BY MADDIE MARRIOTT | PHOTOS BY EMMA SYLVESTER
HELLERTOWN IS IN THE MIDST of a culinary renaissance. With three diverse eateries opening in the past year alone, Hellertown’s emergent Restaurant Row is as sweeping and varied as its Main Street is long. That two-mile stretch offers all the makings of a gourmand’s dream day on the town, from markets to Mexican fare. And, it has the added bonus of convenience: just off I-78 and immediately accessible from Bethlehem and Center Valley.
8AM
BREAKFAST AT ALOHA JAY’S
Aloha Jay’s tropical vibes are hard to miss, with its pink-and-teal color scheme and the leis offered to customers at the counter. Since opening in May 2024, the tiny shop has specialized in malasadas. These Hawaiian pastries are made of fried dough and filled with anything from your fruit of choice to classic chocolate creme. If you can imagine a doughnut with a crispy outside and a light, airy center, you’ll be prepared for the melt-in-your-mouth goodness of a fresh-baked malasada. It’s the best place to start a road trip in Hellertown.
If straight-up sweetness isn’t your go-to for the morning, Jay’s is known for The Beast. This appropriately named behemoth of a breakfast sandwich features scrambled eggs, a bacon crumble, a hash brown, American cheese, sriracha aioli, chives, and a sweet cream drizzle all on a malasada bun. It’s also a spot to grab your morning coffee—hot or iced, traditional or latte—made from 100% Hawaiian Kona beans. If you’re lucky, while you wait you’ll get to meet matriarch Mama Jean—“I made Jay and Jay makes the malasadas”—for some mealtime wisdom.
10AM
A STOP FOR SWEETS AT ALLIE’S SPECIALTIES
Allie’s is another of the newest additions to the town’s growing list of options. It opened in October 2024 after the owners, who mysteriously prefer to remain anonymous in this story, spent four years as a wholesaler to cafés.
Allie’s is known for its signature French-inspired pastries. This includes a selection of colossal croissants from almond dusted in powdered sugar to buttery chocolate with a crisp outer shell and a pillowy interior. It’s also home to cruffins, a croissant-muffin hybrid offered rotationally in over a dozen flavors so far. On any given day, you might see flavors ranging from chocolate espresso curd to salted caramel to passion fruit.
The bakery is another option for those looking for a morning cup of coffee or tea. Try signature options like their golden latte made with turmeric, loose leaf tea, and house-made syrups.
NOON
THE RAIL TRAIL AND LUNCH AT PA HOUSE
A one-block detour off Main Street leads to PA House, a garage-turned-restaurant along the path of the Saucon Rail Trail. In warm weather, the restaurant’s garage doors open to the outdoors, and the whole vibe is transformed. No matter the time of year, though, pizza is at the core of their operation. Everything they serve is made from high-quality, authentic ingredients.
Take their pies, for example. After you’ve whetted your appetite with whipped ricotta and local sourdough and sipped on one of their many signature cocktails (including spritzes with prosecco on tap), the belle of the ball arrives in the form of one of their many 12-inch pizzas. Specialty creations popular with customers include the “holy trinity”—a red pie topped with sausage, pepperoni, pancetta, and pepperoncini—and the mortadella-pistachio drizzled with pesto and sprinkled with lemon zest. If you can find room for dessert, options include chocolate hazelnut budino and authentic frittelles made with pizza dough and doused in powdered sugar.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Hello Joe, an Airstream-turned-coffee-bar situated on the restaurant’s property. They serve La Colombe coffee and espresso-based drinks, smoothies, and pastries for the outdoor crowd. There’s space for dogs and children accompanying trail walkers. Gather at picnic tables and chairs and enjoy a view of the creek.
