Kay's Soul Food Kitchen — Restaurant in Columbus

We were traveling & hadn't eaten all day. My goal was to find & support a local family owned restaurant that offered REAL food. Tucked away in a food court area in the Saraga International grocery store, I found exactly what I was looking for. I loved that the menu was simple & straightforward. Sunday has an additional protein that isn't available during the week. We got the fish, Kay's Mac, & greens. My husband got a piece of chocolate cake. He said it was the best dessert he's had in years. The fish was 10/10. Well seasoned corn meal crust with flaky fish, fried to perfection! Kay's Mac is the melt in your mouth mac 'n cheese & freckled with toasted dots of the browned baked cheese, 9.5/10. The greens were delicious, and the whole meal radiated with love. The food is made when you order it. Be patient. Good food isn't FAST food. Our dinner took about 20 minutes, and I certainly couldn't make dinner any faster myself. Whenever I'm in Columbus, you'll find...

RUN, DON’T WALK to Kay’s soul food kitchen! First time I tried Ms.Kay’s dinner plates (swai fish combo and chicken Alfredo) and amazing would underselling the flavor and seasoning for the food I tried. Also the portions are huge for how much she charges. It reminds me of how things use to be before Covid and inflation. Second time I had breakfast… and let met tell you, it was better than the dinner. I had the pancakes, French toast, eggs, home fries and turkey bacon. All of it was cooked and seasoned well. She used this cinnamon butter on the pancakes and french toast… it’s tremendous! Best part for a breakfast lover like me , she serves it ALL DAY! In terms of service, Ms.Kay makes you feel like family when ordering and when dinning in. It pains me not to gate keep this hidden gem but with how much love and soul she puts into the food, she deserves a line out...

Although I hate to write a review like this because I had really high hopes there wasn’t a bit of soul to this food 😮😩😭💔 I was craving some “soul food” really bad so I checked on Google and figured I give this spot a try. Unfortunately there’s much to be desired when it comes to the food.

Our meals didn’t pack any flavor. The mac was gooey and slimy, the noodles were mushy and there wasn’t even a hint of salt or seasoning. The yams tasted slightly undercooked and also lacked enough nutmeg and flavor to make them taste good.

Maybe it was a bad day for them so I’ll try to extend some grace but I’m not going to lie I feel ripped off and not very eager...