Chess N Checkers Pub & Restaurant

Staying at the hotel next door. I’ve come in here for cocktails before but never food. I’ve seen the reviews and was a little skeptical but it’s convenient so I decided to try. The atmosphere is nice and the staff friendly, but it was a little dead adding to my apprehension. However, I ordered a Reuben (I know not very creative) but it was the best Reuben I’ve had in a long time. Piled high home brined corned beef — not that deli meat stuff. And it had a perfect ratio of sauce, cheese, and saurkraut. I’ll definitely be back. Convenient and a great sandwich.

Went for dinner on a Friday night because we had never tried it before and drive by and thought we should try a new place. We were suprised at how empty it was for a Friday night around 7/7:30, and were apprehensive because it was so dead, but we stayed and had dinner downstairs at a bar table. The waiter/​bartender was very attentive and the food was really good. We were just suprised there weren’t more people there because we had a really good experience.

I was in town on business and was staying at the stay bridge hotel and was looking forva close place to grab dinner and a couple drinks so i decided to eat at chess n checkers. The service was fantastic they were all very friendly. I had the signature seafood bisque soup to start and then had the meat pie with glazed carrots. I have been all over the country and never tasted anything like it. It was amazing and i would definitely be back when i am in town.

I stayed at the hotel directly behind the restaurant and decided to go in for dinner. I ordered the crab cakes which were the best I’ve ever tasted and I’ve eaten crab from the Inner Harbor in Baltimore. My wife had the full rack of ribs which were delicious. Our server Rich was very gracious and bent over backwards to serve all of our needs from the time we walked in the door until the time we left. The whole restaurant is absolutely beautiful to say the least. We come to the area quite frequently and I believe we found a diamond in the rough in Allentown, PA. We will continue to dine here again and again. Not sure where these bad reviews are coming from but I highly recommend you try this place.

This place is ok. The food is edible but not really good. They say they have the best crab cakes in PA. But the crab cake special costs 37 bucks for 2 crab cakes and something else. Not worth it. I didnt get it, but i cant imagine it being that good. Too expensive for mediocre food. Staff is ok. Not going any less than 3 stars because there were actually people here and the food is edible, but can not ever consider it a 4 or 5 stars.

Ate here last night. Upon entering this establishment i thought ok this is not so bad. Place was not busy so we were greeted right away and given menus. I ordered the boneless chicken wings and a club soda 10 wings 9.99 club soda 2.99. Wings were no better then great value brand in a bag with an abundance of bbq sauce on them with little flavor. If you are in the area and desperate for food i would maybe ear there again however there are several other places to choose from within a 2 min walk.

Sevice was pleasurable. The bartender very friendly & helpful. They could use a nice good old fashion cleaning and remodeling of this place.
I did not eat here so i cannot comment on the food.

The service here is really great — attentive, friendly, welcoming. The ambiance is also nice. You can grab a drink at the bar downstairs or there is a dining room upstairs. It’s also a big place, so not too loud.
The chef should be fired immediately. Sauces come bland, salads come with way too much dressing, fries = burnt and overly salted. The menu is extensive, and expensive.
You will leave here saying your meal was «alright,» but doubt it will be memorable.
Next.

I worked there for 2 weeks and ran screaming. Disgustingly filthy kitchen. Cheap one ply napkins. Plastic ramikins for side sauces. They call themselves «upscale» Dillutional at best.

Co worker recommended so gave it a try… walked in and 12 dudes were sitting at the bar… no one in dining room… didn’t want to be a pain so I saddled up. ordered a cocktail and took a look at the laminated menu that stuck to the bar when I picked it up… gross.
I watched a few apps and entrees get delivered to my fellow sausage fest dudes and was not too impressed. A giant pub burger came out that looked good but by that point I wanted to split. I’d go back on a busy night with a group and sit in dining area that looked nice. YMMV

They never removed dirty plates/​glasses from the table. The waiter didn’t know the menu and had to come back 3 times for our order, never asked if we wanted coffee after the meal and was terribly slow (they were not busy). The food was only Ok. I would not recommend the chewy coconut shrimp which did not even come with a dipping sauce.

Showed up at 1:15am Hungry and was served one of the best burgers I have had in a while. Great food great beer great atmosphere.

We saw this place in our travels and decided to give it a whirl because they mentioned chess. I thought I might see a Bobby Fischer sort playing but… NOPE.
As you can see by the pictures it’s nice enough, there is a fire place and a piano. You get a spiffy view of Airport Rd from the second floor. {{giggle}}
The beer was cold :) But the chess pieces were mixed matched, which was damn annoying :(I did notice a nice mixture of music playing while were were there, long enough to play two games of chess. Okay… I’m not really a chess player, I am learning, my fella played both sides of the chess board in the process of teaching me. Quick chat with the server uncovered the fact they have had only one tournament which had the chess players telling the restaurant goers to *hush*. Blahahahaha… funny stuff, there. Maybe keeping the chess players on one floor segregated and quite would be best. :)
It started filing up as we were leaving so it seems like a pretty busy place and based on what I saw and smelled the food was typical fried fare.

I’m mystified — what is wrong with this place? I’ve learned which bitter reviews in Unilocal just need to be ignored because the patrons are usually the problem, not the establishment.
Got in late after flying all day and this was close by. Had a couple beers, fried pickles, and a buffalo chicken cheesesteak w/​fries. We were served in good time by an attentive waiter in a clean establishment — not sure what else one could want.
My buddy had the burger with a dry rub and it was cooked perfect and huge.
We’ll be back if I ever get to Allentown again.

If I could rate with zero stars I would! I’ll be amazed if this place is still open in six months…
Waitstaff were miserable, atmosphere was lifeless and this was the opening night of the world cup???
Wish I’d read reviews before coming here, never again!

