5 Best Restaurants in Bucks County, Pennsylvania

The exterior resembles a diner, but don't be mislead: this BYO restaurant—helmed by former Marsha Brown executive chef Caleb Lentchner—serves not only breakfast and a variety of sandwiches and salads, but also locally-inspired New American fare at dinner in a country-village setting. Ladies who lunch come for the harvest chicken and "big" apple salad, avocado toast, fish tacos, or the signature burger.

If you come to this sweet D-town spot expecting familiar flavors, you'll be delightfully disappointed. Hip Honey is refreshingly different. The eating experience is all about sampling by way of a seasonally changing menu of small plates meant to be shared. "Black Velvet" oysters quiver beneath Guinness reduction and smoked steelhead roe. Kale salad benefits from puffed rice, five-spiced cashews, and shaved Asian pear. The appetizer-size portions might range from a $5 exotic olive plate to $32 foie-gras sliders. Order at least two plates per person and then see if you want more. Drinks include all-Pennsylvania beers, all-American wines, and all-unexpected specialty cocktails. Even the desserts can be hot and spicy.

A casual hangout in the heart of New Hope, Karla's has been open since 1978, offering American food from cheaper salads, burgers, and sandwiches to more expensive fare, with most dishes enlivened with interesting international ingredients. Dine on dishes like panko-crusted mac and cheese, sweet-potato-crusted fish of the day, and stuffed pork chops with prosciutto in cozy, well-worn rooms with an assemblage of mismatched tables and plants. Part indoors and part out, half restaurant and half bar, mostly shabby and somewhat chic, Karla's feels like a comfortable pair of jeans.

From the whisk-shaped door handles to the colander lamps to the sandwiches named after cartoon characters, Lilly's is full of fun. This busy downtown counter-service lunch spot also serves inventive salads and soups, which you can eat in the small, lively dining room or take with you. Try the Mr. Magoo wrap (marinated veggies, black bean salad, fresh mozzarella, spinach, and chipotle spread) or the Aquaman sandwich (blackened salmon, cucumber ribbons, sliced tomato, goat cheese, and balsamic vinegarette on multigrain bread). Make sure you read the blackboards, which list the specials. Beer and wine are available, and in the morning you can get a light breakfast of muffins, bagels, and fresh fruit.

Shiny vats are the tip-off to what's happening at this large, convivial, bi-level brewpub with industrial-looking beams and ductwork, which is a bit off the main drag by the New Hope Railroad station. The varied menu lists hearty small plates, salads, mains, and sandwiches, and the food skews a bit more sophisticated than at most such places, with vegetarian options and global touches like bao buns and a mushroom shawarma sandwich. Typically seven craft beers are on tap, with seasonal specials. There's often live music on weekend nights.