Epic Chophouse at Kingsley — Restaurant in South Carolina

FES Up: {Scroll to bottom for cliff notes!}

F(ood)- I thought food was good. Knock my socks off? No... •Lobster Bisque: was creamy, thick and had chunks of lobster in it. A winner there with a good portions • Wedge salad was good- husband ordered. Bacon crisp and I surprisingly like the bleu cheese crumbles. •Crabcakes- good, not great (wouldn’t order again). I think they could have been slightly warmer on the inside and also a quick sauté on the outside would have upped the ante. Not a ton of filler was a plus but again not good enough to order again. Also didn’t like the sauce. •Potato Cakes- My expectation was a crisp potato side- almost like a large tater tot. The cakes are made from mashed potatoes and baked. Meh. •Smokin’ Hot Couple- husband ordered. His steak was cooked medium versus med rare. It was fine but again not what ordered. The shrimp was butterflied and had great flavor! • Fries- nothing great • Creme Brûlée- One of the three in house desserts. A great ending! It was a good portion, the flambeed sugar crust was perfect thickness, and when you can see the vanilla beans - you know it’s a winner. Creamy and indulgent!!

E(nvironment): On Yelp app requested the outside area. Tarps down for winter and will be a wonderful space with warmer weather! The tablescape and furniture outside less elegant but again it’s the patio area. Can’t be choosy. The inside looked beautiful - and I look forward to dining inside next year. I felt well distanced at our table for 2 outside but inside it did look a bit crowded for the times we’re in.

S(ervice): Immediately greeted at the host stand and reservation quickly found. Our table was ready in time and they were kind in verbally appreciating us for waiting. We were quickly met by one lady who asked about our drinks. When inquired about a non alcoholic beer, she said they definitely had one. When our main server came, she said no that is not right. I do think in these days of people trying to be healthier and/or sober that a non alcoholic choice (Heineken 0.0 or Athletic Beers) would be nice to offer. Our server was helpful and kept our drinks filled. She was knowledgeable about the menu too. All Epic staff were wearing masks (and correctly at that). Many well dressed men walking around- one stopped at a neighboring table to thank them for coming and checking in but not us. I would think every table would be greeted.

I am hard pressed to give stars after they have been open less than a month (always curveballs that first time!) but will do so since they have a sister restaurant in Mooresville. I will come back and hope to have a bit more of an Epic meal.

⭐️ CLIFF NOTES: •Order: Lobster Bisque, Smokin’ Hot Couple & Creme Brûlée • For social distance seating, request patio dining...

10/15/2023 edit: Went back for a second time and had a disappointing experience. My petite filet mignon was undercooked (I ordered medium and it came rare). I understand mistakes happen but it’s about how management handles it that determines whether or not I return. In general, if a steak is not cooked appropriately at a steak house, a manager will come to the table and apologize, ensure the steak is cooked correctly, then offer a complimentary dessert (and/or soup or salad while you’re waiting for your steak to be cooked again). In this case, no one apologized. It took a really long time for them to cook it to the point we thought they cooked a new filet but when they brought it back to the table, it was the three pieces they had taken from our table. The juices from when I had cut the steak earlier was on the plate so they didn’t even bother to put it on a fresh plate.

The manager who brought the recooked steak didn’t apologize; she simply asked me to cut the pieces and confirm it was cooked correctly. The large piece was cooked medium. The two smaller pieces were overcooked. But at this point, my husband and son were done eating so I just ate the steak.

I think the manager’s response was the most disappointing part of the evening and is the primary reason we won’t return, not the undercooked steak.

Original review:

We had a great dining experience.

We ordered: Fried calamari: very crispy and well seasoned. Came with warm homemade marinara sauce. The peppers weren’t battered and fried like the calamari so will probably ask for them to be on the side next time.

French onion soup: delicious! Came to the table piping hot and bubbling in the bowl.

Steak frites: very flavorful and tender steak tips in a delicious sauce. Shoestring fries with truffle and garlic aioli on top. Next time I will ask for the sauce to be on the side so the fries stay crispy.

Ribeye with herbed butter: very good but lots of fat that couldn’t be eaten. Will try the marinated version next time. Yukon mash was very good.

Chocolate cake: three layers with chocolate buttercream frosting. Very intense and rich. Will try the 6-layer cake next time.

Service was friendly and attentive without being intrusive. I appreciated that another server greeted us and brought water because our server was busy with another table shortly after we...

Chose This Spot To Celebrate My 42nd Birthday!

Our Waitress Was A Young African American Princess From Sumter, SC That Had Only Been Working There A Week Or So. That Young Lady Of Winthrop University Was Top 5 In The Best Waitresses I've Ever Encountered. She Was Very Well Spoken, Knew The Menu, And Offered Up Great Recommendations. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ For Her!

The Food Was Great! ● The Shanghai Shrimp Was Similar To BFG's Bang Bang Shrimp But With Less Spice/Heat, Much Bigger Shrimp And Very Delicious. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ● The Steak Was Cooked To Perfection But Offered No Remnants Of Any Effort To Season The Cut During The Prep Or Cooking Process. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ● The Potato Cakes Were Great But I Would've Liked A Little Sour Cream To Pair With Them And I Didn't Notice Any Bacon With Mine. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ● The Asparagus Was Some Of The Best I've Eaten Ever, The Hollendais Sauce Was Spot On. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ● The Blueberry Martini Was Great And Actually Packed A Punch Unlike Other Stingy Establishments. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ● My Beer Was Good And Cold! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ● That Damn Epic Cake Is Huge, Moist, And Extremely Delicious; One Slice Feeds 2+. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Ambiance Was Decent, The Decor Was Nice, The Overall Restaurant Is Kinda Small But It Works. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Long Sleeves Is A Must Thing Is A Lie, I Seen Short Sleeve White Tee Shirts, Gym Clothes, And All Types Of Attire So That's Just A Suggestion And Not A Requirement As The Website Lead Me To Believe And That Kind Of Takes Away From The "Epicness"; You're Dressed To Impress And Others Are In There Couch Potato Gear. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

My Only Gripes Were How Long It Took For The Food To Come Out Of The Kitchen, The Lack Of Seasonings That $55 Steak Came With, And The Mystery Dress Code That Left You Feeling Overdressed And Out Of Place At Times. Not In Need Of Many Improvements But I'm Sure They'll Have It Near Perfection Soon.

Oh, And It Would Be Nice If They At Least Light A Candle (1) On The Cake For Those Patrons Such As Myself Who Chose To Celebrate Their Birthday At Their Establishment. This Is Also Great For Social Media, Those Cake Pics With Candles Are Crowd Pleasing.

I Will Be Back And Can See Myself Recommending Epic To Friends And Family. Still Giving 5...