It’s not that this place is horrible, but it just not very good.
The crab cakes are OK, but to say they are the best in PA is downright ridiculous — yes they have real crabmeat which makes them better than most. The chicken pot pie wasn’t very good, again not that it was bad but just middle of the road uninteresting. Atmosphere leaves a lot to be desired.

Worst restaurant experience of my life and that is saying something considering I have been served scorpions in Asia.
— waitress was inept… and her belly hair was showing… right next to my food.
— my food was so badly burned it inedible.
The worst part… The owner. She came out to deal with our complaint and wanted to know if it was so bad, why did I eat it. I didn’t. The waitress may have thrown it away but I promise you reader… I did not and could not eat that food. She stared with such hatred I had no idea what to do and I was finally upset enough to no longer be polite and simply stated I wasn’t going to pay for the food. Wow was that a mistake. She freaked out on me in the middle of the restaurant and I seriously wondered if she would call the police if I left. In the end we got out having not paid for my meal but not without the entire second floor knowing about it.
Please consider this my most highly recommended restaurant to NEVER eat at including out of any place I have been to in the US, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Brazil, China, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, and Australia.
This will forever be my Amy’s Baking Company.

I too don’t understand the bad reviews?!
I travel to Allentown on business five or six times a year — I have eaten here several times as it’s right next to the Hilton Garden hotel — it’s open late and the food has been great! This time I had the Crab Cake sandwich (can’t remember the name if it on the menu) but it was really good.
Bill who serves at the bar is great, always prompt courteous service. Food was presented well and came out hot. Also had a small Caesar salad which was actually big and tested great.
All in all, I recommend this restaurant as I’ve had great service and good food!

Visited C L Checker’s Pub (aka Chess & Checkers Pub) for the first and last time the other night. While I can’t say that the establishment was completely bad, the food and service did not live up to the décor and presentation, and some of the issues the place has are just… odd.
*Pulled into the parking lot on a Saturday night to find the place half empty. First warning sign.
*Upon entering the establishment, there is a sign that says both the first and second floors are open. Nowhere is there any indication that the first floor is just a bar, and that the restaurant is located on the second floor. Choose wisely.
*Menu is standard bar food churched-​up for fine dining, some high-​ticket items and the rest just slightly overpriced. What was odd however…
*No drinks menu. There is a full bar on the restaurant level, yet no menu listing available wines, signature cocktails, or even what is currently on tap. This has to be the first restaurant I have ever been to that had a bar and no drinks menu. My suspicion is that the drinks are so overpriced they don’t want to list them, but I didn’t feel like testing that theory firsthand. Other than that, though, I can’t think of a reason why you WOULDN’T want to present drink options to a patron.
*I get the feeling that the owner of the establishment read a book on how to save money by skimping out on the customers. There are no condiments on the tables except salt and pepper, but when I received my burger and fries, I was provided with a small plastic takeout container full of ketchup. I’m sorry, but if you’re charging me $ 12 for a burger and fries and serving them on a higher-​end serving plate, the plastic container (with lid, so you know they have a stack of these waiting) ruins the effect. And speaking of cheap…
*Throughout the menu is the repeated instruction «Ask your waiter if you would like a pickle.» Really? Besides the poor phrasing («Excuse me waiter, would I like a pickle?»), the fact that a pickle comes with a meal but I have to specifically ask for it is a huge red flag that somebody is trying to save every dime they can. If a restaurant is forcing you to order your garnish separately in order to save money, who knows what else they are skimping on.
*On to the actual food. Ordered my burger medium rare, came to me practically well done. Essentially, everything on my plate was overcooked, from the bacon on the burger to the fries, of which at least a third of them were slightly burnt. They were also the wrong fries, as the menu specified waffle fries with the burger, but I received were shoestring fries. And the pickle I requested was kind of sad.
*My girlfriend ordered the beef wellington appetizer, which was somewhat bland and more pastry than beef. It was supposed to come with horseradish sauce, but instead came with super-​crazy-​pepper-​death sauce that was literally inedible. When the waiter was informed, he didn’t offer to try and acquire real horseradish sauce to replace the hot pepper sauce, but instead brought back ranch dressing as a substitution. Mmmmmmm… bland beef wellington in ranch dressing.
*Speaking of he waiter… service was not bad, but was definitely not good. Minimum effort was exhausted at all turns. Once drinks and food were received, there was no drink followup to refill water and take new drink orders, and while he did bring more hot water for my girlfriend’s tea, he neglected to bring a second teabag (another penny-​pinching red flag). There was also no how-​is-​everything followup, just the usual «Any desserts?» before the bill. Even the servers at the Waffle House next door take the time to ask how everything is while you are eating.
All and all, just substandard and unusually lacking (No drinks menu?) service and food all throughout. Décor is nice, though, if you ignore the spots where nobody has bothered to repair the marred paint job. Odds are the only thing keeping this place afloat is it’s liquor license and a local position as the overflow location when all of the nearby restaurants are packed and you aren’t in the mood for Waffle House. Avoid if you have a reasonable alternative.

Underwhelming. It’s a beautiful place on the inside, and I had such high expectations. The place is clean and well maintained, but when I asked the bartender for a wine list, I was given a ridiculous amount of attitude.
The cab I ordered first had turned, but the riesling was delish. The food was the best part — the buffalo sauce for chicken fingers wasn’t technically buffalo but it was damn good. My boyfriend’s crab sandwich was delicious, too. Be warned: they advertise waffle fries with a sandwich, but my man got regular fries (all the better for me to steal).
We wouldn’t go out of our way to go back, but since it’s close to the Carmike, we may drop in before a movie.