Mill City Kitchen — Restaurant in Greenville

The vibe of the place is relaxed--it's in the old Judson Milliken mill (built in 1912) and has lots of old wood floors, brick walls and exposed beams. Super cool, and right next door is a wine bar that also does small plates that I haven't explored yet, but the feel of that space is even more relaxed. Outdoor seating is available as well and parking is generally a non-issue. Found out about it opening in late September and have gone numerous times since it's opening.

It's set up as a fast-casual counter service restaurant. There were some minor foibles in the beginning as the staff learned the system and the location dealt with the closure caused by hurricane Helene, but shortly after the dust settled, the process smoothed out and everyone seems to have gelled together as a team. The owners are experienced restauranteurs, and it shows.

The food: Excellent, excellent, excellent. I live nearby and have been able to try a wide selection of Mill City Kitchen's offerings and they have all been absolutely excellent. I really enjoy old favorites as well as the unique creations at Mill City Kitchen - the creative mindfulness that goes into each dish shows through every time. The Mill City Kitchen team has a passion for food that shows in the menu, and they put that passion into each dish.

Their salads are fantastic, I love the Caesar for its wonderful dressing and white anchovies, but also love the wedge with flavorful green goddess dressing. Everything tastes so fresh because, well, it all is fresh!

The pizzas and pizzacos (pizza "tacos") range from familiar to wildly unique. The pepperoni and margarita pizzas are fantastic, no surprises here. The other unique pizzas on the menu are also excellent, with some unconventional combinations that really work out well together (the Surf & Turf stands out here - Brisket and Tuna, together, on a pizza/pizza taco...it works really well!). I truly love the unique weekly creations they come up with - last week there was a crab rangoon pizza that was to die for. It had all the flavors you'd expect to find in crab rangoon, made with real jumbo crab, finished off with a drizzling of homemade sriracha sauce. The execution of these creations is something to behold - the are made with high quality ingredients, sure, but what makes them stand out is how they have been combined in the perfect combinations and cooked in a wood fired oven to maximize gastronomic delight.

The blue plate specials are also quite delectable, with occasional special meats like the picanha steak that pops in occasionally. It's perfectly cooked and so wonderfully rich - I mourned the fact that it was not going to be a permanent meat selection. However, both the chicken and the sausage are good enough that as soon as you take your first bite you'll miss the steak a little bit less. Their sides are also very good, and I believe all are scratch-made. Their take on cole slaw has a flavor profile that is fantastic. The apple cider vinegar greets you immediately, popping out from the creaminess of the slaw as soon as it hits your tongue. There's a faint sweetness, but it doesn't overpower the vinegar--then the tiny bit of horseradish gives a hint of spice and body. I can't believe I've written three sentences about cole slaw, but here we are--It's simply delicious and more than just a side that takes up space on your plate. The collard greens are also nicely done, flavorful without being heavy or waterlogged. The black beans & rice are so good, especially with the pico that sometimes comes on the blue plate.

I could go on and on, but I'm starting to feel quite self-conscious about writing so many words about a restaurant. I'm a big foodie and this place has earned a special place in my rotation because they have a rare passion for putting together really well executed dishes that are...

Wow... I can't say enough good things about this place.

We stopped by with a couple from the area who are great friends... they had been here before and wanted to show us the place. Good friends share great places to eat, right?

FOOD... Excellent, innovative, well prepared, fresh, well crafted, bold, this place is just a culinary delight... Wood fired! Pizzia is a major part of their menu and we sampled that by trying their Crab Rangoon Pizzia with lump crab, cream cheese, scallions, wontons, and just a bit of Thai chili sauce to make things really interesting. A culinary delight!

To that, we added a Cucumber Salad (each) smashed cucumbers, soy, sesame oil, ginger, honey, sesame seeds, shallots... and it was a perfect blend of tastes. I would characterize both of these as expertly crafted. Again innovative is a great descriptor.

You can look at the menu and just imagine how well it works... how inspired it is. I will add one thought... They have more than Pizzia, like a meat and three option, but one of the most interesting is a PIZZIACO, which they describe as a melding of a Pizzia and a taco. Our friend had one that was sort of a Cuban themed affair. He liked it. Sucked it down like it was good.

I was tempted to try the shrimp and grits. Maybe next time.

SERVICE... Justin, the owner (gosh I hope I got his name right) met us and described their food in a way that inspired a lot of confidence in his ability to construct a INNOVATIVE menu and execute that menu with precision. We felt like family and were treated as nicely as anyone could hope to be.

WINE... I would be remiss to neglect mentioning their wine list. There are no $700 bottles, but the variety and quality of wine is impressive. We had an Italian Nebbiolo which was excellent. Not cheap at $17 a glass, but we got a decent portion. They say that there are 100 different wines offered. Nothing shabby. They have some local beer too, I was tempted.

AMBIANCE... Old factory repurposed into a cool modern look. I think it was a textile plant, but don't hold me to that. Lots of old red brick and large well aged timbers. The place is new, modern, clean, open, cool... There is a lot going on nearby, including a really neat place to take small kids to play - and eat. A rock climbing venue is also nearby... It's casual but no where near fast food. It's not cheap, but to me it's close to fine dining at a large discount.

Definitely a place to try. INNOVATIVE seems to capture the feeling here. I would highly recommend...

I really liked the space for this restaurant. I was greeted when I entered and service was friendly. You order at the counter and the food is brought to the table. I ordered a “create your own” pizzaco. It’s basically like a folded slice of pizza to create kind of a taco sandwich. Although it comes with tomato sauce, there def wasn’t enough. I also ordered pickled onions and they were missing. I did tell them and was brought a side cup. Without enough sauce or something else acidic, the EVOO and cheese sort of took over. I got a side of the potatoes which came with mayo or maybe it was an aioli for dipping. They were very garlicky and more EVOO. So I was craving ketchup or some other unique sauce for dipping. The food was all very hot and the ingredients seemed to be very fresh. While this might not be my personal flavor preference, I think this is still worth checking out. The space is great and there’s a wine bar attached. The size of the pizzaco seemed like a good value for the price- with a side, it was enough food that I brought half home. This seems to be a very family friendly place as all the other patrons that came in...