The Vintage Tavern, the Tobyhanna restaurant known for its scratch-made pub food and Witchkraft cheesesteaks, has expanded into downtown Bangor, taking over a historic corner building that has worn several names over the past century. The new outpost occupies the ground floor of a three-story structure at 62 Broadway, and it comes with a freshly rolled-out fall menu shared across both locations.
From Mountain Hotel to Modern Tavern
The original Vintage Tavern opened in WFMZ.com’s reporting at 655 Main St. in Tobyhanna in March 2024, inside a renovated building once known as Kuebler’s Mountain Hotel that the outlet reports is approximately 200 years old. Per that same reporting, John Geldert and Scott Hraska partnered with chef Torre Iby to open the restaurant, which the station describes as a Poconos tavern serving scratch-made pub food. The Vintage Tavern’s own website gives a slightly different origin story, saying the business opened its doors in March of 2024 after John and Scott saw more than just an old property in the building back in August 2023.
Witchkraft Sandwich Company has been part of the project from early on. According to WFMZ.com, Witchkraft was established in 2021 by Torre Iby and his fiancée, Gabrielle Sidorski, and specializes in hand-crafted cheesesteaks and artisanal sandwiches. The Vintage Tavern’s website describes Witchkraft Sandwich Company, owned and operated by Torre and Gabrielle, as having joined the vision during the property’s transformation, and calls the overall business family-owned and operated.
A Building With a Layered Past
The Bangor building has its own history. WFMZ.com reports the structure at 62 Broadway was built in 1905 and was known as the Colonial Hotel for much of its earlier years, before later serving as a pool hall and, more recently, as the Broadway Pub. The Vintage Tavern team acquired the historic corner property in downtown Bangor and updated the ground-floor bar and dining areas with new paint, wooden tabletops and other upgrades, while keeping the original Victorian-style wooden bar and ornately carved backbar intact, per the station’s account.
Iby told the outlet that upgrades were also being made to the upstairs rooms. The Bangor location, which occupies the ground floor of the three-story building, has seating for more than 100 guests, according to the same report, and opened with soft-opening hours of 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 3 to 10 p.m. Friday, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday.
What's on the Shared Fall Menu
The Vintage Tavern menu changes quarterly, WFMZ.com reports, and the station says the new fall menu is available at both the Bangor and Tobyhanna locations, with the Bangor menu matching what’s offered in Tobyhanna. The tavern’s own menu page strikes a similar note, calling the menu a living document that evolves with the seasons, while noting that signature tavern sandwiches remain permanent fixtures year-round even as entrees and soups change more often.
Per WFMZ.com, the seasonal lineup includes crispy Brussels sprouts, mushroom rigatoni, pork osso bucco and Maple Leaf Farms duck breast, alongside starters like whipped goat cheese, fritto misto and pretzel bites. The fritto misto, the outlet reports, contains calamari, shrimp, catfish, Brussels sprouts and cherry peppers with lemon aioli, while the broader menu also features fish and chips, salmon and a 14-ounce 2 Rivers New York strip. Other highlights cited by the station include truffle parm fries, beer cheese and chili fries, a beet and autumn salad, and cioppino made with shrimp, calamari, catfish and mussels over linguine in red or white sauce.
Sandwiches remain a centerpiece. According to WFMZ.com, the menu includes Witchkraft and Trenton cheesesteaks alongside a cubano, meatball parm, sriracha honey chicken and South Philly handhelds, with the sriracha honey chicken built around an 8-ounce hand-breaded chicken breast topped with sriracha honey, ranch, lettuce and tomato. Burgers get similar attention: the outlet reports the Tricky Triangle burger features an 8-ounce butcher’s blend patty with bacon, beer cheese, onion rings and barbecue sauce, while the WK Smash Burger stacks two 4-ounce butcher’s blend patties. The Vintage Tavern’s burgers overall are built on a butcher’s blend of chuck, round and sirloin, per the station, and vegan black bean patties can be substituted for any burger option.
Sister Sandwich Spot and What's Next
Witchkraft Sandwich Co. continues to operate inside the Tobyhanna location as a specialty sandwich spot, according to a DiscoverNEPA listing, which notes it offers both indoor and outdoor seating. The listing adds that Witchkraft’s own menu changes often, with rotating sandwiches and seasonal specials giving visitors new flavors and limited-time offerings throughout the year.
Iby told WFMZ.com that the tavern focuses on fresh, high-quality food, and said the team was excited to expand, with support and feedback so far described as positive. The Vintage Tavern’s website frames its broader approach in similar terms, describing the menu as evolving with the seasons to bring diners the freshest harvest Tobyhanna has to offer, even as the business now splits its footprint between the original Poconos tavern and its new Bangor outpost down Broadway.
