Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar — Restaurant in Grand Rapids

While it looks and feels like the cool place to be in GR right now, I'm not convinced it is worth a visit. Staff seemed very friendly but the restaurant is seriously one of the loudest places I've ever been to eat. The volume made it really difficult to enjoy our time there. There is almost nothing to absorb the sound so every noisy voice just bounces off the walls and ceiling, like a big warehouse space, reverberating back at you harshly. My husband and I had a biscuit as an appetizer but the butter was too cold to spread and they only gave us enough jam and butter for one. The honey bottle they gave us with the biscuits had never been opened so I got honey all over my hands and the table opening it. (Super annoying) Our server was nowhere to be found and cloth napkins are useless against honey so I had to get some wet paper towel from the bathroom and wipe my own table down. When we finished the biscuits, our appetizer plates sat out on the table until I asked the server to take them away. My husband ordered the sweet & spicy chicken and waffles. Neither one of us was impressed. The chicken was oddly over seasoned with an herb I couldn't place and was just alright. I was expecting that to be one of the best things on the menu. Sadly, we were both disappointed by their signature dish. I ordered the grits breakfast bowl and added Brussels sprouts. The flavor of the grits was good but the second brussel sprout I bit into tasted rancid and gross. I wasn't expecting them to deep fry the Brussels either which made for a much oilier/unappealing looking dish. I didn't realize until we got our check that they were going to charge us $5 for those rancid brussel sprouts. As soon as I told our server she gladly took it off the bill and apologized so that was fine. I also observed workers who were bussing tables setting the food/drink trays on the chairs or benches while they cleaned the table off. Each time, they left a bunch of crumbs behind on the seat and never wiped the booth/chair seat when they picked up the tray. Having worked in the restaurant industry, this is something you have to train your workers to do/notice. If they get some baffling for the sound, give more attention to detail, and train their staff more thoroughly, this could be a good place to eat. It just...

We had arrived in Grand Rapids late the night before and after getting some rest we got up early to be at Tupelo Honey when they opened that morning. Not knowing how bust they would be, we actually had made a reservation which may have tipped them off that we were not a local.

When we arrived we were the second group into the restaurant. The decore in the restaurant was very nice and bright with white chairs accenting the great decore. For some reason we were seated at a two top right up against an outside wall. This was fascinating since there was so much of the restaurant available. I thought that they must really be sticklers for group size and the number of chairs at the table, until more people arrived and were parties of two were seated at four tops while other two tops were opened. The two tops are so small they really should not count as a table.

Our waitress was very friendly and helpful. We had questions as this was our first time in Tupelo Honey. I immediately garvitated towards the Bennies and ordered the Divine Swine. Remember that we were the second group to sit down, and the service took about 25 minutes for our food to come out. I was not in a huge hurry because the museum did not open for a while, but I will amazed at how slow the service was.

When my food came out I was surprised at the small amount of Hollandaise that was on my plate. Hollandaise is one of the reasons that I order a bennie in the first place. I ask for more and our waitress brought more out for both of our dishes and admitted that it was not up to spec. The biscuit that came with as the based for the meal was delicious, and the potatoes were some of the best seasoned potatoes that I have had. After getting the additional hollandaise sauce the meal tasted pretty good. Plating was sloppy but the flavors were good.

When we got our bill they wanted to charge extra for the hollandaise side, which our waitress took back and dealt with. I can see why so many people rate this with 5 stars for food quality, but over all our experience could have been better. It is a solid three...

First off, if I could give TEN stars, I would! This was my first visit and I went with my daughter. It was election day so we were super stressed out. The first thing I noticed (besides the sheer beauty of the dining area) was that the staff was so friendly and helpful, not only to the guests, but to each other. That was a sorely needed bright spot during these times. Now, there was a communication issue, so our server didn't know we were there. Props to Lamaria (spelling?) who saw me looking around and stepped over to ask if I needed help even though it wasn't her table. Our server, Raven wasted no time visiting us once she realized we were there and apologized, which was appreciated but not necessary. She was a fabulous server, attentive, friendly, and knew the menu. Now to the food...I cannot say enough about the food! The menu is inventive with enough choices to consider many future visits without having so many choices that it becomes overwhelming. The photos included show fried pickles, fried okra, the Shoo Mercy Griddle (OMG!), and the Sweet & Spicy Fried Chicken with mashed potatoes and Mac-n-Cheese. The griddle consists of french toast or sweet potato pancakes topped with buttermilk fried chicken, bacon, pecans, and two eggs - whoever came up with this combo is a frickin' genius! The buttermilk chicken was light and flaky and juicy, the best I've ever had if I'm being honest. At the end of the day, it was an over the top fantastic experience. Kudos, Tupelo Honey! Side note: We took desserts home with us - the banana pudding and chocolate peanut butter mousse. WOW! I mean, what more can I say? It's one of those places that if I could afford it, I would want to take every person I know so they could have the same awesome feelings I left with. Definitely a huge asset for...