My spouse and I visited The Shelby for lunch on a Saturday
afternoon in mid-June 2017. The Shelby is open daily for lunch/brunch, dinner,
drinks, and late night (until 2:00 am). You can make a reservation online using
the Open Table system, or by telephone. The Shelby shares the same owners at
the Hamilton Kitchen in downtown Allentown. (Since Hamilton Kitchen opened in
2014, we have been regular patrons; see our review from November 2015 titled
“Great Menu, Great Outdoor Space”, so we had high expectations from The
Shelby.)
The Shelby is located in Upper Macungie Township near
Wescosville off the Route 222/Hamilton Boulevard Bypass. It occupies a
semi-quiet corner location in the Hamilton Crossings strip mall shopping center
on the opposite end from the Target store, near Smashburger, and across the
parking lot from BJ’s Brewhouse. The restaurant’s name is meant to evoke the
feeling of the “girl-next-door”, a restaurant guests can relate to and depend
on. Indeed, on the day that we visited, there were several families with small
children dining there; it was refreshing to find that so many parents sought
out a unique, non-chain-restaurant experience for their kids.
The Shelby space is cavernous yet chic and inviting, with
high ceilings and lots of windows for an open, bright, and airy feel.
Interesting lighting includes pendants, clear round globes mounted in brass
fixtures, and bare-bulb sconces. Metal, leather, wood, mosaic tile finishes,
and a colorful wall mural provide varied finishes. A rear kitchen offers a few
strategically placed transparent tiles that offer a peek into the bustling
space. The large restaurant seats approximately 175 patrons in a variety of
areas: at one of the many chairs surrounding the rectangular bar, small
individual high tops around bar, communal high tops located between the bar and
the kitchen, or in one of the three uniquely designed seating areas on the
opposite side of the room (each with a slightly different yet complementary
design and color palette). In appropriate weather, guests can also dine
outdoors on a small sidewalk patio.
The Shelby serves a varied, creative international menu, and
presently, the lunch and brunch menus do not differ significantly from the
dinner menu. The menu items sounded so intriguing that we found it difficult to
choose. As appetizers, we shared two dishes: the steamed buns (doughy wrappers
sprinkled with black and white sesame seeds and stuffed with crispy porchetta
[pork] slices and kimchi) and the tenderloin grilled skewers (served with pita
bread triangles and cucumber tzatziki dip). As entrees, we ordered the bucatini
carbonara (thin hollow spaghetti-like noodles tossed in a light cream sauce
with bacon crumbles and topped with crispy prosciutto) and the porchetta rice
bowl (fried rice topped with sliced meat, a sunny-side up egg, fresh herbs, and
sesame seeds). For dessert, we shared the berry pie, which offered a mix of
strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries in a flaky miniature homemade
crust, served warm and topped with Greek yogurt sauce. The chef offered the generously
portioned dishes in appealing presentations using quality ingredients. Our
server was adept, friendly, and professional.
We were thrilled with our first experience at The Shelby
(despite it being open for only two weeks before our visit), and we cannot wait
to see how it excels as time goes by. Because we live nearby, we plan to be
regular guests.
September 2017 (First Visit):
September 2017 (Second Visit):
December 2017:
July 2018:
August 2018:
October 2018:
June 2019
June 2019
