New Lehigh Valley eatery offering build-your-own baked potatoes, pierogies, tater

ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Potato lovers, rejoice! A new restaurant “specializing in all things spuds” – including baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, French fries, pierogies and tater tots that can be customized with a host of toppings – is now open in Lehigh County.

The Potato Factory, a fast-casual eatery offering a wide array of freshly prepared, customizable potato options, held a soft opening Tuesday at 921 Hamilton St. in downtown Allentown, owner Francisco “Macho” Velez said.

The restaurant, with seating for around 25 guests, occupies a renovated space that previously housed other dining establishments, including Island in the Sun and Culture Jam Jamaican restaurants.

Individuals place custom orders at The Potato Factory in a similar fashion to how customers order food at Chipotle Mexican Grill, Velez said.

But instead of picking ingredients for tacos, burritos and other Mexican dishes, they choose from a wide selection of toppings for baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, deep-fried pierogies, boardwalk French fries and tater tots.

Toppings include meats and seafood such as steak, shrimp, brisket, pulled pork, pulled chicken, turkey, chopped ham, chopped steak, hot dog, mini meatballs, chili, sloppy Joe, bacon and pepperoni; vegetables such as corn, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, banana peppers, green peppers, red peppers, jalapeno peppers and cauliflower; and other items such as mac and cheese, coleslaw, black olives, mushrooms, mozzarella cheese, liquid cheese and sour cream.

Customers also can choose from various sauces such as alfredo, barbecue, honey barbecue, A1, hot sauce, mild sauce, ranch, chimichurri, balsamic vinaigrette and spaghetti sauce.

Around two dozen signature loaded potatoes, starting at $8.25, include varieties such as broccoli cheddar cheese, chicken bacon ranch, loaded cajun shrimp (butter, seasoned cajun shrimp, potato sticks and chipotle sauce), pizza (butter, marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni), steak (butter, shredded cheese, steak strip, peppers, onions, mushrooms and A1 sauce) and original loaded (butter, cheese, sour cream, bacon and chives).

“We’ve got something for everyone – meat lovers, vegans, everyone,” Velez said.

“For example, vegans could get the spinach artichoke potato with no butter, and meat lovers could get the Philly cheesesteak potato. A lot of people are really loving our smoked turkey barbecue ends, and our sloppy Joe potato has also been a huge hit. Whatever you prefer, you’re getting a really great deal because all of our portions are huge.”