The Tavern on Liberty

The Tavern on LibertyThe Tavern on Liberty
The Tavern on LibertyThe Tavern on Liberty
Bar, Eatery, Beer-to-go

2246 Liberty St
Allentown, Pennsylvania, 18104-4358
United States

(484) 221-8765 | map
tavernonliberty1.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.32
Reviews:
41
Ratings:
60
pDev:
11.81%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by chicagoish:
Photo of chicagoish
Rated by chicagoish from Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev -8.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
Smoking is the only downfall. Great brews. food is good . Wait staff attentive. Wide selection of beer on tap and nice pub fair
Mar 11, 2017
More User Ratings:
Photo of Smitty567
Reviewed by Smitty567

4.68/5  rDev +8.3%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.75
Great beer bar with tons of taps and a cool rustic vibe. Food was great and the bartender was helpful and let me sample a couple beers on draft before I decided on one. We aren't smokers but the smoking didn't really bother us. They only allowed smoking after 9pm and I think as long as you aren't sitting right next to a smoker at the bar, you will hardly notice.
Dec 01, 2021
 
Rated: 4.3 by LoganFarinhas from Pennsylvania

Nov 29, 2020
 
Rated: 4.08 by TheBeerdedCharmer from Pennsylvania

Nov 19, 2017
Photo of Wiffler27
Reviewed by Wiffler27 from South Carolina

4.54/5  rDev +5.1%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
food was good but the beer list is pretty fantastic. one of the reasons I highly recommended my family to stop here rather than elsewhere in town. ahh PA
May 07, 2017
Photo of sonnylemmons
Reviewed by sonnylemmons from Pennsylvania

4.44/5  rDev +2.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
First, a warning: they allow you to smoke inside. If you can handle the cigarettes, then by all means go here. The wide variety of brews that are on-tap will amaze locals and visitors.
Jul 11, 2016
Photo of Snowtygr
Rated by Snowtygr from Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +15.7%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
Great food and always a great ever changing draft selection and coolers full of all kinds of great beers
May 15, 2016
 
Rated: 3.73 by DerekE4750 from New York

Dec 02, 2015
 
Rated: 4.49 by lizpckrng from Pennsylvania

Apr 30, 2015
Photo of GregA135
Reviewed by GregA135 from Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev -5.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.25
A great place with a great selection of beer. The food is great, but I just wish the place was a little bigger and got rid of the smoking indoors. A great place to catch up with friends and drink some great beer!
Apr 28, 2015
 
 
Rated: 4.9 by dsnyder61 from Pennsylvania

Feb 04, 2015
 
Rated: 4.13 by NonicPanic from Pennsylvania

Jan 11, 2015
 
 
Rated: 4.24 by Gizzard from Pennsylvania

Oct 24, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by anteater from Oregon

Oct 14, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by BeerBuddy2122 from Pennsylvania

Sep 20, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by bshiban from Pennsylvania

Aug 31, 2014
Photo of Budinetz
Reviewed by Budinetz from Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +10%
GREAT beer selection! They ONLY serve beer here and have wall to wall coolers filled with all different kinds of beer. The tap selection is always fantastic and they almost always have something rare on that surprises me. There is a mug club you can enroll in and you progress by drinking the different styles from across the world. They are pretty cool about letting you sub something out for any macro like Bud or Blue moon that's on the list instead, because hey, its more expensive anyway right? Bar staff is super knowledgeable about beer and the food is pretty amazing too. Pizza is fantastic, Tacos for Taco Tuesdays are tasty as well. Smoking is aloud here, so it can get pretty cloudy in here as it is small. On some occasions the bar may be overrun with hipsters since its near a college, but otherwise a great place to get awesome beer.
Aug 21, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Afroman from Arizona

Aug 08, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by JArmour15 from Pennsylvania

May 20, 2014
Photo of Docrock
Reviewed by Docrock from Illinois

3.31/5  rDev -23.4%
vibe: 2 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.75 | selection: 3 | food: 3.75
This place seriously still allows smoking in the bar area. The pool table area with a total seating area of about 16 people is the no smoking area. 16 beers on tap and at 7pm 2 of the better items already blown. Lots of bottles to choose from. Food was very good, service was average and prices were average.
May 02, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by yourefragile from District of Columbia

