Honeymoon Chicken
Review! Petworth, Washington D.C. // American Restaurant // southern comfort can clean up nice too
the ELEVATOR PITCH
The first thing I do when gearing up for a trip is find a foodie’s page on Instagram I can follow to drip feed myself the “must-try” spots, because it seems like just any old resource on the internet just doesn’t cut it these days. They’re either too niche (i.e., Eater's 38 Best Restaurants in D.C., Thrillist's D.C. Food Bucket List—tell me why none of the locals I know recognized the restaurants listed), not up-to-date, or makes you question where they sourced the information (i.e., Tripadvisor, Yelp—they rank the restaurants, but it looks like every restaurant is on their list), or just not pleasant to sift through (i.e., Reddit—absolutely chaotic). So yes, following foodies on Instagram has been the least stressful way for me to get to know a city’s food scene.
But of course, curating restaurants based on what Foodstagrammers are sharing can have its drawbacks too. There are plenty that are sharing half the truth or overinflating the truth (sponsored content), using reels that are too short just to work the algorithm, or posting click-bait while not providing any helpful information. In conclusion, finding a reliable, stress-free resource can be hard out there! Thank goodness we’ve got Cathzine available as a public resource, amiright? 😜 (I promise that ad wasn’t intentional)
Anyway, all of this relates to Honeymoon Chicken because I first heard of this Michelin-awarded restaurant from foodooboos, a DMV foodie on Instagram. She had posted the below reel, which, between the clips of a fried chicken bucket and lots of saucy goodness, had me thinking this was a Korean fried chicken place (if you’re wondering just how?? I blame the short-form reel being too fast and my lack of reading the caption carefully 😬).
short intermission so you can enjoy the reel:
So I made a reservation for dinner without further ado (not 100% sure if this is necessary, there seemed to be a lot of walk-in energy), ordered from the menu, and promptly learned that there is a significant difference between “buffalo style wings” and “crispy fried chicken” and that I had accidentally ordered the wrong thing. While I love wings, I was definitely more there for the fried chicken that I saw on those Instagram reels than for the new “buffalo style wings” that had been recently added to their menu (hence why we went back again, so I could actually try the fried chicken. Pics to follow).
Once tasting the buffalo style wings and their sauces, I was surprised to find just how much East Asian flavor seemed to pervade (so maybe the initial impression of a Korean fried chicken place wasn’t too off base?)—the Honey Sesame Garlic was super similar to the Soy Garlic sauce of Korean fried chicken joints, and the Buffalo sauce seemed to have a slight Szechuan/five-spice-ness to it.
The Honeymoon Chicken establishment was both more casual and more elevated than I expected. Sitting on the corner of a neighborhood that doesn’t seem to have too much going on, it gives off initial impressions of a Popeyes or Kentucky Fried Chicken joint in the city. But the interior design elements will immediately wash that “fast food fried chicken” vibe away with the retro color scheme, shiny leather booths, wooden arches, and refreshing green-blue back splash.
The menu itself shares similar casual-yet-elevated characteristics. Head Chef Rob Sonderman (the same chef behind the award-winning Federalist Pig, a southern BBQ restaurant) has reinvented the American Southern menu item classics to be a little more elevated, a little more fancy and high-end, all the while keeping an underlying foundation of humility that comes with the nature of delicious southern comfort food (as they put it best: “it’s about as upscale as something served in a bucket can get”).
Now onto reviewing what we tried from the menu!
