Shula’s Steak House

SHULAS CLOSED on Jan 7^th, 2016! Sadly though since their move to Allentown their quality and especially service went way down hill! We frequented the Promenade Shulas many times. We tried the Allentown Shulas once and never wanted to go back! It lost so much luster!
I am sorry but when you paying those prices for dinner I expect an attentive server, that I did NOT get from the Atown place! When we would go to Shula’s at the Promenade they had a real old school professional wait staff, and I appreciated their attention to detail. I don’t know if the Atown place hired more college kids or what but our service sucked!
Plus the meal was no where near what we used to get from the Promenade Shulas!
Their managers should have taken a poll of what patrons thought of them moving! I KNEW it was a bad idea! Alot of people in Allentown don’t want to pay those prices, but you had the older clientele from Saucon Valley that wouldn’t mind paying for that type of meal! The move made it to far for me to drive then if I had a few cocktails!
So sad so see the Promenade Shulas go :(but it doesn’t bother me that the Allentown Shulas closed up! Now where do I go for a shrimp cocktail of their caliber? I will miss them for sure! Maybe they will set up shop in Philly?

They over cooked everyone’s steak, was out of two of the main alcohols, and the waitress messed up our receipt and actually came up to our table and asked for a tip since something happened with the gratuity.

We loved this place prior to the move to the new building. However, every trip back has been disappointing. Tonight they were out of blueberry vodka which is the main ingredient in their best drink. Then the steaks were all over cooked. I showed the server my steak (which was medium well even though I ordered medium rare) and she told me it looked correct. Next, dessert came and they were out of kahlua & baileys… pretty simple after dinner drinks. Lastly, they added extra money onto our bill because of «their new system» and the server inappropriately asked for a larger tip. Most likely won’t be back.

Tried this place out during restaurant week and will definitely be going back! I had the black and blue steak salad and it was AMAZING! First of all the portion was humongous. Second of all it tasted awesome. The steak was melt in your mouth tender with perfect seasoning. The blue cheese dressing was really, really good. The warm bread they brought out for all of us was awesome!
I loved everything about my meal! My friends both had burgers and loved them too. YUM!

Great food. Excellent service. One of the best steakhouses I have tried in US (better than Miami Shula’s). Our server went above and beyond to treat our table well.
I will be back to this location.

Had dinner here with my husband following a show at the PPL Center. Food was good (mashed potatoes were to die for!) but mediocre service made the experience disappointing for the price we paid. Silverware and glasses on the table were not polished and covered in water spots. Had to ask several times for water glasses to be filled during the meal. Bread was served without butter, which we never received (we gave up after asking for it twice). Waitstaff could use some training and a bit more «polish» in the way they speak to customers (i.e. addressing me and my husband as «you guys»). Service would been good if we were in Applebees — I just expected a bit more from a place where we were paying three times as much.

Terrible service from start to finish. Food was adequate. For these prices we won’t be back any time soon.

This review is for Lunch on a weekday. I wasn’t expecting much from this place at first because I usually just visit 4 Star with 20 Plus Unilocal reviews Restaurants. I just happen to have a $ 25 coupon and decided what the hell. Nice place prices are on the high side for the area but the service was good (Maybe because it was a slow weekday).
I asked the server if they were accepting my coupon before I ordered (Bad Idea) but I didn’t want to get stuck with an extra $ 25 on my bill if they said no. The service was still good and they were happy to accept my coupon with no problems. I did tip the server for what the original price would have been I think that’s appropriate if you use any coupons.

Atmosphere is nothing like the old Center Valley location. Shulas used to be a great special occasion restaurant. They invested nothing in the décor. It feels like a steakhouse you would find in a mid-​level hotel.
Food was still good. However, the service was awful. We asked to split the wedge salad. They used to split it for you at Center Valley. They did not at Allentown and then the waiter told us they had been trained not to do that.
The bar was not crowded and we still had to flag down a bartender to get service.
Needless to say we miss the Center Valley location and staff. Unfortunately, we will not be visiting Shulas in Allentown again.
Very disappointed fans of Shulas–

The old location in the Promenade Shops was a better experience. service was a better. Service at Allentown was mediocre, not of the same etiquette as the previous location. Most notable was our steaks were not sizzling but were luke warm. Atmosphere was loud like a cafeteria, not warm. Won’t be making the trek to Allentown from Stroudsburg for this type of experience. Disappointed.

