Notch Modern Kitchen & Bar — Restaurant in Lower Macungie Township

2nd time having dinner at the bar and tonight was just beyond disappointing. 2 bartenders on duty- 1 female/1 male. The female took care of us so I guess that meant that the male didn't have to speak to us, because he never did. We were seated directly in front of the taps and he poured at least 6 beers directly in front of - literally eye level with us and 1foot away from us - but never said one word to us. Not one. Really makes a for a warm and welcoming environment!

We are bar people, meaning that we prefer bar seating because it's normally more of a fun and sociable atmosphere, with really attentive service from the bartenders. Definitely not the case at Notch! No conversations whatsoever with the 2 bartenders, and they certainly weren't conversing with any other guests either. For our entire 90-min visit we were subjected to looking at an infomercial of children with deformed mouths, which was extremely inappropriate and disturbing to have to look at while we tried to eat. On the other tv, was a channel showing Florida storms from 12 years ago. Both programs were on for over 1 hour, which shows how little attention-to-detail any of the staff members pay to their surroundings. Surely at 7pm on a Saturday night there must have been at least one sporting event that could've been playing or shut the tv's off altogether.

If I looked 1 foot to my left, I was subjected to looking at 10-20 dirty glasses at any given time. I wondered how much more efficient the food runner would be if every time he delivered a dish to the bar and walked back to the kitchen empty-handied, but instead carried a few dirty glasses back with him, imagine what a difference that would make?! Again, clearly no one paying attention to details.

We started with the Crispy Calamari and unfortunately sent it back because the coating was soggy with a gummy texture and doused completely with salt.

A server then placed 2 entrees directly in front of us, which we told him were not ours. They sat in front of us for a good 5 seconds before he figured out who they belonged to, which was the couple sitting next to us. Ironically, they ended up sending back those 2 entrees (Ramen bowls) complaining about the sauce and the salt.

Our entrees arrived and as you can see, my $36 Scallop entree was a bowl full of bland rice with 4 inconsistently cooked Scallops. One and a half Scallops were completely charred and disgustingly tough, and no surprise that they were also covered in salt.

I made a stop in the ladies room before leaving. Very unkempt, no toilet paper in one stall and no soap at one sink.

So for $150 for 2 people, we'll take our business elsewhere. 2 beers, 1 glass of wine, 1 cocktail and 2 entrees. Sorry Notch, but according to your website you offer "an exquisite dining experience". Based on our 2 visits, along w a number of other recent online reviews, you have to do better than this! Plenty of other amazing restaurants that pay attention to their customers and care about their...

I stopped by on a rainy Tuesday to check this place out. I had 0 expectations coming in other than I browsed the menu online and it looked interesting. A friend and I tried out a few drinks, appetizers and main courses. I own a few businesses myself and I understand the hurdles and difficulties in the beginning so I'm going to make this as constructive and useful as possible in the event that the owner reviews these. I would like to see this place flourish, it is in a great location and were the food reflective of the prices offered it would be a decent spot. Aesthetically this place is wonderful. Great decor, bright open atmosphere and nice lighting. The wait staff was great, friendly and attentive. Unfortunately the one thing that matters, that I was looking forward to - the food, was not as pleasing. I'm by no means a professional chef but I do like to cook in my free time and I've been to countless higher end restaurants all over the U.S. and abroad. I always get a little nervous when I see huge portions come out of the kitchen and this was no different. I tried the Notch Salad per the menu. Everything in the salad was fresh, but fell flat as far as flavor goes. Bland dressing and probably 4 times more salad than I expected to see on my plate. Pears, peanuts, pickled cucumbers, radishes and greens were in the mix, and nothing really stood out. Main course was Red Snapper and the same theme carried out here. The fish itself was twice as big as it should have been and was surrounded by a tomatilo relish and slaw. The entire dish was visually, very unappealing which can be something I can get past if the taste is there, and that was not the case unfortunately. The fish was inside a giant shell of breading and was actually fairly moist, but was lost to the rest of the flavors on the plate. I couldn't get through half of it. If I go somewhere relatively fancy to eat, and spend over $100 for two people I expect it to be better than what I can prepare at home, or at least on par with. Very rarely can I not find a single component that I enjoy between appetizers, drinks, and main courses, and I struggled to do so with the dishes we had. My friend ordered Scallops and a miso corn chowder. I did not try the soup, but the scallops seemed to be previously frozen, and a bit on the chewy side. Both main courses were served with rice sides (again, large portions of) and those just fell short. I don't know what I would say advice wise, but I would start with looking into a better chef, if I were the owner I would hit a few of the renowned higher end restaurants in the Lehigh Valley and sample a few of their dishes to see if I was happy with the direction of Notch. I like to try a few different dishes from restaurants that I enjoy but I don't foresee myself stopping back here. I do hope that this restaurant does well however,...

Update: Jan 2022...

How do you feel about paying 10% more for a take-out order?

I stopped in on my way home to place a take-out order and when the bill sounded a bit too high I asked for a breakdown of the charges and found out there was a "take-out" charge added to my bill which I would not have known about had I not questioned the price. Really? Especially during these times with Covid and more people taking out vs sitting in to dine to try and be a bit more safe. I think about all the folks I know who made a point of taking out food when the restaurants were closed down for indoor dining... We were trying to support our local restaurants and this is the thanks we get. Think about that. Also think about why anyone should pay more to take-out food vs dining in? One less contact for your servers, I won't dirty a table, I won't use your bathroom facilities, you don't have to serve me and use dishes, glassware and silverware that will need to be washed. And as for the take-out containers, if I had dined in and wanted to bring leftovers home, you would supply them free. So why am I charged more for a take-out order? Needless to say I canceled my order and probably will never utilize your establishment again. I have eaten here before and very much enjoyed it, enough to bring others to your restaurant and to recommend to even more folks.. now I will share this experience too. One last note... I'm a recent widow and I don't dine out alone, it would only serve as a reminder of my missing partner...so all I wanted to do was bring myself a nice dinner home... I never expected I'd have to pay more to do just that.

Sorry, but your response to my remarks does not change how I feel. And it also upset me that your surcharge was not told to me upfront... I was only made aware of it because I questioned my bill. If you feel a 10% surcharge is so warranted, why hide the fact that it exists?! Btw, one would think the extra help needed for take out orders would be for kitchen staff, not wait staff relying on tips. Again, just very disappointed.

Original Review - 2021 Great service and really good food. Loved almost everything I've tried so far. Great Pad Thai and love the appetizers.... the dumplings, the sweet potato wontons and the kimchi hummus are sooo good. And though mostly Thai, they make an awesome burger. My only gripe is I do find some of their selections & drinks to be a bit on the...