Work Resumes at the Former Rosanna’s in Downtown Bethlehem; Broad Street May Take on a `Restaurant Row’ Look

Sept. 11, 2026

— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs

Work has resumed at the former Rosanna’s in downtown Bethlehem, preparing the space at Broad and New streets to be a restaurant again.

Rosanna’s closed in 2022. There was a plan to turn it into a deli. The location will be a restaurant, according to a worker. The building has also been home to the Mid-City Diner and back in the 1980s, it was The Pelican Bar.

Perhaps Broad Street is becoming a restaurant row. Billy’s Downtown Diner is adjacent, and down the street are two restaurants that have opened in the past year, Dim Sum at 128 E. Broad St. and the Cozy Cafe & Restaurant at 216 E. Broad St. Colombian restaurant Mis Raices opened at 8 W. Broad St. earlier this year, and more toward Main Street are standards including Apollo, Edge and Rippers.

Walk a little more to the east and you’ll come across the Bethlehem Co-Op Boondoggle, which promises a coffee shop, take-out food and more at 250 E. Broad St. Of course, it’s been promising that for years. Nearby restaurants that didn’t benefit from $3.1 million of taxpayers’ money might not care for that kind of competition, but they don’t have much to worry about as of now. The Co-Op remains a No-Op. It’s not open.

Broad Street has never drawn the attention and tourists that Main Street has but it has its own quiet charm and a lot of parking.

I’ll be checking on what’s next for the former Rosanna’s. Whatever is next, it will bring back some life to a prominent corner of downtown Bethlehem.