Charcoal

Stopped in at Charcoal for brunch. Loved the view of the river and the atmosphere was very nice for a casual meal. The food was average, nothing to write home about but certainly not bad. We got a few custom omelettes and bacon and everything was decent. The one exception was the stale, metallic tasting coffee which I absolutely hated.
As for the negatives, there were a lot of clumsy service errors. We were seated at a sticky table. Our chairs were wet and dirty. We were served coffee with no cream or spoons. We had to ask for napkins. It also took forever to get menus. That aside, the waitress was pretty friendly. Perhaps she was just inexperienced.
Oh yeah, I have to mentioned the «rustic», open top elevator they have, which was headache to use. First, you have to ring a bell and wait for someone to activate the elevator. It took around 5 minutes when we were there. Then you jam yourself into the tiny space (1 adult and a stroller is the max apparently). Finally, you take a noisy ride up as you admire the unfinished wood walls and electrical cables. You also have to search out the right person to activate the elevator for the trip down. Such an annoying and unpleasant waste of time.
In the end, based on the great reviews here on Unilocal we were expecting something a bit more refined than what we got. Charcoal wasn’t bad by any means, but it certainly seems more average than 5 star.

Great place, really love the ambiance and how comfortable you feel when you are there. Staff is amazing, all of them so nice and accommodating! I think maybe they could expand the main entry list a bit. There should always be one fish, one beef, and one chicken, ALWAYS. Boyfriend wanted steak but he was out of luck. I love the style of the way they serve, small or large plates. And their menu had some fun stuff on it. I know the menu changes frequently, so we will be excited to come back and see what they have next time.

This place is excellent fine dining and cuisine. Every time I’ve been, I’ve not been disappointed, the chefs are highly talented the staff is great. The food here is incredible, during the day I can grab crafted breakfast or lunch items and at night I can enjoy some of the best prepared food I’ve ever had. There’s an incredible view from the second-​story dining looking out onto the Delaware that will captive your mind while you enjoy this incredible dining experience.

This was a welcome return for dinner. Always great for breakfast and lunch, but seem to be missing dinner. The eclectic menu and service was great. A simple minimalist décor, allowing a majestic view of the Delaware River to be its backdrop.

Was very disappointed with my experience. The coffee was cold, service was slow, and when I requested the spicy sauce on the side of my meal, the waiter delivered it saying «they did not put the sauce on the side». Nice view, but very overpriced and bad service. Don’t see myself coming back.

It has a nice view, a great staff, and decent food. But the overall experience is underwhelming for what it is. Very limited menu and not all that amazing dishes, and a drab gray interior that feels blah. I wouldn’t avoid returning, but I would only go back if I were being taken there by someone else.

I’ve had the pleasure of dining at Charcoal for both tasting menu dinner, as well as weekend brunch. I’ve never been disappointed …(except of course when they’re sold out of their homemade signature donut. Need to be timely to catch one of those.) ;-)
In seriousness, their dedication to fresh ingredients, seasonal and constantly rotating menu options, and upholding a pleasant atmosphere in a scenic location are all things I’m drawn to here.
If you’re the kind of person who’s open for, say, a dab of jalapeño ice cream accompanying his dessert, after a satisfying meal traversing the palate, then certainly give this place a try.
At brunch, their Eggs Benedict has that extra heartiness, just the right portion, and when accompanied with a little sweet, like their various French toast specials or house donut concoctions, that is all one needs for a well spent meal; no need for the «brunch buffet» other places like to serve up.
Good spot all around–

Terrible service. 15 min for a coffee refill and then just forgoten about.
Food came out cold… NEVER AGAIN!

This place was everything I’ve dreamt about. Right along the water, it sits up on a second level for beautiful views at sunset.
Yes, the menu is small, but everything is worth trying. Small plates, noodles, entrees and desserts alike are crafted with talent and imagination and you can’t find food like this in small local towns.
Kung Pao Octopus was cooked well, with just the right heat and sweetness with a costing of peanuts to cut the flavor.
My scallops with pork belly were on point. I was not a huge fan of he lentil ‘hummus’ served underneath– but that was just a personal preferences. I did feel $ 34 was a little steep for 3 scallops on an inch slab of pork belly.
Fiancé got the chicken fried chicken and I’m so glad he shared some with me. It was one of the best thing I’ve had in a longggggg time. Three hardy pieces of juicy chicken with smoked honey and a BBQ dusting… just fantastic.
House made donuts to top the meal off with the coffee caramel sauce were the perfect ending. I’m a super chocolate lover but these sugar coated donuts satisfied my sweet tooth at the end of the night.
BYOB, and I would recommend making a reservation and request a window seat.

