For more than a century, the old Reading Company freight house on Ashland Street sat beside the Doylestown train station doing what freight houses do: moving things from one place to another.

Goods arrived by rail, changed hands, and headed out into the borough.

The building was useful, unglamorous, and very much tied to the rhythms of the region.

Today, it is one of the most talked-about new restaurants in Bucks County.

The Station opened in the spring of 2026, taking over a property that has seen several lives since the Reading Railroad built it in 1913.

It has been a nightclub.

It has been a tap house.

Now, under new ownership, it is something else: a 400-seat dining destination with a raw bar, a rail-themed cocktail list, and early reviews that suggest the bet is paying off.

The Railroad That Built Doylestown

The Reading Company connection is worth a moment.

For generations, the Reading was one of the great railroads of the Pennsylvania region, the dominant carrier across the Delaware Valley and the backbone of commerce for communities like Doylestown.

When the railroad arrived here in 1871, it transformed the borough into a regional hub.

The freight house it built four decades later was a practical extension of that role, a place where local businesses received everything from building materials to food products, all arriving by train.

From Freight House to Nightclub to Tap House

As trucking displaced rail freight through the twentieth century, the building lost its original purpose.

It could easily have been demolished.

Instead, it survived, was adapted, and eventually became The Freight House, a nightclub and dining concept that drew crowds in the early 2010s.

That gave way to the Station Tap House, which ran for more than a decade before its original owners closed it in March 2026.

In a farewell post on Instagram, they told their followers that “the new group will be reshaping this beautiful property.”

Within days, the new owners had signed on the dotted line.

The New Owners and the Bet They Made

Those new owners are restaurateurs Gent Mema, Joshua Friedberg, and Orbelin Bitraj, a Montgomery County-based trio who closed on the business and its liquor license on March 2.

They declined to share the purchase price, but liquor licenses in Bucks County are estimated to run roughly $450,000 alone.

It is a substantial financial commitment for a first Bucks County venture, and a clear signal of how seriously this group views the opportunity.

Their confidence is grounded in experience.

The partners operate five restaurants across Montgomery and Delaware counties: The Library in Collegeville, Versante, Antica Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar, and two Il Granaio locations.

They are also expanding at the Jersey Shore, with plans underway for the reopening of Salty Mermaid Bar and Grill and a new concept in the former Trio North Wildwood space.

The Renovation

After closing on the property, the group spent several weeks on renovations before opening for dinner in early April.

The work was cosmetic rather than structural: fresh paint, updated lighting, decor changes intended to brighten the dining rooms and patio.

The 8,500-square-foot space retains its indoor and outdoor bars, banquet room, and large patio with views of passing SEPTA trains on the Lansdale/Doylestown line.

Reviewers have noticed the changes. One called the atmosphere “stylish and welcoming.” Another said the space feels “more open and bright” than it did under previous ownership.

The Menu

The menu reflects the ownership group’s Italian-influenced roots while reaching beyond them.

Guests will find oysters, tuna tartare, shrimp cocktail, crab cakes, and a full raw bar alongside dishes like Seafood Cioppino, Fish Francese topped with jumbo lump crabmeat over linguine, and herb-roasted spinach risotto.

The cocktail list leans into the building’s history with names like Engine on the Rum, Last Train in Moscow, and The Orient Espresso.

Early Reviews

Early reviews have been strong across the board.

One customer called the food “absolutely amazing, fresh, tasty and creative.”

Another raved about the Short Rib Eggrolls, describing them as “tender, flavorful” with a horseradish aioli that was “to die for.”

The oysters have drawn particular praise, with one reviewer calling both the baked and raw varieties “really really delicious.”

Service has kept pace: one guest wrote that the staff made them feel “welcomed like family.”

Not every review has been without reservation.

Some longtime customers miss elements of the former Station Tap House. Others have flagged parking challenges and noise levels during peak hours.

Still, for a restaurant barely out of its opening weeks, the response has been striking.

The Freight Cars Are Gone. The Oysters Are Just Getting Started.

More than a century after the Reading Company built this freight house to connect Doylestown to the rest of the region, the building is once again in the business of bringing people together.

The freight cars are long gone. The oysters and cocktails are just getting started.