When I first interviewed Rob Sonderman, one of D.C.’s formidable barbecue pit masters, back in 2017 for the opening of Federalist Pig in Adams Morgan, he said that “if someone cares about what they’re doing in the kitchen, you can taste it.” Five years later, the statement still holds true. After a roster of local and national accolades for smoked meats and creative sides, Sonderman is devoting the same detailed attention entirely to fried chicken.

Honeymoon Chicken, the second restaurant collaboration between Sonderman and entrepreneur Steve Salis, opens today in Petworth. Located on the corner of Georgia Avenue and Upshur Street, Honeymoon reenergizes the short-lived Slim’s Diner with a self-described “fancy meets funky” vibe: Fried chicken buckets, sandwiches built for toppings, sides, snow cones and sundaes, and cocktails are available for all-day dine-in and carry out.

Sonderman isn’t new to chicken. Smoked wings and crispy chicken sandwiches, laden with pork belly and sticky garlic sauce or pickles and ranch, have been menu staples at Federalist Pig since its beginning. Fans of Fed Pig will recognize “the touches of everything having a little sweet, a little spice, a little tang, all playing a nice harmonious chord,” says Sonderman. “We don’t have anything quite like this on our menu there, but the same flavor profiles still correlate.”

But Honeymoon marks a new direction for the chef. Sonderman trades his signature smoking techniques for a Henny Penny pressure cooker, which is the preferred choice of Kentucky Fried Chicken to fry a  juicy, consistent chicken. All birds are soaked in pickle brine for 24 hours, then fried to golden perfection. The signature touch is a coat of honey dust (a combination of garlic, dehydrated honey, habanero powder, and smoked paprika—”because I can’t get all the way away from smoke,” Sonderman says). Every chicken order has the option to add hot honey for extra heat.

The team first tested out recipes at a food hall location in Bethesda’s Ensemble Kitchen this past year. There, the bestseller has been what Sonderman hopes will become the Honeymoon classic: a fried chicken breast, melted cheddar cheese, coleslaw, pickles, and comeback sauce on a brioche bun.

At the Petworth location, the menu is more extensive. Bone-in chicken buckets and build-your-own combos, boneless chicken bites, and six sandwiches (including a honey garlic banh mi, a shrimp po’boy, and a fried mushroom with crispy onions) are ready for sauces made in house — another Fed Pig carryover — like honey mustard, remoulade, ranch, and mumbo sauce. For sides, Sonderman extols the gruyere, sharp cheddar, and fontina mac and cheese, and the poutine made with chicken gravy.

Honey is, of course, a major player throughout the menu. It shows up on homemade dinner rolls, served glistening with honey butter, chives, and sea salt; in a mango habanero margarita; and tossed on sprouts and cauliflower. As for the fancy half of the “fancy meets funky” moniker? The only wine option on the menu is half-bottles of Veuve Clicquot champagne.

In keeping with the city’s safety requirements, the restaurant will need proof of vaccination to sit in the 36-person dining room, which dresses up the former diner’s elements with chef’s counter seating and booths in shades of mint green, salmon, and yellow. Several walls are papered in kissing chickens. A 52-seat patio is planned to open later in the spring, and a walk-up window at the front of the building serves to-go orders. The restaurant also plans to cater to the neighborhood’s many families and its close proximity to schools, offering a 10 percent discount off the full menu for students and families every day from 3 to 5 p.m.

“Hopefully, we’re dialed in to the point where every piece of chicken is juicy, crispy on the outside, and has a nice pop of seasoning,” says Sonderman. “Fried chicken is ubiquitous, but we’re really trying to step our game up.”

Honeymoon Chicken is located at 4201 Georgia Avenue NW. Hours are from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

This post has been updated to correct the spelling of Steve Salis’ name.