Way overpriced- food tasted good but very small portions. Everything is a la carte so we paid high prices for entrees that weren't even filling. Atmosphere was nice but staff were slow and seemed disorganized.
From the hostess, who seated us to the personal attention of Dylan, our waiter we had exceptional service throughout. The meal is always was Outstanding, and the wine suggestion for pairing was spot on. We always enjoy our time at this restaurant and look forward to our next meal.
Richard
I would describe this place as a quaint "old" restaurant, with the emphasis on OLD. For a location that charges $52 for an entree, they desperately need to apply some TLC - the floors need refinishing, the dining room chairs need replacing, and an occasional dusting of the window sill to remove the dead inserts is advisable. I would also advise them that when serving a drink with a Bing Cherry, you should advise the patron that the pit is still in the cherry. I have been drinking Manhattans for over 50 years and have never been served one that has a cherry with the pit still inside. I nearly cracked a tooth! Having said all of this, the food was good. I had a tomato and burrata cheese appetizer that was very good and followed that with the halibut that was equally tasty. Bottomline - this restaurant was not worth the drive up from our house in Kitty Hawk and not worth the prices charged!
Nicole
We had such a wonderful time. The service was excellent. We brought our 2.5 year old and they were so accommodating. Sasha made our girl so happy with a mermaid ducky. It is our first year here and we will be back!
Food was excellent as well as the service. Time for some repairs, maintenance and renovations to the building and especially the ceiling in the Men's restroom. Looked like black mold all around the air conditioning vent
Meghan
I brought my daughter and her friend to Kimball's Kitchen for a sunset dinner, everything was absolutely delicious and the service was outstanding! I let the staff know in advance that my daughter has tourettes syndrome and it would be best for her to be facing the window because of her tics. For someone with tourettes syndrome, especially corplalia, attention brought to her because of her tics can cause her to have increased anxiety which can result in a tic attack. A tic attack can cause someone with tourettes physical pain, discomfort and emotional harm. We had an awful experience earlier in the day at a different establishment so it was important that she have a good experience at dinner. I can't express my gratitude enough to Kimball's kitchen for making this such a nice experience for her! They moved some tables around prior to our arrival to ensure my daughter had a seat facing the window, the staff treated her with the same respect that they gave their other customers and didn't bring any additional attention to her tics. After being ostracized and made to feel unwelcome at a different establishment my daughter was very anxious, the staff at Kimball's kitchen made her feel welcome and she was able to end an extremely upsetting day on a much more positive note. The food was amazing ( the best filet we've ever had) but I really want to highlight the staff at Kimball's Kitchen for their professionalism and dedication to treating their customers with disabilities with dignity. Thank you so much for giving us such a wonderful experience!
This is NOT the Kimball's Kitchen we first visited years ago. The service was absolutely terrible, with them taking some of our plates before we were even done. It was hotter than hades and nobody seemed to care. Which particularly sucked since they charge for water. Oh, by the way, they don't have the delicious she-crab sop that they were known for. Or any soup at all actually. The dishes are..... odd. The flavor profiles are all over the place. We're never going to back, it was that bad. Don't waste your time or money.
jasont
Food was outstanding and our sever Betty was very nice. Unfortunately there was diner behind us who was making an absolute fool of himself complaining about his steak. Other than his absurdity that we couldn't help from overhearing, we we had a fun experience. Kudos to Betty for her patience and the great drink she inspired on the menu, very tasty..
Louisville70
We frequent nice restaurants but not typically fine dining, this was the only place we could get a reservation at a decent time. Restaurant and views were beautiful, service was good. My only issue was when our 20 year olds ordered water they were asked sparkling or still? They requested still and we had $40 worth of water on our bill, partly my fault for not questioning the bottles of water brought to our table. Just found it rather disingenuous that our server asked our kids and not my husband and I. I have had plenty of restaurants bring bottles of water to the table & honestly thought nothing of it. Food was decent not amazing for the price.
Nancy
We were celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary & looking forward to dining at Kimball's Kitchen (!on our OBX bucket list for 10 years!). We received a complimentary glass of champagne which we appreciated. The cheese plate was great. We waited a long time ( over 40 minutes ) for our main courses - my halibut was cool, dry & the corn pudding lacked taste; my husband's pork tomahawk was well done ( he asked for medium) - it was warm but chewy & the fingerlings were too large for true fingerlings. Normally we would send the meals back but it was the last seating & we were tired & hungry . We did tell our waitress but she simply said “oh”!My husband can't remember his dessert but my chocolate martini was great. We are both gourmet cooks &!enjoy the many flavors of food so this experience was a huge disappointment especially on our 50th! We will not recommend to anyone at this time . Last year we dined next year at PaperCanoe & it was a 5 star start to finish! Sorry Kimball's... we are generous in rating you 3 stars!
