The Bookstore Speakeasy, Bethlehem PA

Unfortunately not surprised to see this place closing its shutters abruptly and not honoring people's reservation deposits after operating without a liquor license for the past six months.

My husband and I made a dinner reservation here some months back - we were sat at our table and waited for our server to come by. We waited for over an hour. No one came by to speak to us once. The place was not overcrowded. After an hour we left and walked down the street to The Social Still where we received great service. It's a shame because the place has a cozy speakeasy vibe, but the service has become slipshod, the food inconsistent, and the cocktails unremarkable. Maybe someday it could be a good establishment again under more scrupulous management.

I love the cocktails, food, and atmosphere. The issue is that it's impossible to communicate with them about their hours and reservations. I'd managed to drop in and sit at the bar a few times. Since then, I have twice tried to get a reservation. The first time I called, emailed, and messaged on Facebook without any response. The second time I booked a reservation 3+ weeks in advance only for it to be rejected the day before the reservation a week after my email inquiring about the status was ignored. I really don't know how people manage to get a reservation here. It's great if you can get it but I'm truly confused about how people do so.

Closed for repairs or a massive extermination of roaches? Probably the roaches. I lived in that building and the roach infestation was too much. All the roaches crawled up from the lower level.
Or maybe it was the late night after closing drug and alcohol parties the employees & owner used to have.
Or maybe they didn't pay their rent again.

I was super excited to visit the Bookstore- I had planned a girls night in town and I had friends drive from all over the state to meet here. We made a reversion far in advance, got dressed up and ubered to the location. Upon arrival we were greeted with a handwritten note on the door saying that are closed temporarily. If we had known this ahead of time, we would’ve been able to change our plans. I was not notified once about the closure- and I understand that things happen but I feel since I paid a heafty deposit that I should’ve been contacted or at least gotten an automated response that my reservation was cancelled. I emailed the business about getting my $60 deposit back and have not heard back.

We planned our whole evening around these reservations, and the night could’ve been salvaged if we knew ahead of time that we had to change our plans. It was very frustrating to arrive at the time of our reservation after getting all dressed up and taking an Uber, just to find out that we had no where to go.

Luckily, there’s a dive bar down the street (mollys) that we got some drinks at instead. Otherwise there’s not much around the location- make sure you call and see if they’re actually open when you attend your reservation because it seems they won’t go out of their way to let you know!

Place is closed, but doesn’t tell you anywhere. Do not go. We had a reservation and got dropped off by an Uber only to find a paper note on the door that says closed. Very disappointed.

Not sure what happened to this place. I used to love coming here every year with my husband during the holiday season. Anyways, do not make a reservation here! They are closed, but will still take your deposit money! I have called, messaged. No one gets back to you.

I have to say, I'm extremely disappointed as we made a reservation 2 months out and I understand that things happen, but we got our email confirmation at 5pm that day and we're in route after we booked a hotel for the weekend to go here to not see an email till we were on our way for our 7pm reservation that our reservation was cancelled. No explanation.

Since we're already there, we ended up going to the place and see a sign on the door that they were closed for 'unexpected circumstances'. I mean, call people at least and explain it as their phone just rang off the hook.

Horrific customer service and will never even try to book again. Avoid at all costs as if this is how they treat customers, I can't imagine what the actual place is like.

Avoid avoid avoid!

Sadly, I was scammed when using their reservation system. I booked a table for 6 and paid $60. When we arrived, the place was closed, locked, and “temporarily” under construction! When I contacted the Bookstore to reconcile no one returned my calls or emails.: (I am disappointed to say the least!

We had a reservation for over a month. Two hours before the reservation I get an email from a third party- host me- saying the reservation has been canceled. I tried calling the restaurant and it said the mailbox was full. We took an Uber there to find a sign that said they’re closed for repairs. Very bad business to not call people when canceling a reservation two hours prior.

