Our server Tony was amazing!! He pointed us towards the yummiest drinks and apps. The drinks were our favorite but the pickles they make in house were the talk of the table! Perfect dinner watching sun go down at the Wharf. read more

Felipe took great care of us, he's very charismatic and very quick. He's always willing to help and make people feel at ease

I came in today for lunch and the crab cake sandwich was amazing. My server was very knowledgeable.

We were in Washington DC for a conference and decided to look around the area for Halal food. It was a real novelty finding out that there was a Halal southern style barbecue available in the area, so we made a point to check it out before we left the state. I have to say, we're really glad that we gave it a shot. It's not often that you get to try Halal beef brisket, and it didn't disappoint. We also tried the gumbo, which I've never had because it's never Halal, and pastrami sandwich. Both were delicious! Our server was also very prompt and kind, in the service generally was pleasant, and we never felt rushed. We definitely enjoyed our time here and would recommend this place to anyone in search of unique Halal food options in the area. read more

Kinfolk Southern Kitchen - Burnt Ends, gumbo, Pastrami Sandwich - Southern Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Decided to try Kinfolk for date night. The food wasn't bad at all -- but I did find myself thinking the collard greens and mac and cheese are dishes I personally enjoy more when made at home. The standout for me was definitely the brisket. I ordered the burnt ends, and they were flavorful and tender. The hush puppies were tasty, though a bit on the greasy side. Service could have been better; there were several moments where we found ourselves looking around for our server, who only seemed to stop by when we made eye contact. We also asked about the portion size for the burnt ends, and our server made it seem much smaller than it actually was, so we were surprised by how generous the serving ended up being. Overall, the experience wasn't bad, but if I returned, it would mainly be for the brisket. The meal was enjoyable, though not necessarily something I couldn't make or find better at home. read more

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7.5/10 -- Kinfolk (The Wharf, DC) Kinfolk definitely matches the Wharf vibe--great atmosphere, stylish setup, and a nice place to hang out. That said, service was a bit slow, especially since it wasn't crowded. Drinks looked amazing, but my Moscow Mule was just... decent. Not bad, not memorable. Food: * Cheddar Cheese Biscuits (pepper jelly) - a little disappointing * Cornbread (sweet hickory butter, smoked salt) - solid, but not standout (appreciated the server letting me swap!) * Fried Blue Catfish (chow-chow, pickled shrimp, farro, jalapeño remoulade) - this was the star of the night. Flavorful, well-balanced, and absolutely made up for the earlier misses. Overall: good vibe, mixed food experience, but worth a visit--especially for that catfish. #DCeats #TheWharfDC #KinfolkDC #FoodieReview read more

Kinfolk Southern Kitchen - Fried Blue Catfish - Southern Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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My husband and I stopped in last night around 7:30 when it was definitely very busy. We were lucky enough to snag two end bar seats closest to the bathroom. We had Aaron as a bartender who was excellent! He was extremely busy but communicated with us the whole time which is all you can ask from a server. Nothing worse than just sitting there unacknowledged. That was not the case here. Aaron immediately greeted us and told us he had numerous people sit at the same time and he would be with us in a few. He provided us water and menus. We ordered the chicken tacos, brisket sliders and deviled eggs off their weekday/all day happy hour menu. All three were great. We then tried a side of the potato salad and the jalapeño sausage. I really liked the sausage and the potato salad was good but seemed pretty standard and basic. We each had a couple beers which were also cheap off the HH menu. Overall, we had a great experience and would definitely return if ever in the area. Thanks, Aaron, for the great service and conversation! read more

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Food was good but nothing to go out of your way for. Only sort of southern food, what southern restaurant doesn't have fried green tomatoes.?. The service was the worst we had in 10 days visiting DC and they were not busy on a Sunday at 6p.m., slow, inattentive and dismissive. read more

