There’s a new chain on the block!

The fast-casual restaurant Honeygrow specializes in customizable stir-frys, salads, and honeybars. The restaurant concept and chain are owned by Penn State alumnus Justin Rosenberg, a 2004 graduate of the College of the Liberal Arts at Penn State.

Based in Philadelphia and with nearly 60 locations in eight states, the State College location sits at 160 E. Beaver Ave. Our staffers checked out the new spot and gave their thoughts.

Sophie Yadzinski: Create Your Own Stir-Fry

10/10. Never tried Honeygrow before, and I was pleasantly surprised. I did a create your own and honestly forgot what I picked, but I know I put mushrooms, green beans, and pineapple in it, and it was delicious. Go stop by Honeygrow if you haven’t already.

Collin Ward: Create Your Own Stir-Fry

I got a stir-fry with chicken, mushrooms, avocado, and tahini. It was really good. Going in, I was expecting it to be another one of those gimmicky healthy fast food places, but I really enjoyed the meal.

Because it just opened, the service was slow, taking almost 40 minutes, but it was worth the wait.

Lyndsay Camp: Create Your Own Stir-Fry

I have never had Honeygrow before, but I was satisfied with my meal. I am a professional picky eater, so I had to try their “Create Your Own Stir Fry.” I went at around 1:30 p.m. and only waited about 15 minutes from when I walked in the door to place my order, to receiving my food.

Despite the fact that the layout of the restaurant made me feel overwhelmed, the staff were very welcoming and made sure I was satisfied with my service. I liked how they had in-dining and takeout options.

I am a huge fan whenever chain restaurants have “fancier” dine-in options, and was pleased with the presentation I saw from others. I personally chose takeout, and I was obsessed with the designs on the box and napkins.

With the CYO meal, there was a decent number of options to choose from. They don’t let you pick that many without paying extra, but I believe less can be more. My order was $12.06, so I was expecting a larger portion size than what I received. After I had eaten my meal, I didn’t feel too full, so I think this is a great lunch option. I chose a stir fry with egg white noodles, chicken, spinach, scallions, carrots, sesame seeds, and a sesame garlic sauce.

In the stir-fry itself, I felt that the ingredient ratio was slightly off, but they did give a decent amount of protein, so at least that was nice. As a scallion lover, I was disappointed in just how few there were, though. There was also an abundance of carrots, so each bite just felt very different.

The food was at a good temperature, and everything was mixed nicely, despite the ratio issues. I have never had Sesame Garlic Sauce before, but it sounded interesting, and it was quite delicious! It mixed nicely with the rest of my chosen ingredients and helped to tie everything together. I thoroughly enjoyed the food and thought it was quite yummy.

Overall, I would rate this a 7.5/10 experience, and I see myself returning in the future. Not necessarily as a regular, but as a random January craving.

Madison Sosnowski: Create Your Own Stir-Fry

Walking into Honeygrow, I was really eager to try it because of all the hype I’d heard. The place was packed, and there were a ton of people working. While it was overwhelming, I think it was better that they prepared to have so many workers at once.

I do think it can get pretty expensive, and the meal wasn’t exactly what I expected. I ordered the stir fry with chicken, egg-white noodles, red onions, sesame seeds, and garlic butter sauce, plus a side of focaccia bread.

The flavor was actually my favorite part; the garlic butter sauce was super flavorful, and the combo of everything together mixed really well and made it the perfect balance. The seasoning and sauce were spot on. The only thing that didn’t work for me was the noodles; the texture just didn’t match how good everything else tasted.

Even with that, I still want to go back and try something else, because the ingredients and flavors definitely stood out. Living close by made the whole process convenient: I ordered, went home, and came back, and the wait was only about 40 minutes, which honestly isn’t bad at all, especially considering how busy they were. I also think the lines will start getting shorter over the next few weeks as the initial rush dies down.

Ericka Apolskis – Garlic Butter Chicken Stir-Fry

I went to Honeygrow the day it opened, and after hyping it up for myself for months, I can confidently say it matched my expectations.