Do not trust this restaurant with terrible service. Attempted to make reservations for a large group. They never confirmed the reservation nor returned calls yet charged $100. This is not how any good restaurant/bar should be run and with no follow up. Beware. We called over three times and left messages.

10/28/23 - We had Confirmed reservations for 8 pm but sign on door said they were closed? ! We came from near Philly- got no call letting us know this!
Bad business practice!
Never again!

Made reservations online to have a special night with my fiancé only to find an unprofessional piece of paper at the door saying that they are (closed off) so disrespectful, I can see this place is closing soon

Awesome spot! The atmosphere is exactly what I imagined a speakeasy would be! Great jazz too!

100 ️! Feel the perspective! One of the best spots in the United States (if not the world). Yes, you heard me. Nestled within the backdrop of critical American and World history. An original speakeasy location. The National Museum of Industrial History and the ruins of Bethlehem Steel are a walk away. I have eaten at the best restaurants in the world. I have worked in fine dining and waited on household names. I worked with serious chefs! Never have the bartenders been the mixologists that my grandfather was—who lived to 100. I saw my grandfather in his youth come to life. A lost art! Step back in time for authentic old fashioned service. The candlelit atmosphere disengages the atmosphere from stress and technology. The service is class, pace and elegance allowing for meaningful conversation and interaction. The food is creative, traditional, thoughtful and comforting. Something for everyone. I felt like I was being served in paradise. The glasses were clean! The music was top notch and tasty. The service and management were above and beyond! My uncle was visiting from out of town and he was smiling with joy the entire time—a successful musician himself who knows music. So was everyone else there—happy! Special and historic, this is where the steelworkers who built and defended America congregated. The mills and museum nearby. Where the brains and brawn of the world came to diversify our country and build it solid. All my friends from NYC are always in awe! Special, special, special! Eating in the Lehigh valley can disappoint, and then there is this hidden gem that says you don’t have to cook at home tonight!

An interesting concept. It's a public bar with a speakeasy feel.
I say public, but they work mostly on reservations. They say they allow walk-ins but you'll wish you had made a reservation. The atmosphere is very cool, the bar staff is awesome. The drinks are expensive.
Make. A. Reservation. They'll be very apologetic as you walk out after waiting 20 minutes, but I think that's by design to enforce the reservation policy. I get it.

This establishment deserves a negative ️

Earlier today I had my birthday dinner at this restaurant which was a total disaster. We showed up right on time for our reservation, but the hostess vanished for 15 minutes after promising to check on our table. She returned, only to disappear again for another 10 minutes. What's the point of reservations if we can't sit on time and have to pay extra for parking meters?

When finally seated, our waitress Shaniece (I know her name only from our check) didn't even say hello or asked for our drink orders. We waited for 15 minutes before we had to call for someone ourselves. She didn't write anything down, so when she brought the drinks, she mixed them up and had to ask what we ordered. In another 20 minutes we had to flag down another waiter to find Shaniece so we could place our order because we were starving and she was never around.

To be honest, we should have left at that point, but we gave her a chance. During the meal, Shaniece never came by our table. We had to get her attention when she was serving another table since we needed more water. She brought a pitcher, plopped it on the table, and left without a word. We skipped my birthday dessert because we just wanted to leave and never come back.

Not even once during the whole evening we experienced any kind of hospitality. The drinks were weak, the food was just okay, and Shaniece's response when I ordered my steak medium was baffling. She said “well.you know.emm…the steak …emm…is thin…so you know… emm…just wanted to let you know” I don’t think she even knew what she wanted to say.

We got even more disappointed when we got back home and looked at the bill. We discovered that we were charged for a drink twice. This was a seriously awful experience, not worth time or money. If they charge us 25% gratitude we will be disputing it with our bank.

️️ only for musicians. They were great!
Even though the sound bounced of the walls and it was very loud but it’s not their fault.

Cozy, warm atmosphere, excellent service and food. Spent a great evening with my daughter and cousin enjoying music, great food and great service.