This was our second visit to Kimball's. We had an excellent dinner (service, food, drinks, and ambiance) last year. However, this year was a departure from the previously established standard. It started with a minimally stocked bar that rendered the bartenders unable to make some of the drinks on the cocktail menu. When asked if they could make others, we also learned they had no amaro and no brandy on hand. Apart from that, our server was definitely on the newer side and did not do a very good job communicating with our table. When reciting specials it felt like he didn't actually know all of the ingredients, sauces, etc. We would have looked beyond that had he done well with being attentive and serving us, but the service overall was very slow (we poured our own water for the most part, we had to flag him down for a second round of drinks, etc.), and at one point he spilled part of a cocktail on a member of our party when serving it. It just wasn't the level we expected for the price and based on prior experience. From a food perspective the dishes were good to very good. The wagyu cap, filet, and scallops were all very good (as was the cacio e pepe risotto), but the tagliatelle and halibut were only good. We will plan to look at other options for a more upscale experience in the future.
MargotR
We were disappointed that the children's meal came out after the adults meal. Our friend's 2 year old was very well behaved (thank goodness) but her meal was served last and her dessert too.
Mike
Pros: service and ambience were great. Our drinks were tasty, servers/waitstaff all very professional and kind. The sides we had, risotto and potatoes were very tasty! Cons: Our steaks and sauce, filet Mingon, peppercorn, and red wine sauce were not good, undersalted, and lackluster. The steak did not have a great crust and was lukewarm compared to the hot sides. We would not recommend!
Saveur
Definitely a good experience! The ambiance, the decor and the service were excellent. Tables are well spaced out and service was attentive. Food was OK in the sense that some dishes were outstanding and some were just OK. Definitely enjoyed the Tomahawk pork chop, and the pasta dish, but the halibut was so so. Cocktails and wine were great. Our waiter was a young Jamaican man, Rodney(?), and he was attentive and personable. I would go back.
Jay Ludlam
Our family had a disappointing experience. Server was good but...first three by-the-glass options were unavailable requiring higher cost wines as the only option (no accomodation). Daughters tomato based pasta was unavailable but weren't told until a different lemon based dish was brought at meal. Steaks were plain and the kale was chewy and over salted.
Way overpriced- food tasted good but very small portions. Everything is a la carte so we paid high prices for entrees that weren't even filling. Atmosphere was nice but staff were slow and seemed disorganized.
From the hostess, who seated us to the personal attention of Dylan, our waiter we had exceptional service throughout. The meal is always was Outstanding, and the wine suggestion for pairing was spot on. We always enjoy our time at this restaurant and look forward to our next meal.
I would describe this place as a quaint "old" restaurant, with the emphasis on OLD. For a location that charges $52 for an entree, they desperately need to apply some TLC - the floors need refinishing, the dining room chairs need replacing, and an occasional dusting of the window sill to remove the dead inserts is advisable. I would also advise them that when serving a drink with a Bing Cherry, you should advise the patron that the pit is still in the cherry. I have been drinking Manhattans for over 50 years and have never been served one that has a cherry with the pit still inside. I nearly cracked a tooth! Having said all of this, the food was good. I had a tomato and burrata cheese appetizer that was very good and followed that with the halibut that was equally tasty. Bottomline - this restaurant was not worth the drive up from our house in Kitty Hawk and not worth the prices charged!
We had such a wonderful time. The service was excellent. We brought our 2.5 year old and they were so accommodating. Sasha made our girl so happy with a mermaid ducky. It is our first year here and we will be back!
Food was excellent as well as the service. Time for some repairs, maintenance and renovations to the building and especially the ceiling in the Men's restroom. Looked like black mold all around the air conditioning vent
I brought my daughter and her friend to Kimball's Kitchen for a sunset dinner, everything was absolutely delicious and the service was outstanding! I let the staff know in advance that my daughter has tourettes syndrome and it would be best for her to be facing the window because of her tics. For someone with tourettes syndrome, especially corplalia, attention brought to her because of her tics can cause her to have increased anxiety which can result in a tic attack. A tic attack can cause someone with tourettes physical pain, discomfort and emotional harm. We had an awful experience earlier in the day at a different establishment so it was important that she have a good experience at dinner. I can't express my gratitude enough to Kimball's kitchen for making this such a nice experience for her! They moved some tables around prior to our arrival to ensure my daughter had a seat facing the window, the staff treated her with the same respect that they gave their other customers and didn't bring any additional attention to her tics. After being ostracized and made to feel unwelcome at a different establishment my daughter was very anxious, the staff at Kimball's kitchen made her feel welcome and she was able to end an extremely upsetting day on a much more positive note. The food was amazing ( the best filet we've ever had) but I really want to highlight the staff at Kimball's Kitchen for their professionalism and dedication to treating their customers with disabilities with dignity. Thank you so much for giving us such a wonderful experience!