Ok we were in DC for the week taking the youngin to see the Nations Capital. So we also had to see what the DC food scene was like. Found Kinfolk on Tik Tok and figured we'd try it. I must say I was very satisfied with the choice. The vibe was good, down on the Wharf, you had water people looking like they just got off work, some tourist like us, others celebrating an occasion. Now to the food Deviled Eggs: this were really tasty I do recommend trying if you are into DE. Crab dip: comes out piping hot! It taste really good l. I personally dislike anything that says it has crab in it, but you can't taste the crab. In this you can taste the crab! I had the blue catfish: it came on a bed of something I can't explain it, it had shrimp, veggies, it was kinda like a succotash. Well whatever it was it was good!!! And the fish was fried perfectly it was a great meal. The wife had the fried chicken with Mac and Cheese and greens. The chicken was extremely tender it is brined before fried and the batter was decent. If I hadn't had all the other stuff I would've helped her finish but I was full. The youngin had the ribs. These were ok. A little dried out like maybe this wasn't a fresh batch but you could tell the would've been really good fresh off the grill. Overall I highly recommend this place if you are in the area! read more

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Decent atmosphere but the food lacked. Burnt ends, mac cheese, brisket, cheese fries ( cant remember the name) . Definitely no to the potato salad. It was okay just not good. Not terrible but wouldn't return. Definitely wouldn't order same food, if someone else offered to pay . Service was great. Bathrooms needed attention. read more

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I agree with the general feedback with this place. It' has professional staff, delicious food, and great ambience located on the Potomac, but the price is really high. But you get what you pay for and you are not just paying for the food but the environment friendly service and it's a beautiful setting. Good enough for an important meeting, date, or even a wedding. I recommend the oysters and steak and frites. You get the most from your money. read more

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As a southerner, I'm always searching for the best southern spot in DC. Unfortunately, Kinfolk was not it. I was genuinely hoping that my theory of wharf restaurants (overpriced but bleh food) would be proven wrong. First, it is a beautiful venue. Sits right across from the dock and stunning view of the water. The decor is also nice and the space is large in general. We ordered the deviled eggs and cornbread. I don't remember much but they were just okay. I preferred the eggs over the cornbread. For my main, I ordered the gumbo and had high hopes. The first bite was straight disappointment. The roux was literally tomato soup and did not taste like any gumbo I've had. Or at least not any real gumbo. The service was okay. He had a lot of tables around so wasn't super attentive but also wasn't terrible. There were points where he would refill everyone's water but mine or completely miss my table in general. Overall, I won't be coming back. It's not bad but for the price, it's not worth it. read more

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I am visiting DC and decided to try Kinfolk Southern kitchen. We ordered food via Door dash. We had smoked wings, crab dip, and tandoori chicken. All of the food was good. The tandoori chicken was a huge portion and can definitely be shared. The reason for 4 stars is because we could not order over the phone to pick up. The only option was to go to the restaurant to pick up an order or get it delivered. read more

Kinfolk Southern Kitchen - Tandoori chicken - Southern Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I had coworkers in town staying at the Wharf, so I wanted to pick somewhere close to their hotel that still had good food and a welcoming vibe. We chose Kinfolk and it was a solid decision. We started with the cheddar cheese biscuits with pepper jam and the deviled eggs. Both were tasty and a great way to start the meal. I ordered the chicken and sausage gumbo for my entrée. The portion was generous and flavorful, though I would have loved a little more spice. The ambience is great, especially the bar area. It's a good size and perfect for happy hour if you arrive around 6 o'clock. Most people seemed to be walk ins, which gave the place a lively feel. The drinks had good flavor but were a bit watered down for my taste. One coworker ordered a non alcoholic hot drink and enjoyed it, even though he added more water because it was fruit heavy. Service was excellent. Our waiter kept our water glasses full and was always nearby when we needed something. I would definitely come back. Next time, I'd just order my drink on the rocks instead of a mixed cocktail. read more

Kinfolk Southern Kitchen - Deviled Eggs and Cheddar Cheese biscuits with Pepper Jam - Southern Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

The view was beautiful, you can lookout on the water while you eat. We went for brunch on a Saturday, the vibes were great, if only the food matched. The crab dip was the best thing we ate. Everything else lacked flavor. The biscuits were dense, the brisket needed seasoning, and the French toast was dry. read more

