Union & Finch — Restaurant in Allentown

Walking into the restaurant, the front area was noticeably cramped with waiting guests, and seating for those waiting was very limited. The only option was to leave our name with the hostess, meaning we had to remain inside if we wanted to hear it called. The hostess, while not outright rude, seemed visibly unhappy. We were quoted a 10–15 minute wait, but ultimately ended up waiting closer to 30–35 minutes.

During our wait, my partner found a seat after standing for some time. Shortly after, a woman entered carrying several bags and asked to speak with the owner or manager about setting up flyers. The two then proceeded to crowd my partner, setting up materials around them on the surrounding seats and table. Neither acknowledged my partner’s presence until they got up, visibly uncomfortable. Instead of offering an apology, the owner/manager simply laughed and said, “Yeah, I know you just sat down.” The woman also laughed and continued setting up. Ironically, she sat down in the same seat my partner left after 5 minutes of setting up and ended up waiting only 10 minutes for a table—far less time than we did.

Once seated, we were hopeful given that the menu looked appetizing. Our server, while a little slow to check on us, was kind and professional—one of the only bright spots in our experience. We ordered two appetizers: the crab dip (which was delicious) and the Nashville hot chicken tender poutine, requested without pickles. Our server assured us this would be no problem. However, when the dish arrived, it was covered in pickles. We politely informed the food runner, who seemed visibly annoyed as she took the plate back. Less than five minutes later, the dish returned—clearly the same plate with most of the pickles simply removed. The fries still tasted of pickle juice, and when we lifted the chicken, we found pickles still underneath. We set it aside and focused on the crab dip.

When our server returned to check on us, we explained what happened. We were understanding about the kitchen being backed up but disappointed that the dish wasn’t remade properly. She offered to box it up, but we explained that we wouldn’t eat it with the pickle flavor still present. She apologized and informed us that the restaurant’s policy didn’t allow her to remove it from the bill. We accepted this, but it felt unfair that we were charged for a dish that was incorrectly prepared twice and left untouched. It honestly made the establishment seem money-hungry, and gave us a bad impression of the owner/manager.

For entrées, I ordered the chicken and waffles. The waffle was cold and hard, and it was only half of a waffle rather than a full serving. I’d rate it a 1/5. My partner ordered the steak frites with arugula, fries, and au poivre sauce (which had a $3 upcharge). The dish arrived piled onto a plate that seemed too small, with about two-thirds of it consisting of fries. The arugula wasn’t dressed with oil or lemon, and the steak was missing the sauce entirely. It took another seven minutes after the food arrived for our server to bring the sauce, although she didn’t acknowledge or apologize for us having received our food without it. She just stated the sauce was really good.

Overall, the restaurant had a charming atmosphere, but the experience was disappointing. The only consistently positive aspect was our server, who remained kind and professional despite the circumstances.

Unfortunately, the management came across as indifferent and, frankly, dismissive—particularly in how my partner was treated while waiting and in how they handled the issue with our food. The owner/manager repeatedly walked past our table, making eye contact, but never once checked in or offered any acknowledgment of the earlier situation.

With so many dining options available, a restaurant needs more than just good aesthetics—it needs quality service and accountability. The food was also pricier than it should have been given the quality and the frequent errors. I’ve had better and cheaper food at a diner. Based on this visit, I...

I was pretty excited to try this place based on the menu and the interesting sounding combos. Went tonight and was seriously let down by the delivery. I still like the idea of most of the stuff on the menu, but I am not sure I am in a hurry to go back to let them have a second try at my business. The building and layout is beautiful. Lovely bar and dining area. Maybe a bit loud, but nice. Lots of good beer and drinks. Now for the food... I was interested in the Pat Lafrida Beef so I went with the sliders and the poutine. How could I go wrong? The poutine said it came with curds and duck gravy. Pretty exciting in my book. Well, the curd was actually a drizzle of sorts. And to my delight (not) they used goat cheese. I mean who does that without at least warning you first. Goat cheese has its place in this world, but you either like it or you don't. Putting goat cheese on poutine could merit an act of war from our northern neighbors. Anyway, the duck gravy was also a pretty major let down too. It honestly reminded me of a gravy pack you would buy at the grocery store. I have had duck gravy that is epic. This wasn't even remotely good (to my taste). The sliders were tiny, which is okay, but they were over cooked and pretty boring. We were going to get the brook trout, but decided to go with the stuffed shrimp entree. It was pretty on the plate, but just a total bummer from a flavor profile. The shrimp were very shrimpy tasting. Like not in a good way. The crab stuffing was good, but nothing to get excited about. The pasta was straight up lame. Butter and noodles would have been on par. So anyhow, I don't want to rip on this place as I would love to see it thrive. It reminds me of something I would find in the Portland neighborhoods. I just think they can up their execution of the great ideas they already have on paper. And who knows, maybe we just hit a bad night or ordered the wrong items, but still...

Went here for our wedding anniversary for a change of pace (we usually go to Bear Creek). Food was average for a gourmet gastropub menu. Atmosphere was relaxed and bright, but it was uncomfortably humid because the air conditioning was off. Luckily, somebody complained and they turned it on.

I ordered the Moules Frites and 6-piece wings for my appetizer. Wings were pretty good. Half of the mussels were unopened and the top half had no broth, though. I opened the unopened mussels with my butter knife. The fries were soft kind of like they were shoved into a container and the moisture from the heat made them soggy. Belgians would be insulted.

I ordered The Roadside Burger for my entree. It was above average, but lacked flavor. Five Guys is my favorite because they're consistent, so I tend to compare every burger to theirs. This burger gets 3 out of 5 stars on my burger scale. It was served with more soggy fries.

We didn't order any dessert because nobody came back to check on us after we received our entrees. Our glasses were empty for quite some time. I bet we waited at least a half hour to get our check and the only reason that we didn't wait longer is because we asked for it.

We had two waiters. Both were focused on the outdoor dining area. They'd take an order then head directly to the kitchen. No checking in on tables that were already served. The service was out of sync. Maybe everyone assumed that their teammate was taking care of refills and asking how the food came out?

Service is just as important as the food... They could've grossed another $30-$40 off of us if they refilled our beers and offered us dessert. Instead, we had to request our check and rush home.

This is my second time eating here. The first time didn't impress me, either. In my opinion, it's just overpriced bar food trying too hard...