Copperhead Grille
By Cathy Kiley
I am not usually a fan of sports bars. However, over the years, I have stopped by the Copperhead Grille on Airport Road many times. This is a convenient location with an eclectic menu and an interesting Lehigh Valley history to boot. This is NOT a sports bar chain but a family-owned and operated brand with two locations.
Tom and I stopped in early on a Wednesday evening and the place was already busy. The bar area seats 32 to match the 32 beers on draft! High tops complete this dining space where you can watch a game and listen to good music at the same time. The acoustics at Copperhead Grille are good and, we didn’t notice carryover into the main dining room while we were there.
David greeted us at the door and showed us to our table. He told us the feature drink was Pina Colada so Tom and I each enjoyed one while looking at the menu. We decided to order a couple of appetizers and our server Jasmine was quick to oblige.
We started with soup. Tom ordered the French Onion Soup which was flavorful, piled high with cheese and served in a generous crock. The chopped fresh scallions garnished on top added a slightly different taste to the soup that we both thought was delicious. I ordered the Shee Crab which was rich, creamy and loaded with crab. Both soups were served very hot to the table as they should be.
Since it was “Wing Wednesday” we decided to take David’s recommendation and taste the Garlic Habanero – whoa they were HOT but good. We rarely order wings but these were a treat. I would caution you that this sauce is very spicy so be prepared with water refills to put out the fire. We also tried the Coconut Shrimp which was a good choice with the wings. The extra large shrimp were coated with coconut, fried (but not greasy) and accompanied by fresh cold pineapple salsa and Thai chili glaze. We both enjoyed this appetizer.
Appetizer choices are many. Their fresh, never frozen wings are locally sourced, hormone and antibiotic free. They are all hand-breaded and made to order in eight different flavors. Combine them with Mozzarella Sticks, Flatbread Quesadillas, Mile High Nachos or Boneless Buffalo Chicken Tenders to share among your table to start your evening.
Copperhead Grille’s main dining area is spacious with comfortable booths and larger tables. At the Airport Road location, there are eight televisions spaced on the walls that are visible from every vantage point. There are individual volume controls for each television in every booth so you can tune into any channel or mute them all if that is your wish.
For dinner, I ordered the soy-marinated Caribbean Ahi Tuna Salad with sesame seeds, pineapple salsa, cucumbers and carrots served with a cucumber wasabi dressing. I love tuna and order it often. I can attest that my tuna this night was extremely fresh and seared rare as I requested. With its sesame seed coating, it was delicious and wonderful in this salad. The serving was quite large and I took most of it home for lunch the next day. I would not hesitate to order it again. I usually tend to order “nosh” food at a pub or sports bar so I am very happy that I ordered this salad as a healthier selection. I wish I could say the same for my husband Tom. He hunkered down with The Iron Pig Sandwich – pulled pork, barbeque sauce, cheddar cheese and onion straws piled high on brioche with a side of fries. He enjoyed the sandwich very much but warns that it is “a lot of food!”
There are six other salads on the menu and four variations of grilled Fajitas in addition to six burger and five MVP Sandwich choices. Dinner entrees include steaks, ribs and a mixed grille. Chicken, Crab Cakes, Norwegian Salmon, Yuengling-battered Fish and Chips and Cajun Jambalaya are also available with a selection of many sides. There is definitely something to satisfy everyone’s appetites at The Copperhead Grille – including the kids. They have even recently started serving Sunday brunch. So, go and enjoy yourselves!
The atmosphere at Copperhead Grille is lively. The servers and managers are all friendly and willing to answer any questions you may have. Our server was excellent. I noticed that all the employees here stopped at various tables and chatted it up with other diners leading me to believe they have many regulars who stop in for dinner and/or to watch a game.
Even though we were very full, I ordered a piece of Seven-Layer Chocolate Cake and coffee to finish off the night. The cake was huge (definitely enough to pass around the table) and served with ice cream and whipped cream and was delicious.
The Copperhead Grille is truly a Lehigh Valley family-owned success story. There are two locations, one on Airport Road South just a quarter mile off Rt. 22 and the other at 5737 Route 378 South in Bethlehem. Visit copperheadgrille.com for full menu, historical and other information. They do not take reservations but you may telephone both locations for call-ahead seating.
1731 Airport Road | Allentown
610.403.4600
5737 Route 378 | Bethlehem
610.282.4600
NEW AMERICAN
Lunch, Dinner, Late Night
