I went in with a friend because I heard the place had been revamped. We were sat on the patio and our waiter greeted us. He took our beverage order after sitting for 15 minutes. Then he brought out our bloody marys without celery salt or beer chasers. No problem, we thought that was just how they were served.
Then our friend at the table next to us order a bloody mary, and hers came with celery salt and a beer chaser. She asked her waitress why hers was fancier than ours and she said we must have ordered a spicier bloody or something. (Nope, we didn't).
Then we asked our waiter why we didn't have a chaser, and he said that the other table got hers by mistake and they didn't do that anymore. Totally fine, they are working out the kinks. So he brought us chasers (that we didn't ask for, but he was trying to be nice). Then he asked 3 times how the chasers were...making us feel like jerks for saying anything.
Then we ordered an appetizer to split. - Reuben sliders with hand cut fries. That's it. Over 45 minutes later, our food arrived. The "reubens" were cold, like they had been sitting there for a while, and they had dry corned beef with some coleslaw on top. No sauerkraut or anything. The fries were good.
The new General Manager walked around trying to look important and was unimpressive. And then when we went to dance floor, the poor bartenders were dressed like showgirls (the guys too), and it was just embarrassing for them.
If this was trying to clean the place up, they have a long way to go.
After all the other restaurants had a 30 - 45 minute wait in downtown Stillwater, we ended up at the Freighthouse. Â It was Friday night and this place was almost empty. Â That's always a little concerning... Â We stayed for dinner anyway.
Our server was fairly young and seemed somewhat new as she wassn't very knowledgeable about the menu and struggled to answer some of our questions. Â She had to go seek her manager for answers. Â I can certainly cut her some slack since we're all new to our jobs when we first start. Â It's probably good for her to get some expereince before the busy summer months!
The menu was fairly limited unless you're looking for a burger or sandwich. Â I had to remind myself that this was more of a drinking establishment. Â I had the blackened salmon BLT which was actually decent. Â If my rating was based on just this I would have given it 3 stars. Â However, my wife and her friend had the salmon dinner which was just OK and fairly bland.
Beyond this, the Freighthouse is a cool historic building. Â I have been here in the summer for a few beers on a nice day. Â This is really where the Freighthouse shines. Â It's really a place to go for drinks, appetizers, burgers and is a great place to go in the summer to enjoy the patio!
Service was fast and friendly. No hassles about changing staff when we asked to change tables. Both had salads; my Cobb salad was pretty good size: lots of stuff beyond greens. However, it seemed a bit expensive for what we got. Â The view of the river was an added plus, but the parking lot was pretty busy during the day.
Review Source:A friend and I went here on Sunday and to be completely honest, the view of the river was the only good part about this place. I ordered the burger and my friend ordered the fish tacos and we were both disappointed with our choice of eatting there and not one of the other many great joints in Stillwater. Good place to hang out with your buds and drink but the food is blah.
Review Source:Let's boil it down: Â this is a very large bar with a menu and killer views of the river from the patio. Â My contact and I had a delightful afternoon sitting outside in mid-August . Â
The Minnesota chicken wild rice soup is a cream base, could have used a lot more chicken and far less celery and carrots, but okay nonetheless. Â High marks for the reuben sandwich with plenty of corned beef. Â Salads were just right.
Come to drink, and the food will get you by just fine.
Neither bad nor good. Â We tried to call ahead, they don't do that (TIP). Â We had a group of eight, which we thought on a Sunday evening would be easy to get a table after we even called ahead and 'warned' them. Â Turns out, 30 min and 2 drinks at the bar later, our table was ready.
We ate outside which was nice since they had music (though it was craptastic music...-2 stars simply from that). Â Overlooking the river is nice and our service was alright too. Â Even though they messed up the order, they made up for it very nicely and were there to grab anything else we needed.
Suggested for larger groups, NOT a date and well, if you're in town for a good time.
I've been there twice - once with a group of Friends (a gorgeous MN autumn Saturday afternoon) another time with a couple of close friends ( a beautiful summer  early evening) both times everyone  had a  wonderful time.  The patio overlooking the St. Croix river is so nice. It's a Burlington Northern train station converted to a  brewpub - such a beautiful building, too. Great service and the American staples foods - I' had  Willy the Kid sandwich both times,- their signature sandwich - house made chicken salad atop a pineapple ring,  melted swiss cheese on grilled cinnamon raisin bread which - sounds unusual? It's really yummy. There is also a historic Stillwater  trolley ride that leaves from the restaurant parking lot which is excellent. I love guided tours, and this one does not disappoint -  I should probably do a separate review :)
Review Source:It goes without saying, a wonderful patio is a major high point at the Freight House. Â Props for our outstanding server who patiently took our drink and food orders in the friendliest and most gracious way possible. Â I've eaten here a few times over the years and the food here has always been okay, my Salmon BLT with Sweet Potato Fries was nice and light on a warm summer evening.
