A beloved East Allentown restaurant with deep roots in the Lehigh Valley community is entering a new chapter under the leadership of a former customer turned owner.
Zonia Sibri, who first visited Stahley’s shortly after arriving in the United States from Ecuador in 1995, officially purchased the iconic restaurant on Tuesday. The sale of the restaurant at 1824-26 Hanover Ave., has drawn widespread attention in recent weeks after news of the pending transaction began circulating publicly.
“This was the first American restaurant I ever went to,” Sibri said. “My brother-in-law said the clams were the best, so we went. I’d never had clams before; I came from poverty, but the food was great, the service was great, the atmosphere was great. It felt like family. I always kept that memory with me.”
Stahley’s has been a community fixture on the well-traveled Hanover Avenue connector between Allentown and Bethlehem. You could grab a seat upstairs in the main bar and dining room for clams and a Black Diamond steak sandwich, or pull up to a table downstairs where you might sit across from a high school football team rolling back into town from a state championship game.
Sibri, who started her American career as a waitress in a diner, now owns multiple businesses and invests in real estate. She had long admired the restaurant and its place in the community.
“I always go over there for the clams,” she said. “I always said if one day it’s for sale, maybe I’ll try to get this place. It’s a good area, nice people, and I see a lot of possibilities.”
Those possibilities include preserving what regulars love about Stahley’s while bringing new elements to the menu. Sibri plans to maintain popular items like clams, cheesesteaks, cheeseburgers, Black Diamond steak, and soups, while also reintroducing breakfast service.
“People have been asking for it,” she explained. “We’ll do paninis, homemade cream chipped beef, pulled pork Benedict, coffee, juice, everything homemade.”
Her vision extends to expanding salad options, introducing new seafood dishes, and offering soup or fries with sandwiches. Sibri emphasized that customer requests will drive menu development, saying, “I want them to feel like they’re in a family house.”
The current Stahley’s staff will remain, with Sibri bringing in additional chefs to help manage the expanded menu. Initial renovations will be minimal, focusing on replacing kitchen equipment and painting the exterior, with plans to update tables and booths later.
She also hopes to revitalize the banquet room downstairs for private parties and events. “I want to keep the place alive, keep the reputation alive, doing my best, fixing everything all the time,” Sibri said.
Jeff Barber of Lehigh Financial Group LLC, who arranged the financing for the sale, called helping Sibri complete the purchase an honor. “Zonia’s journey from first-time customer to owner is exactly the kind of story that reminds us why we do what we do,” Barber said. “She has the drive, the experience, and the heart to lead this business into its next chapter.”
The listing agent for the sale was Joe Paranee of Paranee Properties, while Marta Gandia of Cassidon Realty Better Homes & Gardens represented Sibri as the buyer’s agent. Attorney Joe Piperato of Eastburn & Gray Law Offices in Bethlehem served as buyer’s legal counsel, with 44 Business Capital as the funding lender.
Generative AI was used to organize information for this story, based on data provided by the source. It was reviewed and edited by lehighvalleylive.com staff.
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