Great breakfast/​brunch spot. Great food — you MUST get the doughnut! It’s amazing. The breakfast sampler is SO good and a good deal for the money. Love that it’s a BYOB so it’s a great brunch spot for mimosas! I’ve never been for lunch or dinner, which looks a lot pricier, but for breakfast/​brunch I would highly recommend! I would also recommend making a reservation if you can — without one, the wait could be a while as it’s a popular spot!

C-​BYOB we give you credit for being food artisans, but as business owners you have A LOT to learn.
The photo I am posting is for the New Years 4-​course set menu. Notice that it does not mention «tasting menu». Only when we received a reminder phone call about our reservation and when we were seated did the word «tasting» get mentioned. How you can justify $ 60 pp on a meager portion, tasting menu is beyond my comprehension.
Also, @ $ 60 one would expect tax & gratuity included. I was afraid to order coffee with my dessert because it might cause me to default on my mortgage!
We’ve been to C-​BYOB 3x for lunch/​breakfast and 1x for dinner prior to tonight. We were very disappointed in the lack of ambiance tonight! What happened to the white table cloths and dimmed lights? The gouged wood table tops for lunch is suitable to that cuisine, but hardly for finer dining.
Here we thought we were going to give our visiting daughter a special dining experience, but instead… meh.

Me, my husband and son went here for breakfast on ¹²⁄₂₇. We got there about 10:45 and were told it would be about 30 min wait. We were seated right around 11:15 and right away a server took our drinks order.
We had a great table in the back corner right by the window. I got the eggs benedict with salmon and my son and husband got the cream chipped beef. All plates came with home fries as well. We enjoyed our breakfast immensely and had great service. Will definitely be back.

Well, this place certainly has changed over the years. I know flooding wiped out the old building and in with the new, Charcoal. But that certainly doesn’t seem like a bad thing. I grew up in Yardley and we ate at Charcoal Steaks N’ Things every weekend it was a great little diner-​ish place where everyone knew you. Some great memories there, from the counter, the old cast iron pot of the original hot dog cart that developed into steaks n things. Sorry for the jaunt down memory lane, on to what stands there now.
I like that they kept some of the name because it was kind of an institution. Obviously I’ve since moved away and haven’t been back in awhile to eat here. I popped in for lunch and sat at the counter. It’s BYOB so no «bar», but glad they had a spot to sit without taking up a big table and looking lonely. The waitress was an absolute doll and offered great suggestions when I wasn’t sure. I was between a burger and the meatloaf sandwich. Another patron’s meatloaf came out and I was sold. This thing was huge and looked amazing. I also got the tots because they also looked great.
Well the food was excellent the meatloaf was moist and cooked perfect, it is a buck extra if you want LTO. The house made ketchup was also excellent, much better than Heinz. I devoured this sandwich and the tots. I honestly wish there was more, but trust me the size of the meatloaf is bigger than most burgers!
The view of the Delaware is of course amazing, the service was outstanding and the food pretty darn good! While a little pricey for lunch still worth the stop and the visit. I will come back to my old stomping grounds and Charcoal anytime!

John and I stopped here for a late breakfast after a morning of activity on the Delaware River. Perfect time to relax, have a hearty meal, and enjoy the beautiful second-​story view of the river from this tastefully appointed eatery. John ordered French toast, I ordered eggs over easy (which came with toast and hash browns), and we split an order of sausage. Coffee for me. Coke for John.
A few pluses:
Personable, attentive servers
RELAXING place to dine
Splendid view from any table thanks to wall-​to-​wall windows
Multi grain toast available
Delicious fresh fruit spread served with toast
High-​quality sausage
Good coffee — and plenty of it
Only one mixed comment:
Hash browns (julienne style) were not fried crisp, seemed a bit greasy, and were VERY VERY salty (for my taste — and I enjoy salty food). John, on the other hand, whose taste for salt exceeds mine, loved them and happily took them over.
On an earlier «coffee break» visit, months back, I enjoyed one of their warm made-​to-​order croissant-​doughnuts with coffee caramel sauce. A real treat for a sweet-​tooth.
From other reviews on Unilocal,looks like we need to return for lunch or dinner sometime…