Reviews on the munchies pictured above:
Buffalo Style Wings: we got 3 orders of 6 pieces (to try all the flavors of course!). If you’re wondering the difference between their “buffalo style wings” and the “crispy fried chicken”—the “buffalo style wings” are “dry fried” with minimal breading, and are comprised of the deconstructed chicken’s wing: the drumette, wingette, and tip (though not served here). All of that is then tossed in the sauce of your choice. (rating: 7/10)
👉 Honeymoon Buffalo sauce: this was actually my favorite?! I’m not typically a fan of buffalo hot sauce, but this one’s spice was more reminiscent of a Chinese Sichuan spice versus American Texas Pete. (rating: 9/10)
👉 Sesame Garlic sauce: reminded me of the Soy Garlic sauce typically found on Korean Fried Chicken, but slightly more sweet, so it made me wish it was the Korean Fried Chicken Soy Garlic sauce instead. (rating: 7/10)
👉 Garlic Parm sauce: usually this is my go-to sauce for any cuisine, but the one at Honeymoon Chicken really wasn’t that garlic-y or parm-y, and also decently sweet. It was quite disappointing 😅 (rating: 3/10)
Honey Dipped Sprouts: your standard crispy brussels that are soft in the middle once you bite through the exterior crisp and char. (rating: 7/10)
Mac and Cheese: too soupy for my liking, from the pictures on the online menu I expected something more dry and broiled/caramelized on top, so I was disappointed! Would not order again since there are other items I like more. (rating: 3/10)
Hot Honey Dipped Chicken Sandwich & Fried Chicken Sandwich Sliders: my friends ordered these and I didn’t get a chance to try them, so no formal review from me! But they enjoyed both immensely. (rating: not applicable)
Coleslaw: it’s not as watery or as saucy as others I’ve had, which I prefer, so I enjoyed this coleslaw more than I do on average with coleslaw. (rating: 6/10)
Seasoned Wedge Fries: I prefer mine a little on the crisper and caked-with-seasoning end, so these were just alright! (rating: 5.5/10)
Arnold Palmer: a lot of the times these can be too sweet tea or too lemonade-y, this one sat in the middle of a twilight zone of I-can’t-tell-what-this-tastes-like, and I think that may be its highest compliment (rating: 8.5/10)
Crispy Fried Chicken: (with the Honey Dust—honey powder, smoked paprika, salt, garlic powder) our order was all dark meat: chicken thigh, drumstick, and the jumbo chicken wing. The breading is one of the thinnest I’ve experienced, yet delightfully crispy, but it’s also the kind that easily peeled off once you touch it/took a bite. The meat is also so juicy! However, once you eat through the breading, the meat isn’t as flavorful. While these were good and also their signature entrée, I sort of prefer the buffalo style wings more for their better flavor! (rating: 7/10)
Hot Honey Cauliflower: okay, now this is the side worth ordering, if you are at a decision impasse! Everything about this dish was on point: the goat cheese and herbs and the chili sauce make for a combination I’ve never thought of or tried before, and it is SO good! An absolute slam dunk. (rating: 11/10)
Apple Hand Pie: I really liked this one, it’s mildly sweet and the large chunks of apple inside were unexpected! But since they were perfectly cooked (where the apple is soft enough but not an apple sauce mush), it elevated this hand pie over other apple hand pies I’ve had. (rating: 10/10)
Pecan Hand Pie: sweeter than the apple pie, and the filling is more of a cinnamon-goo than a large-hunks-of-pecan-clusters situation (I was disappointed it wasn’t more like the latter). However, the filling paired with the homemade flaky & buttery pastry envelope of poptart-ness, it is still a delicious treat! (rating: 6.5/10)
Whether you’re here to end the night with friends or from out-of-town and wanting to experience “fried chicken made fancy,” you can count on Honeymoon Chicken for fast service, quality food, a premier dining atmosphere, whilst not breaking the bank.
the RÉSUMÉ
address // 4201 Georgia Ave NW, Washington, DC 20011
operations // Monday - Friday, 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM; Saturday, 10:00 AM - 10:00 PM; Sunday, 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
logistics //
free street parking can be found in the surrounding neighborhoods (we found success on Kansas Ave NW)
take the Metro to Georgia Ave-Petworth and walk a couple of blocks
amenities //
1 public bathroom, no changing table
no public WiFi available, no outlets; not conducive to #WFH
not accessible—space is tight, only the outdoor space has accessible seating
indoor seating is a little limited; they offer a mix of booths and bar space
outdoor seating is available
vibes // modern diner with retro-chic interior detailing; open kitchen concept
menu // count on them to have a couple of seasonal specials rotating in and out
beverages ($1.50 - $6.00): lemonade, sweet tea (Spirit Tea), Arnold Palmer, iced coffee (La Colombe), orange/apple juice, sparkling water (San Pellegrino), milk (Horizon)
⭐ libations ($10.00 - $14.00): cocktails, liquor, boozy “Snowballs” (shaved ice)
⭐ lemonade is house-made & fresh from juiced lemons
smalls & shares ($7.50 - $12.00): honey butter rolls, poutine, hot honey cauliflower
entrées ($10.50 - $37.00): sandwiches (fried chicken, crispy seafood, vegetarian options); fried crispy bone-in chicken buckets (your choice of white/dark meat), buffalo style wings, chicken tenders; house salads
⭐ chicken is all-natural, cage-free, and sourced from halal-certified purveyors; pickle-brined for 24 hours
⭐ kids menu available ($8.00 - $9.00): chicken tender basket, crispy chicken sandwich, chicken sliders, etc.
sides ($1.50 - $5.00): cilantro-lime coleslaw, honey dipped brussel sprouts, mac and cheese, kale slaw, seasoned wedge fries
desserts ($5.00 - $6.00): hand pies, Snowballs (shaved ice with syrups and toppings)
recs // Hot Honey Cauliflower, the Buffalo sauce, and the hand pies!
kudos // Bib Gourmand 2022
site // Honeymoon Chicken
~ cath!!
My only critique is that the Mac n cheese didn’t use shells smh 😔