Beloved Milford Farm‑to‑Table Canal House Station — 2025 USA TODAY Restaurant of the Year — to Close Dec. 21

Canal House Station to close after dinner service on Dec. 21

Canal House Station, the modest but highly regarded farm‑to‑table restaurant in Milford run by Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton, will close permanently after dinner on Sunday, Dec. 21, the partners announced by email. The riverside restaurant opened in 2019 and was named a 2025 USA TODAY Restaurant of the Year.

Owners returning to publishing and creative work

The restaurant has been a culinary extension of Hirsheimer and Hamilton’s Canal House publishing, photography and design studio. The pair have earned national recognition: they were James Beard Award semifinalists for Best Chef in the Mid‑Atlantic (2020 and 2022), and their Canal House work is associated with multiple James Beard Journalism Awards.

We wanted to let you know that we will hang up our aprons, walk away from our stoves, and head back to our desks at the end of this year to return to our Canal House Cooking writing and publishing projects.

What made Canal House Station special

Housed in a building that evokes the circa‑1870 Milford railroad station, Canal House Station became known for straightforward, ingredient‑driven cooking that honors the seasons and local producers. The kitchen has long sourced directly from nearby farm stands and producers, and the menu resisted trends and gimmicks in favor of carefully executed classics.

Hours and signature offerings included:

• Sunday prix‑fixe dinner: a five‑course, rotating menu priced at $95, served from noon to 7 p.m., changing weekly to reflect what local farms provide.
• Friday Local’s Spaghetti Night: casual service from 4 to 8 p.m.

In their announcement the partners reflected on the restaurant’s place in their long collaboration:

Canal House Station has been a wonderful chapter in our 23‑year partnership. The restaurant afforded us the privilege of bringing to life recipes that filled our books. For many of you who made the trek to our little riverside railroad station it has been an honor and a pleasure to welcome you into our world.

Practical information

Location: 2 Bridge St., Milford, N.J.
Phone: 908‑995‑7200
Website: canalhousestation.com
Last dinner service: Sunday, Dec. 21

Reporting credit: Jenna Intersimone, USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey. For further inquiries about the original story, contact JIntersimone@MyCentralJersey.com.