Review Source:Pops and I were on the St. Croix on a hot summer day trying to figure out what was wrong with the runabout when we decided to take a break and check out the Freight House.
Naturally I ordered the Freight House Burger and my dad ordered a reuben with hot soup (only my dad would drink hot soup on a hot summer day). To my dismay the burger was served on a Ciabatta bun, however, after taking my first bite surprisingly the Ciabatta bun was soft and tasty! The burger was ordered medium and came out well done, which in actuality the consistency of the patty was okay, but in my book if you take the time to ask how the customer wants their burger cooked you should have a cook in the back able and willing to cook the burger to the requested "doneness". All in all the burger was mediocre, service was ok, but the view was unbeatable!
On a nice summer day, their patio is unbeatable! It is probably the largest patio I have ever seen with a tremendous amount of outdoor seating space.
The main reason to go to FH is for the patio. Â It truly has one of the best locations in Stillwater for the summer. Â The patio is huge and the drinks are refreshing. Â However, I wouldn't go for the food. Â Know that it's a bar and you'll be all set. Â I think others have come wanting a relaxing evening with good food and they are disappointed. Â I would try one of the other great Stillwater restaurants for dinner and come here for drinks with a group of friends.
Review Source:This is the best place to go for a relaxing casual lunch or dinner in Stillwater. Â The outside atmosphere is wonderful in the summer. The wait staff is very friendly. Â It was very difficult to choose a meal, every entree that I looked over (in every other table) looked fabulous. We looked at other menus at other restaurants, nothing compared. You go to the restaurant with the most people. This is the one!!!
Review Source:stopped here for a quiet lunch on a Monday. Â Ordered the Beer Pretzels for an appetizer and a Cajun Chicken sandwich for the meal. The pretzels were HOT and overall hit the spot. Slightly disappointed that they came with cheese sauce since the menu said fondue. The sandwich was awesome! The chicken was perfectly cooked and the little bit of spice and crunch of the onion straws made for a great sandwich. Also came with homemade? chips which were good but very salty!
All and all a great experience. The location overlooks the river and was a great place to watch the snow come down.
The best part of the Freight House is sitting on the patio in the summer. We went during a weekend stay because we wanted to overlook the river. The food was on par with pretty much any chain restaurant, nothing special, but I don't think I was expecting anything more.
It looked like they had pretty good drink specials (we were there for lunch, so I just one drink).
If you wanted to watch teh boats pass by, it's a nice place to relax. If you are looking for an experience, try somewhere else.
Stopped here with my wife for dinner on a Sunday night. It's in a great location. Sitting on their porch gave a great view of the river and nice Stillwater atmosphere. I ordered their bloody mary bar. I ordered it prior to going to actually see the bar. There had been a nice selection, however it looked like a pack of famished dogs had destroyed it (because of cleanliness and remaining selection).
For food my wife and I shared a "freighthouse" pizza. Not bad pizza, fresh ingredients, descent for the price. My wife ordered a strawberry milkshake for dessert. She is a bit of an ice cream connoisseur but even in my opinion it was gross.
If your going for a nice view of the river your'll enjoy this place. If you want good food, walk a 100ft across the road to Docks Cafe.
The only reason I can give the Freight House three stars is because they're right on the water. This bar needs a facelift, pronto. And additional staff - waiting ten minutes for a beer when the place isn't even half full is pretty sub-par. Yes, they're an institution in Stillwater. But I'd much rather hit up P.D. Pappy's for some live music.
Review Source:Saturday night some friends and I stopped by the Freight House (the dance club side) Â nothing like stepping back in time....
The Freight house played 80's tunes with the same overly served folks from years past. Â The door staff were all very nice - no cover thank you! Â A bit sparse with dancing attendees and a challenge to get a drink.
I was surprised I had such a good lunch here, because in the past it's been hit or miss. I think I've decided-get the salad, and don't get disappointed.
It was beautiful out on the water, and my mom, husband, Â sister, and her friend and I were hanging out in Stillwater. We stopped for lunch after the rush, but it was still pretty crowded. Â My sister, mom, and I all ordered the Cobb salad, which was great. My mom and I split it, and we still had very generous portions-with no lettuce at the bottom! My sister's friend had the chicken Caesar which she loved, and my husband had the fish and chips which he wasn't thrilled with. The fries were cold.
I was happy to be back-I love sitting on the water watching the boats go by in the summer-and now I know what to order. When I had their burgers and sandwiches, I just wasn't that impressed.
OK, this was to be the start of the 4th annual boating weekend down the Mississippi. I was going to review places along the way, enjoy the sun, some nice wine, a few rums...that sort of thing. Then everything went down hill.
First was the weather of course. Low 60's in July, go figure. Second was the clouds (OK, really all the weather but 60 and sunny is better than 60 and cloudy). Third was stopping for lunch here.
Don't get me wrong, I love Stillwater, love the St. Croix and everything in between. We decided on Stillwater the first day out and made it there about noon so it was time for a bite and a cocktail. I have eaten at various places in Stillwater and always liked the choice for the most part. I know I have eaten at the Freight House before and thought it was OK. Don't remember going home and raving about it but I went back!
