Everyone has that little place only they know about. For me, that place is Mueller’s General Store & Kitchen on Easton Road. I first stumbled upon it two years ago, while on a Saturday drive up River Road.
The drive there would be worth it even if the reward of Mueller’s didn’t sit at the end of the line. The trip up Route 32 from Point Pleasant to Riegelsville is not only the most scenic in Bucks County, but one of the most scenic drives in the world, in my opinion.
Snaking north to south between the Delaware River and heavy woods set atop rocky cliffs, one feels far from anywhere. The villages along the way, places such as Uhlerstown, Bridgeton and Riegelsville, give the impression of an earlier time with their antique stores, general stores and tiny post offices. They are positively quaint.
Mueller’s is the kind of place one stumbles upon rather than goes, at least the first time; though the grounds and surrounding landscape are breathtakingly beautiful, the building itself is unassuming. You don’t fully realize what a treasure you’ve come upon until you step inside the door.
While entire articles could be written about the superlative quality of the food, the excellence of the service or the reasonable prices, what really sets Mueller’s General Store & Kitchen apart is the ambiance. Whether you eat here five times a week or have never set foot in the place before, you are instantly a regular.
Breakfast is a favorite meal for my wife, Trish, and I. I recommend “The Big.” It’s two eggs with bacon, home fries, toast and pancakes. It fills you up for the rest of the day. The food is great, the price cheap.
Alicia, the manager, instantly feels like an old friend. She says the building had been, at various times, a church and a bait shop. The current owners have owned the place for three and a half years. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and has a light fare menu for lunch.
The conversation is as good as the food. We’ve talked to a woman and her husband out for a drive, and a group of bikers on a ride as we’ve eaten. Mueller’s Kitchen, unlike most restaurants, is a place where people eat across tables. The conversation is not limited to the person with you. No one loses themselves in their cell phone here.
Mueller’s General Store & Kitchen has ample outside seating with a beautiful view. Here one can eat, have a drink from the outdoor bar (in season) and listen to the rooster crowing from his coop across the street. If the urge strikes you, take a nice walk along the Delaware Canal towpath after you have finished eating. You will never be rushed at Mueller’s. It is one of the rare places in this day and age where the staff and other new friends you have made seem almost sorry to see you leave.
