South City Kitchen Vinings — Restaurant in Vinings

What a disappointment. I would never go back again ever. Upon entrance on Sunday March 11, 2018. the hostesses Said my party was not there and they were. That should've been a big sign. Then our waitress Shakira was covered with tattoos which usually in the restaurant industry they have to cover up so that was a bit surprising. Nevertheless it would not have bothered me if the service was good which it was not. Then upon my friend trying to order a drink as it is brunch at 11 am Shakira says to her and I quote " isn't it early" as if she was judging. We had to ask for clarification on the laws as we weren't sure if she was judging or if there was a guideline. Then we had to ask Shakira what the daily specials were because certainly we would not expect her to share them with us would we? Anyway we place our order and I ordered eggs with cheese, salted french fries according to the menu and grilled shrimp. So my order comes out my cheese eggs were very good however my French fries were cold I'm sure you saw that coming. So I ask Shakira for a new order who took them back without an apology or anything but took them back. Then I go to eat the shrimp and they taste fishy like they are bad. So I apologize to Shakira and I'm not sure why I am apologizing to her As it should be the other way around and tell her the shrimp is bad because someone could get sick not just me. She says nothing she takes this trip to the back about five minutes later she resurfaces and ask if there something else that I want. I say OK I heard that you all have great fried chicken so let me try that. in the meantime she must have corresponded with the manager and the manager comes out and apologizes and his name is John.John the alleged manager Apologizes and says he will personally check on the chicken for me. Well two minutes later John brings over chicken and I look at it it doesn't look that great but at this point I was trying to be nice so I take a bite. Can you believe that chicken was ice cold? Just to make sure it wasn't me I asked the other two people at the table to give me their opinions. They agree it is very cold. I call Shakira and I ask her to touch the chicken to see how cold it is of course she said she can't touch my food I say is no longer my food because I'm sending it back. Anyway John comes over apologizes he says he's embarrassed he's picking up my check and give us an angel food cake as an apology from the chef. That didn't seem that great either and I wasn't the only one who said that in fact I said nothing my other two guests states that. In the meantime my friends go to pay their bill and I was about to tip my waitress in spite of her nonchalant and passive service until she was pointing at us talking about us to another waiter and laughing. I'm not sure why she was laughing or was she laughing because she decided to bring cold chicken? Regardless I know everyone else's great reviews here but I will never eat here again the food was unhealthy old and horrendous. I don't know if it was left over from the refrigerator or what the shrimp tasted bad the service was poor, and on top of that the manager should have been much more customer service oriented than he was. My friends and I went next-door to the other restaurant and ordered and had drinks there. None of them should've had to pay and then go next-door and pay to eat again. That's a sign right? One of them had pulled pork and said it tasted funny too and she didn't have more than one bite out of her sandwich. Do you think Shakira asked how it was or was something wrong or would she like to take it home??? Ughhh uggg uggh.. out of thousands of reviews i have written for sure this is in my bottom five if not MY WORST EXPERIENCE EVER!!!?! Oh and I forgot to tell you way overpriced so go next-door to Muss and Turner’s for better Food better service and good...

I’ve been a regular at South City Kitchen Vinings for years and have never had a bad experience until today, on Mother’s Day, of all days.

I arrived with my mother and father, only to realize I had mistakenly made a reservation for the wrong date. It was an honest error, but I remained hopeful and decided to go online and join the waitlist myself. After waiting about 30 minutes, I went back in to check on our status. One of the young ladies at the host stand confirmed that I was indeed on the waitlist and noted that I was the last person listed. She told me that once they got through seating those with reservations and cleared some tables, they would get us seated.

While I was waiting, I noticed another hostess, the same one who initially told me my name was not on the list, speaking with the young lady who had confirmed my waitlist status. I watched her shake her head, throw up her hands in frustration, and then approach me directly. She abruptly said, “Ma’am, we don’t have any tables available.” I reminded her that I had joined the waitlist online and was confirmed. She responded dismissively, “I understand that, ma’am, but we don’t have anything for you.”

This turned into a completely inappropriate and unprofessional exchange right in front of other guests. She was visibly upset, argumentative, and treated me as if I did not belong there. I stood my ground and said, “I’m on the waitlist and I’m not leaving.” I was firm, but I was not rude. My mother, who is in a wheelchair, was right beside me, and it was deeply hurtful to be treated this way on such a special day.

Eventually, another manager approached us, and within minutes we were seated. After our meal, I called to speak with a manager to express my concerns. She said she stepped in because her team mentioned there had been an argument, but there was no sincere apology or real accountability for how the situation was handled.

I am writing this review not just to share my disappointment, but to file a formal complaint about the young woman managing the host stand. Her attitude was uncalled for, disrespectful, and unprofessional. I have never felt so dismissed as a customer. It truly felt personal, as if I had been targeted.

Unfortunately, I will not be returning to South City Kitchen Vinings. I have always enjoyed dining here, but no customer, especially on a holiday, should be treated like an inconvenience. Respect goes a long way, and it was completely lacking today. I sincerely took care of our waiter though. The only great part of the...

We started with the gouda fritters and the fried green tomatoes as appetizers. Needless to say, everything about these dishes were perfectly balanced. For the fritters, the red chili honey was the perfect touch with a whisper of a kick to the fritter but also not overbearingly sweet. The breading let the gouda do the work for flavor and was the perfect encapsulation for the cheese. For the green tomatoes, the breading was also the perfect crustiness for the tomato and paired beautifully with the red coulis. Aesthetically, these dishes appeared to be as thoughtfully put together as the ingredients were for the dish itself. A strong piece for me that was just as significant for the entire meal was the coffee. It has been well over 18 months, maybe 2 years since I've had coffee this robust without the bean being burnt for strength in the flavor. Lastly, for the main dishes, we tried the Egg benedict on brisket and egg white frittata. Since I didn't steal anything from my partner's plate for the benedict, I will say this is the place where you want to try your first egg benedict and no where else, based on the experience of the appetizers. The server did recommend a biscuit with it since there was no other bread on the plate and her recommendation was well placed but didn't take away from the dish flavors itself. For the frittata, the creativity for this dish was vibrant, fresh, wholesome, light, and bursting with flavor without it being over seasoned. The cheese on the dish was the perfect way to tie in with the spinach, tomato, panko sprinkling, and egg as well. Everything about this meal was to die for and securely placed me into foodie heaven as I could truly relish every bite I took and walked away the most satiated palette I've had in a very long time. 15/10 would make this an absolute must visit spot for brunch and this will be very hard to...