PALMER TWP., Pa. - Two new dining options will soon satisfy appetites at a prominent shopping mall in Northampton County.
Desi Bites, specializing in authentic, made-from-scratch Indian cuisine, and Wrap’d Tight 2.0 Fully Loaded, specializing in gourmet wraps, salads and loaded baked potatoes, are set to open in the coming weeks at the Palmer Park Mall in Palmer Township.
The new eateries will join around 50 other Palmer Park Mall tenants, including other new additions Blue Flame Events, Lehigh Valley Fashion Week Shops and Santalexa & Fitness Love.
Desi Bites
Pending a final inspection, Desi Bites is tentatively scheduled to open this week, possibly as early as Wednesday, operator Yasdeep Singh said.
Singh operates Desi Bites with his wife, Harsharan Kaur, and partner, Paramjit Singh.
For the past three years, the group has been running Desi Bites as a take-out operation inside Indian Bazaar, a store selling fresh produce and other groceries at 3601 Nazareth Road in Palmer.
Desi Bites is coming soon to the Palmer Park Mall.
Desi Bites’ new location will offer dine-in service, with seating for approximately 90 guests, in the space that previously housed The New Ranchito – a former restaurant offering Mexican and Puerto Rican dishes.
The partners are moving operations from the grocery store to the Palmer Park Mall in order to expand the business.
“We are very excited to be growing at the Palmer Park Mall,” Yasdeep said. “A lot of customers have requested dine-in service, and so we wanted to offer that space for them.”
At the mall, the partners are planning to expand the menu to include about 30 additional items, Yasdeep said.
Customers will be able to enjoy starters such as chicken and vegetable samosas, soups such as manchow and sweet and sour, flatbreads such as garlic and butter naan and popular entrees such as chicken tikka masala, kadai chicken, goat korma, saag lamb, fish curry, shrimp curry and tandoori shrimp.
Other menu highlights include biryani selections such as chicken, goat and lamb; South Indian dishes such as cheese dosa (crispy, savory rice crepe with melted cheese), pav bhaji (spicy mashed vegetable curry with buttered buns) and vegetable uttapam (savory rice and lentil pancake with vegetables); and Indo Chinese dishes such as hakka noodles (stir-fried noodles with vegetables and soy sauce), vegetable fried rice and gobi Manchurian dry (crispy, tangy and savory cauliflower bites).
Desi Bites is coming soon the Palmer Park Mall.
About two dozen specials include chole bhature (spicy chickpea curry with fluffy fried bread); vada sambar (lentil fritters with lentil stew); kathi rolls with tangy chicken bites, vegetables or paneer chunks; and various types of parantha (flatbread stuffed with your choice of potato, cauliflower, onion, radish, assorted vegetables and more).
There are also unique burgers such as a noodle burger (burger with noodle patty) and continental dishes such as roasted chicken in olive oil sauce and crispy tilapia with zesty lemon sauce.
Wrap’d Tight 2.0 Fully Loaded
Wrap’d Tight 2.0 Fully Loaded is expected to open in early August, chef and owner Heather Griffith said.
The fast-casual restaurant will fill a renovated space that was previously home to a Subway eatery.
Wrap’d Tight was established in 2005 on Bethlehem’s South Side, originally operating at the Five Points intersection before moving to a now-demolished building at South New and Third streets in Bethlehem and then moving again to its current location at 2027 Willow Park Road in Bethlehem Township.
The business offers catering, delivery and pick-up services from its Willow Park Road location, and Griffith also hosts events for up to 60 people at a catering hall in the same shopping plaza.
In addition to preparing for Wrap’d Tight’s new location at the Palmer Park Mall, Griffith also is bringing the business’ new mobile food trailer to local events.
The trailer is making appearances at festivals and other public events, and it can also be rented for private functions such as birthday parties, graduation parties and corporate gatherings.
“We’re super excited to be expanding operations with our food truck and also our new location at the Palmer Park Mall,” Griffith said.
“We’re going to be tapping into a whole new audience in the Easton area, and we’re super pumped and grateful for the opportunity. Right now, we’ve paused the Bethlehem location to focus on the Easton location and food truck for the next month and a half because it’s the popular season for food trucks. But it’s my intention to have both locations open because we want to continue serving our customers in the Bethlehem area, our original home.”
Wrap’d Tight is known for its gourmet wraps, salads and loaded baked potatoes.
Customers can enjoy original wraps such as BLT, tuna salad, turkey bacon cheddar and ham Swiss veggie, along with specialty wraps such as chicken Caesar, chicken spinach feta (fresh spinach, red onion, seasoned crumbled feta cheese, sauteed chicken breast and balsamic vinegar), chef salad (crisp green lettuce, turkey, ham, Swiss and American cheeses, red onion, boiled egg, lightly crumbled croutons and zesty ranch dressing) and bacon cheeseburger deluxe (seasoned hamburger strips, melted cheddar cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles, ketchup and tomato bacon sauce).