Stopped in for breakfast on Veterans Day. It has always been a nice place. Good food, good view, nice people.
Steak eggs Benedict was good.
My only complaint is that the menu was super short. They didn’t even have fruit as an option. OJ wasn’t on it anywhere. I still asked and ordered it, but it seemed a bit bizarre.
Maybe rethink the layout of the menu and include all the breakfast essentials. Other than that, I had a pleasant experience.

I love this restaurant — from the insanely good food and service to the understated décor, good music and views!
We started with warm crispy (not white) bread and butter that was sooo good. Several sides were ordered — my favorite was the shimp fra diavlo. The pasta was devine — slightly chewy and a killer ‘sauce’ and the shrimp was shredded and not skimped on.
Charcoal serves small plates but you can get (forget what they call it) full size as well.
I really like how attentive the server was — each small plate was brought out to us as we finished the prior. I felt like a queen!
My entrée was Griggstown Chicken fried Chicken and wow! It was amazing — served with a fried egg atop and frisee, which I usually don’t like, but fancied here. The chicken was absolutely tender & the breading was perfectly seasoned. .. I ate all but the small bones!
Desserts were a ‘blood doughnut’ (and doughnut hole!) that was more like a dense cake and insult to even call a doughnut and a chocolate budino. Holy smokes was that incredible with the many layers and pistachios!
If you are in the area, for God’s sake — please go — you won’t be sorry unless you are crazy!

I stand by my first experience here. Halloween dinner was even better than several months ago. Pastas are unique and delectable. I may have to return for a full portion of linguine and shrimp Fra Diavlo. Even though bread is an additional charge, just get it. Best fried chicken dish I’ve ever tasted in fine dining (?). Perfect and large portion of duck. BUDINO, insanely good. Hannah was a great server, and was spot on with her advice. It seems that not everyone in the Unilocaliverse gives these chefs their props. This just illustrates the concept that Unilocal is a starting point, individual results may vary. My visit here resulted in a top 3 dinner of the year., and I will be looking for any excuse to return. 5 trust your own tastebuds Unilocal

For the first time I’ve recently Tryed Charcoal for breakfast! I was impressed. I parked in the back of the restaurant. And then worked my way up many steps to get to restaurant. When I walked in was I ask for a seat by the window to look out at the nice Delaware River. Such a great location with a great view.
Want a great breakfast give this place a try. I got the cheese omelette with mushrooms and bell peppers. I went with the breakfast special Remmber cheese omelette only, and $ 1.50 for any extra. Bell pepper and mushrooms looking at about $ 3 on top of cost of omelette. And comes with home fries. But the mushrooms are not your canned ones they are the real deal. Everything was good. Even the coffee they bring out in a nice size mug.
I can’t wait to come back again. If you are looking for a cheap $ 8 breakfast then this is not the spot. But if you are looking to pay about $ 13 a person for breakfast then this would be the place for you to enjoy the likes of the Great view with breakfast!!!

Just had the banana walnut pancakes with butterscotch drizzle. Absolutely best pancakes I ever had in my life! Everyone at the table agreed. My sisters loved the veggie omelette & the chipped beef on toast. Winner!

This is a review for brunch exclusively.
For starters, I absolutely love that this is a BYOB. Beautiful views of the river and great service make this restaurant stand out, and the food is impeccably prepared. I had smoked salmon benedict, which folks know would easily be on my «things to theoretically eat for a lifetime if you only had 5 options on a deserted island» food, and cleaned that plate. My child ran amok in the restaurant, and everyone was very patient. (Yes, i’m aware that it’s awful etiquette to let him do that, but I see this particular blend of family I was visiting but once or twice a year)
Did I mention it’s BYOB? The price point is high, but the drinks balance that. Everything I tried from other plates was delicious, and the service was prompt. Great option for dinner or brunch.