Batch New Southern Kitchen and Tap: West Palm Beach — Restaurant in West Palm Beach

First impression: we walk up to and are immediately told they are closed and open at 4pm. Which was odd since people were sitting with and without their food. They told us to come back in 20 minutes. We decided to go directly across the street and spend money at Starbucks. I would have skipped this place based on that but there were 5 of us and they were okay with coming back. We double checked online and it said they were open. Waiting for my coffee I noticed a couple get seated with menus... After a few minutes they got up and changed tables. Now I am wondering why we weren't seated but they were. We go online and make a reservation. It's probably been only 10 mins total. I'm slightly annoyed. I consider this a poor start. If you close between 3-4pm it should be posted and apply to everyone.

At first the waiter was great. He was explaining the farm/ table style and answering our questions. Got us drinks, took our orders and let us know soda refills were not free. I got the Mac and cheese because I wasn't that hungry after my coffee. My daughter got the chicken and waffles and a side of fries. We had the watermelon tea which was actually good and not too sweet which the waiter explained so we gave it a try. Our table also got the burnt ends and hush puppies for appetizers.

Food: Mac and cheese was just okay. A step up from Chick-fil-A but not my expectation of a southern place. I did not get the add one or the crumbled Fritos on it so maybe that's why it was bland. The smoky flavor was good but overall not great. The tips were only warm not hot. The kids enjoyed it but the adults didn't. They were still on the table at the end. The hush puppies seemed darker and over cooked but tasted okay. The two kids liked the sauce and at most of them. The chicken and waffles were good. The chicken seemed over done but again it tasted okay. The kids and the other adult liked it and the waffles. I didn't taste the waffle.

The brisket sandwich was also warm not hot so it wasn't eaten. Barbecue should be hot.

Service: The service took a turn for the worst. The waiter was also a bartender and although I could see him hustling behind the bar making drinks and serving tables it left us with poor customer service overall. He started great and just was too busy to take care of us. I managed to catch his attention and he asked from a distance walking past us "if everything was good?"I asked for the missing fries. He came back and said they were making them fresh.. i.e. they forgot. Then dashed off without addressing the other people who needed another refill and one who's food was not hot. We were surprised he took off like that. I managed to eventually catch his attention as he dashed by again saying "is everything good?". I sad no it's not... I would like two refills... Before the other person could get a word out he dashed off again without even looking at anyone else at the table. The warm sandwich is now totally cold and most of us are finishing up and it only has one bite missing. At this point we flagged down the manager... People being ignored when trying to get service was going to far... Still the untouched brisket sandwich and empty soda went unrecognized and not even looking at a specific customer is starting to look intentional. I cannot believe you literally don't check in with everyone at the table before running off. He brings back only one of the drinks I asked for and scurried off because now the manager is in a conversation about the poor service. He comes by with the check and I ask him what happened to my other drink?? The manager tried to make it better but I don't do poor customer service. He took some stuff off the check and offered us to come back but I won't be back. We left almost double what the ticket said because it wasn't about the money. We don't need free food... We need good service. We didn't...

We had been hearing so many great things about Batch Southern Kitchen that a group of us decided to dine there this evening. Given that it is July 3 and many people are preparing for the holiday, we figured it wouldn't be too busy and would have time to dive into the menu and also talk to some of the employees about what is turning this restaurant into such a success story. Batch did not disappoint. In fact, it was a memorable meal and we experienced 'off the chart' responsive, friendly, upbeat hospitality.

We started off sharing appetizers: Deviled Eggs with Candied Bacon; Fried Green Tomatoes served over stone ground grits, tomato and bacon coulis and Alabama BBQ sauce; Southern Style Hummus made with roasted sweet potatoes, pistachios, cilantro and lavash; and, of course, we had to try the popular homemade Biscuits with the most awesome butter and jam. Everything was delicious and we should have stopped and called it a night, but we were on to the entrees!

Three of us had the Sweet Tea Brined and Fried 4-piece chicken dinner with Cheddar Cornbread Waffles, honey butter, and maple syrup. Another in our group order the Coffee and Chili Rubbed 8 oz. Flat Iron Steak cooked perfectly to the order (rare) with crispy bacon potatoes, and asparagus. And the fifth person with us ordered the Smokey Short Ribs with buttermilk mashed potatoes, demi glace, and sweet potato haystack. We all argued over who had the best meal. And then the sampling across the table began. It truly was such a smorgasbord of different tastes, textures, and layered flavor profiles.

We had an excellent server, Cole who kept the drinks flowing and timed the appetizers and dinner to make for a casual evening with friends. Vanessa, the manager, stopped by the table at least three times, asked for feedback, and could not have been more welcoming. We were also fortunate to meet the Director of Operations, Brandon Albers, who took time to greet us and chat about the restaurant and the new menu items that have recently been introduced.

When we left, we were all given a container with biscuit dough, jam, and butter to take home - with the directions for baking them. We left and, on the way, home discussed going back this weekend for brunch.

Needless to say, we...

*Delayed post from June ‘25

I stopped here for lunch before hitting the beach and had a mixed experience. Parking in the area can be tricky, but we lucked out with a spot off the street. Our server was attentive when we put in our food and drink orders, then all but disappeared afterwards, which forced us to go to the bar to pay after a long wait.

The BBQ eggrolls we ordered were delicious! They reminded me of sliders, but lighter and less greasy than expected, and the ratio of meat to wrapper was perfect. The outside was thin, crispy and gave a crunch when you bit into one, while the shredded pork and beef filling was moist and tender. It had a significant amount of vinegar based BBQ sauce that was also very sweet, presumably from brown sugar. I appreciated the chives on top and the buttermilk ranch on the side as well because the ranch has an acidity to it that pairs nicely with the sweet, tangy and smoky filling.

The Mahi sandwich was also a great choice, served on charred, buttery, soft bun, and topped with red onions, pickles, and a mayo/mustard sauce with lots of herbs. The fish was cooked really well and dripped so much juice that it soaked the entire plate as I bit into it. My only criticism is there were too many raw red onions and the pickles were cut too thick. The fries on the side were thin and unfortunately stale. Thankfully I also ordered the Apple Quinoa Salad, which was the quintessential SoCal quinoa salad I was craving. The greens were fresh and crunchy, with a decent amount of vinaigrette to coat it all without being too oily. The toasted pecans paired lovely with the tart dried cherries and a large portion of feta crumbled throughout.

On the other hand, the BBQ ribs were terrible. They were super dry from end to end and largely inedible without sauce, though even then they were pretty bad. The coleslaw side was way too pickled and cut in unappetizing thick strips, especially the large chunks of red onion. They need to reduce the amount of vinegar and be wary of letting it sit for too long before serving to prevent it from fermenting. Honestly, I’d just rework the recipe altogether and include mayo to balance out the high level of acidity, maybe even stealing the buttermilk...