If you’ve been hankering for a spot with a little razzle-dazzle, look no further than Craft Tavern, the new joint in town at 101 S. Main Street where elegance rubs elbows with rebellion.
Word on the street says it’s the bee’s knees for scratch-made fare, high-class hooch, and a vibe straight out of the Roaring Twenties. Think speakeasy style — all without a secret knock at the door.
Owner Tom Peters, a familiar face in the Bucks County eats scene, and his crew gave the old historic digs a head-to-toe revival and top-to-bottom polish, dressing it up with rich wallpaper, dark wood, light fixtures that sparkle like a flapper’s sequins, and the kind of glow you’d expect to see reflected in a jazzman’s horn.
The welcome is warm, the service sharp, and there’s even a selfie wall for the modern set — the kind of thing that’d make Gatsby himself pause for a snapshot.
The kitchen, led by local Chef Ryan Lapsley, who cut his teeth in swanky steakhouses before bringing his talents home to Doylestown, is turning out entrees that marry moxie with class. There’s a little razzle-dazzle in every dish.
On the bill of fare? The kind of meals that makes a fella forget his troubles.
Guests can dig into pistachio-crusted chicken in garlic cream sauce over risotto ($25), braised short rib atop creamy polenta ($38), or the indulgent 16-ounce Cowboy Ribeye finished with garlic butter and thyme ($75). There’s also steak frites with hand-cut fries ($29), honey-glazed salmon with browned butter lime sauce ($28), a hearty ragù alla bolognese ($21), and filets and fish-and-chips for those who like to keep things classic.
Hungry for wings? These aren’t your run-of-the-mill bar bites — big, crisp, and sauced in bourbon brown sugar or sweet chili.
But the gig doesn’t stop with the grub. The bar program is straight out of a Gatsby soirée, mixing up signature cocktails like the Apple Lychee Martini, the bourbon-forward Paper Plane, the rye-and-absinthe classic Sazerac, and a Recuerdo Sour with Corralejo Reposado tequila. Seasonal touches — like the Fallen Apple with caramel apple butter — bring a little wink to the cooler months.
Happy Hour runs Tuesday through Friday from 4 to 5:30 p.m., with Friday specials that are rare as hen’s teeth in these parts of Upper Bucks. That means locals can belly up to the bar, wet their whistle, and toast to the weekend without breaking the bank.
Brunch debuts this October, so locals can start their Sundays in speakeasy style while the joint starts slinging morning plates.
Craft Tavern is open Tuesday through Thursday 4 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 4 to 10 p.m., and Sundays 4 to 9 p.m. Reservations are available at resy.com
