I genuinely believe that if the Axis and Allied powers could've successfully sat down for a meal at this establishment, they would've figured it out without a single life lost. A meal like this makes you forget about what drives you apart from others, what differences we may have, and what personal struggles a person may have. That's how transcending my experience at Ola's Southern Cuisine 2 was... but I'll get into that later.
You're probably wondering why the '2', right? We were thinking the same thing and had to ask. Apparently, the 2 comes from the fact this is their second time creating this business! The first one was a catering business based out of Atlanta. If them being originally from Atlanta tells you anything, it should tell you how amazing the wings are.
As soon as you walk in, the place immediately gave me the vibe that I was in the right place, that I was home. We were eagerly greeted and walked through the menu as first-time enjoyers. 10/10 customer service across the board. The person helping us was incredibly patient, enthusiastic, and welcoming. My friend got the normal wing plate with mac n cheese and cornbread. I ordered the Jamaican Jerk Jolly Rancher 8 piece wings with mac n cheese and collared greens. You read that correctly, JAMAICAN JERK JOLLY RANCHER. Now I will be honest, the price is not as cheap as you'd expect, but you will gladly pay it and it'll be money well spent.
After ordering, we were told that the wings are fried fresh to order so it may take a second, wasn't a problem for us and we appreciate the communication. As we waited, we found the pool table and the table full of cards/board games were fantastic for keeping us entertained. More so, the whole interior design is so entertaining and interesting to look at. The VOLs men's basketball team poster, the photos of all the patrons, and the decorated spot where patrons stood to get their photos taken were all fascinating. Apparently, Ola's is consistently loved by all UT athletes and I believe it.
Now we get to the good part, the food. You could not believe how much I was salivating when I opened our boxes. The wings were both incredibly crispy and fall off the bone. The jamaican jollyrancher wings are a true testiment to how the chef who thinks of this stuff is both thinking out of the box but very logically and methodically. The addition of the jolly ranchers adds a sweetness and acidity that balance the spicy and savoury of a jamaican jerk sauce. The use of jolly ranchers adds more than just a fun alliteration, it adds a distinct artifical fruitiness that works so well. It satisfied all of my taste buds and I can't wait to order it again and try more of their unique flavor profiles. The mac n cheese was perfection. 10/10, it is the mac n cheese I dream about ever since. It had the crispy top and gooey cheesy interior. I'm not totally sure but I have my suspicions that it's a traditional southern baked mac n cheese using egg and evaporated milk but there's is 100% above the rest that I've enjoyed. Most baked mac n cheeses tend to not have cheese pulls and can sometimes be dry (IMO) but theirs was perfection. I could come here just for the mac again. The collard greens and cornbread were both fantastic as well, though the mac n cheese does overshadow them a little. I would order EVERYTHING that I had again and I can't wait to try the rest of the menu. You can tell how much we enjoyed the food by the empty plate.
Before we left, we had to ask to get our photo on the wall and surprisingly they obliged! I will definitely be back soon with my loved ones to share with them the experience that I enjoyed myself so much, and to also see myself up on that wall. To think that I found this place on a whim and it may be my new favorite restuarant in Knoxville?
10/10...
Read moreLet me begin with I don’t really leave reviews in order for me to leave a review my experience had to be so exceptional that I have to let everybody know that you are not wasting your time your money and your appetite is definitely gonna be Fulfilled Let me start off by saying Chef Black and his wife are two business owners who work exceptionally hard to bring a southern cuisine with the innovative twist I had the chicken wings and let me say the triple seven deal is a must. I had jolly rancher chicken with plain chicken wings, and a Chi chi sauce wings and I can’t wait to go back to try the other flavors The wings were perfectly seasoned with the seasoned batter and fried to perfection. I also had the lamb chops turkey, cabbage, rice, mac & cheese, and cornbread. Overall, my experience was wonderful as a lot of you may not know I am a truck driver so I passed through a lot of places in this country and I get to see a lot of diner experience And I have to say hola Southern cuisines was a experience to remember and definitely experience that would have me coming back I can’t wait to see Chef Black and his wife again to eat more of their delicious cuisines bringing a southern style with a new innovative twist on Southern cuisine. Thank you so much Chef Black for...
Read moreThey catered my daughters college Graduation dinner this pass weekend 5/17/2024 and it was HORRIBLE. Fish looked like chicken tenders, fried chicken was dry, greens taste as if someone poured a carton of salt, we asked for yams but got the soup version and the Mac/ cheese was burnt and dry. The person that picked it up for our family didn't looked at it before she left just assume it was alright and tipped $80. We couldn't make it right because it was to late and the damage was already done. Why have you reached out to someone that didn't pay you? You should be contacting me. Contact me you have my information. GEEZ. No Recommendations from our Family.😡🤬. Why are you lying? My daughter posted the invoice. What will be the reason for me to lie about your business Why did you contact the UT Basketball player and his Mother if you had not done business with me. I have the IG posts from your correspondence. Your customer service explains why your Food was Horrible. The issue is the quality of your food not the discounts and how you made accommodations for our family because of a UT Basketball player and his Mother.We didn't ask for your discounts nor your accommodations. We wanted the same quality of food that you cater to...
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