Mar 19, 2014
Photo of Tom_Gilman
Reviewed by Tom_Gilman from Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -12%
vibe: 2.25 | quality: 4 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4.25 | food: 3.75
Always several interesting and/or rare brews on tap. Whoever selects the beer knows their stuff. Atmosphere is college pub. Almost every surface is covered by something related to beer. Food is very good for a hole-in-the-wall neighborhood bar, and prices are reasonable. I almost love this place, but it's excessively smoky, so much so that I rarely visit even though I live nearby.
Jan 24, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by gwash411 from Wisconsin

Jan 21, 2014
Photo of coreyb024
Reviewed by coreyb024 from Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -14.8%
vibe: 2.75 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
If this place was smoke-free it would by the best beer bar in the Valley - hands down. They must cook the books to still allow smoking. No one in my family, nor any of my friends smoke, but we still go.. And it's hit or miss w/ how smokey it is.. Not sure why they even allow it (guess the owners are smokers), because the food and beer is so good, their business would probably double if the stopped allowing smoking. Not that they're hurting for business. Like I said we don't smoke, and still go.

They're known for their pizza - which is good for the area (remember you're not in NYC/North Jerz).. Wings are awesome. Great pulled pork. Over the last two years they've really focused on their special/seasonal menu. Which changes weekly.. Family friends who don't smoke or drink, come just for the food - that says something for this tiny tavern.

Great draft and bottle variety.. Staff is pretty knowledgeable - especially the bearded guy. I think his name is Jeff.

Great place if you can deal w/ a little smoke..

BTW: Right next to Muhlenberg, not Moravian (that's in Bethlehem)
Nov 14, 2013
Photo of Neorebel
Reviewed by Neorebel from New Jersey

4.44/5  rDev +2.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.25
Went here for wings and beer after work - they seemed to have a mix of 'bar food' and more higher tier menu items. Clearly they have a real cook in house. The beer selection was quite good - I had Founders, Unibroue, & De Dolle, all on tap. Several coolers are there for take-out six packs and bombers as well. On Fridays, they have coupons for discounted to-go items. The pricing is on par with the going rate in Pennsylvania... (I am from NJ & generally craft beer is a bit more inexpensive) The alcohol served here is exclusively beer, by the way. As other reviews said, the place isn't much to look at on the outside, but it improves inside and the beer/food selection more than makes for a worthwhile visit. Right next to Moravian, I bet there is mostly a college crowd during prime times. (Pool tables are available as well) For these reasons, I have this notion that the tavern flies under the radar amongst beer geeks, which is why some harder-to-get beers can be found here without a problem. I have to give the place props for regularly rotating the beers on the menu, and for the very friendly staff. Definitely will make this a regular spot as I mentioned it's right near my office. How convenient!
Nov 03, 2012
Photo of mdh327
Reviewed by mdh327

4.5/5  rDev +4.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
I love this bar, I have my own mug and come here at least twice a week. This place may not look like much from the outside but once you walk in and see the mass amount of tap handles displayed overhead you will be impressed. It may be a small place yes but the immense amount of beers in their fridges and the constant rotation of beers on tap will leave even the biggest beer fan dropping their jaw. The fact that Liberty Tavern only serves beer is awesome too, personally I think its really unique and I've never been to any bar that's only served soley beer. Id recommend this place to anyone who lives in or is coming to visit the Lehigh Valley, I still have yet to find a bar that even comes close to the amount of beers served here. The service is pretty good too as well as their food which is phenomenal by bar standards. Anyone visiting I would strongly suggest trying the pizza and wings both are awesome! They even have a pool table and booth seating in a room to the right of the bat.To sum it up this place is pretty awesome and I would suggest it to anyone who loves beer or is just looking for a good night out.
Aug 09, 2012
Photo of kahjdfh
Reviewed by kahjdfh from Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +2.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4
The bottle selection is beyond belief and the prices aren't too bad. The draft selection is where its at. What makes it special is the other selections of drafts. They have at least a dozen taps besides the usual Bud, Coors and Yeungling. Where else can you get on tap Young's Double Chocolate Stout, Dogfish Head Namaste and St. Bernardus Apt 12 (this is always on tap- it's the owners favorite). They had Dogfish Head 120 IPA on tap for New Year's Eve.

