Kitchen + Kocktails by Kevin Kelley

If you're trying to have a bougie soulfood experience with matching vibes and esthetics, this is the place for you. K&K located in uptown Charlotte on the corner of the Epicenter directly across from the Omni Hotel.We were nicely greeted by the hostess upon entering who said "welcome home". Be sure to make a reservation because the wait for walk-ins would be ridiculous. They use every square in of the restaurant and it was filled. We were a few minutes late for our reservation but within the 15 minutes grace period. We still had to wait about 10 minutes to be seated. The restaurant has a black and red color scheme and is a selfie lovers dream!! There's a bar, DJ booth and upstairs seating! Our waitress was friendly and didn't mind answering question about the menu. We stuck with tap water and ordered a couple of appetizers to start.The Fried green tomatoes wereserved with a couple of blackened shrimp on a bed of grits. The tomatoes were perfectly fried, still sturdy and tangy. The shrimp were seasoned wel and not overcooked. The grits creamy and delicious witha cajun sauce. The crab cake is Maryland style. Mostly crab and not a ton of filler. It was seasoned to perfection. I also ordered the peach Deuce slushie drink and a friend ordered the expresso martini. We both enjoyed our drinks. For entrees, 2 friends got the shrimp and Grits while I ordered the sampler trio with angel eggs, crab cake and lamb chops. The sides are fairly large. I would consider them family style so the table share the mac n cheese and collards. Friends said that the shrimp and Grits tasted the same as what was included with the fried green tomatoes. As for my trio, it included, lamb chops, angel eggs and a crab cake. I developed an egg allergies after i stopped nursing my son so gave my angel eggs to my friends. They were simply deviled eggs topped with shrimp. They said that they were good. The crab cake was the same as the appetizer, but the lamb chops were the star! They were perfectly seasoned, tender, and i really enjoyed the grill flavor. We lovedthat the collards are cooked with turkey to meet some dietary preferences and found them delicious. The mac n cheese was very well done. After all of the above accolades, will I go back? I'm not sure yet. Their prices are extremely high and they automatically include tips what seem to be about 20%. For our food and the auto tip, our bill came to $311. Maybe for special occasions. Those lamb chops were bomb!! I will say that despite all of the early negative reviews, the place now seems to be ran like a well oiled machine. If you're on a tight budget, don't even go here. If you're trying to have an experience and have a few coins to spend, I definitely recommend!!

Reservations for 730p seated at 845p (on time do not matter) but they had a 45 pp Reservations same time. Drinks: amazing!!!! Lemon drop for me and others for my party. Food: salmon bites, fried pork chops, collard greens, orka, It was delicious to the next level. It is Cajun!!!!My party order their items Everything is a La carte......be mindfulBill: $426 and I gave an additional tipThe vibe was everything and made it woerhy the wait!!! The Food was perfect and we'll cooked and seasoned.

I enjoyed dinner at K&K with a friend. The staff was cordial and prompt. Cameron was our waiter, and he was in regular contact with us. I ordered a smoked Old Fashioned that was heavy on the syrup but delicious at the same time. We ordered the Fried Green Tomatoes as an appetizer. They were heavenly and stayed hot in the container. Entrees are a la carte. I had the Blackened Salmon with a side of collard greens (5/5) and yams/sweet potatoes that were well-cooked and seasoned. I was in my happy place and ate them all. The salmon (4/5) was perfectly seasoned but could have been a little juicier; it was slightly overcooked. Wow, excellent service, great food, and great company! We had to try a dessert, but our bellies were full. So, we each ordered a peach cobbler to take home. I enjoyed it the next day, and it was fabulous! After we paid our check and sat talking, we were kindly encouraged/asked to move to the bar or leave. Yes, that happened. We were happy to oblige so that others could enjoy the good food at K&K. We arrived shortly before the dinner rush and didn't have to wait. We were seated upstairs, and when we left, patrons were leaning against every available wall while waiting to be seated. It was a beautiful night, but this was not a good look. The ambiance is warm. The music, although excellent, was a tad bit loud, causing some to talk loudly to be heard.Overall, K&K is on the pricey side, with $$$. However, you get what you pay for, and it is worth it!