I won’t include the fact that it did take an hour and 20 minutes to get my food, but I went on opening night, and they were working as quickly as they could with 100+ people in the restaurant.

Anyways, I got the garlic butter chicken, and the picture doesn’t really do it justice. It was very good; my only complaint is that I wish there were more chicken. I will definitely be going back when the hype dwindles a bit.

Ally Eaton: Spicy Garlic Stir-Fry

Welcome to town, Honeygrow! I’ve tried the popular fast-casual chain before, but it’s been a few years. I was excited to have a new healthy-ish option in town, and wandered over for lunch on Thursday.

I have typically created my own stir-fry on past occasions, but opted for the Spicy Garlic Stir-Fry for my inaugural State College meal. It was not crowded at all for an early lunchtime hour, and I received my food in about five minutes. I really enjoyed the touchscreen ordering features as someone who is very indecisive and likes to constantly assess their dining options.

The stir-fry was warm and delicious, but I think next time, I would create my own bowl. There were a lot of flavor profiles going on at once, which was a fresh and fun escape from normal college food. The pineapple addition was a great touch. Honeygrow won’t be an every-week staple for me, but it’s the perfect chain to help mix things up downtown.

Fernando Martinez: Create Your Own Stir-Fry

As someone who lives outside of Philadelphia, I can’t tell you how enthusiastic I was when I found out Honeygrow was opening its doors at State College.

Honeygrow is a really good place to eat. It has delicious stir-fry options, and you could even create your own! I created my own stir-fry with egg white noodles, steak, scrambled egg, avocado, and much more. It was so good.

To top it off, I got a cheesecake from the Honey Bar. It had a cheesecake filling, blueberries, streusel crumble, and no honey. It was really good and the perfect way to cap off my meal.

I would highly recommend people go to Honeygrow. It’s delicious, well-priced, and very healthy.

Maggie Alderisio: Garlic Butter Chicken Stir-Fry

I was really excited for this one. I’ve never been to a Honeygrow, and I love stir-fry, so it was highly anticipated for me. The restaurant was nice inside, and they kept things moving fast for how busy it was. The iPad I had to order was the size of a small flat screen TV, which did overstimulate me.

Food-wise, however, I hate to say it, but I was disappointed. I ordered the garlic butter chicken stir fry with a few extra add-ins like broccoli and bread crumbs. I took off the chili pepper flakes because I have genuinely zero tolerance for spice, but they left them on anyway. Luckily, I was able to eat through the pain, and the flavor was honestly really good. My main problem was that my noodles were really undercooked and chewy. The portion was also smaller than I expected for $14.

Unfortunately for Honeygrow, Malea and I did accidentally discourage a man from ordering when we gave him an unenthusiastic ’thumbs in the middle’ response when he asked us about our meals. He walked out and went to Roots. Despite all this negativity, I will definitely be back at some point to try the honey bar dessert items and to try more stir-fry because I’m always optimistic.

Malea Nadeo: Garlic Butter Chicken Stir-Fry

Upon my arrival at Honeygrow, I was excited to see what they had in store. Though my issues started when I walked up to the order kiosk. The order process had so many questions that it felt like I was taking an exam, and the rewards system asked so many personal details, I was surprised it didn’t ask for my social security number. I was starting to get quite frustrated at the number of pop-ups and different screens. There were a variety of meal options, even offering salads, kids’ meals, and desserts. I went with the trustworthy “Garlic Butter Chicken.” I have a somewhat picky palette, so I removed the chili flakes and mushrooms. The flavor was pretty good, but I think my expectations were too high walking in.

In the middle of Maggie and me having an absolute feast, a man waiting in line from out of town asked if the food was worth it. Here is how I put it: for my $14 meal, I feel that the portions were much too small. Was the food yummy? Yes. Would I go here again? Probably a no for now, but I would be open to trying their desserts. The man gave us a cheeky smile and casually walked out. I didn’t mean to scare him away from the experience, but the reaction spoke for itself.

Atmosphere: 8/10. Food: 7/10. Price: 4/10. Order kiosk experience: 2/10.