Cotton's Kitchen — Restaurant in Leesburg

What a hidden gem right here in Leesburg. The selection of rib-sticking food makes it a challenge to decide. I went with the smothered pork chops and found the portion large enough to take home half for another meal. The meat was fork tender, falling off the bone. The gravy was rich in flavor and complimented the pork perfectly. The next difficult decision was to order sides. I ordered the dinner option to get 3 sides. My choices were Mac and cheese (definitely not Kraft), steamed cabbage (perfectly cooked with a dusting of seasoning), and green beans. Eating half my meal left room for homemade dessert: peach cobbler. This one knocked the ball out of the field!! DEEE-Lucious and a hearty portion. The cakes were tempting but who can resist homemade cobbler. The inside seating was bigger than I expected. Like the cooking, the seating is no frills and simple like eating in someone’s kitchen and chatting with other customers. Athia Linzy, owner and chef at this establishment visits with customers in between serving us. She makes each customer feel welcomed. Chit-chatting about this-that-and another makes for a comfort in dining I have only experienced in the French Quarter. And to know that same comradarie may be found in the town I now call home is comforting. Next visit: fried chicken. An aside, Athia serves a special punch called Love Juice. Teens added Ginger Ale to the drink rebranding it Love Aid. Tastes terrific and who knows, maybe there is a spell cast on those who drink this cousin of Love...

The customer service was great I came about 5 minutes before closing and the staff was still welcoming and polite. I ordered the smothered turkey leg, cabbage, mac and cheese, cornbread, and a Love Punch. Unfortunately, the food didn’t meet my expectations. The turkey leg had little to no meat, mostly mush and bones. The mac and cheese tasted like something store bought (more like Publix than homemade), and the cabbage was perfectly soft but not enough seasoning. The cornbread was extremely dry and crumbly. Everything could’ve used more seasoning. I was under the impression that Southern soul food is supposed to touch your soul, but this meal didn’t. Honestly, I’ve had better soul food in New York. I’ll give the benefit of the doubt since I did arrive right before closing, so maybe the food was old, but the flavors still fell flat. The gravy on the smothered turkey leg tasted mostly like oil, and the Love Punch was basically Kool Aid. Overall, great service but disappointing food, the price does not meet the quality of food. I was unfortunately still left hungry after this meal since I had little to no meat. If the person who made my plat realized they had no meat i should’ve been given at least an extra...

So happy to finally try Cotton’s Kitchen, a small, unpretentious family-run restaurant in Leesburg. I ordered the oxtail dish with rice, collard greens and, for kicks, a fried chicken wing.

First, where else in the area can you dine on oxtail?? What a find.

The oxtail, a special for the day, tasted as rich and luxurious as it was tender. Collard greens were lovely and appear to have been braised with delicious broth. The fried chicken is one of the best I’ve ever had, and I’ve experienced many bites all over the world. Moist, light crisp, not too overly breaded, Cotton’s fried chicken is a DELIGHT. Like it was marinated in creamy dreams and clouds before hitting the fryer.

Posted inside is a news article about the owner and chef who started the restaurant out of passion and brought her mother’s and grandmother’s recipes to life through the restaurant. I believe it, because the food tastes like love and home.

Serving their dishes on foam plates and with plastic ware, this no-frills spot serves insanely good food and well...