Kel’s Restaurant

Sadly I understand another great diner has gone by the wayside and that Kel’s is now permanently closed after a sell out fell apart…

Had the blackened Tilapia, which was excellent. But the veggies and sides, especially the spinach, looks like it came out of a can. Can’t see how putting a bunch of spinach, butter and maybe some diced onion on in the morning would be difficult to cook and have ready for lunch.

Kel’s has closed.

I only hit up this place when I take my car to Forest Car Wash. Since I like to do a detailed cleaning of the car, that leaves me with about 30 minutes to sit around… so why not have breakfast or lunch here… which is what I always do. The food is good and the staff is nice. I don’t give it more then 3 stars because it just didn’t wow me. Its basically like any other diner. No complaints at all.

Not impressed at all! I read the reviews for this place and was excited to try some ‘home cooking’ and this was sooo not it! I went for an early dinner and it’s totally empty. So I sat at the counter area and looked at the menu… the waitress was helpful and answered my questions and I place my order. Then one of the workers comes out the back yelling in spanish making me very uncomfortable. Then I see the person cooking my food… and I am watching him and I am concerned. They have all the sides just sitting out. I got the chicken fried steak with squash, okra and mac&cheese…my steak is drowned in bland gravy and the food is just not good. They give you a lot but I won’t be revisiting. Hopefully I won’t have to visit the ER after the small amount I consumed. I am not understanding how this place got such great reviews!!! Serves me right for not cooking myself!!! :(

I have been eating at this diner for almost 20 years. I can’t say that I have ever had a bad meal here. The service is always great and you get the small town diner feel in the middle of the city. This isn’t a place you would drive across town to eat at, but it is a great place to drop in when you are in the area.

This is one of my favorite places for breakfast. Very very casual and good home cooking. Always crowded at breakfast time.
Eggs are consistently cooked the way you request and the toast is actually toasted unlike many places that looks like they just take bread out of the sack and put on your plate.

Service was good but food was just ok. I like the history of this joint however, the rubber does not meet the road when it comes to Quality control. The pancakes my daughter had she would not finish and she lives anything that ends with cake!!!

Hungry for a meat sandwich and Liberty Burger is closed. Hmmm… Kel’s is RIGHT THERE, so why not. It def has that diner feel. It’s clean but looks like my Aunt Peggy Lynn – who has a penchant for the old time-​y mixed with fake photos and murals – had a hand in the decorations.
Just FYI, the huge TV is way out of place and not everyone likes Nancy Grace dead toddlers while they eat. Just sayin’.
I had the meatloaf sandwich with cheddar as opposed to a burger, just to switch it up. The meat was good, but not great. The cheddar was from a bag and not the slab of aged cheddar I imagined, but was still okay. The sandwich was good when fancied up with some ketchup. I had a side of black-​eyed peas with pepper sauce. The pepper sauce bottle was scary old and it though full, lacked flavor. I’m thinking it might be time to stop putting your own vinegar in there and get a new bottle.
All in all, it was decent but not great. The service was friendly, but disappeared a lot event hough the place was not that busy. I would eat there again, but I won’t make a special trip.

We like old diners, so wanted to give this old institution a try. Very basic atmosphere – not a cozy at all… unfortunately the hash browns were tasteless even after adding salt. Nothing special, but service was good.

The place is clean but the food is unseasoned.

Love Kel’s. Great home cooking and it feels like you are in a smaller Texas farm town and not 100 yards away from the Dallas North Tollway. I have had some food there that isn’t as good as others, but across the board it is good home cooking.

I went here this morning. It was my first time and I can see that it is kind of my type of place. There is nothing pretentious about it. Since I am trying to lose some additional weight before the Holidays, I stuck with a bagel and coffee. The menu looked good and the plates that were served were full.
It is a good place to just sit, talk, drink coffee, or read the paper. The service is very friendly.
While shooting the crap with a couple of my clients, I saw that the service was fast and efficient. The parking is kind of tight. There seem to be a lot of contractors that orientate to this place. It also appears to have a regular crew of customers.

