A culinary project by Chef Omar Tate, recognized for its focus on African American foodways and cultural storytelling through cuisine. It operates as a restaurant concept.
Chef Omar Tate is known for his conceptual approach to food, often using it as a medium for storytelling and a celebration of Black foodways. He is the force behind Honeysuckle, a project that explores the history...
Honeysuckle Restaurant offers an Afro-centric dining experience on North Broad Street in Philadelphia, dedicated to reclaiming Black food traditions. Each dish is thoughtfully prepared and presented with a powerful narrative, making it a cultural preservation space that redefines the limits of a traditional restaurant. The ambiance is welcoming, energetic, and artsy, adorned with Black art and history.
Customer Perception
Customers praise the outstanding food and drinks, unique and complex flavors, and beautiful plating. The atmosphere is consistently described as amazing and a true cultural experience, with expert-level cocktails. However, some feedback notes that service can be slow, initial arrival experiences may be frustrating due to unattended host podiums, and portions on the prix-fixe menu can be small. Some dishes, like the 'McDonalds Money' burger, have received mixed reviews, with some finding them gimmicky.
The menu is known for its unique dish names, which often incorporate puns, cultural references, and innovative culinary techniques, such as black eye pea 'miso.' Honeysuckle is the evolution of an earlier concept, 'Honeysuckle Provisions,' which was previously located in West Philly.
Vegetarian options availableAccommodates allergens (servers are cautious)
Best Times to Visit
The restaurant operates Thursday through Sunday, from 5 PM to 10 PM. Reservations are highly recommended, especially for special occasions, as there can be waits even with a booking.
Awards & Recognition
James Beard Nominees (Chefs Omar Tate & Cybille St. Aude-Tate)
Featured in Food & Wine
Featured in Time Magazine
Featured in Eater
Featured in Vogue
Most Important Restaurant in Philly (PhillyMag)
4
Food Quality and Taste: 4
Clabber: 3/5
Green Eggs: 3.5/5
Dombrey: 4.5/5
Sorghum: 4/5
Beef N’ Broccoli: 4/5
Chokola: 3/5
**NOTE: This menu is subject to change**
Overall, the food is high quality, and I enjoyed the Pre-Fixe experience. The flavor combinations range from unique/ interesting to quite familiar. Each dish is plated wonderfully with much attention to detail. MY favorite was the Dombrey. I would have eaten that as an entree. From the à la carte menu, my favorites (thus far) are the DJon DJon, the Fried Catfish, and the McDonald's Money burger. I HIGHLY recommend the burger.
Service: 4
Service was great. There was a small wait to be seated, even though we had a reservation, but our coats were checked, and we hung out in the nice bar area while we waited. While the service was quite slow, servers continuously checked on us and refilled our glasses. This was on Valentine’s Day, so my experience may not be typical. Servers were also cautious of allergens, which I appreciated. The servers weren't fully knowledgeable of the menu, so there were a few times they had to go and ask the kitchen what an ingredient meant. Overall, great service.
Atmosphere: 5
The atmosphere is amazing. There are 2-3 sections of the restaurant. The bar area and the main dining appear to be split into two sections, which gives a nice multi-use vibe. Black art and Black history decorate the walls and pay tribute to many historical figures and moments. The lighting and music significantly contribute to the atmosphere, and when I went there, a Black TV show was playing as well. It's a wonderful atmosphere and a true cultural experience.
Value: 4
The pricing is quite expensive. And while every dish on the tasting menu didn't knock my socks off, the overall experience, service and atmosphere make this, at least, a one-time experience to try. The Chefs are James Beard nominees and put a lot of attention to detail in every bite.
Opportunities for Learning: 5
The restaurant menu is very unique. There are many puns, cultural references, and culinary techniques that inspire the names of each dish. Additionally, some dishes use unique substitutions...for example, black eye pea "miso." Each time I leave much wiser than before.
Amazing food and drinks, but the front-of-house needs work.
