Jct Kitchen & Bar

Doesn't Recommend

mateyo

Joined 5 years ago

Average At Best. Never been here before, have heard good things about the food (fried chicken). The restaurant has a great feel and a lively atmosphere. Our waitress was very nice and attentive.

We started with the mussels, which were great but a standard with any restaurant and a simply item to make. I order the the lamb shank, which was the special of the night. My wife agreed with me in that the lamb taste like something we make called beef stew. The sides were boring and I had to add salt for flavor, not good for $28. My wife ordered the scallops, which looked great but had a sauce on them that tasted like soy sauce.

Bottom line, go to South City Kitchen for the same theme but better food.

Recommends

TheEbonyPrince

Joined 5 years ago

Great Scene...Average Food. This place has a very nice set-up and I'll leave it at that when it comes to positives about this restaurant. The food is sooooooo mediocre considering the high prices. Our server was nice but wasn't very prompt. My glass stayed empty for majority of the evening. We didn't see him too often. I ordered one of their supposedly "customer favorites," the fried chicken, and I didn't taste anything special about it. Bottom line, it has a nice layout that's date friendly but I wouldn't return to JCT Kitchen on my dollar.

Recommends

Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Southern farmstead cuisine flourishes in booming West Midtown.. Chef-owner Ford Fry has brought his version of New Southern cuisine to Atlanta's trendy Westside. Located in the space that once housed Commune and Sampan, the restaurant has a more casual vibe than its predecessors. The scene sure is cozy but it's the food -shrimp and grits, fried chicken, sweet corn soup and a modern version of chicken and dumplings that changes with the seasons - that has even the most jaded foodie hipster going back for seconds.

High Marks
"I've never been to a restaurant that could even TRY and compete with my daddy's cheesy grits. Don't tell dad... but these were almost just as good." (chason, Citysearch user)

"The overall experience was pure comfort food, with a new Southern twist." (jaymaygm, Citysearch user)

"Winelist: delightful. A good range of varietals and good to see the choices extend beyond the typical retail presence." (therestaurant critic, Citysearch user)

"...the coconut cake, which was more like a Tres Leche cake, was out of this world..." (stephaniefr, Citysearch user)

Low Marks
"...the waiters never come back to the table to determine whether the orders are right or cooked properly." (atllawgirl, Citysearch user)

"...wine is highly over priced and the restaurant has a HUGE problem with noise." (natp, Citysearch user)

"On my last trip, my reservation wasn't honored and I ultimately left after 30 minutes of waiting." (westside404, Citysearch user)

"Portions tend to be very small." (potterk, Citysearch user)

Doesn't Recommend

atllawgirl

Joined 5 years ago

Three visits, three bad experiences.. After three visits to JCT and three horrible customer service experiences, I simply will not go back. I've visted at lunch and gotten terrible service, on a Saturday night and gotten terrible service, and Friday night with a reservation and gotten terrible service (see a pattern?). In particular, the waiters never come back to the table to determine whether the orders are right or cooked properly. On the visit for which I had a reservation, we had to wait over an hour to get our table. Neither the waitstaff or the management actually cared that we had gone to the trouble of making a reservation and had to wait so long. The food at JCT Kitchen is certainly delicious, but you can get similar food at South City Kitchen--and the service is always impeccable. Save your sanity and get your gourmet Southern food fix elsewhere.

Recommends

finallypeace

Joined 7 years ago

Great food, great bar, great service. Don't know what happened to the two previous reviewers, but we've been coming here since they opened and have always walked away happy. We love to sit at the bar (in the restaurant) and have also eaten at tables when entertaining family and friends. The food is phenomenal, and Chef Ford will always work with whatever dietary restrictions you may have and come up with something great. The managers, hosts, bartenders and waitstaff are all terrific. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Doesn't Recommend

wisk

Joined 5 years ago

Not worth the time or the money. We went to dine at JCT Kitchen upon a recommendation from a friend and what a disappointment that turned out to be. For the value it turns out did not meet the amount we ended up paying which came close to $100 for two. To start we had the french fries which were ok, then came the biggest rip off which were the entrees. The special was scallops and grits and for that they served 3 scallops on top of grits and they had the audacity to charge $26. We have been to far better establishments in the Atlanta area to know better. They even charged us for a birthday desert to top it off. They might think the dish rags as napkins is cute but others use them as rags to wipe off the tables. We will not going back to JCT and wish others will take note that there is better value elsewhere.

Doesn't Recommend

westside404

Joined 5 years ago

Good food, worst service in town. JCT Kitchen is very close to my house and I really wanted it to be a standby favorite. If it was only the food, JCT would be a 4 star experience. Unfortunately, the same attention to detail has not been carried through to environment or service. IF you are lucky enough to get past the snooty and unhelpful hostesses to a table (on my last trip, my reservation wasn't honored and I ultimately left after 30 minutes of waiting. And did I mention two other tables were seated ahead of us?), you will be bombarded with the noise of the crowd. I usually don't count off (or count up) much for atmosphere, but you have to yell across a two person table; it isn't "mood music" tearing up the airwaves, it's purely the volume of the other patrons in the too-small and too-cramped seating area.

JCT is NOT worth your money. Save the cash for a better experience, or just eat at home. Nothing is worth the annoyance and indigestion at JCT.

Doesn't Recommend

grape_imac

Joined 5 years ago

Especially for the price, service leaves much to be desired.. Our food was wonderful, but the service left much to be desired. We were made to wait for our reservation, but were seated and recovered to happily run up a $200+ tab for four. We had not yet put our spoons down from then the dessert (which was profitteroles, NOT "ice cream sandwiches." Puh-lease, at least be honest and realistic; fake down-hominess is annoying), only to be asked to leave by a manager. I guess dropping $200 qualified us as unimportant riffraff, because clearly, the next guests were more important than us. At least, that was how we were made to feel. In addition, while our waitress was competent and pleasant, the food runners/expeditors were clueless, arriving in the vicinity with our truffle-oil French fries (which were, alas, delicious), then standing around looking confused while they cooled. A similar thing happened when our entrees were brought out. This was done in a piecemeal fashion and the plates were first given to the wrong person at the table. With the investment in truly solid cooking, lovely decor, and elegant lighting, we wish that the restaurant had paid a little more attention to the way it treats its customers and the training of its staff and management. It's a shame when a tasty meal leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

Recommends

jillian79

Joined 6 years ago

great dinner. Tried this restaurant last night it was GREAT. Love the atmoshphere, love the food, great dessert. A bit pricey for two it came out to $90.00. But this included an appetizer and two glasses of wine. Will definietly go back. Had the fried chicken + macaroni+ green beans, excellent. The parmesan fries were also great.

I heard about it from AJC's top 50 restaurants and I definetley agree. Husband loved the pork. Will go back next season to see a new menu.

Doesn't Recommend

madison1489

Joined 6 years ago

Disappointing food, bad service. I paid way too much money for okay food. The mac n' cheese was great, but that's about it. The service was terrible. They were rude and served our main course before we even finished our appetizers. Atlanta has much better restaurants.