Top 15 Restaurants for Lunch in South Bethlehem

Sal’s Old World Italian Restaurant is a neighborhood favorite. Get there early because there is usually line of hungry patrons for this small restaurant. Sal's brick oven gives its pizzas a traditional texture, baked without drying out the crust. If you are not in the mood for pizza there is seafood lobster scampi, vegetable lasagna, chicken Florentine, baked tilapia, fettuccine alfredo with shrimp, scungilli marinara, chicken scallopini and veal and broccoli eggplant parmigiana. Sal's recipes have been in the family for generations. Hours: Monday-Sunday 11am-10pm It is BYOB, street parking available, credit cards accepted and no WIFI.

Machu Picchu Peruvian Restaurant is a small casual restaurant with a dozen tables. Their menu offers authentic Peruvian food, which is colorful, fresh and delicious. Try the sweet drink created by the Incas, Chicha Morada. It is made from purple corn. The appetizers include causa and Papa a la Huancaína. The various sauces are served on the side for dipping your choice of fish, shrimp, squid or chicken. Other entries are tallarines verdes (spaghetti cooked in spinach), arroz chaufa (fried rice), and jalea (fried seafood). Machu Picchu accepts credit cards. Parking is on the street.

Jenny's Kuali is a pretty restaurant that serves fresh Malaysian dishes. The dozen tables are usually filled with appreciative customers. On the menu is a good variety of curries, noodle dishes, dumplings which are flavored by a combination of Indian and Asian spices. Jenny and Roy Lim, the owners, have brought a taste of Malaysia to Bethlehem. There are lunch specials everyday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., for $6. It includes an entrée and a side of white, fried or vegetable fried rice. Hours: Mon.-Sat. 11am-9pm, Sun. 12pm-8pm, credit cards accepted, on-street parking.

Nawab is the most popular Indian restaurant in the Lehigh Valley. The spacious restaurant is decorated with pink, sparkly walls hung with tapestries of elephants and the Taj Majal. They serve traditional Northern Indian fare including vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes. The atmosphere is casual with room for dozens of tables. Diners enjoy the naan, samosas, vindaloo, tandoori and curries.

The Tsiounis family has owned and operated this diner for more than 20 years. It is a small place fitted with booths and a counter, which means it fills up quickly. It is a popular place for breakfast and lunch. The breakfast platters are generous, inexpensive and available at all hours. A lunch favorite is a gyro with homemade tzatziki sauce. This is a gem of a Greek diner. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 6:30am-8:30pm, Sunday 7am-3pm, Closed Monday. On-street parking. Accepts credit cards.

A family of brothers and sisters originally from Vera Cruz, Mexico runs Taqueria La Lupita. With twenty tables, booths and counter seats one can usually find a seat. There is no mistaking the type of cuisine with the pink, orange and yellow color scheme. The guacamole, sauces, chips and tortillas are all freshly made. The meat empanadas are covered with cheese and sour cream. We find the usual items we know, quesadillas, sopes, enchiladas verdes and chicken flauta. Portions are generous and prices are very reasonable. Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sun. and Mon.; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tues.-Sat., On-street parking, BYOB, Credit cards accepted.

The Goosey Gander Deli is a family run institution in South Bethlehem, operating there for 30 years. The staff is friendly with long memories for your sandwich preferences. Every salad, soup and sandwich is deliciously generous and inexpensively priced. Not all sandwiches are listed on the menu. There is a "secret menu" that you learn about as you listen to the orders while waiting in line. Try the "Mammoth" (meatballs, bacon, pastrami, roast beef, swiss) or the "Anakin Skywalker" (toasted hoagie roll, roast beef, barbecue sauce, bacon, and cheese). If you are really hungry you need the largest sandwich, the "Gombo" (two types of meat, lettuce, tomato, bacon, and cheese between 4 pieces of bread). When Lehigh University is in session, there is a line out the door at lunchtime.

This is a family owned coffee shop/deli that offers sandwiches, soups, salads, pasta, and coffees and teas from around the world. The small shop is decorated in a pop culture theme with mismatched tables and chairs, two couches and upholstered chairs. The staff is warm and welcoming and is known for supporting the South Bethlehem community. Try the Dalai Latte or Cherry Bomb coffee drinks. They are delicious and proceeds go to community groups. The breakfast/lunch dishes and sandwiches, named for local legends, are delicious and reasonably priced. The "Greyhound" has turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, Swiss, and mayonnaise on rye toast or the "Bednarik" has roast beef, peppered turkey, American cheese, onion, horseradish on kaiser roll.

