Mallards Southern Kitchen — Restaurant in Inver Grove Heights

Visited for Sunday brunch - I had seen the hot chicken and waffles online, which is both on the brunch menu and the regular menu and visited specifically for this dish.

Sunday brunch starts at 10 and we arrived at 10:35 and placed our order within 10 minutes. Several minutes later our server told us they just sold the last hot chicken and waffles and I would have to order something else. Huh? I was very surprised that less than an hour into brunch they've already sold out of a popular dish. I ordered the spicy peanut butter smash burger to satisfy the craving of salty and sweet. The server asked which side I wanted - chips are free, others come with an upcharge and I said chips would be fine.

I estimate that we re-ordered around 10:50 and the food did not come out until right about 11:20 which is a bit to wait for food as the restaurant was only about half full.

Sure enough my burger came with fries and a $1 upcharge. That said, the fries were super good, crispy and maybe lightly battered on the outside, soft and perfect in the middle and felt cooked perfectly, with all nicely shaped fries that held their structure. Really good, just not what I ordered.

The burger was good too, nice pairing of candied jalapeños, peanut butter, and a berry aioli which felt nicely balanced with no ingredient overpowering the other.

I still really want to try the hot chicken and waffles but would perhaps try a different location. Servers do ask you to leave a review at the end,...

Disappointed, Went to celebrate my son’s birthday and opted for the “all you can eat shrimp” option. We arrived at the restaurant at 5:45 on a Monday. The waitress took our order for two kinds of shrimp to start. After a wait, we received only one kind: I got 6 shrimp, and my husband got 8 shrimp, along with a side of fries, one hush puppy, and one coleslaw. By the time we finished our first order, our other guests were done with their meals, we still hadn’t received our second kind of shrimp.

We asked for more fries and another order of shrimp but were told the kitchen was “busy.” After waiting another 20 minutes, we received our second order. While 3 orders may sound like a lot, it was less than what you’d typically get at any other restaurant for a meal and definitely not worth $24.99. The waitress seemed frustrated, and we didn’t see her for quite a while. There was no opportunity to order additional shrimp, and we had been seated for over an hour at this point, waiting.

Although the food we did receive was hot and flavorful, the “all you can eat shrimp” experience fell short of expectations. After over an hour of waiting , we were presented with the check, and our plates were cleared while I was still eating my most recent order. We waited 20 minutes between each order, and after more than an hour plus total , we received only 3 orders of 6 to 8 shrimp each before being given the bill and having our table cleared. It was not worth the price, and I’m very...

We were on the hunt for some cajun/creole seafood that served alcohol and was open past 9pm on a Friday.

Fortune led us here and definitely glad it did. Food is delicious. I'll get to that in a sec.

Just in time for the beginning of happy hour, my Sinatra cocktail was spot on. Although I had to hold on to my seat for the Woodford Reserve soaked cherry. Definitely not mad about that.

My wife enjoyed the Mai Tai no problem.

Our friend ordered the Island something and it was too heavy on the banana liqueur. I agree. Tasted more like a banana Laffy taffy.

My 2nd drink, I tried the honey badger. Usually a big fan of honey, not something I'd order again. I should have mixed it well before my first sip.

Now to the food. Started out with the peel and eat shrimp. Seemed a bit pricey for a lb, but not disappointed at all. They were not small and not some crazy colossal sized, they were just right. Fresh taste and plenty to go around.

I already had a hankering for a Cajun flavor and ordered the jambalaya and asked for two 🌶🌶 heat instead of the one 🌶 that is on the menu. It was great. The risotto was cooked just right. Plenty of meat. I'll get this again. Looking forward to eating the leftovers.

My wife was happy with the salmon new orleans and our friend enjoyed the crab cakes.

McKenzie did a great job checking on us and made sure our food...