Emma Lynn’s Chicken and Waffles

I heard the food was good but when my friends and I came today l, they said they had to close for one hour because they were out of the dishes. We left and went to Logan’s. Smh

The chicken and waffles were really good. I also had a side of cheese and they were great too. I’d definitely come back.

Oh my goodness, we had a great time. The cook/​server was amazing. He was friendly and funny and generous. We walked in on an afternoon and the place was empty.
I wasn’t too hungry so the plan was to share my daughter’s order of 4 wings and 4 waffles. As we chatted with him, he said you must try the waffles all covered with his special recipe – whipped cream, caramel, syrup, strawberry syrup. He surprised us with a free small order! It was amazing. I noticed shrimp and grits but decided not to get it – he heard me and when he brought out order he brought a small order of grits with three shrimp in it :)
The wings are huge – not the tiny things you get nowadays. Freshly fried with a nice seasoning/​coating. The waffles are perfectly cooked and tasty. All this and two drinks for $ 19. Of course I left a huge tip.
Oh Unilocal.you’ve done it again :)

I got the chicken and waffles with a side of grits. The food was AMAZING. Definitely coming back the next time I am out here. My waffles were covered in powdered sugar, caramel and strawberry sauce and it was sooo good. I didn’t give 5 stars because my chicken was a little too salty but besides that everything was perfect. The staff is super sweet and made me feel like I was back home in the south. Very pleased with everything and will be returning no questions asked!

Wow. Had chicken and waffles with my hubby. The owner greeted us and let us know everything is cook to order, «this isn’t a fast food restaurant.» He takes his time so everything is good. He uses his grandmother’s recipes. Everything was great. Will definitely come back. Down home Texas cooking.

Yes.
Delicious chicken, with waffles. What’s not to like? Walked in with six people and ordered 6 chicken & waffle sets. Was not disappointed.
Took a few minutes to cook but totally worth it.
There isn’t much to this place, just a small kitchen in a strip mall store front. Made it a little hard to find.

I actually came here with my boyfriend a month ago and wanted to visit them today but they were closed, which was weird because the first time we came here, was on a Sunday. I was kinda sad I drove all the way to Byron Center from the north side of GR and they weren’t open.
Last time I went, the service was amazing. It was true southern hospitality. The chicken and waffles were to DIE FOR. This was my first time actually having the combo, my boyfriend goes to Atlanta frequently and has Gladys Knight’s Chicken & Waffles and even he approved.
The only drawback would be the size. It felt pretty small but that seems to be a good thing when you want quality food and quick service.

What an amazing concept. I love chicken and waffles and good home cooking. I wish more places got on board with this. The food here is phenomenal. From the signature dish of chicken waffles to the shrimp and grits. The location is a small yet comfortable place right off the highway. The service is very polite and the food is cooked to perfection. I highly recommend the waffles, but the Doc burger is huge and amazing. Everything is well worth the prices paid for your meal.

Hands down THE best Chicken and Waffles I have ever had. Your food is cooked to order so if you are looking for 10 minutes or faster then maybe you should go to McDonalds. The chicken comes directly from the fryer to your plate so proceed with caution and let it sit for a few minutes and in the mean time you can enjoy your waffle that is also delicious. Your proportion are very generous I could have slept my Chicken and Waffles with someone.
I took my son out for dinner and he was more than happy we made this stop. We will be back for sure.

Some of the best fried chicken and waffles I have ever had!
We were in the area and starving so I looked on the trusty Unilocal App and found that Emma Lynn’s was close by. Now don’t let the bland exterior fool you, this place is dishing out some serious soul food! As soon as we walked in we were greeted by the hostess/​cashier and picked where we wanted to sit. She then handed us menus and took our drink orders. We went with the sweet tea which was not only delicious but, refreshing as well.
I had already knew that I wanted the chicken and waffles by all of the Unilocal reviews saying how good they were so I didn’t even really need to look at the menu. Clarence the chef/​owner came out and greeted us and told us a little about himself and told us about the waffles he does topped with strawberry, caramel topping and whipped cream and even offered us a complementary sample of it to try. Let me just tell you that they alone are worth going to Emma Lynn’s! They were unbelievably good! I then knew I had made the right decision going with the chicken and waffles.
A few minutes our chicken and waffles arrived at our table. I don’t know where Clarence gets his chicken wings from but, I think he gets them from Jurassic Park as they were the biggest chicken wings I have ever had! They came out so hot and juicy that I literally had to back them apart to help them cool down quicker. The chicken was seasoned to perfection! The waffles were very light and fluffy and simply delicious.
You know the food was good when everyone at the table is completely silent the whole time that they are eating and when they are finish that their chicken bones look like Piranha’s got to them!
If you are even in Grand Rapids, Emma Lynn’s Chicken and Waffles is a must stop!

Stopped here for the first time tonight. Upon learning this the chef brought us a sample of the waffles. Which were AMAZING!!!
I got the the chicken breast sandwich basket and my husband got the double burger basket. Both were really good. Chicken was moist. My dh also got a side of catfish which he throughly enjoyed. But did admit, the burger & fries were more than enough. LOL.
We’ll definitely be back!!!

I ordered the single chicken & waffle! It came with 3 nice sized chicken wings & a waffle. The server asked if I wanted topping on the waffle, I asked what does she suggest. She told me that she order the waffle with strawberry & Carmel topping! So that’s what I got with whipped cream! When it came out it looked absolutely delicious! They make all food to order therefore it came out nice & HOT! The chicken was seasoned well & cooked perfect! My husband ordered the double waffle with a fried chicken breast! He said it was also good & cooked well, he said the chicken breast was nice & juicy!
Overall the food was good & so was the service! We will definitely be back!