The food is good. The pizza, cheese steaks, burgers and tacos are good. They also have seasonal specials like squash soup for the fall.
Jan 06, 2012
Photo of Rifugium
Reviewed by Rifugium from North Dakota

2.15/5  rDev -50.2%
vibe: 1 | quality: 2 | service: 1 | selection: 4
After a visit to the amazing Farmhouse restaurant, I wanted to check out a few other places in the area, since I rarely do come to the Allentown area. Our hosts at the Farmhouse recommended the Tavern on Liberty, citing their selection as a plus. But they failed to mention that the place was a hideous hellhole in all other regards.

As soon as I walked into the Tavern, I just wanted to turn around and walk out. A dirty little hovel of a place, kind of like a greasy little pizza joint with a bar. Noisy and annoying, crowd full of rednecks, d-bags, college preppies, or some combo of the three, and rap blasting in the background. Cautiously, the wife and I took two seats at the bar. Everyone seemed satisfied enough, but no bartenders came to greet us, which was fine, considering I didn't really want to stay. The tap list was decent enough, with a good 14 beers to chose from, and many of them good crafts and micros, though nothing too out of the ordinary. Prices seemed decent. Several large fridges offered a wide variety of beer to go in bottles and cans. So after a few minutes at the bar with no service, we got up, checked out the bottle selection, and then walked out, and started to detox ourselves from the horrors we had just witnessed.

I visited 3 bars/pubs on this little jaunt to Allentown/Emmaus, and had 3 entirely different experiences. Which is good. Except for when it's not. Like when I went to the Tavern on Liberty. Dump. To be avoided at all costs...unless you're stopping in for a quick take-out.
Nov 20, 2011
Photo of 57md
Reviewed by 57md from Pennsylvania

4.48/5  rDev +3.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.75
A: Kind of a hole-in-the-wall place, but definitely a beer lovers temple. One of the few bars in the area that still permits smoking (that is probably a big plus or a big minus depending who you are).

Q: Clearly the owners wish to cater to a craft-beer crowd. Important note: this is a beer bar ONLY - no wine or hard liquor is available.

S: Can be disappointingly slow at times, even when the bar is mostly empty.

S: Top notch. The beer on tap is rotated frequently with a large variety of styles. Also, seasonal brews are always well represented. The bottle selection is enormous. There is no better selection at any craft beer bar in Allentown or the surrounding area!

F: Not your ordinary pub fare. Gourmet soups, designer sandwiches to die for, awesome wings and thick burgers. Portions are big for most selections. You can also get something as mundane as pizza slices or calzones.

V: Food is a bit pricey, but beer prices are pretty good considering the variety.
Sep 05, 2011
Photo of SamuelJackson45
Reviewed by SamuelJackson45 from Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev -1.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5
From The Founders Night.

A- The Atmosphere was pretty lively still not alot of people but but busy for being a real small hole in thew wall corner bar.

Q- Not bad was kind of shock. It's seat right by Muhlenburg College in Allentown PA.

S- The service was pretty good. Friendly workers.

S- The beer selection beside the founders was pretty good that was shocking.

F- The food was awesome very tasty and very good quality.

V- The price was more then reasonable. not bad for a college local bar. Would drop by again..
Aug 13, 2011
Photo of skiofpinsk
Reviewed by skiofpinsk from Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +0.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
I was here with some friends on a Friday night. It was pretty crowded, but I pulled up to the bar as I was the first to arrive. The room with the bar is narrow, but has plenty of seating and several tables. I didn't walk through the entire place, but there appeared to be more table area in at least one other room.

Got a Evil Twin Yin, decent pour. I enjoyed it while I waited for my friends to arrive. A couple TVs were located behind the bar, with the Phillies game on.

People showed up, so we relocated to a table. The food menu was pretty good. I settled on a reuben, which turned out to be enormous. We were checked on several times during our meal and there always seemed to be someone there when a glass ran empty.

