Honey's Restaurant, Fayetteville, TN

My mom, Smalls, and I needed some post-holiday entertainment last week, so I suggested a mini road trip to Fayetteville. Mostly, I wanted to go to Sir's Fabrics because I’m going to try to sew a top for Smalls, out of a pattern book I got for Christmas. I’ve only driven through Fayetteville on the way to the Jack Daniel’s Distillery in Lynchburg, so I didn’t know how neat of a place Fayetteville is.
We are definitely going back when it’s warmer (I’m not sure the temperature was above freezing when we were there) so we can walk around the square and look at all the neat boutiques and antique shops. But on this trip, we wandered around Sir’s for a while, and I got two different kinds of fabric for tops for Smalls. And a Winnie the Pooh iron-on patch. And some neat ribbon. We did drive around and look at all the big old houses (and little old houses in the mill village). I don’t know if Fayetteville’s downtown ever went downhill because of Wal-marts on the edge of town or a highway bypass or anything, but the downtown and surrounding residential area seem like they’re in good shape and thriving now. There’s even a movie theater on the courthouse square that is showing current movies. Fayetteville is such a neat town.

Don't miss Sir's Fabrics' Famous Hallway!

After exploring Sir’s, we needed lunch. We started to drive around, and spotted Honey’s Restaurant (and Billiards!) on the square. The outside of the restaurant was so cool, we knew that’s where we should eat. Honey’s Restaurant is a diner, and it was mostly full at lunchtime on a Tuesday. It was pretty crowded. The seats at the counter were full of construction workers, lawyers from the offices downtown, and men who looked like they might be retired and eat lunch there every day.

We snagged a booth just as the other people were leaving. My mom found a high chair for us, but the booth was actually a step up from the rest of the floor, so the high chair wasn’t really high enough. But it was ok. Another booth complaint—there was a dodgy-looking exposed electrical outlet with the TV plugged into it right in our booth. It was like an outlet box that should have been IN the wall. And of course, somehow Smalls ended up out of the high chair and sitting right next to it. It made me a little nervous.

Honey’s claims they’re famous for their slaw burgers, so my mom and I both got one with onion rings. The burgers were really good. The slaw is mostly dill pickles and mustard(?), I think. I ordered Smalls chicken fingers and tater tots. There’s no kids’ menu, and I didn’t see anything healthier than that on the menu. There are some salads, but no healthier side dishes. We received the burgers, but had to wait for the chicken fingers, and when they came, they were with fries, not tater tots. Smalls will just have to wait to eat her first tater tots, because I didn’t want to wait again. Smalls was actually too interested in climbing around Grandma’s side of the booth than eating anyway, and we ended up taking the chicken home and Smalls had it for dinner.

 

I love places like Honey’s Restaurant (and Fayetteville). I’ve seen a lot of downtowns that aren’t thriving (Opp, for one) and restaurants in downtowns that have retro potential (that means you, White Palace in Gadsden), but just can’t seem to pull it off. Honey’s just IS, and it seems like it has been since it opened.

Atmosphere: 3.5 out of 5 booster seats. It’s not exactly set up for kids, but it’s not kid-UNfriendly, either. Also, the front part of the restaurant is a little small, so I felt like I was in the waitress’s way as I packed up the diaper bag and stuffed Smalls into her coat. If you’re with kids, you might be more comfortable at one of the few tables in the back. And watch out for that electrical outlet. Bathroom report: Very small, no place to change a diaper.

Food: 3 out of 5 booster seats. It’s a diner menu, and burgers and onion rings (oh yeah, and chocolate pie) aren’t exactly what I want Smalls to eat every day.