We arrived earlier than our reservation and found a line out the door. Once inside, we were promptly seated at a corner booth for four. Asia was our server.We were informed that most dishes are prepared with cayenne pepper. I had wanted the lamb chops, but Asia emphasized how heavily spiced they were, so I opted for the fish and grits instead. They were just okay--nothing remarkable. The Caesar side salad was drenched in dressing, so I recommend requesting it on the side. My cranberry mimosa was perfect (I requested they go light on the cranberry juice). Be aware that automatic gratuity is added to the check even for small parties (total of 4 in my group). While Asia was pleasant, the service was average, as was the food. When someone in our group mentioned the potatoes were too salty, Asia responded by praising the chef's seasoning choices. A better response would have been offering an alternative.

This was our first time trying this place. We had heard mixed reviews but wanted to give it a chance. Upon arrival, we were told that our entire party had to be present before we could be seated. Since this was a brunch for three and two of us had already arrived, we had to wait about 10 minutes before a waiter finally decided to seat us.It took over 10 minutes for our server to come to our table, but he was friendly and attentive once he did. Our drinks, which were just champagne, took a while to arrive. When ordering, we clearly specified our choices from the brunch menu. Our food took about 45 minutes to come out, but at least it was hot and fresh.When we received the bill, we noticed that each of our meals was about $10 more than what was listed on their website. We pointed this out to our waiter, who mentioned that they likely wouldn't change it. We then asked to speak with management. When the manager arrived, we explained the issue and showed her the discrepancy. She acknowledged the mistake and removed the overcharges, which we appreciated. She also offered us a complimentary glass of champagne since we were celebrating a friend's birthday.One major downside is that a 20% gratuity is automatically added to the bill. For a simple brunch consisting of chicken and waffles, two orders of fish and grits, and a glass of champagne each, our total came to $244. That pricing is excessive for a restaurant that isn't high-end. I would have rather spent that amount at a true fine-dining establishment.The place itself is nice, and the service was decent, but the long waits, inaccurate pricing, and steep costs don't justify the experience. I'll be sticking with local brunch spots that offer better value without surprise charges. I would still recommend this place to family and friends but pre warn them of the prices and the 20%. I still support black business.

I was excited to try K+K because I heard really good things about the D.C location. I'm not sure this location is up to the same standards as D.C. I was caught off guard by the vibe here when I arrived.. I'll just say it wasn't what I expected. A little chaotic, felt more like a club than a restaurant, etc. Even though we had a reservation, because a couple in our party were running late, none of us could be seated. They actually ended up giving our table away and we had to wait for a new one. Decided to grab a drink at the bar while we waited. I ordered the black magic, which was ok. I was very surprised to see a 20% service charge added to my bill when there were just 3 of us sitting at the bar ordering drinks, not a party of 8 at a table. I hate when establishments nickel and dime. I used to visit the restaurant that was here when EpiCenter was still open, and I'll say it looks like K+K slapped some paint on the walls, got some new furniture and opened the doors. Sadly other than the pretty photo wall, the decor looked cheap. The food was definitely the star of this visit! Everything was delicious!! Seasoned perfectly. I ordered the fried catfish with fried okra and candied yams. So good. Portions were good too. The food would make me return and I guess that's what matters. Our server was great too.

I really wanted to love this place but as it presently stands I dont feel I need to return. The food was salty and over seasoned, the drinks and food felt overpriced, and everything was a la cart in a way that didnt really make sense to me. They were a few months in so I want to give the benefit of the doubt that they are still working through their growing pains but I had higher expectations that weren't met this visit.

1. My date is amazing 2. Gabby is a phenomenal server. She seems very pleasant and easy going. Ready to serve. We didn't need for anything as she was very attentive. 3. The food was hot and delicious

Beautiful! Delicious! Treated like familyEvery thing was, and every time. My Nephew know Kevin. Jab from the Chi

I visited kitchen & Kocktails for lunch today. Our server Jess recommended the appetizer trio , frozen dusse & Shrimp grits add a lobster tail. Candra also came over to check on our table. Service and food was amazing.