Doll's Kitchen — Restaurant in Fresno

Oh no I wish I didn’t have to make this review but I feel like it’s necessary. Where do I start?! Jesus omg. Well I was highly disappointed I had just got back in from another state and wanted to eat at a nice Restraunt before calling it a night. I was thinking Applebees but decided on this place because we never heard of them and it was different. We go in and although the cashier was not rude she was not engaged or friendly very short no smile nothing. Seemed like she didn’t want to be there. Hope she’s doing ok something seems wrong, Ordered Mac and cheese, cabbage, and smothered pork chops yum you would say right? Hardly. The Mac and cheese was overly seasoned just a tad too much salt and pepper it was all you tasted. I still want to be able to taste the food that’s underneath all the seasoning. The seasoning is supposed to bring out the flavor and enhance what it is that your eating not be the main course. The pork chops were fall off the bone and heavenly except here we go with the salt. Oh my! Ok then there’s the cabbage with hot sauce of some kind and a bit over seasoned ok well let’s try some Mac and cheese because who messes up Mac and cheese right? Well the Mac and cheese had too much salt and pepper it was like whoever cooked it looked away as they were talking to someone else and had a heavy hand ok. Fine. Let’s try some peach cobbler because yummy right? Wrong! too much sugar ok fine. Let me ask for some water. Oh we only have one water left. Ok fine me and my fiancé will share one. Welp I was hungry so I will eat overly seasoned food until my taste buds said no! No no what are you doing to us!? I had to listen to what my taste buds were saying. This was so disappointing it was really sad. The spirit of this place it was like it really didn’t matter what I wrote they don’t care. Anyways I think it would be best they tell their customers which foods have hot sauce in it just in case you have indigestion so you don’t get sick. Also I had to throw half my food away because of the salt butter and pepper overload. If you have hypertension you may want to be weary. Salt , pepper, butter, is good but too much seasoning can over power your food. They gave me the impression they did not care about customer service or the quality of their food. As for me I would not recommend or return. Ruined my night and took forever to come out. So sad they don’t even care seems like. Perception is everything and it was more bad than good. I can’t believe...

TL;DR: we waited 1 hour for our food. The cashier was rude to everyone I saw him interact with while I waited for my food. Removing 2 stars for the wait and service.

My true feedback is hire an operations manager to help with efficiency and keep customers updated on their order. Find a new cashier who will greet guest, upsell the menu, be helpful, and smile.

I don’t live in Fresno, however, I ate Doll’s for the first time back when she was on Chestnut & Jensen. Her food is great, so I was happy to try it again many years later.

Upon entering the restaurant, the cashier visibly seemed annoyed. When my best friend order her food she asked the cashier if they still had dressing, he confirmed they did. When it was my turn to order, I had asked what drinks they had, the cashier replied while pointing this and that and what’s in the refrigerator… I replied. Is this one punch? He replied yes. I ordered one then my best friend asked me to add one for her. He then asked when I wanted the drinks. I replied with my food and my BFF said she wanted her then. He said he would get it for her.

We looked for a place to wait. The only options we had were two tables that weren’t bussed. As we’re waiting, other customers are ordering but now food is running out. So, all we hear when a customer is trying to order their food is, “we ain’t got that”. When he could have told them upfront what they are out of or posted a sign. At one point, a customer replied back, will what do you have? He fired back, “it’s almost 8 o’clock you should expect us to be running out of food.” Everyone’s face disagreed.

There was a table of 5 who had been waiting for 1 hour and a half. I over heard them mention dessert. My best friend told me she forgot they had dessert, but the dessert’s are good. I was replied, I didn’t know she had any. It’s not on any of the menus and the cashier didn’t try to upsell it at all. I would have ordered, but I thought they would be out. About 8 people ordered after us.

We had been waiting for 45 mins when my best friend’s number was called, they told her they ran out of dressing. Then, she asked for her drink to which the cashier immediately replied, she didn’t order a drink. I had to chime in to say I ordered two and one is hers, (he knew that). Then, he suddenly remembered and piped down. She received her food 5 mins later. I ordered at 7:27 PM I received my food at 8:30 PM. I was the last person to...

Wow where should I start at, I went to this restaurant with pretty high hopes for some good soul food which is kind of rare in California. I like to say that paid for everything and honestly found Dolls Kitchen thanks to Google's "food near me search". Let me tell you Dolls did not disappoint, I arrived close to closing and they were out of fish but that didn't bother me (I love places that sell out) because it makes you order something new and that was their three piece chicken and shrimp platte. The shrimp were big and fried correctly, by fried correctly I mean just a little bit of breading and season two perfection. This is not your average run of the mill shrimp that is fried until it is almost a rubber shrimp disc. When I say good we tried the shrimp in our car and I had to go back in to order more.

Side items Collard greens, Mac and cheese, potato salad and their delicious cornbread (more of that later) When it comes to mac and cheese I am one that's fairly picky because to not pat myself on the back I make some really good homemade mac and cheese. I was a little reluctant to order some because I have been disappointed many times by restaurants claiming they have home style mac and cheese, WELL hot damn their Mac and cheese is great with a good cheese blend and that tasty toasted crust we all love, it's like everyone gets a corner piece. The collard greens were cut a nice size showing they didn't cut corners and really prepped their greens, they had a great flavor and worth the try. Now the potato salad No need to fear because there are no raisins in the potato salad (thank God) it's also isn't huge chunks of par boiled potatoes, what is it you ask? Smooth, tasty, not over saused potatoe salad, this is bring to the picnic certified.

Cornbread!!!!! Just what I have been missing, soft, flavorful and not too dense square of delish and tasty, this cornbread has a little sweet but not a dessert, you will wish you got a second piece.

Overall for a place that hasn't been open for more than five months they have the right formula from the start and only can get better. The next plans are to try the fish and BBQ because the sample of sauce I tried was fantastic. So if you are on the fence please give Dolls a try and you won't be...