Downtown Allentown eatery to permanently close amid pandemic
Another downtown Allentown eatery is closing amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Nosh @ Nana’s, which opened in June 2015 at 515 Hamilton St., will permanently close on Friday, according to owner Nafije Castro.
The breakfast-and-lunch spot, on the ground floor of the Three City Center office building, over the past five years established a loyal following of customers, including workers from Lehigh Valley Health Network and Lehigh County Government Center, thanks to its fresh soups, salads and club and specialty sandwiches.
Other popular menu items include quesadillas, wraps and breakfast items such as omelettes, pancakes, French toast and egg platters.
Castro, who previously ran Nana’s Cafe & Grille a few blocks away at 722 Hamilton St. for six years prior to Nosh, wished her friends and customers a blessed and safe holiday via a post on the business’ Facebook page.
“This has been a long beautiful journey with everyone over the years,” Castro wrote in the post. “… I have had the best customers any business could ask for. I will miss everyone so much and keep in touch with a lot of you.”
Castro noted that she will be cleaning out her shop all of next week if any customers would like to stop by and say hi.
According to City Center Investment Corp., which owns
Three City Center, a new eatery with a similar concept is set to open in the space in January.
“The entire City Center team congratulates Nafije on her greatly deserved retirement,” Jill Wheeler, City Center’s vice president of sales and marketing, said in a written statement. “We thank her for being such a big part of the revitalization of downtown Allentown. From serving hundreds of construction workers building the PPL Center at her previous location to now serving the office workers in Three City Center, she really has been part of our family. We wish her the best. We are also pleased to have an experienced operator who will run a similar concept lined up to open
in that location in the new year.”
Nosh joins a growing list of other recently closed downtown Allentown dining spots, including full-service restaurants Bay Leaf and Macho’s Sports Bar along with Downtown Allentown Market vendors Doughnut Love, Fresh Kitchen by Robert Irvine and Licensed 2 Grill @ The Market.
Other restaurants, including The Dime, Chickie’s & Pete’s, Tim Horton’s and Queen City BBQ, remain temporarily closed amid the pandemic.