My mother and I visited Honeysuckle for the first time for a pre-Mother’s Day celebration. While the food and drinks were absolutely outstanding, the initial arrival process was incredibly frustrating and unwelcoming.
When we arrived, the host podium was unattended, and we waited in the lobby for over 10 minutes without being acknowledged. Because the restaurant's layout is a bit confusing, we weren’t sure where to check in or which areas belonged to the lounge, where I had made a reservation. To make matters worse, we watched other parties walk in after us and get assisted right away at the bar while we were left waiting.
Thankfully, once we were finally seated in the lounge, the entire experience turned around.
The cocktails were expert-level—the Black Cake, Lajan Sal, and Zou Zou were all unique, beautifully crafted, and packed with flavor. The food entirely stole the show. We ordered the Hand-Cut Fries, Black Caesar, Escovitch, Legim, Fried Catfish, and Peppers. Every single dish was perfectly seasoned and thoughtfully prepared. We also wrapped up the night with dessert, which was absolutely delicious and the perfect finish.
The kitchen and bar absolutely delivered, and the lounge itself had a great atmosphere. My mom and I still managed to have a beautiful celebration. I would definitely return for the food and drinks alone, but I really hope they polish their front-of-house service to match the high quality coming out of the kitchen.
I live a few blocks from the original Honeysuckle Provisions and loved both the delicious breakfast and lunch options, plus had one of the best meals of my lifetime with their “Untitled” tasting experience back in 2024. It was bittersweet when they left West Philly, because we could use more elevated dining choices out West, but also felt happy for them to move on up. Fast forward to our first time at Honeysuckle restaurant in February 2026: it was a lovely meal. The vibe/atmosphere is welcoming, energetic, artsy, and very well composed. The servers are friendly and know the menu/mission very well. And the food was delicious! Notable items: Salad russe was one of the best things I’ve eaten in a long time, and the catfish was delightful! However, we got the prix-fixe menu and unfortunately left hungry, even though it was pricey. And there were a fair amount of missteps in the timing of our drinks/courses, leading to a somewhat bumpy, even if yummy night. I know this place has a ton of potential and could prob get a Michelin star someday. But it’s just not there yet. Can’t wait to come back and try again soon (and get the fancy burger!).
Really delicious African and Caribbean tasting menu, though the meal perhaps leaned too French. What stood out was the balance of flavors in *all* the dishes, difficult to do in a lengthy tasting menu. Impressive sauce work. The clabber had a pleasant fishiness from dried seafood to add some depth. The yassa felt like a more mature soubise with browned onions. And the foie jus smelled strongly of seared foie gras, one of my favorite aromas. Please treasure that saucier.
Order the Black Cake cocktail. Despite the name, the spiced brown-sugar sweetness never veered into dessert territory. It felt like eating a molasses-laden Christmas cake full of warmth, yet it did not feel heavy. It’s such a beautiful, complex, balanced drink. I uncharacteristically ordered a second glass instead of trying something new.
I do have important feedback, though. The portions were a bit too small. I don’t want to get full early as it’ll spoil the meal, but I also don’t want to wait too long between courses while sitting in hunger. It’s rare that I don’t walk out of a tasting menu feeling full; I could’ve used maybe two more pieces of the delicious acorn bread. Unfortunately, some folks feel a meal’s not worth the money if they’re not full, no matter how good the food is. Replenish the bread periodically. Guests with smaller appetites can leave the bread alone while those with more appetite can fill up on bread. Also, bread is used to mop up sauce. Some of the dishes (clabber, quail) were BEGGING for some bread. There was plenty of sauce left on the plate after finishing the protein. The sauces were so delicious, it’d be a waste to not mop up every last drop.
A lot of the dishes were super tasty and had unique flavors, there were only 1-2 plates that weren’t for me. The McDonalds Money is the weakest item by far and kinda just a gimmick. Overall the wait staff was amazing but the pacing was too slow. A 3 hour dinner feels like forever, if they could condense it to 2 or even 2.5 hrs that would be a lot more enjoyable
