Queen Mother's Kitchen — Restaurant in Virginia

I visited the location after hearing the owner of Queen’s Mother (QM) on my favorite radio show (go Karen Rebels/Knubians)! Anyway, I was confused upon arrival because QM is not a restaurant. It shares space with another restaurant, and you must go to the correct register (#2) to order. There is no QM branding in the location other than the paper menu! QM is not a standalone restaurant.

At the time of my visit (on a Saturday afternoon around 4:00 PM), there was only one QM menu, a well-used PAPER menu. The couple who arrived just ahead of me were presented with the menu first and once done, they passed it to me and I then passed it to the gentleman behind me. Not a problem, right? All items showing on the menu were not readily available, but I was okay with that. I asked the waitress what she suggested, and she admitted that she had only tried one thing on the menu, but she did volunteer what was popular. I stuck with what was popular and ordered the classic chicken sandwich and the duck fat crinkle cut fries. Let me be 100% with you, it was the most OKAYish chicken sandwich and fries that I’ve had. The sandwich was on the dry side and void of flavor. What little flavor I was able to add came from the spicy mumbo sauce which was very good. The French fries were only okay as well. For the money paid (almost $26.00 for a sandwich, fries, and lemonade), I wanted so much to like my meal, but I was dissatisfied. As I was struggling to finish, the couple who entered the establishment just ahead of me finished theirs. As they were disposing of their trash, I asked what they thought. At first, they put on a smile and said almost in unison that they thought it was good. I laughed at them speaking in unison and said that I felt the opposite. They then laughed again and admitted that like me, they thought that the food was nothing special. We all felt disappointed.

In closing, I’m glad that I went because being a black woman, I love to support black businesses. Will I visit Queen’s Mother again? I doubt it, but I’ve also not been back to Popeyes to give them a second chance at their chicken sandwich either…just saying!

NOTE: Looking back, I should have known something was up because while I was waiting form my food, the waitress had the cooks make her a breakfast burrito with bacon, eggs, and...

I came about 12:30pm…was in Crystal City with my teenaged daughters for a STEM event across the street at Amazon Skill Center. I had heard about the food from Queen Mother. The owner had won a season on the show “Hell’s Kitchen”…but I had to try it for myself. The first good sign was they had a crowd gathering to make their orders. I didn’t have a whole lot of time so it was good that the line still moved.

I ordered the sandwich w/ Mambo sauce, a side of duck fat fries and a cold, fresh squeezed lemonade. The first thing I looked for was whether the chicken breast would be dry. They passed the test…it was juicy. The Mambo sauce was a pleasant highlight. It wasn’t too sweet or too tart. Even though I ordered extra sauce, the sandwich wasn’t drenched. The duck fat fries were perfect!…a slightly crisp outer shell and a soft center. The seasoning was very tasty and not overdone.

The customer service was great. I know what can happen when restaurants get long lines…sometimes the staff can get testy and short and focus only on quick transactions. The gentleman was very pleasant and had a genuine demeanor. You could tell he was doing his best to try to make me happy as a customer.

Even though I was a little rushed, I took the time to eat my meal in the water park plaza…it had a “park like” feel to it, so I enjoyed the moment. I will be...

Queen Mother's has PHENOMENAL chicken. An absolute game changer in the fried chicken world. Perfect heat, delightfully crispy, a light and balanced bun. In particular, the honey butter chicken sandwich is one I'll never forget. The butter melts over the sandwich without disrupting the firm constitution of the breading leaving you with a sweet, flavorful combination that you'll remember every time you eat a chicken sandwich in the future. The only drawback to this experience was the unclear ordering process. Despite a friendly and helpful staff, the presentation of several different restaurant menus felt unobvious and haphazard. They were not presented clearly. Walking in, you may think the location purely serves a limited coffee and drink menu. Ordering is equally awkward. They can take your order at the counter, but what you order may require multiple checkouts and your cashier may have to ring you up on separate consoles. We were encouraged to order online, despite dining in, but also found that to be a chaotic and unintuitive platform. This small hiccup was not so interruptive as to make the flavor unworthy of our hour+ journey, but did detract from the overall experience. Final note: having trash receptacles with openings smaller than all of the disposable containers the food is served on makes for a...