Dewayne B.
Yelp
On November 14, 2025, I went to have dinner with a friend of mine at the newly opened "Kitchen + Kocktails" restaurant in downtown Philadelphia. And, I was extremely disappointed in my first (and last) dining experience at this establishment!!!
My first disappointment lied in the food in which I ordered which was the blackened catfish. After waiting nearly 30 minutes for it to be served to me, I immediately had to send it back through our waitress (Kayla) because the catfish was completely soggy and way overcooked. So, after being totally disappointed in what I truly had a taste for I had to wind up selecting something else. And, since there really wasn't anything else on the menu that struck me with indulging in, I just decided to order a to-go dish of the "southern fried chicken". And, must I say that too was a terrible meal.
It wasn't until I got home to open up and get ready to eat my meal that their so-called "southern fried chicken" consisted of only a "drumand a small thigh"! Needless to say, I was livid because here I spent $21 for just two small pieces of chicken! That's completely ridiculous and ludicrous especially for someone eating from a "highly-acclaimed" dining establishment with renowned locations around the country.
Lastly, the only thing I'll mention about the ambiance is that since it was a Friday night and late in the evening, I expected the restaurant to be crowded especially since of the location in Center City Philadelphia. However, the music that was being played throughout the entire restaurant while me and guest were dining was totally "Trap Music"! And, in my opinion this did not create for a pleasurable ambiance nor experience to have to listen to all throughout our dinner.
In conclusion, I'm really irate more so about my bill (check) received at the end of the night. Unbeknownst to me, before I received my itemized check I asked our waitress (Kayla) would the gratuity be added in the check? And, she (Kayla) adamantly said, "No, the tip isn't included and that you'll just see your total, tax and a service charge and that's all". So, I thought to myself, "Fine!". And so, since I'm paying the check with my visa, my thoughtful guest decided to just leave a generous and gratuitous cash tip of $27. However, when I finally got home and reviewed the late computerized text receipt that was sent to me the check in fact reflected a (20%) gratuity charge added on to the dining bill.
Needless to say, this why I'm writing such a disturbing review about my entire horrible experience. As a consumer, I felt disappointed in my whole meal experience, the ambiance felt ratchet and as a customer I felt cheated, lied and betrayed.
"Kitchen + Kocktails" will receive nothing but negative reviews/remarks from me should anyone ever ask me what I thought about my experience with this unethical establishment.
#1starrating #KitchenKocktails #Philadelphia