that I could hear and feel a crunch when I bit into it. Perfect complement to the gooey cheese and tender meat. Would totally eat again.
The burger was… ok. The brioche bun was beautifully toasted like the buns on the sliders. The meat was cooked well, but not seasoned, and didn’t have any char or any type of good crust. There was plenty of provolone, and the pickle and giardiniera were a nice touch. Overall kind of tasty, but nothing special.
Giardinera burger
Fries
The service did become much less attentive over time. Our server checked in on us at one point when both of our sodas were empty and did not offer a refill. Once she had delivered our food, she put our check in a glass and was pretty much gone. Then, when we were clearly done and had place the card in the aforementioned glass, she walked by without even acknowledging us. It took us flagging her down so that we could give her our money.
So it wasn’t a super experience (aside from those parm sliders). I can’t imagine it gets much better than what we experienced. I would say if you’re up for an interesting place to have a drink and get a snack, this could be a good destination. The space is pretty big and open, so it would probably be good for groups as well. However, if you’re looking for some type of delicious meal with great service, this might not be the place you put at the top of your list.
Food/Drinks: 14/20
Service: 6/10
Total: 20/30