Doylestown is located on the ancestral homelands of the Lenape people.

When you’re traveling with a young family – our kids are eight and two years old – it can be hard to find a good place to eat that’s not either fast food or a diner. 

On our recent trip to Doylestown, we found a spot that was nearly perfect: Lovebird. 

The small eatery is located along Oakland Avenue. Though there are businesses throughout, the street is less crowded than State Street, the main thoroughfare one block north. 

Lovebird seems to fit the location perfectly. The no-frills eatery is a counter-service restaurant that’s takeout-first in approach. A single long picnic table and a small row of windowside stools provide the only seating. The space feels a little cold aesthetically with white walls and minimal decor. A cabinet and counter ran the length of one wall, leaving little room at the far end of the picnic table. Along the opposite wall, two people sat in lonely chairs waiting for their takeout. 

We arrived around 5 p.m. for an early dinner and got lucky that there was space at the end of the picnic table. Julie sat down with our two boys while I placed the order. 

In addition to having a simple interior, Lovebird has a simple menu, too, with a singular focus on chicken. It’s served by the piece, on sandwiches, in salads, or atop bowls. For our three sandwiches, we had the choice of fried or miso-garlic grilled chicken. (Miso-grilled tofu is also available as a vegan option). 

For my choice – the rancher – I opted for the fried chicken to go along with the onion jam, bacon, cheddar and bibb lettuce. The homemade onion jam was a little jarring at first – there’s a lot of it and it’s cold which made it really noticeable on a hot sandwich. But it also added a nice sweetness, which paired with the salt of the bacon made for a delicious combo. 

The chicken, itself, was very good. Though fried, it wasn’t overloaded with breading. It was just a very good all-around sandwich. 

Julie ordered the namesake Lovebird sandwich, also with fried chicken. It came topped with special sauce, pickles, coleslaw and lettuce. It was the perfect combination that made for a great sandwich. The coleslaw was lightly creamy, not dripping all over the place. The Lovebird sauce is a mayo/ketchup combo which is one of her favorites.

For Jakob, our eight-year-old, it was a build-your-own sandwich with lettuce, cheese, and honey mustard. He finished faster than any of us, loving every bite even if he didn’t take the time to savor it. 

For Lukas, we ordered some plain popcorn chicken with packets of honey mustard and BBQ sauce for dipping. Unfortunately, our two-year-old was not in the mood to cooperate while we were at the restaurant, but he did finally eat some of the chicken in the car. We all tried a piece, and I thought they were very good, even though they were more heavily breaded than the fried chicken on the sandwiches. 

We also ordered a family-sized order of fries to share. It could have fed a family much larger than our own. We all shared in the bite-sized fries, and they were delicious – the kind you just keep eating even after you’re full. But we still took more than half the box home with us where we enjoyed them in two separate meals. 

With three drinks added on – two iced teas and a chocolate milk – our total bill came to $75. At $15 each for the sandwiches plus $9 for the popcorn chicken and another $15 for the fries, it added up quickly. Still, I felt like we got a good amount of food for the money, especially the popcorn chicken and the fries. 

And though the price may not be as good as other family-friendly options, the food was better than most, the service was quick, and the menu was perfect. 

Lovebird
19 E. Oakland Avenue
Doylestown, PA 18901

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