Lunch with Betty: The Honeysuckle Café

Lunch with Betty
One Woman's Relentless Search For Great Lunches

The Honeysuckle Café
2201 Market Street
Camp Hill
972-8767
Hours: M-F, 7 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Saturday, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
No one ever said I wasn’t a busy lady. But I always have time for two things in life: a good lunch and a good friend. It was a great mix, then, when a good friend of mine called and asked to schedule a lunch date with me, the self-appointed queen of all things lunch. So I promptly took him up on the offer and made plans to meet at The Honeysuckle Café in Camp Hill.

Open since 1999, the Café can be found in a cozy spot along Market Street, in the renovated Borough building. The building also houses a variety of other shops and services, making it a quaint site for the establishment. The inside has an immediately homey feel, with country kitchen-like tables surrounded by large paned windows that provide the right mix of natural light, even on a winter day.
At the Honeysuckle Café, it is obvious that lunch is a specialty taken seriously. Only open for breakfast and lunch, the Café offers a hearty assortment of items that could easily fill a hungry belly. A specials sign offered daily options for soup, sandwich, dessert, and drink. (And, even for those light eaters who often skip the good stuff, who can refuse dessert specials when they’re called things like “Better than Sex” cake?).

After my friend and I placed our order to the counter staff, as is the custom at deli-type eateries, we paid, and sat at one of the roomy tables where we would await our food. My friend ordered potato leak soup, which was served immediately, and with crackers.

While waiting for our sandwiches — and the wait was just a few short minutes — I had the opportunity to take in the ambiance of the area around me. The Café was comfortably crowded, with the tables occupied by a gathering of female friends, a pair of teenagers, a slew of business men and women, and one determined professional who ate while pouring over serious looking documents. An assortment of people, all of whom fit in perfectly in the Café’s unpretentious eating area.

And then our food arrived! A fan of turkey — even when it’s not Thanksgiving — I ordered the smoked turkey sandwich ($4.25) with lettuce and mayonnaise. The sandwiches listed on the menu included the traditional meats such as baked ham, roast beef, and pastrami, as well as lighter offerings, such as tuna salad and veggie dishes. And creating the sandwiches is just as fun as eating them would prove to be! The Café offers a choice of breads, three vegetable toppings, and a variety of condiments; cheese is a few cents extra; all sandwiches are served with a fresh pickle. But back to my order! The turkey was deliciously tender and the mayonnaise was good, definitely not tart or a salad dressing (both of which Betty despises in a mayo!)

My friend finished his soup (soup du jour, $2.50) and eagerly bit into his chicken salad sandwich, which he enjoyed greatly. The breads were amazingly fresh and the meats were just right. Exactly what a diner is looking for in a good lunch!

In addition to the lunch menu (not just sandwiches, the Café has salads, too) and the breakfast menu (think: eggs, bacon, French toast, etc.), homemade desserts, and sides — bagels, potato salad, and coleslaw — the Café also serves a list of beverages, from the staple assortments such as soda to freshly brewed iced tea (regular and herbal) and Italian soda. And believe me, it’s a nice touch to have a good beverage garnish a good meal.

The bill for my friend and I totaled less than $13, a good price for a hearty lunch. We left satisfied and not the least bit hungry. Betty recommends stopping in at The Honeysuckle Café during your next stop in Camp Hill. You’ll be glad you did!