For a sophisticated, romantic dinner, the Cosmopolitan is highly recommended both for its food and its service. We came for dinner on a Thursday night and were treated to delicious salads and entrees. The lobster salad was excellent and the salmon entree, on a bed of pea purée and delicate gnocchi was first rate. The tilefish entree was also a joy. A shared creme brûlée ended a fine meal. Our waiter was very knowledgable and courteous and he made us us aware that on Thursdays, wine by the bottle are half price, what a value. The complimentary valet parking was very prompt and convenient. We look forward to our next visit.

Cosmopolitan - is a outstanding classic setting ,and the food is outstanding . service was great. atmosphere was very Elegant you have to experience to believe.

My lovely wife and I visited Cosmopolitan on a Tuesday night at 5:00 PM after visiting an art exhibition just a block away. The restaurant is located just across the street from Allentown's Symphony Hall and a block away from its Museum of Art. The restaurant building is a restored 5 story stone structure that is beautiful to look at, especially compared to other buildings on the block, including a vacant hi-rise hotel across the street. But don't let that deter you from visiting the restaurant. It has free valet parking and numerous parking lots and garages in the neighborhood. Upon entering the front door, you are in a completely different world. The terms chic and glamorous come to mind, a look and atmosphere conspicuously absent from the world of fine dining in the Lehigh Valley for far too many years. The dining area and adjacent bar area are tastefully decorated including a hugh crystal chandelier hanging in an opening to the second floor. There is a wide winding stairway to the upper floors, as well as an elevator. These floors contain an overflow dining room on the second floor, banquet areas, and a soon to be open bar/club on the top floor. Considering our visit was on a Tuesday night during the last week of August, and we were dining early, the first floor dining area filled up rather nicely. We were given two menus by the hostess. One containing items from the former occupant of the space, Sal's Spagetti House, and the other containing Cosmopolitan's own offerings. The Sal's menu is a Tuesday night special, including an $11.95 plate of Sal's spagetti and meatballs or sausage. We were so intrigued by this unusual nod to the prior occupant of the building that we ordered just a side order of meatballs and sausage as a "pre-appetizer". Good move on our part. The meatballs and sausage were absolutely delicious, and the sauce a deep, rich, obviously slow cooked tomato delight. We were so taken by our very favorable reaction, that we ordered an additional 10 meatballs to take home with us.

Our main meal was equally as impressive. The menu contains a nice assortment of fish (scallops, salmon), meat (filet, braised short ribs, pork chop), and poultry (chicken, duck) and some other more unusual items. Our server, Amy, was excellent, both pleasant and professional, and was able to answer all of our questions regarding the building, history of the restaurant and menu items. To start, we ordered the onion soup and beet salad. The soup was one of the best I have recently had, with a dark, rich broth with deep flavors of red wine and beef broth, with just the right amount of melted cheese and a welcome absence of saltiness. My wife's salad was fresh and well dressed with vinaigrette, with both red and golden beets and gorgonzola cheese. My main course was the braised short ribs with carrots, asparagus , mashed potatoes and a delicious sauce reduction. The flavor was excellent and the meat pulled apart with a fork, although it was a little fatty. My wife had the salmon with gnocchi and green pea puree. The entire dish was first class. For dessert, we shared a slice of "Hess's" traditional strawberry pie, which was actually big enough to feed 4 people. It was just as we remembered from Hess's Patio restaurant (in the former department store, for those not from the Lehigh Valley).

All in all, a wonderful experience for our first, but not last, visit to this restaurant. This could be a special occasion restaurant, but also one that should be visited on a regular basis. While the prices are higher than most people in Allentown may be used to paying, the quality of the ingredients and the food preparation make it a great value. Frankly, there are not yet that many good reasons to visit downtown Allentown. Hopefully, that will change with the completion of the nearby new hockey arena complex and associated businesses. But, luckily for local residents, the Cosmopolitan is way ahead of the redevelopment curve and should be supported by those interested in a fine dining experience in a first class restaurant. Fine dining? In Allentown? Yes, there is.

My husband and I enjoyed a night at the Cosmopolitan Restaurant in Allentown. It is located on 6th street (not the best area), but the valet parking makes all the difference! The restaurant is beautiful! The dining area lovely and the bar is chic. The bar specials are fantastic- half price bar menu, $4.95 martinis, and $3 beers. I will say that the bar area did seem to have quite a few regulars, and some folks seemed like they could be locals.

Now the food…YUM-O! From the bar menu I recommend the duck spring rolls, Uncle Paul’s pierogies, and clams! You can’t go wrong! The bar burger…good, but I would opt for something other than the blue cheese sauce it comes with. Entrees: The Breast of PA chicken is very good, the Braised Short Ribs could be better.

Tips:
…You might not need to sit in the bar area (which is very nice) to get the bar specials. They do like if you do, but you could try to get it approved by the manager.
… The bathroom is on the second floor – use the steps or elevator
… Visit the bathroom just to see how beautiful it is!
… Hess’s chandelier is located in the center of the restaurant
… Outdoor rooftop club is under renovation
… This is a great place for a family gathering, shower, or small wedding!

Enjoy!

It's very attractive. Located in a dangerous area. You'll never see the Allentown PD just like in most of the downtown. But they have complimentary valet parking. We've been there three times. The service can be dumb and even dumber. Or, very good. Ordered a salad that was supposed to come with bleu cheese. When it arrived, I pointed out there was hardly any cheese. The wait person said she'd order some. I asked what she meant by "order" and she told me I would be charged for it. But there wasn't much in the first place and the menu said there was supposed to be bleu cheese...not just a trace. Finally, the manager came over and told me there would be no charge after all. I got the bleu cheese. Who needs these little annoyances? They just spoil the experience. On another occasion, the wait person had now been demoted to server. When I was not served the a la carte $8. Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, she told me she only had two hands. Where do they find these people? Don't they interview them, check their experience, train them, manage, supervise, observe, etc.? The answer is obvious. The food can been good to very good. But it's very expensive. Good expense account place. Hard to swallow if the check is being paid out of your own wallet.