One of if the best steak I’ve ever had. They offer house signature sauces for the steaks but just pass on them, you will enjoy the steak just as it is in all its glory. Sides are huge and made for sharing. Massive baked potato and delicious corn for us.
Parking is a bit of a challenge and you don’t want to stray too far from the area where the restaurant is.

Where to start… so much to say. I came here as part of Allen Town Restaurant week with a group of 4 couples. We planned to take part in an evening of catching up with old friends and enjoying the good food of Shula’s. As part of the Restaurant week menu for $ 39, you had an option of one of two salads, a choice of entrée (several cuts of steak/​chicken paired with asparagus and mashed potatoes) all to be concluded with a choice of desert. Being the eaters that we are, we also chose to order a few appetizers to start.
We started with two orders of calamari, an order of a ahi tuna and the breadbaskets that most all steak houses always seem to have. The calamari was much larger then I am used to, and truly cooked very well, tender and delicious. The breading on it left it kind of soft, I would have preferred it to be crispier. However, I fear that it would have been over cooked if allowed to crisp. Two orders was pushing it to share for a group of 8. The ahi tuna should have been left out. It looked pale pink, not from being over cooked, just off color, and upon the first bite, there was zero flavor. Certainly a texture in the mouth, but there was no flavor.
As for the mains, they took our orders all of us ordering from the restaurant week menu, and after we received our salads, maybe 15 – 20 min after we placed our order; we received news that the strip steak on the menu was sold out. They offered to sub the prime rib…(not even similar). When we asked if we could have the larger strip, they said that they would have to order it separate and charge for the salads that we already received. However, as it turns out, the salads were charged at full price for the smaller restaurant week size, and we were charged for an extra steak that we never received (Check your bills as ours had several errors). As a consensus on the table, the meals were all just ok. No one was overly pleased or excited by his or her food. The sides were very poor with dry mashed potatoes and three small, wilted pieces of asparagus.
Come time for desert we were once again surprised when the waitress came out and said that 2 of the 5 deserts that were on the menu were no longer available, again, sold out. Leaving most people at our table with either a overly frosted (with grainy frosting) piece of carrot cake, or a single scoop of vanilla ice cream in a burnt praline cup. Neither that anyone had more then a bite or two of. Highly disappointed here.
Needless to say, we all made a statement as we were getting in our cars that this place would be over priced for a regular night out, and no one was planning to return.

Absolutely beautiful Steakhouse in sorta a strange place (Allentown?) on a street and area that looks like they are year 2 into a construction plan to bring back people into the downtown area.
The restaurant is a work of art and in the summer, they have an open bar with outside seating service, very nice perk.
The steak quality was elite. Better than 9 out 10 in quality. Waitress was very knowledgable and friendly. Every aspect of the visit was perfect. We were greated warmly and had service within minutes. All questions about the menu were answered warmly and with a smile. Recommendations were given and greatly appreciated when I asked my questions. The glasses and plates were sparkling. The salads were of high quality. The sides were an very good to excellent and the steaks were fantastic.
I will eat here again, I have spread the word and will bring more people with me next time.
THUMBS UP TO ALL HERE!

The steak is excellent.
The service is not. Snippets of conversation with staff throughout the night:
«Olives with a gin martini? That’s an interesting combination»
«Can we please have some bread?» (After asking 5 times)
«We’ll seat you closer to your reservation time» at 6:25 when our reservation was at 6:30, and we had already been to the bar. And the restaurant was half empty.
«I can’t find your wine…»
The service is just not well trained, overall. I won’t be going back any time soon. Did they not bring the staff from the Promenade to center city?

