Chef Ken’s Cafe

The food was good enough, but they weren’t very friendly. We went last weekend. It was 200 degrees in the restaurant, so we ate outside. They ran out of yams, promised to bring it out to us while we were eating, and never came back. They tried to placate us with corn on the cob. It didn’t work. I had out-​of-​town visitors that wanted soul food that day, otherwise I would have preferred something not-​so-​heavy on a hot day.
Not sure if I will return or not.

I stopped in craving soul food and it was the best decision I’ve made! I had the fried whiting and the portion size is huge! I will be back!

I stopped in here on a whim last night and I’m so glad I did! When I walked in I was greeting warmly and treated like family. The food was absolutely delicious. I ordered the roasted chicken and 2 sides, then Chef threw in some cornbread just to be kind! One platter was enough dinner for me and my two girls, plus a little left over for lunch. Chef Ken’s Café will defiantly a great treat for my family from time to time!

The first time we tried Chef Ken’s, I turned to my husband and said «I’m so mad we’ve lived here for 6 years and we’re only just now trying this.» The BBQ chicken is to die for. The sides are delicious!

Hands down better than all the surrounding soul food restaurants. ENORMOUS portions to last you days and very welcoming/​friendly hospitality. Both chefs were outstanding. We had the wing dings, roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, yams, and Mac & Cheese. Food was beyond amazing. Definitely recommend coming here. This will now be my go-​to soul food place.

There is no better place to eat in Mt. Airy then Chef Ken’s. I thought I may be over selling it for a long while, but after introducing at least a a half dozen people to the food; they all agree. Don’t let the hot bar and styrofoam containers dissuade you, both contain the best southern style cooking I’ve had above the Mason-​Dixon (or possible below it).

Bar none the portion size on any meal are enormous, but who cares when the sides are always dried out!!! Ive been here 3 times hoping and wishing that it would get better, no not at all. If you like dry and crusty food, then this is your spot. Frankly, i would rather eat from McDonald’s.

My son and I dined here last Thursday. Chef Ken was very welcoming and pleasant. I got the baked BBQ chicken which was very tender; it just needed more BBQ sauce. I got the Mac & Cheese and mixed greens. They are ok; needed more seasoning. Their fried chicken was calling my name so I brought a breast which was a little pricey to me but it was delicious!!! The portions are big so you can share a platter. Their chocolate cake wasn’t anything special. I look forward to going back and trying more items. Enjoy!!!

Heard of this place about 2 years ago. Saw a TV spot on it once before too, but did get a chance to stop until the other day. Glad I did. Hope this place stays around for many more years. It wasn’t very busy when. I stopped in, so I spoiled with all the attention and plenty of time to peruse the menu and the food items on display. Ended up getting 6 wings with mac & cheese and string beans. Everything was good. I think I had high expectations for the chicken. Meh! I want to eat in one day. There is more on the menu I’d like to try, (e.g. red beans and rice, beef ribs, other cuts of chicken). Love my breasts. I’m not normally a dessert eater, but I’m a sucker for red velvet cake and Chef Ken hyped it up. Thanks for that, it was very good. I’ll be back Chef Ken.

…huge portions and ridiculously good down home food. youll need a nap after eating here !.

Such a delicious meal was had! We were in PA for the weekend and this place was recommended by the October Gallery proprietor’s son, Lamar. We met Kenneth, the owner and was impressed with the food. My ribs were out of the Flintstone era… so damn good… I needed a good nap afterwards!
Hubby had turkey meatloaf, we both had fantastic sides with our meal! The prices were extremely reasonable. Love this place and will be back! Sweet tea and lemonade were great.

I live a few blocks from Chef Ken’s and never went there because I thought it was affiliated with another local restaurant that I do not like. I can say I am sorry that I never checked that out before now! This is real soul food! Tonight we tried the fried wings, garlic mashed potatoes, green beans, mac and cheese and apple cobbler. All of the food was delicious! Well spiced, good quality, home cooked food!
Next time, I want to try the greens, yams and ribs!

No competition hands down as far as soul food goes. I have eaten here several times and driven across town to do so. This is the spot if you want a good meal!!!

I had to come back and edit my last review. I sent my fiancée to Chef Ken’s to pick up our dinner around 8:30ish. He came back home to tell me that the staff in there was rushing him because they were about to close. First of all, that is horrible customer service. Secondly, Chef Ken’s doesn’t close until 9 PM during weekdays. If you are in the food business, everyone knows you don’t start cleaning and closing up until after closing time, so to rush a customer out of your establishment because it’s almost time to pack it up, shows that this place doesn’t care about their customers. Which leaves me to say that I ordered the regular BBQ chicken, collard greens, and red beans and rice. The greens were not seasoned well, it was a bit sour. The red beans and rice were overly saturated with water that it was literally all bunched and stuck together. Lastly, I swear the meat in my platter was NOT CHICKEN. It had a large spine and pieces of black feather or whatever the hell it was, were coming out of the meat inside. There were too many bones in this meat for it to be chicken. I will never eat from this place ever again. I was a loyal customer until my last meal. Some quick advice– Don’t rush your customers out of your business because you guys are closing in 30 minutes. Don’t tell me on the phone that I need to hurry up my order because you guys are closing soon. And don’t put some sort of unknown bird in my platter.