Tulum is a tiny restaurant that seats a dozen people at three tables and a couple of counter stools. Although the menu is limited what they serve is very popular. Tulum's servings are generous and their prices are reasonable. The spicy chicken wings are a great starter and the burritos, choice of beef, pork, chicken, or grilled vegetables, are stuffed with rice, beans, sauce and salad.

This quaint, small restaurant is run by a Syrian couple who serve Levantine cuisine, the traditional cuisine of the Levant, known in Arabic as the Bilad Ash-Sham. It covers the modern states of Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, northern Iraq, southern Turkey and Palestine. These recipes have been passed down through generations of the Kassis and Atiyeh families in village of Amar al-hosn, in Western Syria. With only ten tables, the Olive Branch fills quickly although they do accept reservations. The couple cooks, bakes and serves with great attention to detail. Meat lovers and vegetarians will be happy here. Try the vegetarian platter (tabbouleh, hummus, fatoosh), meat, spinach or feta pies, falafel, kebobs, salads, macaroon cookie, peanut butter pie and Arabic coffees.

Twenty Four East serves Japanese and Asian fusion dishes. The sushi rolls are inventive and very popular. Try the Crunch, Philadelphia or Hibachi rolls. Also noodle dishes, soups and salads complement the entrées and sushi. The interior features 16 tables with tablecloths, cream-colored walls, located in an elegant South Bethlehem building.

The family run Molinari's is an authentic Italian restaurant that uses the freshest of ingredients in the farm to table tradition. Their menu follows the way Italians really eat, first antipasti and appetizers, a pasta course, and then a main course. The pasta and desserts are made on the premises. The huge wood burning pizza oven makes perfect Neapolitan style pizzas. They carry only Italian beers and wines, liqueurs and Grappas. Molinari's has a full bar with a friendly bartender who will help pair wine with food. The decor is stylish and modern with booths and tables. Outdoor tables are available depending on weather. Try the Baby Arugula Salad (toasted hazelnuts, Bartlett Pears, parmesan reggiano, aceto balsamico) Neapolitan Margherita pizza (San Marzano Tomatoes, Fresh Mozzarella, Genovese Basil) and for dessert Honey Panna Cotta (with saba condimento, fig and amaretti cookie).

The Steel Pub gives you a nice view of the former Bethlehem Steel Corporation complex. You can view it inside through the large glass windows or out on the large patio. You can also watch local hockey games through a 40-foot long window into the adjacent Steel Ice Center. The Steel Pub serves tasty pub food such as boardwalk fries covered in bacon and cheese, Philly cheesesteaks and a variety of burgers such as The Burger (Blend of chuck and short rib, brioche roll, choice of cheese). The full bar offers a nice variety of draft and bottled beers. The local beer Weyerbacher is the most popular choice at the moment. The decor is modern industrial.

You can build your own prime, brisket or grass-fed beef burger at this Emeril Lagasse's restaurant. This is one of three Lagasse restaurants at the Sands Casino. The cost of $14 may seem a lot for a hamburger but the meat is high quality and the available toppings and plump bun are fabulous. To build your own burger you fill out a form on your table to pick your type of burger and toppings. The onion rings and spicy fries are fried to a perfect crisp. The decor is modern metallic shine and diner-like with a full bar. Because they do not accept reservations there could be a wait for a table. Once you are seated the service is good.

The portions at the Carnegie Deli are crazy big. The Carnegie Deli in New York City has drawn celebrities and tourists since 1937, as the most famous deli in the USA. It is still a family run restaurant that cures, pickles and smokes their own kosher-style meat. Each sandwich contains at least one pound of meat. The restaurant's motto is: "If you can finish your meal, we’ve done something wrong." The Sands Carnegie Deli is the fifth location of the famous deli and opened in 2009. From matzo ball soup, corned beef sandwich to a slice of cheesecake, it is all delicious and lots of it. The atmosphere is bright, clean with N.Y. deli decor.