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I came here for a midweek late lunch, so it was fairly empty. It's a beautiful spot right by the water. We were seated right away. Our server was Hans, and he was great! Very attentive and nice. We had the smoked dry rub wings as an appetizer. I really enjoyed the flavor of the dry rub. For my entree, I got the salmon with mashed potatoes and broccoli. They asked how I wanted my salmon cooked. I said medium, but it still came out well done. It had a slightly strong fishy taste, but it was still good. I really appreciated the crunchy broccoli and the mashed potatoes, didn't need anything else on them! I got a classic margarita with a salted rim, and it was delicious and refreshing! I'd like to come back and try their bbq options. read more

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Went to Kinfolk on the Wharf for a Saturday brunch. It also coincided with St Patrick's Day celebratory activities so it's a festive mood everywhere you looked. Kinfolk is a family friendly place with some great southern food choices like fried chicken, bbq brisket, crab cakes, steak and eggs, Mac and cheese and so on. The brisket is tender and flavorful so was the brunch option of steak and eggs. Very impressed with the Mac and cheese from the Children's menu. The restaurant opens at 11 am and we were able to walk in with 6 of us. On street metered parking is possible on Maine Ave if you are there early for brunch. Otherwise there are garages which can cost you a penny. The location of the restaurant was perfect with great view of the river and offers opportunity to walk along the wharf before or after a meal. read more

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Kenvin was excellent!!! Kenvin was excellent!!! Kenvin was excellent!!! read more

This place was such a disappointment. Visited for the first (and last) time today 5/2/2026. We ordered the cornbread as an appetizer, it was Alright, but not really worth $8.50. Our entrees were the Cajun shrimp pasta and the fried catfish. The $36 catfish didn't come with any sides so we added mac and cheese for $13. The Cajun shrimp pasta was so bland and came with 4 small Shrimp. There was NOTHING "Cajun" about it . No sauce, no seasoning no flavor. I sent it back. I ended up sharing my partner's entree which was just ok. $85 spent on one entree, a side and cornbread. What a waste. There are far too many options at the wharf to deal with mediocre food. read more

stopped by Kinfolk DC for happy hour and had a great experience. The bartender was excellent--friendly, attentive, and really knew how to craft a good drink. Every cocktail was well-balanced and enjoyable, making it easy to want to try more than one. The vibe was relaxed but lively, perfect for unwinding after work or meeting up with friends. With solid drinks and standout service, Kinfolk DC is definitely a happy hour spot worth returning to. read more

Kinfolk Southern Kitchen - Southern Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Bro the food is good but what in gods green earth are these prices? I'm a big fan of pastrami sandwiches y'know? Lay on that meat with ya pickled vegetables and bread and call it a day. At most I'd expect a price around $15 but good lord the sandwich with fries is $31 (thirty-one washingtons tax not included). Was this a world shattering sandwich? By all accounts no, so what am I exactly buying into? The ambiance and location? Probably. But this type of pricing isn't sustainable. Perhaps, I'm not the target demographic but I can't imagine the intended audience finds the quality to price ratio worth it as well? Regardless, the service was fine - our dude was chilling and made sure our orders were taken quickly and served as soon as they were ready. Additionally, the vibes are immaculate for kickbacks with large groups - not too loud and tables are huge. Overall, would only recommend this place for the location and design - I cannot fully stand behind their food situation though. read more

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As a pretty regular yelper, I'm very sad that I did not read Nessa's review of this place before we tried it. My son and I went to the Wharf for brunch. We, too, we're fooled by the name Kinfolk, and also expected someone's grandmother to be in the kitchen. 1. If you can't make breakfast, don't serve brunch. 2. Eggs are only scrambled? What? 3. Chicken, sausage, bacon, and brisket were absolutely fabulous. It is clear the person behind this restaurant knows how to make meat, but nothing else. 4. Hashbrowns were literally out of the freezer and put in the toaster oven. 5. Toast? 1/2 of one slice of white bread with no butter or jelly? We asked for butter and it came frozen. 6. This is not exclusive to this restaurant, but please, for goodness sake, put some salt and pepper on the table at least. 7. Our waiter was just that. He waited to be told to do anything like refill water or coffee. He was definitely not a server, and can use some better dental hygiene. Just saying. Bottom line is we paid a lot of money for pretty poor food. Meat was great. If you're only looking to order meat, give it a try. If you actually want breakfast, or brunch, I highly recommend you try somewhere else. read more

