Grille 3501 - Allentown (PA)

4 /5 Llorraine: Visited this spot for the first time last night with a friend, and it was such a cute and cozy place. The atmosphere was relaxed with a nice mix of indoor and outdoor seating, plus a chill bar area. We started with the fried dumplings, and they were absolutely delicious crispy and full of flavor. For my entrée, I had the grilled salmon with drunken noodles, and my friend ordered the scallops. Both dishes came out hot and fresh, and the service was excellent. Our waitress was super friendly and attentive, and the food came out quickly. The only downside was that my dish was a little on the salty side, but overall, everything else was great. It’s definitely a laid-back spot, and you can tell there’s a loyal, older crowd that frequents the place. I’ll definitely be back to try something new!

4 /5 Just Witty: Grille 3501 was a solid experience. I was able to grab a same-day reservation for a dinner for two at 7PM, which worked out perfectly. Upon arrival, we were seated right away in what was clearly a busy, lively atmosphere. Our server was friendly, personable, and walked us through the menu with ease — highlighting the specials and giving us a good sense of the restaurant’s overall style. The menu itself was small and well-curated, offering a handful of focused options. To start, I ordered the crispy octopus while my wife went with their featured potato soup. My only real gripe with the octopus was the portion size — it felt a little light for the price point. That being said, what was there was excellent. The combination of lightly fried octopus paired with a cool, crisp slaw and vegetables worked really well together. It just left me wishing there was more of it, probably because it was so good. On the other hand, my wife’s soup was a hit — she had nothing but praise for it. For our entrees, I went with the chef’s choice steak special while my wife opted for the filet mignon. Both were cooked to a perfect medium rare and came with a well-executed side of vegetables. The standout of the night, though, was the drinks. I’ll definitely be back just to explore more of their cocktail menu. I started with the Manhattan on Broadway, which was excellent, and closed out the meal with a Mr. Brightside — both memorable. My wife loved her lavender lemon drop, which she’s already talking about returning for.

1 /5 Diane Safar: Disappointed. A few months ago we visited 3501 and we found the dining room closed. This time our party of 4 arrived for dinner and again found the dining room closed. We were seated in the bar area where the room was crowded, loud and unwelcoming. We had difficulty holding a discussion due to the noise. We were presented with a small piece of paper intended to be our menu and then waited over 10 minutes to be greeted by a server. The salad was good, the bread, which was an extra charge, very ordinary. The seafood Alfredo was reported as watery and soft, maybe over cooked. I had the scallops which were prepared with a vegetable hash of brussels sprouts onions and sweet potato. I found these strong flavors very unpleasant with the mild scallops. Our guests had the salmon and the duck. They politely said "its good" with no further detail. With so many wonderful dining choices in the area, this one misses the mark. Food and service were just okay; atmosphere needs to improve before we return.

5 /5 Kristen: I haven’t been here in years, but was near the area and was looking for a cute place to grab drinks and appetizers for an early dinner. Everything was amazing. Service was excellent from start to finish, the food was great, and the menu options are fantastic. my drink was incredible - highly recommend the London affair martini. We were a little chilly, but they had just opened so I’m sure the heat wasn’t on all day. The pork appetizer was quite spicy and by spicy I mean SPICY. I wish we would have known that other than that, Everything was incredible.

5 /5 Maggie Callahan: My husband took us here for my birthday dinner. Each course was fresh and delicious. For our appetizer, we split a crab cake and pork skewers, we split a Caesar salad, for dinner I had the halibut and my husband had the filet - both were incredible, we also split a crème brûlée and a sorbet. 10/10 would eat there again. The pace of service was excellent. We had time to enjoy each stage of the meal in an environment that was warmly lit with a millennial friendly playlist including the Strokes and Vampire Weekend. This is a great spot for a good date night or a special occasion.