3PM
STOCK UP AT LOCAL MARKETS
Frey’s Better Foods and Saylors & Co. are Hellertown mainstay shopping destinations. Frey’s, in its 43rd year and third generation of family ownership, is a healthy grocery option. It focuses on organic produce and locally sourced products including meat, produce and dairy. Whether you’re searching for a new supplement to add to your routine, a bag of chips for your drive home, or a week’s worth of groceries, it’s on the shelves at Frey’s.
Saylors prides itself on having “everything to make dinner a breeze.” This includes butcher shop classics from Italian sausage to wagyu beef tomahawk steaks, prepared food such as crab cakes and chicken cutlets, and decadent desserts. Pastry chef Danielle McGuire is always trying something new in the sweets department, like Japanese-inspired Shibuya toast, a pastry caramelized in butter and honey and filled with banana pudding.
On Sundays from May to November, Hellertown is also home to the Saucon Valley Farmers Market. With more than 30 vendors, this open-air market offers everything from sushi to sourdough to wild-foraged mushrooms. This summer marks the market’s 20th season.
5PM
CHOOSE A CUISINE FOR DINNER
Dinner in Hellertown means a choose-your-own culinary adventure. One option is Limon, a Turkish kebap house as colorful and brimming with flavor as the name suggests: bright yellow outdoor tables, lemon-themed decor, and the bustling atmosphere of a family-owned and -operated restaurant. Since opening in 2016, Limon has racked up both local and national accolades. Buzzfeed named it the best budget restaurant in Pennsylvania, and the travel magazine Far & Wide declared it the best authentic Turkish food in the country.
The appetizer combination at Limon offers a sample of dips, from hummus to cacik yogurt dip to baba ghanoush and beyond, accompanied by fresh pita bread. The kebabs are the star of the show. They can be mixed and matched to give a taste of lamb, chicken, beef, and adana (spiced lamb) fired up on the grill. Don’t skip dessert, especially the baklava and kadayif with pistachios and homemade syrup.
Just down the street, La Maya is making a splash with authentic Mexican cuisine. Complete with collages of Mexican history on the walls, a larger-than-life Frida Kahlo mural, and a green underlit bar, La Maya is as much a feast for the eyes as it is for the taste buds. Don’t miss the corn ribs, but honestly, you can’t go wrong with anything from this menu’s refined take on Mexican fare.
MORE FOOD FINDS IN AND NEAR HELLERTOWN
Nick and Noah’s Restaurant
501 Main St.
Classic American breakfast and lunch fare
Smoothie & T Bar/Lu Taqueria
56 W. Water St.
Smoothies and agua frescas, tacos
Drip
1310 Main St.
Burgers and beers
La Kang Thai Noodles Bar
620 Main St.
Thai-French cuisine
Paprikas
1180 Main St.
Authentic Hungarian dishes
Dolce Patisserie
23 Main St.
Hand-crafted artisan chocolates
Wonder Garden Farm and Farm Store
3565 Reservoir Rd.
Fresh organic vegetables and herbs
The bar is stocked with the restaurant’s flagship tequila, distilled in Jalisco, Mexico, and bottled in Pennsylvania in partnership with County Seat Spirits. The cocktail menu blends classics like the La Maya Margarita with original creations like the La Neta, made with bourbon, grapefruit, lime, demerara, and house-made elderflower liqueur. The dinner menu features customer favorites like corn ribs covered in chipotle mayo, queso fresco, lime, and chile piquin; and fall-off-the-bone-tender lamb birria.
7PM
GRAB A PINT AT LOST TAVERN BREWING
Lost Tavern Brewing offers more than a dozen options on tap, even more canned choices chilling in the refrigerator, and the colorful ghosts of canned brews past lining the ceiling beams. With a beer flight, you can sample anything from a peanut butter and jelly–inspired sour ale to ciders and Italian pilsners.
The brewery hosts live performers every Friday and Saturday night, and daily rotating food trucks on site (hello, Marquee Kitchen!) provide fare for between sips. Check the calendar for music bingo, drag bingo, and community events like the Hops for Hope fundraiser in partnership with THON.