Well something was different this time. Service was horrible for a Thursday afternoon on the deck. We waited way to long for a server to come around. Factor this with there being several of them standing around with seemingly nothing to do. You would think some one would take the initiative to at least walk over and say "someone will be with you shortly". No go!
After a while, with a drink in hand the wait doesn't seem so bad (sort of). I take the easy out with a weekend of hopefully good food ahead and order the Black Angus Burger with Bacon and Cheese. OK, $9.00 Ala cart, fries are extra. Â I know not the healthiest choice but it was a Thursday noon, no breakfast, wanted something hearty and I wasn't even thinking of eating the bun. To start, I ordered Cheddar Cheese and the waiter tells me they have "white cheddar, is that OK" I say yes knowing in my mind that is not OK. Cheddar is meant to be Orange for god sake...not white. They are right across the river from WI and they can't get a nice selection of cheese? It blows me away that a chef will think about a top quality meat to use in a burger but won't give any thought to the type of cheese they put on top. Take a drive and explore the land of cheese across the river, it's not far!
Part two, food comes, drinks empty, it took a while. For a restaurant with a large menu I don't understand something as simple as a burger. Pretty normal fair that with a little bit of work can make people come back for the better items. Fries, doesn't get any easier than that. Take your time, keep them from being greasy and serve them hot. This burger looked pressed from a box, frozen and than cooked without thought. The bun, I am pretty sure, was from Costco. Not to say it was bad, I love Costco just don't expect one of their rolls serving as a $9.00 burger bun. Now that I think about it they have Black Angus Burgers at Costco too. I do generally like those though. This burger was dry, tasteless and really very poor. Bun was dry, had a little bit of grease wiped on it to pass for butter or something of that nature. Came with a nice pickle (compliment) but sad excuse for a tomato and wrinkly old lettuce. Hmm, $9.00 for bacon and a good pickle.
Almost done, when the waiter came back he very obviously went out of his way not to ask how the meal was. I was nice and didn't let on my displeasure but I was ready to give my opinion if asked. Â To his credit he knew enough not to ask. I guess he has probably ordered the burger himself.
Overall, pretty OK place. Very basic food, great view of a beautiful area and nice deck. Good place to have drinks with friends. Just stay on the waiter for service and don't order the Black Angus Burger. Â If you do, try the Costco ones and see if I'm right...and bring your own cheese!
KT
One of my favorite places to visit in the summer, and not too bad in the colder month either. The patio overlooking the river is so nice. We like to bring Minneapolis visitors here for the atmosphere.
What to definitely get: Â Artichoke dip - yeap - you will be licking the dish when you are done. Â It is embarrassing - but dang if I am going to miss out on any of the goodness.
The pizza's are also always a good choice. Very good.
What to skip: Â the mojito's - I don't know about you, but I like my mojito's made fresh. Â Not poured from a mojito mix bottle.
Maybe it was because we came here in the winter, but I'm a little worried that the Freight House might be losing momentum. Â I can't say it was bad here because it wasn't, but I definitely expected more. Â It had been years since I'd eaten here and my fiance (who is a new Minnesotan) has been curious to try it because a lot of people have recommended it to him. Â
Of course the first thing we noticed was the architecture and decor--it's a beautiful building. Â The floors are polished wooden planks, the kind they just don't make anymore. Â All the pictures on the walls are historic photographs from the Stillwater/St. Croix River area. Â And they had a number of large, leafy ferns throughout the dining room that really added to the whole feeling. Â
After we were seated, our server (who was awesome, by the way) explained the specials and took our drink orders, which is when we noticed the first real problem: lack of beer selection. Â I believe they only had 4 kinds of beer available (all brewed by August Schell) and one of them was out the night we were there.
The food was good and not only did it taste fresh, but it tasted like it had been prepared by someone who knew what they were doing. Â BUT it wasn't fabulous. Â I've only been cooking for the past couple years, but I probably could have done the same thing at home. Â Whenever I leave a restaurant feeling that way, I always get annoyed when I think about what I just spent vs. what I could have spent if I had made the meal at home. Â So that was a bummer. Â
The food here has been so good in the past that I'm not willing to write it off completely and plan to come back when the weather warms up, the tourists have returned and the season is in full swing again because I know they can do better.
Not just an inventive name, the Freight House used to be a train station. Â Being so this restaurant adds charm to this river spot, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Â Pictures of Stillwater way back when and horse drawn carriages can be found around the establishment.
I prefer sit sit on the deck and look upon the river. Â The food, all though pricey, is good. I've always enjoyed their french dip. Â Last time I had a chicken sandwich with broccoli and cheese on top; so big that I took half home. Â The service can be a pain, and the intolerance of this can ruin the whole experience. Â My advice? Â Lay the tip on the table, and if your server continues to suck, slowly take away from the pile. Â
Overall a great place to enjoy a bite on the riverside.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