My husband, son and I dined at Shula’s last night. We enjoyed it very much.
They have valet parking, which is $ 6, and I think it is totally worth it.
The ladies at the hostess stand were very pleasant. We were seated immediately in a room tucked away in the back. Our table settings and glasses were all gleaming and spotless. One thing that I did notice was that all the salt and pepper shakers in our vicinity, including ours, were not refilled. It’s odd to me that a place that clearly has an attention for detail has let this area slide. And because all of them were different amounts, you could see that it was a matter of them not being filled every day, not intentionally leaving them partially empty for some other purpose. (I hope that makes sense.)
Candice was our server, along with Samantha. Candice was a cold robot. Thankfully, we didn’t see her again after she took our order. She was slow to greet us, took forever with our diet cokes, kept disappearing for long periods and we needed things. Our Diet Cokes were empty for a long time, as was my husband and son’s water. My husband asked her which bottle of chardonnay we should get. Her recommendation was that the La Crema was «way better» than the other one they have ($ 64 vs $ 39 for the bottles.) And we waited, and waited, and waited. Finally, Candice reappears, telling us they are out of the La Crema. So we order the inferior $ 39 bottle. LOL It was alright. When she was showing us the different cuts of meat before we ordered, she was sooo indifferent. I truly wanted to tell her just to stop, because it was making me not want any of them! Oh! I must mention her wine service. It was very rough. I’ve never been to a place this nice where the server serves the wine so inelegantly. When she removed the cork, she put the bottle under her left arm pit and pulled the cork out with a big «pop»!
The food was excellent. We started with the calamari fries. They were amazing, and the sauces served with them were delicious. I had the Mixed Grill, with the tenderloin medallions, mahi mahi with beurre blanc, and a crabcake. My steak was ordered medium rare, but it was medium, but that’s okay. I still loved it. We also had the creamed spinach and mashed potatoes-​very good. The bread was good. My son had the 6 oz. filet, he loved it, and my husband had the Cowboy Cut. I believe it was a ribeye? Not sure. It was delicious, though. And our dog is still enjoying the bone.
Lindsay (I believe her name was) packed our leftovers for us. She said it was her first day. She was extremely sweet and friendly. They should keep her.
Restrooms were nice and extremely clean.
We’d definitely come back. I can’t wait to eat my leftovers, if my son doesn’t beat me to them.

It’s very good! Very fine and classy! I loved it and I’ll definitely be back! If you’re on a low budget then this is not the place to go. You’ll be spending more then a couple hundred dollars on dinner for two. Well worth it!

Shula’s should have stayed in the Promenade Shoppes. Atmosphere, bar service and food at the «Allentown» Shula’s is no match to when the restaurant was at the Promenade Shoppes in Bethlehem. Bartenders at the new location were of a lower caliber than at the former Shula’s, must be they had to hire locals (?). Seeing 7^th Street while you are eating is far from classy. Please move back to Bethlehem and we will come back. Felt more like an upscale restaurant there.

Lunch review: Sat in the outside area which also has a bar – very cool. The atmosphere is great (the condos and shops adjacent to the restaurant are almost done). I had the steak sandwich (chargrilled, gruyère cheese, garlic Herb mayo, and red onion jam on a toasted ciabatta with fries $ 17). The steak was cooked perfectly and the flavor was amazing! One of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had. Service from the waiter who was also the bartender was very good. I want to save my last star until I try Shula’s for dinner but this was certainly a 5 star lunch. The $$$ descriptor is correct. This place is expensive but I was impressed.

I have been to Shula’s twice. In short, two things sum it up.
1) Its one of several, overpriced chain of restaurants.
2) The food is quite pedestrian.
For a steakhouse which borders on fine dining and an upscale bar and grill, one expects a better dining experience.
I have had their 12oz filet mignon and their 16oz newyork strip. While the steak was cooked to my prefered temperature on both ocassions, the taste was nothing special. It lacked the proper seasoning. The sides were appaling. Bland mushrooms and lightly grilled, underseasoned asparagus.
While they have a decent wine collection, the waiters are usually clueless when asked for a recommendation. A good steak house should have a knowledgable wait staff. Also their whiskey list needs more bourbons. I am a whiskey person and when I order whiskey here, the wait staff looks at me as if I am from another planet. Shula’s should really educate their staff about the alcoholic drinks they serve.
For the price, Shula’s disappoint. The service is inconsistent, the food lacks sincerity and flavor that a good steakhouse should boast of. I have been to steakhouses all over the world and I know what I expect and what price to pay for it. Do I want to pay 200 $ for a dinner for two here? An emphatic NO!
If you want a good steak in the area, go to Blue or Prime. They are much better.

I like the new location. The inside/​outside bar is a great touch — hopefully they will have it open for a long season.
The service was of course on the spot perfect.
We just had apps and oysters — They were amazing, ice cold and really fresh. The tuna was perfectly prepared and we love the calamari fries.
We are looking forward to going back