Ringers Roost — Restaurant in Allentown

This is an operation that commands respect. Here's what I've noted: 1) Though depending upon the time of one's visit and the heft of the crowd and considering the staffing problems that currently plague this industry, I have observed that this restaurant utilizes a team approach, that the server and support staff coordinate, at least in my experience pretty seamlessly. 2) I have yet to encounter through about a half dozen visits, even one negatively charged employee. This never happens by accident. 3) The culture of this place, the interactions of staff members and customers, the vibe - relaxed and professional. You want friendly kibitzing, they sense it. You want straightforward time constrained service, they'll do their best to deliver that. They appear to be keyed in to the customer. 4). The food is abundant and tasty. Very good, some things great, like the pierogies. The full menu may not rise to a 5 star valuation; however the people at Ringers Roost clearly care about your experience, and have a desire to make the entire dining experience thoroughly enjoyable. It appears to me that he owners/managers/staff have made a commitment to continuous improvement and are vigilant that the customer owns their attention and respect. 5) The ambience is utilitarian and convivial, the latter largely an outgrowth of staff selection, retention and training. 6). I should have done a better job of collecting names so that I might do justice to this review. I do remember Vanessa, who I believe works on Fridays. She's a fine example of what this review describes. 7) As an aside, at one visit maybe 5 months ago, we're a table of 5 family members, we had a server who might just be a candidate for professional stand-up comedy. I mean she had fire, a great delivery without missing a beat on everything practical that a fine server must perform in that position.

Strongest...

This is exactly what you expect... A pub/bar atmosphere with a decent enough menu. Came here for lunch while visiting my son at college. Decided on a bunch of appetizers.

Food - we started with Chili and French onion soup. Chili was hearty but sweet. Had very little actual chili flavor but wasn't bad, just not what I expected. French onion soup had a delicious bubbly layer of cheese but an undersalted and very weak broth... We speculated it was chicken not beef broth. hot wings were Crispy but certainly not spicy. Not sure what mild would have been like but these were no where near medium let alone hot. Prime rib spring rolls were good but also sweet and the cheese dipping sauce needed to be heated more because it looked like congealed aoili and it wasn't until I tried it that I realized it was cheese. Tuna Tar Tar was nice tuna chunks, unseasoned, over guacamole. Not what we expected but good. And calamari was tasty but way over fried.

Soda was flat and needed syrup... Didn't alcohol because we were driving home after our visit.

Service was friendly and good.

Overall my son said he'd come back but not sure I'd need to. It has a ton of potential and food is okay... But certainly not anything I'm...

One of the best spots for visitors and locals alike on the West End theater district. Fun Decor, outside seating for warmer days and nights, great bar. The food is served until 10 pm. Food quality is darn good and ranges from gourmet tapas to just plain delicious sandwhiches. They do excellent tacos here too.

Wide ranging beer selection with decent taps and bottles in the fridge, porters and IPAs are the exotics, though some Sours and weird beers are making the scene. They have specials that rock if you like champion craft on draft.

Like the best town taverns, Ringers has a friendly vibe and often leads to meeting new friends of all ages. The music is jukebox but usually good if you love classic rock, r and b or modern indie pop. It can and will get crowded any night during a game (TVs at the bar) or just a weekend or holiday.

The Roost has a large dining room as well. It's a great spot just a few blocks down from Liberty Tavern and around the corner from The Shanty and Callahans. Those others are worth a visit, but Ringers is special. The staff is usually wonderful, and often beautiful. But always on point and...