The Counter & Kitchen Bar @ Chef and the Farmer

We stopped here for lunch one day and it was really delicious! We got a table right away. We got the mac and cheese, pork samosas, and all the things burger. The mac and cheese was real and had curly noodles. My son said it was creamy and cheesy. There were three pork samosas that were juicy and well seasoned. The outside was crispy and very well cooked! I liked my burger. It was seasoned and juicy. I loved the crunchy onions. My friend had the salmon bowl and she did not like it. The fish was hot, but the salad cold. We also got a piece of cake: oreo, I think. The cake was moist and chocolatey! I was really impressed with the food and we will be back. They had a small bar area and served alcohol. There was a table at the middle that had water jogs and displayed the desserts they have for the week. They also gave our kids a set of waxy sticks for them to use. Overall great place to go!

I found The Counter to be an absolute delight. The structure is flipped a bit. You order & pay (& tip) when you walk in. Then, take a seat. Your drinks are either handed to you (cans of soda) or brought to your table (tea). There is a bar hidden around behind the ordering counter for those in need of an adult beverage. The food is slightly elevated (& a little bit more expensive than a regular restaurant), but the quality of ingredients is obvious & the portions range from skimpy to generous. The BLT was delicious & generously portioned. The Blueberry BBQ Chicken Sandwich was perfect. The squash casserole portion was skimpy for the $7 price tag, but it was devine & shouldn't be missed. Another review had mentioned that the collard greens portion was surprisingly small. I would have to agree with that assessment. They were good, but 5 leaves for $5 seems a tad bit steep. In my opinion, the hush puppies were the star of the show. Served with an Apple Jalepeno preserve, they're easily the best I've ever had. So much so, I'd go back just for them. The atmosphere was cute & quirky - bright & colorful & very welcoming. To top the entire experience off, everyone there was happy & obviously enjoy being a part of the Chef & Farmer team. A joy to see! We will certainly be back soon.

Wow, I always stop by when passing through Kinston. Today, my wife and I weren't extremely hungry, but we are loyal. We shared a burger and a veg plate. We couldn't have been happier. The burger was moist with an excellent cook. The onion jam and bacon perfectly complimented the beef. That said, the veg plate was amazing: cilantro street corn and the zucchini tomatoes made us SO HAPPY! And, we wish we'd had the watermelon and jalapenos sooner. You must stop by, you will not be disappointed.