Mrs. Kitchen Soul Food Restaurant — Restaurant in Windcrest

I don't know why it took soooooo long for me to come here!!! It's literally 10 minutes from my house!!! After hearing several people recommend this place, I finally caved in a went today after my daughter's soccer game. I knew I didn't want to go home and cook, but I didn't want a salty to- go burger either. Then it just hit me!!! I googled Mrs. Kitchen's and headed right over. I wasn't 100% sure what to expect, but the second I walked in, I was greeted with the friendliest front desk lady! (Is it Mrs. Kitchen's herself lol) Right away she asked me if I had ever been here before, I said no, and she immediately told me about the loyalty card program. Basically for every meal you buy, you get a punch in a card, and when you hit 10, your 11th meal is free!! She was so courteous and lovely, like going to a childhood friend's house with parents who like you lol!!! The food looked so fresh and amazing! It's cafeteria style, and you can dine in or get it to go. The lady who served me was so sweet! As it was my first time I knew at the very least I HAD to get the oxtails!! For my other entree I got he smothered chicken. I got the sweet potatoes, collards and black eyed peas. Even the cashier was so nice and lovely, as I walked out the door I can't lie, I teared up a bit because of how accommodating and kind the staff was. I definitely stand out a bit in this environment, and I wasn't displeased!!! Even before I tried the food the feeling I had just being here was enough for me. Do let's get to the food. The oxtail are like BUTTER!!!!! So sweet and tender, I just want a box of them by themselves!!! The smothered chicken was hands down the best I've ever had!!! It was so tender and juicy, and the gravy was perfectly seasoned! I should have gotten another side of black eyes peas, because those were awesome too!!! I thought I mad good black eyed peas, but these were soooooo good!!! Anyway, long story short, Mrs. Kitchen's is clearly a San Antonio soul food standout!!! Go here...

I've been here 4 times. Each visit gets worse. The first time I was with a large group so I guess the waiter and everyone in the resturant were on their "best behavior". The customer service is horrible except for the lady who serves the veggies. She's not rude or nice but just barely cordial. The ONE waiter I've ever seen, and the cashier who doubles as a waitress, both do the bare minimum and verge on lazy. Every time I've been, the food is ok but definitely not great. First of all, let me not even get started on the oxtails...or should I say lack thereof! Everytime I've ever been. They don't have them because they "cost too much to purchase and cook". One Sunday they had...wait for it...oxtails pot pie! My opinion of all the foods I've had over my 4 visits: The best 2 things there by far are the Lemonade and/or Kool-aid and the fried catfish. Nice sized, golden brown peices, nicely seasoned but a tad bit under cooked. The baked chicken is dry, the meatloaf looked like it had been there a year, the smothered chicken and pork chops are both smothered in the same gravy which is bland and taste like flour. The greens were undercooked and desperately needed seasoning. The cabbage was very good but way too greasy. The corn was straight from the can with butter added, the cornbread was average, and the yams were good but waaay to suger-y (not a hint of cinnamon or brown sugar. Just plain white sugar). Everytime I've been I've tried something different or tasted someone's food with me hoping to find something really good. Unfortunately I have not found that item yet. I think I've experienced it enough now over the past year, so I don't think I need to go back. The food is very pricey for substandard food and bad...

TLDR; the food is way too salty to the point that I had to spot eating.

I only visited this restaurant because we had a work-related event here... it's not a place I would normally visit on my own. I don't generally eat this type of food, and I guess that means my review may not mean anything if I don't have much to go on.

The staff is very friendly, will ask you to get as much food as you like, and make the serving line entertaining as you go through. The food selection varies quite a lot and I wanted to try everything. They even had a chicken pot pie the size of a dinner plate! Unfortunately, my stomach isn't a bottomless pit, so I settled for some fried cat fish, a piece of fried chicken, collard greens, cabbage, and cornbread.

With the first bite of every item, disappointment showed up and it remained throughout. I immediately noticed the high sodium content. Maybe I'm just sensitive to salt, but I don't normally notice it as much as I did here. Heck, I don't ever think about it anywhere else. The only thing I could finish on my plate was the cornbread, everything else was too salty - yes, even the fried chicken! The cornbread was a bit on the dry side though, but isn't all cornbread like that? Cornbread is supposed to choke you because your partner is too timid and doesn't do it when you ask. So I guess that makes the cornbread good and satisfying, right?

Overall, I did not enjoy any of the items I had. Perhaps it was an off day for the cooks. Maybe my palette was acting weird on this day. Or, something else happened and the food is usually delicious and everyone loves it, but not when I was there. The reviews to this restaurant lean significantly towards the positive side, so I understand I am...