BETHLEHEM, Pa. - A new spot for fresh food, flavorful drinks and fairway fun is welcoming guests in Northampton County.
Twisted Tees, a sports bar and entertainment destination featuring golf simulators, yard games, elevated pub fare and a full bar, held a soft opening a few weeks ago at The Outlets at Wind Creek Bethlehem, co-owner Nikki Mitchell said.
A grand opening celebration with prizes and giveaways, including a Weber grill and Birthright Brewing Co. and golf merchandise, will be held 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Jan. 27.
“The community’s been super supportive, and we’ve gotten some great reviews so far,” Mitchell said. “We have a really fun menu that people are loving, and our bartender is a just a genius. She’s doing a phenomenal job.”
Mitchell and her husband, AJ Mitchell, are operating Twisted Tees with their friend, Kyle Randell.
In opening the new venue, the partners overhauled a roughly 10,000-square-foot space that previously housed women’s fashion retailer Charming Charlie on the south Bethlehem outlet mall’s lower level.
Twisted Tees features a putting green, three state-of-the-art golf simulators and an area where guests can play other games such as cornhole and giant Connect 4 and Jenga.
There’s also a jukebox, pool table and several big-screen TVs for sports viewing. A small retail section, focusing on golf-centric clothing and accessories from popular brands such as Bad Birdie, Sunday Swagger and Ghost Golf, is coming soon.
The TruGolf simulators feature cutting-edge, immersive technology, allowing guests to tee-off from a large library of the world’s best golf courses and receive meaningful feedback on every shot.
There’s also a multi-sport simulator option, where individuals can choose to play other popular sports such as baseball, hockey, soccer and bowling, along with additional activities such as target shooting.
You can book a simulator session in advance online, at PlayTwisted.com, or play on-the-spot if there is availability.
“A foursome works great because you’re literally playing a round of golf,” Nikki said. “You could order drinks and food and have the whole experience, or if you just want to come in and enjoy dinner, that’s great, too. We have four kids, and so it’s really important to us that this venue is super family friendly.”
The new venue features seating for around 80 customers at high-top tables and a bar, both incorporating steel I-beams in a nod to Bethlehem Steel.
Twisted Tees is partnering with Nazareth’s Birthright Brewing Co. to offer its full selection of beers, along with other Pennsylvania-made beers, wine and spirits.
Popular Birthright brews include WU-TANGerine (fruited Berliner weisse), Gunga Galunga (American pale ale), Natural Mystic (double dry-hopped double IPA), POG Punch Out (kettle sour) and Cross Czech (Czech pilsner).
Guests also can enjoy classic co*cktails such as a Bloody Mary and Transfusion, signature co*cktails such as a “Schoop Schoop” (gin, simple syrup, lemon juice and muddled blackberries) and Birthright’s “Hard Axe” drinks, including lemonade and cotton candy lemonade.
A food menu features “elevated pub fare,” including starters and sides such as beer mac and cheese, fried mozzarella, loaded potato scoops (topped with shredded cheddar, bacon, green onion and sour cream) and baked wings in your choice of sauce (mild, hot, mango habanero, barbecue, garlic parm, teriyaki or lemon pepper).
There are also soups and salads such as chicken tortilla soup, broccoli cheddar soup and Caesar salad; “Pretzel Pounders” such as “Beer Cheese” (served with Fat Tire Brewing beer cheese), “Popeye” (served with spinach and artichoke dip) and “Cinnamon & Sugar” (served with marshmallow and chocolate hazelnut dips); and flatbreads such as margherita, Meat Lovers (San Marzano sauce, fresh mozzarella, sausage, meatball, bacon and pepperoni), “Honey Blue Blue” (arugula, blueberry, feta, ricotta, honey and caramelized onion) and fig and prosciutto (mozzarella, caramelized onions, sliced figs, prosciutto, crumbled goat cheese, balsamic glaze drizzle and black pepper).
Gluten-free flatbread is also available.
“My favorite is the fig,” Nikki said. “It’s so yummy.”
Another menu highlight is a variety of “Dirty Dogs,” loaded hot dogs in which “ya gonna need a fork!” according to the menu description.
Nearly a dozen Dirty Dog varieties include a “Chicago Style” (poppy seed roll, pickle spears, sport peppers, tomatoes, onions, relish, mustard and celery salt), “South of the Border” (corn salsa, avocado, chipotle cream and cilantro) and “Italian Stallion” (Italian sausage, peppers and onions, grated parmesan and marinara dipping sauce).
“We’ve had some rave reviews on our Parini’s Weenie,” Nikki said of the Dirty Dog specialty, featuring all meat chili and diced onions, topped with cheddar cheese. “People are also really liking our Mac Caddy, which features our beer mac and cheese.”
Happy hour food and drink specials, offered 4-6 p.m. Monday through Friday, include $6 draft beers, $6 Hidden Still canned co*cktails, $6 Naked Pretzel Pounders and $9 Twisted Tee drinks.
The Mitchells are no strangers to the entertainment business or The Outlets at Wind Creek Bethlehem.
For several years, the couple has operated regional locations of Angry Jack’s Axe Throwing Club, offering guided axe throwing sessions for individuals of all skill levels.
The couple operates two Angry Jack’s locations in Exton and Phoenixville in Chester County, another venue in Elkton, Maryland, and their newest facility, which opened at The Outlets at Wind Creek Bethlehem in 2021. The business also features a mobile axe-throwing unit.
The Mitchells and Randell are also in talks with The Outlets at Wind Creek team to possibly expand the Twisted Tees venue into a neighboring space to offer more simulators and other entertainment options such as a miniature golf course later this year, Nikki said.
“We just really love the idea of bringing something fun, experiential and high-quality to the area,” Nikki said in regard to the Twisted Tees venue. “Guest experience is our number one priority in all of our businesses. We want people to decompress, have some fun, and be competitive if they want to.”
The arrival of Twisted Tees is a breath of fresh air for The Outlets, which lost a string of tenants - including Charming Charlie, Under Armour Bethlehem Factory House, and Corningware Corell & More - in 2022.
Additionally, Trap Door Immersive Experiences, which operates multiple escape rooms in the Poconos and New Jersey,announced in the summerthat after a period of dedicated collaboration and immense work, it was “parting ways” with Wind Creek Bethlehem and no longer planning to open a pirate-themed escape room at the outlet mall.
“Our attraction ‘Cursed Pirate Tales’ will no longer be opening as planned, and further work at the venue is suspended,” the online announcement read. “This decision was not made lightly and comes after careful consideration of various factors affecting the project.”
The shopping center, which debuted as The Shoppes at the Sands in 2011, continues to house well-known brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, DKNY and Coach at 77 Wind Creek Blvd.
For the latest updates on Twisted Tees, visit the business’ website, PlayTwisted.com.
