Notch Eight Craft House — Restaurant in Jim Thorpe

Place was popping for a nice Saturday in Jim Thorpe around 4pm, my two friends and I squeezed into the window seat bar area where there was a gentleman already sitting and drinking wine. Seemed like a super chill place, people were coming and going. Was confused on how to order since it was a small place with no actual seating besides the bar, window seat area and along the wall where there were stools and a high top counter facing the wall. There was not a bartender coming around the actual bar area to take orders or directions on what to do. Another bartender came on so then there was 3 for like 25 people. After 15 minutes a couple left the actual bar so my friend and I took their seats with our friend sitting behind us at the window seat to hopefully get some service. The bartenders seemed to strike up conversations with other people at the bar and people coming in they chatted with but still while sitting at the bar for 10-15 minutes we were not be acknowledged. A group around the corner of 5-6 people got up so my friends and I moved over there to all sit in a row on the longer end of the “L” sharped bar. There was still no acknowledgement we were sitting there while the bartenders cleaned up the bar in front of us, beside us and waited on people on both sides of us. Literally sat there for at least 15 more minutes just waiting for even smile, water or even eye contact. The bartender had even been on her phone showing the other one something. I’m not sure if “Notch eight” is prejudiced and don’t take to tourists well, as this is my first time in Jim Thorpe but my friends and I are not impressed. We’re in our late 20’s and love to splurge on unique places with good food and drinks. I would have easily bought an app, sandwich and a couple drinks and left a hefty tip for good service. We were so disappointed and displeased with the lack of compassion and acknowledgement. It honestly made us feel so out of place and just judged. We left after almost 40 minutes of being in the establishment with still no acknowledgement. The most horrific service I’ve ever experienced and honestly I’ll let everyone know not to go here that...

During our weekend getaway to Jim Thorpe, my fiancé and I stopped in here because it seemed like the best place for food and drinks in town. This was on a Friday, and it was so packed and crowded with no indication of slowing down that we left and went somewhere else.

We tried again the next night. Still crowded, but much less so. After waiting around for about ten minutes some spots cleared up and we were able to sit down. The first thing we noticed was that, even before we sat down, the bartenders and waiters were constantly checking in on us to see how we were doing and if we needed anything. Not calling out from behind the bar, actually walking up to us personally and speaking with us. It felt very personable and friendly.

We ordered some drinks, including The Dude and some other mixed fruity drinks, and I have to say they were some of the best mixed drink experiences I've ever had. Absolutely delicious and I ended up drinking way more than I'd intended. Cannot sing the praises of their cocktails enough. I think the most impressive part was how fast they got them to us, despite how busy it was.

For dinner, we got the cheesesteak eggrolls as an appetizer, which were delicious, and we both got the smash burger as our entrée, on the waitress' recommendation, who said it would be the best burger we've ever had. I don't know if it was the best burger I've ever had, but it was damn close. So many complex flavors and cooked to absolute perfection. The fries were delicious and I was happy that they were able to get me some vinegar for them on request.

Overall, the service, drink, and food was phenomenal. If there's one thing I could say as a critique, it's that the building is quite small and thus gets very crowded. It can feel like an every-man-for-himself situation when trying to find a seat on a busy night. But that just goes to show how good they are: everyone wants...

To be fair, it was my own fault for not promptly exiting after entering an establishment that has the gall to have no A/C on when the current temperature is 87 degrees or so in a town that relies on tourism. Failure to do so shows me how little you value your staff and customers. Nevertheless, it was about to rain so I sat down in a dark and dreary restaurant that has all of 20 seats. Half of these seats have you crammed against a literal brick wall which doubles as your view as you precariously balance yourself upon the cheapest chairs imaginable and crane your neck backwards in order to awkwardly speak to the staff.

Drinks were okay but boasted little alcohol and failed to cool me. The food (despite the Facebook posturing and hype) was poorly executed and frankly appalling.

The $15 dollar "smoked chicken" nachos contained a handful of chicken chunks that had no flavor. The nacho chips themselves were straight out of a bag and paired with COLD queso, a heap of lettuce, an abundance of pickled red onion, jarred salsa and HALF FROZEN guacamole. I could not separate the hunk that was served to me with my fork and thus left it alone. My husband's Nashville hot sliders were decently flavored but were overcooked, dry and literally quite difficult to swallow. The waitress did not inquire why he had to dissect each slider with a knife and abandoned half of each sandwich. I suppose some things are better left unsaid.

My Korean BBQ pork tacos were okay (vaguely Asian pretensions) but not worth their price tag. 2 out of 3 of the tacos were tender with the last one bearing a jerky quality much like the chicken. The meal in total cost us $70 dollars for us to linger 40 minutes max because of the miserable environment. Who in the world is coming here for ambience? You are better off taking a seat on the sidewalk outside...