BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Retro Burger, with its eclectic selection of sandwiches and milkshakes, apparently has closed its doors after two years of service in West Bethlehem.
Retro Burger operated at the former TheMINT Gastropub building, which also previously was a Bank of America, at 1223 W. Broad St.
It’s unclear why the restaurant shut down.
Visiting the site twice this past week, LehighValleyNews.com found the doors locked and no one appearing to be inside.
There was no response to phone calls to the Retro Burger location. Its web domain appears to not be connected to a working page at this time.
An online search of the restaurant lists it as “permanently closed,” and its Facebook page also appears to have been taken down.
Family-friendly eatery
The Retro Burger property is owned by Juan Carlos and Cara Paredes, who also own and operate about a half-dozen other area spots.
Four of those are on Main Street, about a mile from Retro Burger, including The Flying Egg and Urbano Mexican Kitchen & Bar.
In 2022, then-owner of TheMINT Domenic Lombardo, who opened the gastropub about a decade prior, sold the restaurant to the Paredeses.
Opening in 2023, Retro Burger brought a spread of sandwiches and shareables — including the French onion burger, creme brûlée donut à la mode and the “Death by Chocolate” milkshake — to part of a major Bethlehem thoroughfare.
After less than a year of TheMINT under new ownership, the Paradeses closed the spot, then reopened it with a new menu, ambience and under new Retro Burger branding.
Some local faithful of TheMINT weren't too keen on its closure.
Its successor brought its checkerboard floors and a spread of sandwiches and shareables — including the French onion burger, creme brûlée donut à la mode and the “Death by Chocolate” milkshake — to part of a major Bethlehem thoroughfare.
The lot is part of the Limited Commercial zoning district, sitting within the Lehigh County part of the city about a half-mile from the historic Rose Garden Park.
A side of apartments
Back in July, the property owner was approved to remove the old drive-thru on the historic building’s east end to make room for a two-story elevated addition with four one-bedroom and two two-bedroom apartments.
There doesn't appear to have been any construction on site since that time.
City planners saw the initial project sketch plan about two years prior.
Along with the dwellings, the property owner originally looked to add 40 dining seats on top of the restaurant, but ultimately decided against it, project officials said at that time.
