Kinfolk Southern Kitchen

Lovely decor and wonderful, vibrant location at the Wharf. A friend recommended this place during our visit to DC. We were quickly seated and our server (Gianluca) was fabulous. We were pleasantly surprised at the aroma coming from the kitchen and excited to order.We started with cornbread, which was nice, then fried green tomatoes. For entrees we went with brisket and pork baby back ribs, both were wonderful. For sides we ordered the mac and cheese and mashed potatoes, both of which left much to be desired. The Mac and cheese was presented in a cast iron mini, but didn't appear to have been cooked in it. It was dry and thick, also bland. The mashed potatoes tasted like instant potatoes from a box. So the proteins were excellent, sides a failure, apps and starters acceptable. This place is worth the visit because the vibe is nice. Nice music not so not loud you can enjoy conversation with your guests. The staff were wonderful - just improve on the sides please. Really 3.5 stars because the guests on either side of us also said their dishes were about average.

It was extremely difficult to find parking. None of the nearby garages were free. After 39 minutes we ended up parking about a 15 minute walk away. The customer service was great. The atmosphere was charming and enigmatic. The food was just ok to me. It seemed like there was some layer of flavor missing from everything. The brisket was tender but not that seasoned. The burnt ends were cooked well but mostly had the bbq taste. The cheddar cheese biscuits needed some additional seasoning. The dirty rice was def a winner. That was very very good. If I was to go back to try anything it would be for the rice.

STOP- TURN AROUND- DO NOT PROCEED TO PATRONIZE THIS SPOT!!! This place is called Kinfolk, but apparently there is a specific kinfolk they are catering to. I was staying in the Wharf area with my sister and niece. We were needing a light bite and dessert prior to calling it a night. We walked in with no reservations. No big deal given that the restaurant was. empty for a Friday night. There were plenty of open tables. We were immediately seated, but that's as far as this experience went. We sat, and sat, and sat longer. There was a table to our right that was receiving service. The staff that provided service to that table walked past us without saying a word. After about 20 minutes someone did fill our cups with water and said a server would be over soon. We waited about 15 more minutes. Several staff gathered at the host stand and just watched us. No one attempted to provide any type of service, not even a hello. We decided we did not want to patronize a company that had such poor service. I did request to speak to the manager. I spoke with JP (is that really his name- he hesitated a little long prior to providing his name ???) and expressed my concern with the lack of service. His response-- sorry about that!!!! Just in case it's not clear--Kinfolk Southern Kitchen is a no for me based solely on the poor customer service! I gladly left and spent my dollar at another restaurant that at least pretended to appreciate that I was patronizing their business.

My family and I do an annual "fancy Christmas dinner outing" every year that takes place the weekend before Christmas. This year we wanted to support kinfolk a new restaurant located at the revitalized dc wharf. Good things: we were seated promptly, the wait staff was friendly, and the appetizers we ordered Burnt ends, deviled eggs, pork skins and fried green tomatoes were delicious with a special shout out to the burnt ends ... yummy. The bad: the entrees were just fair or bad. The fried chicken was ok. It came with several pieces and was presented in a cute rooster shaped basket, my daughter liked her salmon but the blue catfish was just not good. It was not flavored at all and on the same level honestly as a high school cafeteria fish. I expected a more southern atmosphere but instead it was the typical look of every restaurant in the area and the music was pop instead of the Motown and blues I expected. I think I misunderstood the whole theme of the restaurant. I was disappointed with the whole evening however I do want to mention that they did take off the cat fish entree from the bill.

Great location, great scenery, and great layout. Staff was solid, food was decent, and was an average experience. Food doesn't come sides, which you have to order separate. Waiter wasn't well informed on food items and didn't seem to care about being able to properly articulate what was in each item. Food was also a bit expensive. I guess you're paying for the location and view. Don't think I'll be going back.

We made our reservation the day of and are glad we did. Visiting from out of town, and we were unaware of the Boat Parade and great restaurant pick with a view of the water. The downside, you can't see the people through the people. I started with a kinfolk martini, and it was a hit for me as I prefer a tequila espresso martini. The cheddar bay biscuits were a 10/10! I had the catfish and it was okay. I'd give a 3/5 and I ordered a side of fries. To the young gentleman that sat us, he was a delight. Our waiter, Keanua, I am showing grace. Because the restaurant was busy so I understand the stress around it. He was moving quickly, so fast, I wasn't done ordering at one point, and he was already halfway across the restaurant . I appreciate him though trying to get to all his guests but you can slow down at least 5 seconds.

Highly recommend making a reservation if you're coming on a weekend - thankfully we had a reservation but they were turning everyone away who didn't have one. I agree with others, service is slow. We waited a while for our server to stop by our table between meals. Started off with the biscuits which were delicious. For our mains, I got the burger and my husband got the tandoori chicken. I asked for no tomato's on my burger but it still came with one. The fries on the side were just ok, I will probably get something else as a side if I come again. Burger was delicious. The tandoori chicken was good, it had a slight different taste to it than traditional tandoori chicken but we still enjoyed it. The 1 tiny piece of bread that was served with it was not it. Heavy charred flavor did not compliment the dish at all. For dessert, we got the Lotus Tiramisu which I would skip and go for the bread pudding instead. Bonus points for most of the menu being halal! Points taken off for slow service and the fact that their bathroom was closed and the alternative was to use the public restroom outside :/

The food was just okay. Not much seasoning. The service was just okay as well, but I'd imagine they stay busy. The ambiance is great. We had trout dip, hush puppies and deviled eggs. They were okay. I tried a la carte half waffle and eggs, the waffle was okay, eggs unseasoned.

As a southerner... there was no kinfolk nor southerner in the food. I was consistently disappointed. The service was okay, so it is not really on those folks but the food was just not what I would have expected from a "southern kitchen." The dirty rice looked dirty, but lacked flavor. Not sure how you mess up catfish, but that was gross too. The only thing I liked was the cornbread. Cute restaurant though! I think I will still come back to try their brunch.

Go for the sunset, not for the foodWe were seated almost immediately during happy hour ina booth with above view of the sunset. The waiter was nice and well informed. As lovers of barbecue we ordered biscuits, chopped pork, burnt ends and some gumbo. The food was not good. I repeatedly asked if this food is southern, I was told "the food is southern inspired." The inspiration is in title of the dishes only. The gumbo was in a tomato base not a typical rue. The flavor of the tomatoes made the dish taste like tomatoes chicken and sausage not as a cohesive dish. The chopped pork dish was supposed to be smoked. The meat was rubbery, with some watery tomato based sauce garnished with pork skins. The burnt ends were that-burnt and fatty, but did not a have a hint of smoked flavor. But the sunset and the service were great! But I won't be back for either.