Musikfest Café — Attraction in Bethlehem

We attended the John Waite show, and not only was he amazing (as usual) but the venue is too! Parking is a little farther than I like, but there's always plenty of it, and there is a nice little drop off spot right out front. You can take the elevator or stairs right up, and there are tons of friendly volunteers to take your tickets or point you where you need to go. Actually, we were escorted right to our seats, which were at the bar. Sounds weird, but it was fine. There's not a bad seat in the house! We couldn't always understand/hear what he was saying, so it would be great if they directed the sound system off to the sides a bit. The bar had a great selection of drinks, expensive so be prepared!

We were hungry and looked at a menu, which had some interesting items along with typical bar food. What we didn't expect was how good it was! We ended up sharing chicken fingers and French fries because we didn't want to have to carry a to go box, but it was a generous portion and had to request a box anyway. The chicken was real chicken 😄 and it and the fries were seasoned to perfection. I found out they do catering, which explains why it was so delicious! The two women who waited on us were super friendly, which being a former server, I'm always grateful for. The bathrooms are convenient and clean. I highly recommend catching a show here when you have the chance! Ticket prices are also very reasonable! Plus, from where I was sitting, I got to run and get a picture with the man himself, John Waite. Go, you...

The whole SteelStacks development is a cool and multifunctional venue for the Bethlehem area. Musikfest cafe itself is a good space for music, and the food, drinks, and service are top notch. Only tradeoff is the short menu, which is improved by frequent changes. It can still be limiting for people with dietary issues, particularly more than one. The service staff was great about accommodating both our pescatarian diets and a rare food allergy, though, so kudos to them! Dessert was amazing. The worst thing about Musikfest Cafe is finding it. There is no clear directory either online or at Steelstacks of where things are, and the website still has references to a restaurant that isn't there anymore. I suspect like so many other Pennsylvania places, though, the people in charge aren't thinking in terms of visitors from elsewhere. The assumption often seems to be that everyone here is fifth-generation and you'll just...know. Even with something new. I know a lot of people would never deduct a star for this, but I really care about clarity and organization. Making it easy to visit your space is the difference between a four and a...

Good bookings, sound and stage are great, almost all of the seats offer a good view, friendly volunteer staff.

A big downside for us is that other than the french fries, the food sucks. We've started to eat elsewhere before the show. The other day, the sole dessert option was barely thawed freezer burned cheesecake, yum!

A challenge for all of us these days, is how to be indoors safely in close proximity with other people. My wife and I have both had covid, with me in the hospital. We are both vaccinated and very careful. When we receded at our table with strangers, I asked if they were vaccinated, to which they replied no. They grudgingly put masks on and were only fairly diligent with it thereafter. It was not a pleasant atmosphere and they were less than diligent about keeping them on.

I don't know the answer for this type of situation. They used to segregate restaurants and planes with smoking and nonsmoking sections, do we need to do that for vaccinated and unvaccinated in restaurants...