My lunch today was nothing short of home cooked southern perfection.
My fish and chips were better than expected and I raved about it to several people already. I’m not sure what type of fish it was that I had (Cat Fish? Tiplaia? The menu didn’t really say what you would get either) but it was a huge piece of fish, caked with thick, spicy, southern breading and then fried to golden perfection. I ordered my meal to-​go, but it smelled so good I ended up eating it in my car. So if you passed a girl on 131 today, eating a slab of fried fish while driving, that was me. I licked my fingers clean afterwards and I hope my car continues to smell as good at this food tasted. The fries are thick, criss-​cross cut, steak-​stye fries with loads of seasoning on them. I’m a typical midwestern in that I love ranch with my fries– I didn’t even need ranch with these– they had that much seasoning on them.
When I stopped in for my order everyone was friendly and laid back. It appears that the restaurant is named after someone’s mom or grandma who passed away. I do hope she can see how happy her recipe made me today!
The only negative about my experience was that they have not had consistent hours as of recent. I was tipped off to the fact that their hours fluctuate, despite being posted otherwise. I called several times prior to when I wanted to visit, only to get a voicemail that they were closed. My suggestion is to call ahead before ordering or stopping in. If they are open, then book it over to get the fried fish and chips.

They have hours posted on their door and website however they were closed for no reason. According to some other reviews they do this a lot. This is not the way to run a successful business.

AWESOME!!! Ok I’ll admit that I haven’t had chicken and waffles before so I have nothing to compare them to, but they were delicious! The chicken wings alone were amazing. I can’t wait to go back for more.

This is a welcome addition to the community. The food was absolutely excellent and a GREAT STAFF. It took a bit to get our order but this was their first day with the full menu. Bottom line is this: EXCELLENT FOOD and we are glad to recommend this restaurant. It reminds you of one of those gems that you find during a road trip driving down south. It is great to see that we have one of those here in W Michigan.
We will definitely be back!

This rating is ultra hard to consider.
If it was based off of food only 4.5 stars at the least. Unfortunately, despite a condensed menu of ONLY chicken and waffles it took over 70 minutes to get our food after arriving. Everyone was friendly and apologetic– but for a perceived 20 minute meal cooking time, that seems quite imbalanced.
I noted that they are currently taking take out orders and overheard the lead waitress saying something about a delivery– both of those serving options should be placed on hold until they can adequately take care of in house customers.
I want them to do well– their recipes for waffles and fried chicken are excellent. But they may want to get in the habit of dropping an order of wings as each patron walks in the door– I’m sure they won’t go to waste.

Incredible food… But is it worth the frustration?
This is the fourth attempt I have made to visit this tiny hole-​in-​the-​wall located just off of a truck stop in an industrial park south of Grand Rapids. Each previous visit, I was greeted with a vague sign stating that they were closed for a specific date, but stating nothing about the current date or when they are planning to reopen.
Finally, I see on their Facebook page that they have reopened. So, I make an impromptu visit. The service is phenomenal — but they are woefully understaffed, so I try not to take that out on the servers… But between waiting before the meal, waiting for the meal itself, and waiting after the meal for my check, I spent about 60 minutes waiting and 20 eating. Granted, this is meant to be a destination — a place to bring your friends a chill over chicken and waffles — but there is neither adequate space nor comfortable seating to encourage one to linger.
Sorry, this is sounding awfully negative for a 4-​star review… Now to switch gears…
The food was amazing. Everything is cooked to order, which explains 33.3% of my wait time… And their dedication to slow-​cooking shows. I ordered the waffle with caramel sauce and 3 chicken wings. The waffle was the best I have ever had and the caramel sauce was to die for. The wings were juicy, tender, and seasoned to perfection. As far as I can find, there is no way to eat chicken and waffles without making a mess of yourself — and today was certainly no exception for me. But I will gladly return to try this again. The owners have proven a dedication to their craft and I have faith that they are aware of the problems and are eager to work them out and provide a delicious meal to anyone who ventures south of GR.
So, to answer my initial question… Is the food worth the frustration? Absolutely, yes.

Wow this place is fantastic… the waffels are crispy and very tasty get the carmel sauce on them with whipped cream yum. The chicken it tender and juicy light batter on both the wings and the chicken breast.
Go here and get the chicken and waffels!

The staff is very welcoming and nice. We sat down and ordered coffee and waters right away. We looked through the menus and already finished our coffee. The cups are pretty small.
We both ordered the chicken, eggs, grits (with cheese) and wheat toast. I had fried and the hubby had grilled. As a side we ordered the waffle.
The place has about ten tables and about half of them were full. The food takes a little while to come out. It’s all fresh and cooked to order.
We ran out of coffee and the waitress said that she would make another pot. As it was before 9, I think they should maybe do more than one pot at a time, especially with the small glasses.
We got our food probably about 20 – 25 minutes after we ordered it. Everything was of good temperature and tasted good. The breading on the chicken was very tasty.
We had to ask for butter, jelly, syrup, and more coffee, instead of it being brought with our meal or asked in advance. Small thing, but the toast wasn’t warm by the time I got the butter and jelly.
The prices are a little above average. For our meal and tip it was $ 33. It was good, but that’s more of a price for lunch for me. Nothing really wowed me except the seasoning on the chicken. I’ll have to try it again sometime.