Brown paper still covers the big front windows at 50 N. Main St., where Waters Edge Winery & Bistro used to be. The Bucks County Herald reported in mid-September that the paper has set off "a fair amount of speculation" about what's going on behind it. On West State Street, a bar that opened in early September pours drinks across the Doylestown Inn's original 19th-century mahogany counter.
Those two addresses show how downtown Doylestown changed in 2026. Almost every notable opening in the Borough this year is a new operator, or a new floor, inside a room residents already know. The Philadelphia Inquirer's fall restaurant forecast, published Sept. 9, saw the same thing across the region: "established operators expanding into the suburbs and repurposing familiar spaces." In Doylestown, that means the old landmarks are where the new tables are.
The Doylestown Inn built its new bar around the old one
The Still on State is an Irish pub-inspired bar and micro-distillery added to the Doylestown Inn at 18 W. State St. It took over the former Philly Pretzel Factory space next to The Hattery. A few early reports said it had replaced The Hattery. It didn't. Bucksco.today corrected that version on Sept. 10, and The Hattery is still open next door.
The inn's own history is part of the design. The inn's original 19th-century mahogany bar anchors the roughly 35-seat interior, which now has leather banquettes and a jade-and-turquoise color scheme. A black-and-white mural by artist Kenneth Restrepo honors a bartender from the inn's old Jug in the Wall bar. Outside, a 10-seat bar in the alley beside the inn joins high-top and table seating, and accordion doors and heaters are planned so the space works year-round. Patch reported that the outdoor setup seats up to 60 when the weather cooperates.
The menu is scratch-made pub food. The opening announcement listed Blackboard BBQ, Irish fish and chips sourced from the Jersey Shore, wings with 10 mix-and-match sauces, and shareables like crispy Brussels sprouts, chips and cheese, and "terminal egg rolls." The drinks list pairs the Hattery's in-house spirits with Pennsylvania-made beer, wine, and spirits.
The piece that will change over the coming years is the distillery. The Tilted Brim, run by distiller Tom Gallen, expected its first clear spirits by late September. Its whiskey needs about three years to age. So a bar that opened this month won't pour its own whiskey until about 2029.
It took a long time to get here. Patch reported that the opening came after almost two years of planning, permits, regulatory compliance, and construction delays. "There were plenty of moments when it felt like this day would never come," Chef Bill said in the announcement. General manager Billy Gilbo, who has run the Doylestown Inn for seven years after 26 years as a chef, called it "a new chapter of the Doylestown Inn."
The same pattern, address by address
The Still is the newest example, and the rest of the year's openings follow the same pattern. Each one changes something about a place people already had a reason to go.
| Address | What was there | What's there now | Status as of late September 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 W. State St. | Philly Pretzel Factory, next to The Hattery | The Still on State and The Tilted Brim distillery | Opened the first weekend of September |
| 194 W. Ashland St. | Station Tap House | The Station | Dinner service since early April |
| 29 S. Main St. | The lower level of the Zad Albasha building | Free Spirit Social House, alcohol-free | Opened Aug. 14 |
| 22 S. Main St. | Main Street Sport & Social, with no rooftop | The Roof on Main | Opened in June |
| 50 N. Main St. | Waters Edge Winery & Bistro | Tusk | Aiming for late October |
The Station is the plainest example: same building, same name minus "Tap House," new owners. Station Tap House closed in March 2026, and new operators Gent Mema, Joshua Friedberg, and Orbelin Bitraj started dinner service at 194 W. Ashland St. in early April. The address is the same. The kitchen and the owners are new.
Free Spirit Social House works differently. It adds a new room to a building rather than replacing anything in it. Owner Christa Vigilante, working with Jared and Gary Schafkopf, opened the alcohol-free bar and restaurant on Aug. 14 below Zad Albasha at 29 S. Main St., and Zad Albasha is still open upstairs. At opening, the hours were 4 to 10 p.m. Thursday through Sunday "through Labor Day," with live music and games planned. That schedule was only announced through the end of summer, so check the fall hours before you walk over.
The Roof on Main added a floor on top. Main Street Sport & Social at 22 S. Main St. opened what Patch called Doylestown's first rooftop bar in June. Owner Will Wister said the food would come from Villa Capri and The Side Bar, two downtown kitchens. Central Bucks Now reported plans for weekend live music, whiskey-and-cigar nights, and ticketed dining events, but no fall dates have been announced.
The brand-new buildings are away from the downtown core. In May, The Juice Pod opened in Barn Plaza, in the new building on the former Applebee's site. It's the first Bucks County location for co-owners Jaylah Adolphues and Sophia Layer. Dollop Frozen Yogurt had opened at the new 333 N. Broad development by June 29. Walking downtown, the changes show up in old rooms. On the edges of town, they show up as new construction.
Tusk is the last one due this year
Tusk is the only major downtown opening still ahead, and its schedule has moved twice. A February report from Central Bucks Now gave a May-to-June target, and the Inquirer's Sept. 9 roundup said October. The most recent update, from the Bucks County Herald on Sept. 17, has co-owner Joy Grafenstine saying renovations are taking longer than expected and the launch is now planned for late October. "We want to get things done the right way," she said. No opening day has been set, and Tusk's website still says it is "preparing to open its doors."
Here is what's planned for the former Waters Edge space:
- Format: Grafenstine describes an upscale, two-level restaurant and bar with the feel of a "modern steak house."
- Seating: about 30 in the downstairs dining room, about 35 on the street level, and room for 20 to 25 at the bar.
- License: full liquor license.
- Owners: Mike and Joy Grafenstine. It will be their third restaurant, after Roberts Block in Glenside and Bonnet Lane Family Restaurant in Abington.
The Inquirer expects Tusk to combine the martini-and-wine-bar feel of Roberts Block with approachable, upscale American comfort food. Until the paper comes down, what you can see from the sidewalk is that the work is still underway.
Two October weekends on North Main
The Borough's 2026 block party schedule has two dates left, and both are on North Main Street between State and Court:
- Friday and Saturday, Oct. 2–3, 5 to 11 p.m.
- Friday and Saturday, Oct. 9–10, 5 to 11 p.m.
At these parties, restaurants and shops set up in the street with food and drink specials, street games, and live music. The Borough says to contact restaurants directly for reservations, and final restaurant seating is at 10 p.m. Both September parties, on West Court Street and West State Street, have already happened.
On either October evening, the Doylestown Inn's alley bar on West State Street, the rooftop at 22 S. Main, and the lower level at 29 S. Main are all on the downtown streets around the closed-off block.
Several of these rooms have kept details from what came before, like the mahogany bar, the Jug in the Wall mural, and the name on Ashland Street, so a visit is partly a look at what the new operators decided to keep. Reserve early for the 10 p.m. last seating, and check hours before you go to places whose schedules were only announced through Labor Day.
The same knowledge that helps with dinner plans, like which rooms changed hands, which are still under construction, and which blocks the Borough closes on an October Friday, also matters when you value a home within walking distance of them. If you'd like a clear view of what downtown Doylestown's changing storefronts mean for your own property, Lisa Povlow and our team are glad to talk it through. Schedule a private consultation.
