Retail Watch: Allentown tavern celebrates over 20 years of business

Sherry Russoli is proud of the work she and her husband Greg have done with their Allentown tavern over the past 20 years, which has become “kind of the heart of the West End.”

“It’s just a nice, neighborhood spot,” she said. “We’re not fancy … Very much a local spot.”

“Like ‘Cheers,’ ” Greg said.

“It’s not like ‘Cheers,’ ” Sherry replied as they laughed. “We don’t have Norm.”

October marks the 21st anniversary for Tavern on Liberty at 2246 W. Liberty St. It celebrated last weekend with bingo and limited-edition T-shirts.

“The people that we had in this past weekend were some of the people that came in year one,” Greg said. “Especially some of the students from Muhlenberg [College] that frequented us in the first year when no one else was coming in. It was great to see them, and it was kind of a homecoming.”

“I think very few people accomplish a … 21-plus-year tenure as a business,” Sherry said. “It’s very hard in the restaurant business to stay relevant after 20 years, and I think we’ve done a really great job of that.”

The tavern serves menu items such as craft beer, burgers, wings, pizza, cheesesteaks, pretzels, nachos, pierogi and tacos.

Greg said he partnered with Donald Deemer to open the tavern at the property that previously hosted Ye Olde Muhlenberg Tavern.

“Early on, it was very slow,” he said. “We didn’t really have a name for ourselves, and we only had a handful of customers, to be honest with you. But over the years, we’ve grown a following. We’ve had a mug club that has several hundred members. It’s been great.”

Sherry became partner in 2006 after Deemer left, and married Greg in 2011.

“I’d like to say that we were really on the forefront of the craft beer industry at that time,” Sherry said. “Not a lot of people in the Valley had craft beer. At that time, we had 400 different bottled beers and had expanded the draft system to 20 craft beers, and that was really something pretty unheard of.”

Today’s alcohol industry is different than when Tavern on Liberty opened. A Gallup poll found that the percentage of American adults who say they consume alcohol fell to 54% last year, the lowest since 1939. The classic beer faces competitors such as ready-to-drink cocktails and mocktails.

Greg acknowledged the alcohol industry is shrinking and that time will tell whether that will continue, but the two believe that craft beer will always have a future.

“There’s no putting that back in the bottle,” Sherry said. “It’s here to stay. It’s just, who is going to survive? Because today’s hottest craft brewery is yesterday’s old news, and everybody wants to know what the newest beer is that’s out there. And that’s what people are looking for. … Always searching for the next great brewery.”

The tavern operates 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. all week.

Other locations operate in Berks County, including The Liberty Tap Room in Exeter Township, Liberty Ale House in Reading, and Liberty at Dryville in Rockland Township.

Sherry and Greg Russoli are photographed Wednesday, Oct, 28, 2026. The couple own and operate Tavern on Liberty in Allentown that celebrates its 21st anniversary in October. Tavern on Liberty in Allentown, serves beer and dishes like cheesesteaks, pizza, pierogi and tacos. (Jaschell Walbert/Special to The Morning Call)

Tavern on Liberty operates Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026 in Allentown. October marks the 21st anniversary for Tavern on Liberty, where they serve beer and dishes like cheesesteaks, pizza, pierogi and tacos. (Jaschell Walbert/Special to The Morning Call)

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Lehigh Valley retail and restaurant news in brief

Marcy’s Hamburgers: The restaurant announced it began a soft opening at 125 Northampton St. in Easton. It opened last September within a former typewriter shop at 77 N. Fourth St.

Lehigh Valley Mall: The Whitehall Township shopping center’s website listed several upcoming tenants, including Carhartt, The Inspiration Co. and Rowan.

The State Cafe and Grill: The restaurant has fully reopened at 14-16 S. Fifth St. in Easton after damage from a fire forced it to close earlier this year.

Sunny Moon Sconery: The bakery announced it reopened Thursday after it moved from the Slatington Farmers Market in Washington Township to 1061 Seneca St. in Fountain Hill.

In other news

Several restaurants won top honors for the Lehigh Valley Vegan Chef Challenge, a news release announced, decided by nearly 300 votes from people who dined at them.

They include best chef awards Cozy Cafe & Restaurant in Bethlehem at first place, Curious Goods at the Bake Oven Inn in Heidelberg Township at second place, and Union and Finch in Allentown at third place.

Retail Watch is a weekly column covering retail and restaurant news in the Lehigh Valley. Have a question, tip, or want to see something in the area? Contact retail reporter Graysen Golter at retailwatch@mcall.com. Sign up for our weekly Retail Watch newsletter at mcall.com/retailwatchsignup.

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