Kinfork BBQ & Tap

4 Reviews on “Kinfork BBQ & Tap”

• Brittany Puller

  My aunt and I came by after hearing that they had happy hour specials during the week. The specials were great, however the drinks and service was less than desired. It took us awhile to get ahold of our waitress (and even our check), so we spent quite a bit of time waiting. We finally got our moonshine-inspired cocktails, but there was barely any alcohol in them. My peach and mint cocktail was very light, and my aunts drink tasted like juice. Luckily, our food came out soon after. The quesadilla was just okay (the salsa had no flavor), but the rest of the meal was solid. The cheese curds were fresh and perfectly paired with a tangy sauce. The garlic buffalo wings werent too spicy for my aunt, and she liked the flavor of them. Her favorite part of the meal was the brisket, which was crispy and tender, well seasoned, and topped with a pickled slaw. For the BBQ, this place lived up to Midwestern standards.

  August 13, 2020, 10:21 pm

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• Marie Shih

  The service was great and my bacon cheeseburger was fantastic! However, fries were subpar, BBQ chicken was dry and boring. My brother asked for a baked potato for the side and and an additional tater tots on the side, but only got the tots with no baked potato!

  October 24, 2017, 3:55 am

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• HelloKittyFoodie

  When this restaurant was suggested to me I wasn’t sure about it. Who has great, non-chain food at a shopping mall? Well this place does. We came in pretty late in the evening but they were fine taking us. Our service and food was quick. I tried the cheese curds with white BBQ sauce. I’m not sure what white BBQ sauce consists of but it’s pretty great. I tried the lobster bisque soup and it was pretty good, not the best lobster bisque I’ve ever had, but pretty good for a place that is supposed to be more southern inspired. I had the smoked turkey panini for dinner, it was so good. It was so flavorful and the bread was just toasted enough that everything was melted inside but the bread was still soft.

  September 15, 2016, 9:38 pm

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• Just Jamie

  Despite the promising Southern-inspired menu, most of their offerings lacked one key component flavor. Call it the Curse of the Burbs, but just a dash of salt, a smattering of seasonings during the preparation, or even some fresh herbs would have elevated this food from mediocre to above average and when you factor in their remarkable price-points and portion sizes, theres potential for success, even in a mall.Since we were visiting from downtown Chicago, I had to do a double take when I saw the craft cocktail list single digit prices. Yes. Hard to believe! The Moonshine Electric Lemonade was refreshing and potent, while my old reliable the simple Old Fashioned- was perfectly built around a stiff pour of Foresters Bourbon.On to the menu items: Down in the South, where I was raised, Hush Puppies (two words) are comfortable shoes. But hushpuppies, the Southern fish-fry staple, are small, deep-fried balls of corn meal, white flour and buttermilk, typically flavored with onion powder or maybe a little finely grated raw onion. Kinforks appetizer version of hush puppies ($7) are ultra-light, perfectly fried balls of a sweet, cake-like batter, dotted with pieces of roasted corn, diced jalapeno and cheddar cheese but despite the additions, the little golf ball-sized blister of air were woefully lacking in flavor. Moreover, the peach crme fraiche dipping sauce tasted like a melted Creamsicle popsicle. Folks, the only thing that should be served with savory hushpuppies is honey butter. Keeping with the Southern theme, I ordered the Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwich a massive (ENORMOUS!) tennis ball portion of shredded pork, piled on top of a toasted sweetish bun and topped with a watery again, bland- coleslaw and semi-fried onion strings. The pork itself was so saturated in their Red Vinegar Carolina Sauce, the bun disintegrated when I picked it up, and the tomato-y sauce masked what little subtle smokiness the meat had captured.—FYI: The Great State of North Carolina is the only state with two distinctive styles of barbecue (and, yes, barbecue is a noun, not a verb, for some of us). Eastern style is typically whole hog barbecue, smoked over hardwood and mopped with a tangy apple cider vinegar, brown sugar and pepper sauce. And then there is Western style, which is pure evil. (Just kidding!) Actually, Western is almost the same as Eastern style, but they add a heavy dose of ketchup to their sauce (Sacrilege!), and instead of cooking a whole hog, they usually cook pork butts or shoulders, sometimes over wood, sometimes over charcoal.—Kinfolks attempt to blend the flavors of Eastern and Western North Carolina falls flat theres simply too much ketchup in their sauce, and the heavy sugar and/or corn syrup ratio leaves a greasy coating on the pork that stifles the smoky goodness. The reason you use cider vinegar as the sauces base is to cut the fat on the pork, for better mouth feel. Unfortunately, their sugary mopping sauce is just too sweet to allow the tanginess and smattering of heat to shine. The wifes Meatloaf Plate ($15) was a mammoth portion of three flat-top grilled slices of uber-tender meat planks. Again, a tiny bit of salt and pepper perked up the flavor. The mashed potatoes were tepid and tasteless, except for the oleo-like liquid pooled on the top, and the two tree-like branches of broccolini were so bitter they were almost inedible. (Maybe a little more blanching before tossing them on the plate?)Well certainly give them another try, with hopes they are still dialing in the recipes on their expansive menu. And while portion sizes are ginormous, the price points on all their offerings are spot-on. Service was excellent from our waiter, Chris, and well offer a big thumbs up to Justin, who steered us towards the restaurant while he was working the crowd in the mall on a busy Saturday night.

  September 7, 2016, 12:32 am

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