Overall, a great place. Beer menu is up there as one of the best I've seen. The food was also better than standard bar food. I would definitely recommend this place, and can't wait to make it back there.
Jul 23, 2011
Photo of Knapp85
Reviewed by Knapp85 from Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev -4.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
A friend of mine had been asking me to check out the place with him sometime, so one day we went after work and had a few rounds. The atmosphere wasn't too bad because we got there before the major rush of a Friday night and had a seat at the bar. The bar was a pretty decent size that sits maybe 20 people or so. As time went on it started getting much more busy and we were glad we got there when we did.

The beer and food selection was impressive. The beer list is quite extensive with lots of bottles to choose from along with a hell of a lineup on drafts. They don't mess around too much here. The food menu was typical of what a bar would have. My friend and I wanted to try to something off the wall and had the Thankgiving Day Pizza. It had turkey, stuffing, cheese and cranberry sause on it... The sound of it may not be all that appealing but it was pretty interesting.

Service was good but pretty typical. Nothing too over the top really. I was never without a beer in front of me so that's a plus. The price of the place was pretty easy in the pocket too. I can't really say too much bad stuff about this place because I can think of anything. This is a place to check out if you're in the area for sure.
May 25, 2011
Photo of timtim
Reviewed by timtim from District of Columbia

3.6/5  rDev -16.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 3
Beer Advocate saves the day again! Up in Allentown on business, so I checked BA to find a place for an after work beer. This place had the best reviews, so I went to check it out. Here's what I found: college bar with tons of smoke. was packed at about 745 on a Tuesday. the bartender acted pissed when we tried to order drinks, like we were bothering him. service was slow at times (what can you expect at a packed pub?), but other than the bartender, they were all helpful and some knowledgeable. food was okay. $5 for two relatively massive tacos with a home-deep-fried shell that was actually pretty tasty. here's where it gets good... selection included things like Evil Twin and Weyerbacher one-offs on tap, and Lost Abbey, Alesmith, a few Cantillons, lots of locals, Dark Horse, and tons of other fantastic beers in the bottle available for take-out. The food was cheap, and the bottles were well priced (mostly) for a bar. Overall, a decent value and good beer. Probably wouldn't frequent a place like this at home, but I liked seeing how the locals do it there in Allentown, and I thoroughly enjoyed my beers. Cheers Allentown!
May 13, 2011
Photo of paulys55
Reviewed by paulys55 from Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -12%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
I will say I frequent this place quite often but usually for six packs. Fun college bar with good tap selection and really nice bottle selection. Tons of bottles, both 12oz and large format, though the large format bottles tend to be a little pricey, even for a bar. But you can make mixed sixers and they keep the selection fairly fresh with new brands all the time. They have tasting events fairly often and get some pretty tasty treats (Founders CBS was a nice one). Staff is fairly knowledgeable and the food is good. The only problem I have with this place is the smoking. I know it's a college bar and no smoking would probably kill their business but it's hard for me to enjoy a good beer when I can't breathe. Otherwise, really nice place with great selection. My go-to place for take out six packs.
May 05, 2011
Photo of benz08
Reviewed by benz08 from New Jersey

4.78/5  rDev +10.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4
Wow what a nice little hidden gem this place was, but I guess outside of the major cities every good craft beer bar is a hidden gem. Decided to attend the KBS/CBS tap event because I used to go to this bar when it was known as Woody's and was a terrible little dive directly across the street from my former college Muhlenberg. What a difference from the former Woody's.

Tavern on Liberty had about 20 tap lines pouring mostly high quality stuff, they keep Miller Lite, Yuengling and Coors Light on tap because after all there is a college 100 feet away. Behind the bar there is a fridge with bombers and 750's and on the opposite wall of the bar is a fridge of 12oz bottles. The fridges are clearly labeled $3.50 bottles and $4 bottles that you can grab yourself or order from the waitstaff. Um $3.50 and $4 for high quality craft beers? I have to move into the apartment upstairs from this place. Being PA they also do package goods to go and there was a 6-pack price next to the bottle price on the fridge of around $13-14. Also they have happy hour specials of $1 off all draft beer and some food specials every day.

