Karen’s Country Kitchen

Reviews

• Olivia B.

  star star star star_border star_border 4 July 2026

  I have not directly eaten here but my mom brought me pancakes home from here and it was okay but I think IHOP could've done better. And it makes me uncomfortable how she used three Ks. In this little old country town seems a little suspicious Karen.

• Jeff S.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 25 June 2026

  I've long held an opinion that some local eateries exist solely on the benevolence of a customer base whose loyalty is often misplaced.
  
  Now I know it's true.
  
  This is a tough review for me to write, because at the end of the day, I understand this is a very small business just trying to survive, if not maybe thrive. But if you're going to play the game, you have to play it to win.
  
  I dropped into Karen's for lunch today even after reading the reviews as well as a firsthand observation from my son. At noon, the parking lot had 4 or 5 cars, so I wasn't just brimming with hope.
  The place has a counter, half a dozen booths and a couple of 4 top tables, so it's a pretty small place. Places like this tend to be little neighborhood gems, so I still had hope.
  
  Agnes, my server, got me a glass of tea and a menu almost immediately, accompanied with a huge smile and a personality that would warm anyone's heart.
  
  As I checked out the menu and specials board, I landed on smothered pork chops. I'm pretty much a fan of anything with 'smothered' in it, so I ordered that, with a side of green beans. I figured it being a special, the wait wouldn't be overly long, and it wasn't.
  
  I have to throw in here something that was my first red flag. Everyone else in the place already had their orders, so mine was the only one pending. I overhead Agnes ask thru the kitchen pass thru window if "you've warmed that one up yet". Immediately after, a fellow, presumably the cook, brought me my order, cautioning me that the plate was really hot.
  While on the small side, the pork chop looked really appetizing. The special was a whopping $5, so I didn't expect a platter sized chop at all. The beans had plenty of small ham dices in them, and looked pretty good, as green beans go. Turns out they were. Well cooked, tender, and flavorful. I pretty much loved them.
  Now for the pork chop. Before I even got a chance to try it, I was offered another one. This was probably because it was the last one, since I heard as such from back in the kitchen, and the item was immediately taken off the special board.
  
  Never in my life have I had a pork chop as dry and tasteless as this one. It wasn't tough so much, as just cooked to dryness. It was sorta tender, but the kind of tender a meat gets when it's just been cooked to long. The gravy was good, if not a little salty.
  I suspect the chop was cooked ahead of time (like maybe yesterday), and then covered with gravy and reheated under a broiler. The second one had that telltale 'glazed' topping from when a sauce sits too long under a hot flame.
  Also, while the plate was hot, and the gravy nearly melted, the inside of the chop was lukewarm.
  Not that it would have helped.
  As I ate my meal, I kept an ear tuned to the conversations, and it was overly apparent everyone knew each other, right down to the staff. And that's cool... really it is. That's what makes these little joints attractive to people.... it's the "Cheers" thing where 'everybody knows your name'.
  But all that doesn't matter an iota when the food is as mediocre as this was.
  The cook needs to go back to school and learn how to make good food. Granted this was just one meal off a special board, but this one would have had to be cooked from scratch, and it failed miserably. Can't blame this one on precooked frozen food. I purposely ordered the special because I figured it would be freshly prepared instead of just a deep fried frozen whatever. Maybe I should've rethunk that one.
  I honestly felt bad leaving because my server was such a delightful person I felt she deserves a better restaurant and that I was somehow abandoning her.
  Based on my experience today, I can't imagine what would make me want to go back.
  Agnes.... you deserve better.

• Heather Z.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 17 June 2026

  Food is decent for breakfast but if you're not a "regular", the staff acts like it's a bother to serve you. Not a friendly atmosphere.