My spouse and I
most recently dined at the PA Pub Café and Spirits on a Friday evening in late
June 2017, but we have visited the pub many times previously. On this visit, we
were departing on the 5:32pm Delta flight to Detroit, and it was a busy time at
the Lehigh Valley International Airport (known by the acronym LVIA and by the
airport code ABE). In recent years, the restaurant/bar space was reconfigured slightly,
and it now consists of a J-shaped bar, some high-top tables, and two
table-service dining areas. Self-service seating is located on the other side
of the chest-high wall of the outer dining area; however, you cannot enjoy
alcoholic beverages in that space. Because the café was crowded, we initially
purchased drinks at the bar and stood along the wall of tall windows that
overlook the tarmac between the terminals until a table became available. A few
larger 4+ person tables are present, but even those were shared by unrelated passengers
in the European style. Several TVs are positioned throughout the bar and dining
areas. A few years ago, there was a self-service soft drink area and some
desk-type study-carrels in the rear of the space; however, during the last
renovation, they were removed (or in the case of the carrels, relocated to the middle
of the concourse as computer work/charging stations). The Subway sandwich shop
on the opposite side of the Pub has closed, and the space remains vacant.
Adjacent to the bar is a counter-service Java Joint that sells coffee, other
hot and cold drinks, and snacks, but the PA Pub Cafe is the only sit-down table
service restaurant in the airport. The menu features pub cuisine with a German
flavor, such as bratwurst sandwiches, hot pretzels, and other snacks and appetizers.
We have tried the pierogis (sautéed in butter and onions and served with sour
cream) and the chicken quesadilla (served with salsa and sour cream), and both
were fairly good (although you must eat them with plasticware). We always stop
at the PA Pub Café and Spirits for a drink and/or a snack before departure.
Note: For more
information on the airport itself, read my review below. (I did not see
an entry for the airport itself on Tripadvisor, but I still wanted to include
this information for passengers unfamiliar with the airport.)
As life-long
Lehigh Valley residents, my spouse and I often fly from Lehigh Valley
International Airport (LVIA), which is known by its airport code ABE, for
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton. For food options landside (outside of security),
the self-serve Lehigh Valley Café is located on the departures (top) level, with
vending machines on the arrivals (bottom) level. Stairs, elevators, and
escalators are available to move between levels in the main terminal landside;
airside (inside of security), only escalators and elevators are visible
(although there must be stairs behind the scenes for service and emergency
purposes). Outside security, porters/skycaps are sometimes available to help
with your luggage, or you can use one of the few self-serve luggage
carts/trolleys to handle your own bags. No curbside check-in is available, but
most airlines have automated kiosks where you can print your boarding pass or
luggage tags. (There are also kiosks downstairs prior to security where you can
print a boarding pass if you have no luggage to check.) There are four sets of
restrooms at the airport, two inside security, and two outside of security, and
there is a purified water fountain inside security so that you can refill your
empty bottle. The airport has a cell phone waiting lot if you are picking
someone up. One or two taxis are usually available to meet arriving flights,
but you can also use Uber and Lyft. (An early July 2017 disagreement between
the private-hire companies and the airport has been settled, and you can use them
again.) The airport is currently renovating its rental car area, which will
offer improvements such as canopies when finished. All major car rental
companies (Hertz, Avis, Enterprise, Thrifty, Alamo, and Budget) have desks
onsite directly across from baggage claim. Valet, short-term, and long-term
parking are available; however, parking is not inexpensive ($14 per day/$79 per
week for long-term). You can pay your parking bill at the automated kiosk on
the way to baggage claim (where there are only two carousels), or you can pay
an attendant in person as you exit in your car. LVIA recently opened a
dedicated TSA Pre-Check lane after a concerted effort to offer applications and
interviews onsite ($85 per year); we have Global Entry privileges ($100 per year),
so we can also use Pre-Check, and it is nice not to have to remove shoes,
computers, liquids, or empty our pockets before we pass through the security
scanner. Airside, in addition to the PA Pub Café and Spirits, you can shop at
the Spirit of the Lehigh Valley for drinks, snacks, reading material,
souvenirs, and forgotten items. (Years ago, there was a similar shop/newsstand
landside, but it has closed.) Also within security, the airport recently opened
a children’s play area in one of the older unused lower-level gates. Charging
stations, rocking chairs, and massage chairs are available.
We love flying
from small and manageable ABE, even though it often requires a connection
through Chicago (United), Detroit or Atlanta (Delta), or Charlotte or Philadelphia
(American). Note that sometimes on smaller aircraft, the overhead bins might be
too small to stow your rollaboard, but you can instead valet-check or
stair-check your bag planeside; sometimes those smaller aircraft land in
satellite terminals or on the tarmac, so you may have to disembark/embark via
stairs instead of a jetway.) On occasion, we have also used the United
connection through Newark; however, we find that undesirable because it
involves limo bus service between the airports instead of an actual flight. Lower-cost
carrier Allegiant offers non-stop service to some Florida cities from ABE. We
will gladly fly from hassle-free ABE anytime!
