My wife and I spent Friday and Saturday nights at the Black Bass, and by the time we checked out Sunday morning, we were already talking about coming back.

Our room overlooked the Delaware River, and waking up to that view each morning was worth the trip by itself. Watching the river quietly flow by with kayakers, tubers, and cyclists enjoying the towpath nearby made for a relaxing start to each day. It’s a beautiful setting, and the inn is perfectly located for exploring New Hope, Washington Crossing, and Doylestown, all just a short drive away.

The inn itself has exactly the kind of colonial charm we were hoping for—historic, comfortable, and full of character without sacrificing modern comforts.

What really made the weekend special, though, was the people. From check-in to dinner to checkout, every member of the staff was warm, welcoming, and genuinely friendly. Even the valet service deserves recognition. The young people handling the cars were courteous, professional, and had everything running like clockwork.

Dinner was exceptional. The cocktails were expertly crafted, and the food was every bit as memorable. I had the grilled scallops served over a creamy lima bean sauce, and they were outstanding. My wife ordered the 10-ounce filet cooked medium, and it was absolutely perfect.

It’s becoming increasingly rare to find a place where every part of the experience comes together so well. The Black Bass isn’t just a wonderful historic inn with an excellent restaurant—it’s a place where people clearly take pride in making guests feel welcome. We thoroughly enjoyed our weekend and are already looking forward to our next visit.

I am disappointed to be writing this review because I first reached out privately to management in an effort to share my concerns directly rather than post a negative review. Unfortunately, I never received a response, which left me feeling that my feedback—and my experience as a customer—simply did not matter.

I made a reservation more than two months in advance specifically because our out-of-town guests wanted to dine outdoors by the river. I even called ahead to confirm this request. On the day of our reservation, I was informed there was a wedding and we would be seated inside. While disappointing, we accepted the change because it was too late to make other plans.

The bigger issue was the food and service. I ordered the pistachio-crusted lamb chops medium. When the meal arrived, the lamb was extremely undercooked—raw in the center. Our waitress disappeared for so long that my husband had to get up and find someone to locate her. After waiting approximately 12 minutes, my meal was returned. Rather than preparing a new dish, the kitchen simply re-cooked the same lamb chop, which was obvious because the piece I had already cut off was still on the plate. The pistachio crust that had been the best part of the dish had mostly fallen away in the process.

By then, the rest of our table had nearly finished eating, and one guest who waited for me ended up with a cold meal. Despite being told the dish was unsatisfactory, there was no visit from a manager, no apology beyond the waitress taking the plate back, and no attempt at service recovery—not even a complimentary coffee or dessert.

What is most disappointing is not the mistake itself. Restaurants make mistakes. What matters is how they respond. In this case, the meal was mishandled, the service was inattentive, and management showed no concern when I later reached out privately to provide constructive feedback.

For a restaurant that positions itself as a higher-end dining experience, I expected far better customer service and accountability.

My wife and I have been coming to this place for 40 years and yesterday we decided to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary there! It was a risk, due to not so great experiences in our recent dining there. We have always loved it there, as the place is charming/romantic/personnel absolutely wonderful. We developed friendships with certain personnel that adds to the ambience, to our dining out experience! Unfortunately the food is hit or a great miss! Last night a miss. My wife’s vegetables were essentially uncooked and certainly couldn’t cut them. And oh, cold!!! Her filet mignon, Was just OK! She ordered firecracker shrimp for an appetizer, that had probably the worst sauce she ever tasted, it left an aftertaste, that she says she could still taste this morning. The firecracker shrimp essentially had no taste. I ordered the scallop risotto, and quickly knew that the scallops were treated with TPSS, Or commonly known as wet scallops! And they tasted of it strongly. TPSS Prepared scallops Have a bitter and metallic taste to it! Quite evident, with last night’s meal! And the risotto was nothing to brag about. It’s obvious the chef was using a cookie cutter, cooking class, or did not have to cook at all. The manager tried to make amends with bringing My wife, a plate Of newly cooked carrots. Nice gesture, except she had already finished her filet mignon and wasn’t interested in any more food! We ordered Crème brûlée as our dessert which was OK! Soooooo as our top of the day for our 40th wedding anniversary, we will be hard pressed to return for what I considered a very expensive meal, with very Mediocre taste, if that! Our waitress was wonderful and we did see our favorite friend there, but it’s time for a menu makeover and a person who knows how to present and prepare dinners!!! I suspect very little support cooking staff in the kitchen to insure a great cooking!

3 former HS classmates met for lunch at 12:30. Nice window table on the Delaware, friendly waitress. Was not crowded on a hot Thursday. Pleasant inside. All three enjoyed their food. Menu is a bit limited on sandwiches but had plenty of other offerings. Prices were reasonable. Note free parking is across the street from this historic venue, originally owned by a Tory supporter who told George Washington he was not welcome. A few weeks later the colonists crossed the river and proceeded to capture the Hession garrison in Trenton, NJ.

My wife and celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary here at the Black Bass tonight and we were blown away. We’ve been driving past for years in our way to New Hope yet never stopped and we’re glad we finally did. Our server Becky was warm and inviting as were the manager and other staff. The food was spectacular. We will be back again.