I'd recommend this place. It is perfectly located on the wharf and has a beautiful aesthetic, without doing too much. The music is a good volume and the staff is extremely pleasant and knowledgeable. I had a reservation and was seated immediately, which was nice to not have an additional wait. I came on a Sunday during brunch hours and one thing I can give them extra kudos for is NOT limiting guests to only the brunch options like many DC restaurants do. This was a nice surprise and allowed me and my friend to explore the full menu. The food was pretty good, with the exception of the potato salad but that was a risk to even order. The restaurant is southern INSPIRED, but most of the dishes nailed it. The deviled eggs were 10/10. They had a nice kick that was a surprise, but extremely delicious. The toast that came with the crab dip was delightful, and the dip was really good itself. The oysters were fresh. The Brussel spouts were tasty. The catfish was a huge portion and fried perfectly. The crab cakes were also huge and my friend enjoyed those. I think (outside of the potato salad) we made some safe picks here and everything turned out great. My only gripe is the name because (I don't think) the establishment is black owned. However, I get they are trying to pay homage to the southern inspired cuisine. If come back again to try some other menu items for sure. read more

Let me preface this with, the 5 stars is simply for their cheddar cheese biscuits with pepper jelly only. My friend went for lunch and I asked her to bring me back an order of these biscuits. I took them home, warmed it in the oven and inhaled it. It was moist, delicious, cheesy, great size... and that pepper jelly was very good. read more

Kinfolk Southern Kitchen - Cheddar Cheese Biscuits - Southern Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Went for a girls night out. The food and atmosphere here was amazing! The customer service was great.

Despite the name and the branding, I wasn't the target audience...this is "southern inspired" food for gentrifiers. I was so excited to try the Halal Platter and while the presentation was excellent, the food was room temp - the platter needs to come out on cast iron or something to hold the temp. The fried chicken had zero flavor, the brisket was a miss, the beef ribs were fine but the sauce was odd - we were given a bottle of something that looked like Carolina BBQ, but it wasn't. The tandoori didn't scream 100 year Desi family recipe, but was flavorful and the chicken sausage put me in mind of a resham kabab with a casing. I also excitedly ordered the catfish - that was a miss; Cracker Barrel does a better job. The calamari was good but not hot, the oysters were fresh but tiny. My son said the Sprite was better than the "Kissed By the Sun" mocktail. The mac and cheese was HORRIBLE (I should've known better when I saw panko in the description, but I thought I was among kinfolk and they were doing something interesting) the collards tasted like they were cooked in salty chicken broth and were virtually inedible. After the experience I looked a little further because I had been under the impression this was a Black owned/operated restaurant, but that food indicates that they don't even have a Black person in the kitchen washing dishes. I felt bamboozled because the branding approaches cultural appropriation yet it doesn't seem their "skilled chefs" have a clue about southern cooking. Needless to say i won't be back, in fact, I'll stick with the Philadelphia food scene because frankly DC is not worth the 2 hour drive from Delaware due to things outside of this restaurant's control - the parking was horrendous - all of the garages were full and we eventually found a garage within a 10 minute walk. The 4% surcharge is ridiculous, the 20% service charge feels like a scam, especially when an additional tip is requested after the card is run, and the 10% DC State Tax is not just on the F&B, it's also on the charges. There were other restaurants on my list to try, but I'll stay north of the Mason Dixon. read more

Kinfolk Southern Kitchen - Halal Platter - Southern Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Our first time at Kinfolk at the Wharf! Interior ambiance is very lively and modern feeling with the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the wharf and water. Service was excellent and attentive as expected. We decided to start off with crab dip and burnt ends. Crab dip was super creamy and warm and gooey and we definitely needed more pita chips. Burnt ends were very nice small morsels of beef brisket with onions and pickles to cut the grease. And then we got the full size beef brisket and gumbo. The portion size was massive! We definitely needed boxes but it was super moist and tender and we got more of the onions and pickles to cut the grease. I wish we had more options for different sides, though. The gumbo was very nice too with the andouille sausage and rice. Entrees were on the pricey side, though and we had limited options to get different small sides. Overall a nice experience. read more

