Honey in the Bank
Amy and Joe McAtee have been at the helm of Doylestown’s Honey for nearly two decades. The restaurant has only gotten better with time.
Nearly 20 years have passed since Amy and Joe McAtee opened Honey, widely considered one of the best tables in Doylestown and far beyond. Given the many challenges associated with running a profitable restaurant that turns out reliably exceptional cuisine, the McAtees have gotten used to defying expectations. They’re just as surprised as anyone else.
“We never thought this would last 20 years,” says Joe. “I thought maybe 10 years would be mission accomplished. Now [the restaurant] has become a generational thing.”
As co-leaders of the enterprise, Joe handles the culinary duties while Amy runs the front of the house and the bar. One hand washes the other in fine form.
The McAtees’ partnership, just like their love story, seems close to perfect.
Both went to the same Bucks County high school, though they didn’t meet until they were in their 20s, courtesy of a shared friend. They connected quickly, despite their differences. Amy came from a Greek-Italian family in Feasterville, where flavorful food was at the center of every social encounter, while Joe’s “meat-and-potatoes background” grew out of his Irish-Catholic family in Northeast Philadelphia.
They had their first date at Martine’s RiverHouse in New Hope. Compared to her own carefree culinary tastes, she was surprised that he “didn’t really like food,” with particular aversions to tomatoes, onions, and mayonnaise.
At the time, Joe had been working at a pizzeria, making pizzas and cheesesteaks. His budding relationship with Amy fueled his interest in more complex dishes, in turn driving his artistry and hunger to build on his skills in the kitchen.
Amy likes to joke that his rise to prominence as a notable chef grew out of a need to “keep me fed.”
When they decided to open Honey, the McAtees had a goal: to create a memorable dining experience through creative small plates and exquisite service.
Consider the McAtees’ approach when they dine out at restaurants: They tend to order multiple appetizers rather than one or two entrées, because doing so gives them the opportunity to be adventurous. It’s the same at Honey, where the menu consists of “aggressively flavored” small plates meant to challenge guests’ perceptions and broaden their culinary horizons.
“We wanted to make a place where Amy and I like to eat,” Joe says. “Some people feel there are staples you’re supposed to have, but why would we try to redo something that has already been done? To use music terms, we don’t like to play cover songs; we like to make up our own songs.”
“Every once in a while we’ll have someone say, ‘Don’t you have plain chicken dishes or a Caesar salad?’” Amy adds. “Someone once told me we would go out of business without a Caesar salad.”
The menu changes constantly, though guests can expect to see some signature dishes no matter when they visit. Joe characterizes the menu as “riffs on street food and comfort food, with a twist,” like spring rolls, tacos, and potato chips—and, of course, its famous spiced popcorn to start the meal. (Earlier this year Honey started making the popcorn available for take-home purchase; more than 450 bags have sold since Valentine’s Day.) While Honey’s most popular dish is the black tea glazed spare ribs, Amy and Joe have their personal favorites: salmon tacos, blackened green beans, duck samosa, beef tartare, etc.
“I love telling customers if they are on the fence about a dish, just go ahead and get it, because the menu is designed to have you try lots of things,” Amy says. “Our servers are attuned to pay attention to someone who isn’t enjoying something. If you wind up hating the dish you were on the fence about, we’ll take it off your bill.”
Honey’s servers play an outsized role in each patron’s experience. Not only are the servers well educated about every item on the menu and happy to make suggestions, but they also manage the pace of service; they seem to excel at making sure dishes that arrive at the table at the same time complement one other.
After 20 years, the McAtees still get a thrill out of satisfying guests. Amy gets surprised every time a patron hugs her goodbye, or when someone involves her in a wedding proposal at the restaurant. That said, they also feel the weight of having to deliver an A-plus performance night in and night out. Vacations are a rarity for the McAtees. Pre- and post-work activities such as meditating, walking in the woods near their Ottsville home, and making their own electronic mood music—check out Honey Radio’s Kitchen Synch, Volume 1 on Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming platforms—help “keep us sane,” Joe says.
“We feel the pressure every minute of every day, because we don’t want to let anyone down,” Amy adds. “This is the kind of place where we’ve had [patrons] who are 10 years old and 90 years old, and that is really special. We’ve had customers who had their first date here and have since had children, and now their children are our patrons. We’re so grateful.”
Photo by Alison Dunlap
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life, November 2026
