There’s something about music and food—each a feast of its own, one of sound, the other of flavor. Put them together, though, and the sum turns out exponentially greater than the parts. Allentown’s 1812 Piano Lounge easily serves as a case in point.
When I visited, a vocalist crooning Frank Sinatra standards kept the energy level at this West End establishment at fever pitch. Even though space for dancing is spare, patrons eked out enough to execute some two-steps; a few dancers found room enough to spin partners across the floor. Others moved to the groove in their seats, while nursing a cocktail or crunching thin, crispy house-made potato chips. It was 5 p.m. on a Thursday; the place was practically packed, and the one-word modus operandi was—fun.
Owner Jill Schaefer opened 1812 Piano Lounge in June 2025 because she’s enjoyed visiting these venues in other places: “You can never have a bad time at a piano bar,” she says. She’d dreamed of opening one in the Lehigh Valley for years. The time finally felt right last year, so the Allentown Appliance owner gutted the store’s warehouse and transformed her dream into reality.
Now it’s hard to imagine the classy, sophisticated space crowded with tightly stacked appliances instead of people. Black walls and the black-and-bronze ceiling create a dramatic backdrop for a stunning white baby grand piano. Marble-topped tables, blue-and-gold velvet chairs and red velvet banquettes along one wall punctuate the room with rich color. Not surprisingly, the interior was designed with acoustics in mind. No doubt that’s why it feels like you’re inside a Sonos speaker here, wrapped in music, feeling the sound as well as hearing it.
General manager Cindy Billera says when the lounge first opened, patrons told her they thought they were coming for the music, but discovered, “‘Wow, you have food, too, and it’s good.’”…