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Quick bar review! Service is really fast. They greeted me immediately and served drinks or any food orders quickly. Huge bar, large restaurant, good for family and friends, casual dress! Personally, I found the pork tacos, a little dry, and I felt that I was getting tired chewing. Could be the day... but would definitely return to try some of their southern entrees since that's what they're known for. read more

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I visited the wharf a few times and always wanted to try this place. FYI all items are a la carte. Reservation: Recommended Seating : seating available in the Sunroom, inside the restaurant or at the bar . I highly recommend seating in the sunroom area. It is a beautiful space. Service: Our waitress seemed knowledge about the menu but it was hard to find her when we needed things. We had to ask other servers for assistance. 3/5 Drink : Strawberry Lemonade 5/5 absolutely delicious Appetizer: Deviled Eggs - I did not like the Dijon mustard flavor 2/5 Cornbread: Very tasty and the whipped butter paired perfectly with it. 4/5 Entree: Catfish - could've been seasoned a little more. 3/5 The chow chow was too spicy for me . Brussel sprouts - perfectly seasoned and a little sweet. I did not like the promergrante seeds but it was great. 5/5 Mac &cheese- was good 4/5 Brisket - tender and juicy Pork ribs- nicely seasoned 4/5 Overall, I enjoyed my visit to Kinfolk. The food was good and the wait time to receive our food and be seated with quick. I would visit again. Although, the service could use some work. read more

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This wasn't our original place to go. We has a reservation at the original place (that shall not be named) and somehow STILL could not take us in. So we fell upon this place! This restaurant was PACKED and STILL let us in. Despite the place being VERY busy, our waitress did the best she could to accommodate us and much was appreciated. We ordered the Cornbread, Beef Brisket, Smoked Chicken Tandori, with side of Dirty Rice and Mac N Cheese. Brisket was soooo good. Not too oily and tender. Chicken was nicely seasoned! We had a delightful dinner! fyi, pricing is a bit expensive. I would highly recommend to try this place if you have not yet. read more

Kinfolk Southern Kitchen - Southern Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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I went to brunch on Saturday with a group and we had a great time! We were seated immediately upon arrival and it was very clean inside. I had a Bellini with avocado toast, hash browns, eggs and bacon. It was a lot of food and I ended up sharing my eggs and bacon. Everyone really enjoyed their meals and left stuffed! I would definitely return again and recommend Kinfolk to others. read more

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Very torn about this place. Came here recently on spring break as we were staying in the area. Getting in to check in for our reservation took about 10 minutes, there was a line out the door. Normally I would take this as a good sign (a lot of people want to eat here) but it seemed like the staff was just overwhelmed. We were sat and after about 15 minutes our waiter took our order and drinks took about 10 minutes, our app was about 10 minutes later. We did not get entrees until one hour later. They did check on us and we were seated right in front of the kitchen, they seemed to be struggling. The food was solid, the cheddar biscuits were excellent and paired with a delicious spicy pepper jelly. Kids portions were huge, my kids liked the pizza and chicken tenders. I ordered the gumbo which was very tasty, but it was a shockingly small portion for $25, I think there were only about 4 tablespoons of rice in the dish. My husband got a half rack of ribs which he liked, but also at $40 if felt too pricey. I'd skip the cocktails they have on tap, my husband and I each got a different one and both were very sweet. I just think the prices and level of service are severely mismatched. I will say this restaurant did seem consistent with other places on the wharf that were family friendly, so maybe we just aren't the target demographic here. read more