This is NOT the Kimball's Kitchen we first visited years ago. The service was absolutely terrible, with them taking some of our plates before we were even done. It was hotter than hades and nobody seemed to care. Which particularly sucked since they charge for water. Oh, by the way, they don't have the delicious she-crab sop that they were known for. Or any soup at all actually. The dishes are..... odd. The flavor profiles are all over the place. We're never going to back, it was that bad. Don't waste your time or money.
Food was outstanding and our sever Betty was very nice. Unfortunately there was diner behind us who was making an absolute fool of himself complaining about his steak. Other than his absurdity that we couldn't help from overhearing, we we had a fun experience. Kudos to Betty for her patience and the great drink she inspired on the menu, very tasty..
We frequent nice restaurants but not typically fine dining, this was the only place we could get a reservation at a decent time. Restaurant and views were beautiful, service was good. My only issue was when our 20 year olds ordered water they were asked sparkling or still? They requested still and we had $40 worth of water on our bill, partly my fault for not questioning the bottles of water brought to our table. Just found it rather disingenuous that our server asked our kids and not my husband and I. I have had plenty of restaurants bring bottles of water to the table & honestly thought nothing of it. Food was decent not amazing for the price.
We were celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary & looking forward to dining at Kimball's Kitchen (!on our OBX bucket list for 10 years!). We received a complimentary glass of champagne which we appreciated. The cheese plate was great. We waited a long time ( over 40 minutes ) for our main courses - my halibut was cool, dry & the corn pudding lacked taste; my husband's pork tomahawk was well done ( he asked for medium) - it was warm but chewy & the fingerlings were too large for true fingerlings. Normally we would send the meals back but it was the last seating & we were tired & hungry . We did tell our waitress but she simply said “oh”!My husband can't remember his dessert but my chocolate martini was great. We are both gourmet cooks &!enjoy the many flavors of food so this experience was a huge disappointment especially on our 50th! We will not recommend to anyone at this time . Last year we dined next year at PaperCanoe & it was a 5 star start to finish! Sorry Kimball's... we are generous in rating you 3 stars!
Restaurantji Recommends
This was our second visit to Kimball's. We had an excellent dinner (service, food, drinks, and ambiance) last year. However, this year was a departure from the previously established standard. It started with a minimally stocked bar that rendered the bartenders unable to make some of the drinks on the cocktail menu. When asked if they could make others, we also learned they had no amaro and no brandy on hand. Apart from that, our server was definitely on the newer side and did not do a very good job communicating with our table. When reciting specials it felt like he didn't actually know all of the ingredients, sauces, etc. We would have looked beyond that had he done well with being attentive and serving us, but the service overall was very slow (we poured our own water for the most part, we had to flag him down for a second round of drinks, etc.), and at one point he spilled part of a cocktail on a member of our party when serving it. It just wasn't the level we expected for the price and based on prior experience. From a food perspective the dishes were good to very good. The wagyu cap, filet, and scallops were all very good (as was the cacio e pepe risotto), but the tagliatelle and halibut were only good. We will plan to look at other options for a more upscale experience in the future.
We were disappointed that the children's meal came out after the adults meal. Our friend's 2 year old was very well behaved (thank goodness) but her meal was served last and her dessert too.
Pros: service and ambience were great. Our drinks were tasty, servers/waitstaff all very professional and kind. The sides we had, risotto and potatoes were very tasty! Cons: Our steaks and sauce, filet Mingon, peppercorn, and red wine sauce were not good, undersalted, and lackluster. The steak did not have a great crust and was lukewarm compared to the hot sides. We would not recommend!
Definitely a good experience! The ambiance, the decor and the service were excellent. Tables are well spaced out and service was attentive. Food was OK in the sense that some dishes were outstanding and some were just OK. Definitely enjoyed the Tomahawk pork chop, and the pasta dish, but the halibut was so so. Cocktails and wine were great. Our waiter was a young Jamaican man, Rodney(?), and he was attentive and personable. I would go back.
Our family had a disappointing experience. Server was good but...first three by-the-glass options were unavailable requiring higher cost wines as the only option (no accomodation). Daughters tomato based pasta was unavailable but weren't told until a different lemon based dish was brought at meal. Steaks were plain and the kale was chewy and over salted.
Not what you'd expect or want for the price
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
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