Fitzwater Station — Restaurant in Upper Providence Township

It was our first time here for a midweek lazy lunch in perfect mild June weather...so what's not to love about a cool restored old building with an eclectic classic indoor bar & tons of outdoor seating along a canal in a tucked away wooded setting? We enjoyed the delicious smell of the meats they smoke on premises next to the outdoor bar area, and it was very pleasant to relax with drinks and our meal on the deck overlooking the canal.

Only disappointment for me was the Brussels sprouts, which were bland and uninteresting. However, I've been making my own versions for years now whether tossed in olive oil & slow roasted; or sautéed in butter, garlic, & broth then topped with shaved parmesan; or roasted with maple syrup and bacon...so my personal expectations for that vegetable are, shall we say, a bit high. For a casual spot like this I didn't expect fine cuisine but I do hope they do something to liven up such sad sprouts ;-)

Anyway, I loved my brisket and whiskey iced tea with peach Boba pearls, and my husband was happy with the hard ciders he chose as well as his burger. The brisket potato skins we had for an appetizer are absolute units...should've asked for an extra side of sour cream and we almost didn't order more food since they're so substantial - best skins I've had in years.

2nd suggestion: get some wide straws just for when customers add the cocktail Boba pearls at extra cost. They're a fun, tasty addition to drinks but can't really be enjoyed without using a spoon to fish them out since they sink & stay at the bottom of the glass. Glad to see their gigantic canned beer list, tons of parking, friendly service, fair prices. I can only imagine how busy this place is on summer weekend nights when the weather is good.

We will...

We literally left the restaurant laughing, wondering if we were just in a funniest home video. Never have I had such poor service. And I get it. We have numerous family members who own their own hospitality business. It is hard work!! But...........

Scene: 3 friends and I walk into the restaurant. Clueless what to do, where to go, etc. No host/ hostess or even a simple sign of direction. We wandered around the restaurant and bar looking for someone who worked there. Finally we went back to the bar.

Friend asks bar tender: "Can we sit anywhere?" Bar tender: "No" (as she walks away)

Friend to 2nd bartender: "Can we sit out on the porch?" 2nd bar tender: "I don't know. People have reservations" (as this bar tender now walks away)

2nd bar tender comes by us again. Me to 2nd bartender: "Is there a hostess or someone we should talk too?" 2nd bar tender: "No its just me and her" (referring to 1st bartender) Me: " So can we just seat ourselves?" 2nd Bar tender: "No, you have to wait for one of us" (and walks away)

And there we stood. and waited. in the middle of the bar. standing. waiting. standing. waiting.

The situation was SO awkward. We thought it was some kind of a joke. We just looked at each other and started laughing. These ladies were completely serious with this whole situation.

Of course we left. And its safe to say we won't be going there again. The only thing that brought us there was its placement on the canal. It was not enough to make us want to stay. We had a great time over the next 5 hours stopping at a few bars along bridge street.

The one star is for the huge laugh we got from the...

I was so hoping to love this place because its location is incredible. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the story. I came there for late lunch/early dinner on a Thursday, beginning of October, the weather was perfect, we set outside. I ordered the famous brisket sandwich because the smell of the smoker outside is what got me in. Now here the thing, in my opinion, there is not a chance that brisket was made that day, I BELIEVE they make loads of brisket and either freeze them or refrigerate them. There was absolutely no reason why my brisket will taste old and be dry as a desert - almost zero moister along with zero fat. The onion rings I orders were absolutely frozen when I ordered them, I received them barely warm and not all the way done, the first taste, tasted like oil - bad. Unfortunately, the French fries that came with my daughter’s kid meal were the same, old, sad and simply taste like oil. I really want to believe they had a bad day today or maybe it’s the change of season - which also not suppose to happen but I would give this place another chance if I’m in the area, only because I really want to love it. Additionally, they say they charge 4% extra to use a card which is ridiculous - I don’t care if you raise the price for the entire menu by 5% - it feels better than charging someone extra just to use a credit card. In reality, I was charged $19 plus tax for the brisket sandwich that was $16 in the menu. In reality, 4% would have been...