We ended up at Kinfolk for a last-minute brunch when our original spot had a long wait. This place had zero wait time, which made the decision easy--even if it wasn't our first choice. The highlight? Cheddar biscuits. Seriously amazing. Flaky, cheesy, and full of flavor--we liked them enough to take some home. That said, $28 for 8 biscuits (2 orders of 4 biscuits) feels steep, but if you're a biscuit fan, it's probably worth it. The rest of the experience was mixed. Vegetarian options were very limited, which was a bit of a letdown for my wife. The omelette was excellent--fluffy and perfectly cooked--but the hash fell short. Portion was small, and it lacked the zest and mouth feel of meat, hash and what little bit a creama was on the plate. I asked for a substitute for the white bread. Of any other type of bread I specified a type of wheat bread. The waitress said she would ask the kitchen. No response back. Meal comes out with the bread I did not want or ate. It appears substitutes are not possible. Drinks were just okay. No wine list (or at least none we saw), but there was a rotating beer of the day. I tried one of the mocktails, which just tasted like high priced juice--even though they used a non-alcoholic tequila. Service was average--not bad, not great. The overall vibe seemed to attract people avoiding the long waits at other nearby spots, which was definitely our case too. Kinfolk is good if you're in a pinch especially if you're at the wharf on a weekend morning. Brunch is pretty big deal in DC Kinfolk is not somewhere I'd go out of my way to return to--except maybe for those biscuits. read more

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Hush puppies were not great. But I did like the brussels sprouts. The oysters were also ok but Espresso martini was good! read more

Kinfolk Southern Kitchen - Oysters - Southern Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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We walked in very hungry and our party of two was excited to be seated almost immediately even though they were super busy (around 2:45pm on a Sunday). We were seated on the patio and the weather was perfect which made everything even better. We ordered mocktails my friend had the berry flavored one and I had the mockarita which was so flavorful and spicy. We also had the wings (Korean bbq) and the Brussels sprouts as appetizers. Both were decent but were not the most delicious we've ever had. I had the fried catfish (it was panko fried) which is not southern so that was interesting but the sauces and garnishments made the flavor of the dish well rounded. My friend ordered the salmon with mash potatoes and charred broccoli and she loved it. Overall, our price tag was $156 total including at 22% tip. Pretty standard dinner pricing in DC at the Wharf. read more

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I stopped in here for happy hour on a weekday. I was greeted promptly by Aturo who was very kind and took time to learn everyone's name at the bar. he gave me recommendations based on the happy hour menu. I got the margarita. It was prompt and delicious. We ended up having a great conversations about bourbon and he told me about tequila and its aging process. It was a really pleasant experience. You could tell the bartenders and staff all really got along. It was so cool to see. I really enjoyed this experience and it got me out of the cold in the middle of the day. And able to enjoy the view from inside. Thanks Aturo for the excellent drink and the conversation! read more

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Man o man! 100/10 food and service, I will return soon. The gumbo and the blue catfish were outstanding. Flavor, temperature and presentation were perfect. The restaurant is busy, but the food comes out fast. read more

Kinfolk Southern Kitchen - Gumbo and Fried Blue Catfish - Southern Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Im so glad we chose this spot for drinks and food before our show. The overall ambiance was chill, interior decorating beautiful and they had outdoor seating. Our server was super helpful, helped us pick out amazing cocktails and even recommended the amazing brussel sprouts! the drinks was hitting, food was hitting, and they had an amazing playlist ans it wasnt too loud in there. Will definitely be back! read more

Kinfolk Southern Kitchen - Southern Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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The ambiance is nice. Good customer service. The food was expensive for it to just be ok. I think you're paying for the location. It's not a bad spot, but probably not a place I'd revisit. They don't have large portion sizes and it's not extra tasty. The ribs were ok, but nothing to write home about. The biscuits were actually dry without the jelly they provided. The brussel sprouts were decent. Overall, just an ok experience. read more

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Love this place. What a great restaurant and a great location. Busy but not overly crowded or too loud. From start to finish the experience here was awesome. We were greeted with a smile at the door and taken to our table. Our server came to the table and was perfectly attentive. Now the food...yes. That's what we came for and all the plates were sooo good. Only got pics of the old fashioned, beef ribs, and crab cakes. However the apps (oysters, cornbread, and crab dip), plus the catfish and salmon were amazing as well. Seems like a place that does it all really well. Can't recommend enough. read more

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