Kiki's Chicken and Waffles

I was initially going to give two stars based on the food, but, because the chef, Ed, and our waitress, Cassandra, were both very nice, I'm giving them three stars. I ordered the shrimp and grits and just didn't like it at all. I've never had shrimp and grits with brown gravy and it just wasn't my flavor. I didn't complain about it, but Cassandra noticed that I only ate the four shrimp that came with the dish and offered to see if it could be taken off our check. I didn't ask for or expect this accommodation. She spoke with the chef, Ed, and he came out and apologized and offered us an alternate dish in addition to not charging us for the shrimp and grits. We thought that was very nice and generous of him. My husband had the barbecue salmon with mashed potatoes and collard greens. They initially forgot the mashed potatoes, but Cassandra brought them out quickly once we told her. The mashed potatoes and collard greens were tasty. He said the salmon was a little bland. We had the mac and

Foyer area wasn’t tidy and greeting/seating staff was not personable and appeared to be aggravated and agitated/short patient with customer however once seated our server was amazing and attentive and the food was hot, fresh and delicious. Prices are fair and food is great quality for price. We had fried greens beans appetizer, sweet potatoes waffles and chicken, pecan waffles and chicken with a side of Mac and cheese. The sweet waffle was delicious, chicken hot fresh delicious, green beans and macaroni all delicious. The pecan waffle was good but nothing spectacular. Would definitely go again. Went on a Saturday with usc homecoming and fair in town at midday and the wait exceeded 30minutes. Update: Food is fresher in the morning when the grease is fresh. I went back in the evening and the chicken tasted like old grease and food wasn’t as fresh.

I've been hearing about Kikis since I arrived in Columbia and I was finally able to check it out. The bottom line is the hype is real. Kikis is often praised as the best soul food in Columbia and I found no reason to doubt that. If you plan on going, it is apparently always busy so get there early or plan on a little wait. Full disclosure, I was told my wait would be about 40 minutes but I was seated well before that time. They utilize Yelps wait system so you can always check on your place in line while you wait in your car. I ordered the shrimp and grits appetizer, and it was larger than I expected. The shrimps and sausage were plentiful and the dish was very tasty, although the gravy was darker than im used to with this dish. The wings are very delicious, of a good size and you get 5 wholes with the wings meal. After eating the appetizer it was all I could do to finish all of the wings, but I did it, lol. All of the food ordered was well prepared and delicious. I will definitely