This food taste almost like home (can’t be the same)! So good! We got blackened tilapia and fried shrimp and they were delicious! The greens were good and those candied yams were candied right! The only thing I had that I wasn’t a fan of was the peach cobbler. It didn’t look like a peach cobbler. Maybe we got the bottom of the pan? The rest of the food was delicious though and we are going back!

Chef Ken’s employees and himself can be impatient and moody. Sometimes you can go and order food with friendly and accommodating customer service, other times it is the exact opposite– unfriendly and not accommodating. The inconsistency and recent price increase has caused them to loose my patronage to eat there. The food is satiable and is acceptable for soul food. I just prefer to be appreciated where I spend my good earns.

It was a treat to go to such a down home spot. Ken was great to talk to and takes a lot of pride in his food.
They don’t use microwaves and don’t have one on premise which I loved to hear. That being said, not all of the food hit it out of the park.
Wing dings — these were amazing. flavorful great texture and very moist.
Mac and cheese– basic mac and cheese nothing stellar.
Rice and beans– quite dry but it had a nice spice to it
Fried whiting– very dry. I was quite disappointed.
Collard greens– very good. Nice flavor profile with what I assume was bacon fat as part of it.
Yams– sweet as sweet can get. Definitely reminded me of sweet potato pie instead of a side to a meal, but I think that’s just me. They were great– don’t get me wrong just sweet.
I’ll definitely be back at some point. We went around 730pm on a Saturday and it was dead with only one other customer in it.
Entrees are only $ 11 and you get 2 sides. More than enough for one person.

My husband saw this restaurant featured on Bourdain … I must say, after being led astray by Guy Fieri (see my Geechee Girl post) we were both a tad skeptical. Being that Mt. Airy is our new ‘hood, we decided we would give Chef Ken’s a try this past Wednesday. As per usual, we over ordered, but this time we were really glad that we did! Our Selections:
— Roasted Chicken Platter w/​mac & cheese and red beans and rice
— BBQ Chick Platter w/​yams and string beans
— Fried Whiting w/​mac & cheese and greens
— Peach Cobbler
Everything was excellent, and I would certainly order again. In fact, my husband ordered take out again today … although they were out of a few of our favorite side items (mac & cheese & yams) (it’s Friday — so looks like everyone got their paychecks and headed straight over to Ken’s!) we still enjoyed our meals and this time tried the fried wing ding platter w/​cabbage, jambalaya and a side of corn bread (very, very good).
The owner is beyond friendly, as was the young man working at the counter. FINALLY, we found a spot in Mt. Airy where we can get amazing food! YAY!!!

Well, ah do declah. If this place don’ got the best goshdarn viddles this side o’ the Mason-​Dixon, then buttah mah buns an’ call me a biscuit.
I got quite a hankerin’ for the mac ‘n cheese mahself. But if it ain’t all just the most delicious, home-​cooked soul food. And only one Hamilton a heapin’ — and ah do mean heapin’ — platefull.
If y’all can’t get ya’lls butts down to the dirty south, at least get y’alls butts ovah to Chef Ken’s.

Chef Ken is serving up fantastic soul food. The mains are the real star here; I can’t tell you lsat time I had brisket that moist or flavorful. The smells that emanate while you’re waiting for food just heighten the anticipation. There was a lot of fat on the brisket, and it was awesome. This is not a dinner for the health conscious.
A few of the sides can be hit or miss, I didn’t love the Mac and Cheese like many other people seem too. Mixed veggies were a bit overcooked. Yams were a good choice. Over all, I love the experience of getting a meal here. There’s only a few small tables here, it’s not the best place to dine in.
Bottom Line: This is a small to-​go joint, but it’s serving up food with big portions and flavor, and at a fantastic price. Don’t wait to eat here.

** THIS IS NOT A REVIEW OF THE FOOD **
Because I didn’t get a chance to try it. I attempted to go today, everything online indicated Chef Ken’s would be open, and even the sign on the door indicated they opened at 2pm on Tuesdays. It was 2:58pm as I was standing outside of a closed restaurant in the rain after driving 40 minutes out of my way to try this place. «Disappointed» does not even begin to cover how I felt.
This experience is really a shame, because I’m not inclined to ever return.