Hankering Southern Kitchen — Restaurant in Center Township

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably never been to this establishment. Stop searching for a place to eat, park the car, and run in. You will not be disappointed!

The smell of good food smacks you in the face as soon as you walk through the front door—and I mean that in the best possible way. From the moment we stepped inside, we felt like welcomed guests, not just customers. It’s clear this isn’t just a restaurant; it’s a home—literally. The place is a house-turned-restaurant, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the owners live there. That’s part of the charm.

The atmosphere is warm, cozy, and unpretentious, like being invited over for Sunday dinner by family who actually enjoys cooking. Every detail—from the decor to the service—felt personal and thoughtful.

Now let’s talk about the food. (Spoiler: it’s phenomenal.) I ordered the adult grilled cheese, smoked tomato soup (I’ve never had anything like it, so good) and collard greens that you could literally taste the time that went to making the greens because they were amazing. My partner had the fried catfish & mac n cheese. The catfish wasn’t just good, it was memorable. Piping hot, perfectly seasoned, and fried to perfection. This wasn’t your average restaurant catfish—it tasted like someone’s grandma made it fresh in the kitchen, with love and generations of flavor behind it. Which is actually the best way to describe everything we ate.

We were just passing through town when we stumbled across this hidden gem. But we’ll definitely be back—and next time, we’re saving room for dessert. Something tells me that bourbon bread pudding with ice cream is an experience...

From appetizers and to dessert, this family run establishment is top notch!

We came as a group of 4 for lunch on a Tuesday. We sat outside and enjoyed the big table in the covered patio. We started with the cheddar biscuits which was 1000x better than Red 🦞. The fried green tomatoes are crispy and served over leafy greens and topped with goat cheese, house made pepper jam, and house made Cajun remoulade. We also had their house made Sweet Tea.

We ordered over half the menu for entrees and everything is worth trying. The grown-up grilled cheese is savory and cheesy, and I've never had anything like the smoked tomato bisque which is creamy and delicious.

The pulled pork is flavorful and house smoked at 2AM. The texas toast BLT special was fluffy, crispy and fresh. The meatloaf was smoky and soft. They make their own barbecue sauce which is vinegary, my favorite!!

The baker beans had tons of flavor and pulled pork in the mix. The collards were not overly salted - perfect mix of bitter and hearty. Their Mac N Cheese is made with Cavatappi pasta which is so much better than standard elbow.

Their desserts are NOT to be missed: the apple cobbler was a perfect mix of sweet and cold, served with a delicious vanilla scoop on top. The bourbon bread pudding was my absolute favorite - delicate and perfectly sweet.

Overall I think this is a truly amazing, affordable, and fantastic family-run restaurant that provides a phenomenal...

Food: Thursday 4 pm, this restaurant was out of THREE of our menu selections. Had to make new choices. (Oddly, we saw these foods being served as we were leaving.) So we got Chicken: crispy skin browned all the way to too hard. No sauce. Listed as a “half chicken”—two of us were served one small thigh, one small drumstick, one minuscule wing—no white meat. Pulled pork: really good but stingy with that sauce. None offered. Cheddar biscuits: nice except for some weird spice in them. You get two big ones with 3 tiny butters. Mashed potatoes: cold, nothing to go on top. Tasteless. Mac n cheese: ok but not fresh. Beans: yummy! Garden salad: ok, big leaves spilling out of tiny paper bowl. Service: Very nice staff, welcoming and courteous. Shawna server, A+ Atmosphere: A bit expensive for all disposable dishes and plasticware. No fun beverages, just pepsi products. Very loud, all hard surfaces in the restaurant. A few people talking is deafening. An overhead fan made the food cold, and blew the paper towels roll unwind all over the place. We kept chasing the darn thing. Bathroom sink was clean but little, water splashed all over the floor, towel dispenser empty. Baseboards need some cleaning attention: soap scum.

Hope things improve. Hate to see a local business...