Service staff and ownership could not have been friendlier. When the place thinned out towards the end of the night we were offered full goblets of CBS and I think the house even bought a round of them. We were at a table so i found the staff to be very attentive considering how busy the event was. I've seen people complaining in the forum post about the event that they weren't being served, but they were standing. Don't know of a bar that has waitress service for people standing away from tables. Seeing how they handled chaos I'd love to see how unbelievably friendly and attentive they become when its just an average night. Sherri and her staff knew their products and were passionate about their beer. The place just has a friendly warm environment not seen everywhere. We were even treated to a little homebrew that even though the bottle was promised to a regular, they made sure to save a few ounces so we could all get a taste and I enjoyed it very much. I know I gave my card out to the brewer so please contact me I'd love to get some more of that.

My only complaints were the smoking in the bar(yeah in Jersey and New York you can't do that anymore and as a non-smoker I like that) but the bar can't be blamed for that. And to be honest the pizza wasn't very good but again living where I live I'm treated to some excellent pizza on almost every corner. We ordered some sandwiches for dinner before the event and those were excellent though. One more small word of warning, and no one on this site will even care about this, but they ONLY serve beer. There was absolutely no wine or liquor in the building. I know there's probably some beer guys used to also seeing a good scotch/bourbon/whiskey collection at their craft bar but here its just about the beer and thats alright with me.

Tavern on Liberty is an hour and half drive from me but I'll be going back again and hopefully soon. There's a full casino about 15 minutes away in Bethlehem so I have a good excuse to go out there. Also Brew Works is probably a half-mile away in Allentown.
Apr 05, 2011
Photo of ajaxivan
Reviewed by ajaxivan from Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev -3.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3
Beautiful sunny sunday afternoon what better way of enjoying the day with a drive 70 min. north for some KBS. I caught wind that somehow the KBS and CBS were still pouring as of the day before(Founders event on prior thursday)called the bar and the CBS was done but a little KBS was left. Threw the wife and kids in the car and headed up to Allentown.
The bar is located right next door to my wifes alma mater Muhlenberg College. Nice neighborhood setting. The bar is long with alot of seating. There are tables as well. Being that they allow smoking no one under 18 is allowed so my great wife told me to stay while she took the kids for lunch and to the park.
The beer was awesome due to the recent Founders event and i mannaged to finish the remaining KBS which is why i made the trip. They have many taps and a very immpressive bottle inventory as well. Cant speak to the price on the bottles but the draft was on par with any craft beer bar i frequent.
I wasn't thrilled with my lunch honestly but im not sure burritos are their specialty. The pizza looked and smelled wonderful so next time ill try that.
All in all if i lived closer i would be here alot. The owner is a Ba and even beer mailed me after reading one of the threads asking if the KBS was still pouring. Next time i hear about an event there or just passing through, ill stop in.
Apr 04, 2011
Photo of Dempsey16
Reviewed by Dempsey16 from New Jersey

4.9/5  rDev +13.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
My first trip to this wonderful bar was for the Founders tasting. A huge thank you goes out to Tavern on Liberty for putting on such an amazing and well organized event. Their game plan worked out perfectly and everyone who wanted a CBS got a CBS. The staff was wonderful and extremely nice and all the people we met were awesome. My buddy and I drove in from NE Jersey and even though we were out-of-towners, we were treated like locals. Sherry, one of the owners, was just awesome! She sat with our table for over an hour talking beer and travel and was kind enough to bring us goblets of CBS. Yes, goblets! She shared some other beers with us and we even got to try one of employee's homebrews as well. Another great beer to go along with the rest. I can't remember your name buddy, but keep up the great work. Can't wait to try another when the next time I'm in. All in all, thank you so much to everyone, from Sherry, the staff, and all the wonderful patrons. Highly recommended bar with very knowledgeable beer connoisseurs to help you along the way. Cheers!
Matt
Apr 01, 2011
The Tavern on Liberty in Allentown, PA
Place rating: 4.32 out of 5 with 60 ratings