Customer favorites include the “Hunny on Honey” wrap (lettuce, honey turkey, honey ham, onions, sweet peppers and honey mustard) and “The KRIT” wrap (seasoned chicken, avocado, tomato, red onion, mixed greens and garden vegetable sauce).
Wrap Grillers,” wraps that are toasted on the grill, include options like chicken fajita, chicken cordon bleu, meatball parmesan and “Monte Crisp Griller” (ham, Swiss, turkey, mayonnaise and mustard, dipped in batter, grilled and lightly dusted with powdered sugar with jam on the side).
“We do hot wraps, cold wraps and even lettuce wraps for our gluten-free customers,” Griffith said. “We have items for everyone, including vegans. We take care of everybody.”
By just reading the business’ name, most people wouldn’t know that one of Wrap’d Tight’s most popular selections is its wide array of overstuffed baked potatoes.
Around a dozen baked potato varieties include a “Steak ‘n Potato” (slow-cooked sliced steak with sauteed onion gravy) and “Southwest Chicken” (chicken, black bean corn salsa and cheese).
Top-sellers include the “All or Nothing” (butter, sour cream, chives, crumbled bacon, melted cheddar cheese, broccoli, chili and chicken) and “Hot Potato” (Buffalo chicken, cheese and hot peppers).
“We can’t wait to bring all of our favorites to our new mall location,” Griffith said. “This is a great next step for us, and we’re very much looking forward to expanding our reach and meeting new friends. Everyone’s been super nice and giving us a warm welcome before we’ve even opened up.”
Changing roster
Desi Bites and Wrap’d Tight 2.0 Fully Loaded are joining a growing roster of businesses at the Palmer Park Mall, located at Nazareth Road and Park Avenue.
Blue Flame Events, known for organizing festivals, vendor events and other functions throughout the Lehigh Valley and Poconos, in early April opened its first brick-and-mortar store – featuring items from more than 100 local crafters and small business owners.
Shoppers can browse a wide array of hand-crafted items, including home decor, children’s toys and fashion accessories such as jewelry and handbags.
The store also features selections from Blue Flame Events co-owners Timothy and Kimberly Stockers’ own business, Candleman Creations, such as all-natural soy candles, wax melts and bath and body products such as soaps, moisturizers and beard care products.
Also opening at the mall in April was Lehigh Valley Fashion Week Shops, an extension of the biannual Lehigh Valley Fashion Week event.
Cyrie Jackson-Robinson founded Lehigh Valley Fashion Week in 2014 with a goal of spotlighting the creative work of local fashion designers and models.
The new store carries the latest fashions as shown in various Lehigh Valley Fashion Week runway shows, along with a rotating selection of pieces from top designers based in New York and other prominent cities throughout the world.
Individuals can browse seasonal men’s, women’s and children’s fashions, including dresses, pants, shorts, shirts, sweaters and outerwear. A mix of formal wear and casual wear are featured, along with shoes and accessories.
Another new addition is Santalexa & Fitness Love, offering hair care products and services, eyelashes and more, which opened in mid-March at the eastern end of the mall, near Boscov’s.
Shoppers can browse 100% human hair extensions and wigs, eyelashes, laminated eyebrows and hair care and weight loss products.
Santalexa is owned and operated by Santa Martinez, an entrepreneur who expanded her brand to include educational training in 2022.
Martinez educates women looking to acquire knowledge about hair extensions by teaching different techniques.
Santalexa offers high-quality, natural hair extensions and various hair vitamins, containing ingredients such as Morrocan oil, jojoba oil, camellia seed oil, aloe vera and Vitamins A, C, E and B5.
Other Santalexa items include a professional hair iron, electric comb with diamond handle and brush with pink diamond accents.
Assante Art Gallery, showcasing a variety of African artwork, held a grand opening in early November at the Palmer Park Mall.
In addition to these most recent additions, businesses opening at the mall over the past year include: The Arcade Era, offering more than 60 retro and modern arcade games; Asante Art Gallery, showcasing a variety of African artwork; and Hocca Bubble Tea, specializing in freshly prepared bubble tea and bubble waffles.
Additionally, Cloud City, which buys, sells and trades games, comics, toys and collectibles, moved last summer from its two-year-old location at the western end of the mall (near Decor Home Furniture & Mattresses) to a larger location at the eastern end of the mall (near Boscov's).
Cloud City, offering games, comics and toys, operates a location at the Palmer Park Mall.
American Eagle Outfitters, a popular clothing chain, closed its Palmer Park Mall store in January; and Day 2 Night Style, a business offering women's clothing, shoes and accessories, closed its store in February as it transitioned to a primarily online enterprise.
The mall is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.
