Voted again in 2017 as one of the best restaurants by the Bucks County Courier Times, the Canal Street Grille has been an endeared dining establishment for decades. Nestled in a back alley in historic quaint downtown Yardley, this casual BYOB offers great Greek and American comfort food, with tranquil views overlooking the Delaware Canal—not far from where I used to reside for 25 years.

It’d been well over a decade since we patronized this little gem, and I had heard through the grapevine that the former owners recently bought it back and totally redid the interior. Gone are the old-world spindle chairs, dark paint and checkered tablecloths (if my memory serves me correctly.) Now, it’s a bright, airy dining space with soaring ceilings, swathed in a muted color palette with sparse modern touches such as the stacked stone feature wall lit with twinkling sconces. And love all those windows!

We were seated at a four-top next to a window overlooking the canal.

Our dining companions were Brad and Barb (The B’s), former Yardley neighbors and the folks we were with the last time we ate here prior to the renovation.

Canal Street offers many homemade specialties, from soups, colorful salads, pita sandwiches and burgers, to fresh seafood, grilled meats and, I’ve heard, some of the best wings in town—although we didn’t try any this time around. They also offer daily lunch and dinner specials, as well as various vegetarian and gluten-free options.

While sipping our adult beverages, we got down to the serious business of making dinner choices. When ordering entrées, for an additional $4 fee (over which we were a bit perplexed), you can get a Greek Side Salad which Lynn and Russ chose, or a cup of soup offered in two options that night, either Manhattan Clam Chowder which Barb selected, or Chicken Orzo. Brad refrained altogether.

For starters, Russ and I shared an appetizer (orektika) of their Greek Meatballs that came plated with five golf-balled sized, ground beef orbs. They were made with Mediterranean seasonings, drenched in a marinara sauce and drizzled with a feta cheese fondue, and were served along with two warm pita wedges. OMG, they were good!!

The B’s opted to share the Spanakopita, a classic greek spinach pie in a crusty phyllo. Nary a crumb was left on that plate!

When it came to the entrées (kuria piata), I was intrigued enough to order the Autumn Chicken, two large breasts pounded down and sautéed in a fabulous orange, dried cranberry and sage sauce, then garnished with toasted walnuts and served over an ample portion of rice with a side of perfectly cooked fresh green beans enhanced with pieces of red bell pepper. Delicious!

My other three dining companions were all on the same page as they each chose the Greek dish of Classic Meat Moussaka, comprised of layers of ground beef, eggplant, potato, and topped with a parmesan béchamel sauce; also served with a side of those tasty green beans. While they all thoroughly enjoyed it, they said it was very filling.

I am all-to-happy to add another local ethnic BYO to our list of dining establishments. Keep in mind that they only take reservations for parties of six or more, but apparently their rush is over by about 7:00 p.m. so getting seated after that time (which is more typical for us) is not an issue. Yup, we will be back…