I came here while on a business trip and ordered the Chicken Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes, Mac & Cheese & Baked Squash (Yes, it comes with THREE HUGE SIDES…& 2 rolls/​biscuits). Everything was very tasty! I have dreams about the chicken, it was still crispy and juicy by the time I was in my hotel room. The staff was kind and helpful when deciding what to order and I am pretty sure the entire meal (which I felt like I ate for dayssss and didn’t make a dent) was less than $ 8. YUM– I am glad I went on this adventure!

Pros: good food, decent service, fair price
Cons: Really small, really crowded, was difficult for my party of 6 to be seated
We went there for breakfast on a Saturday morning and they were packed. However our server was really friendly and efficient. The food was good, not great. While there may be better food out there, you can’t beat the value of the meal.
And in the name of full disclosure, this place is the epitome of a greasy spoon. I like that but not everyone does.

Kels is simply put. «Dallas-​institution-​still-​living-​off-​reputation», serving all walks of life in a «Dive-ish.greasy-spoon» kinda atmosphere. Since the fried chicken was a 20 min turnaround I had ample time to discuss what part of the table and wall I didnt want to touch. Service was good but what do you expect from a dive? Their «Southern Fried Chicken» was nothing to write home about but it was just ok, kind of bland. Wife had chicken fried steak… thumbs down. I recommend salt grass CFS, it’s considered the baseline in our world. You will leave this place unimpressed BUT you pay for what you get right?
All in all, not horrible bad but not quite average.

What words could I use to describe Kel’s? Acceptable? Serviceable? Average? Does that convey my thoughts adequately?
It’s a traditional breakfast joint. The service was lacking (except for the lady who kept refilling my coffee without asking if I wanted a refill). The food was very slow coming out and almost cold when it hit the table. It was okay but indistinguishable from any other breakfast place (including IHOP and Denny’s).
Of the good breakfast places in Dallas, this is not one of them. It looked like it could be and I’d like to cut it some slack but, as Momma used to say, you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
Flat face

Is it Ossetra and Mouton Rothschild? No. Is it comfort food served in a more comfortable setting? You bet. It may have taken me many years to make it into Kel’s, but it felt like I had been eating there all along. It just felt familiar, like a good diner should. It made me look forward to growing old, retiring, and coming here for dinner at 4pm. «Man, when I’m 70, I’m going to dominate some Kel’s dumplings then go home and watch 60 minutes! That damn Andy Rooney angries up my blood!»

Do you know what today is? Well, folks, it’s CHICKEN & DUMPLIN’S DAY at Kel’s. Time for some down home cooking to soothe the soul.
Kel’s is my go to spot when the craving hits. The restaurant gets super busy, crowded, and noisy during the lunch rush so I favor getting my fix to go so as to dine in quiet comfort at home. Besides, my fuzzy adorable cocker loves to sneak a bite (or two) of the fluffy Yeast rolls.
Placed my order and told it would be ready around 1115 and it was waiting for me upon arrival. Had to control the impulse to exceed the speed limit on the way home as the aroma of all this deliciousness was wafting throughout my car. (Wiping drool off the steering wheel…)
The Dumplin’s were soooo good. Thick, creamy, with lots of dark and white meat chicken. The broth had flecks of pepper and herbs, very tasty morsels. A ginormous serving, enough for two meals.
My veges were equally as luscious; baked squash casserole, almost a carbon copy of the dish @ Black-​eyed Pea Restaurant, and two orders of those fresh shelled and cooked tender black-​eyed peas, just like my Aunt Ollie used to make. Drizzle a little peppa sauce on top, and I’m back in the country on the farm. Again enough left to go with the Dumplin’s tomorrow.
And, all of this under $ 9; per serving @ $ 4.50 makes for delightful dining.
Kel’s will always stay on my radar for some soul satisfying cooking. Be back soon, perhaps on a Monday for their Stuffed Bell Peppers with that spicy tomato sauce and some mashed tators.
Soft sigh, happy tummy.

I checked out kels for lunch today and it was alright.
It was high noon so the lunch rush was in full effect — being as it was just me I didn’t want to tie up a whole table so I sat at the bar by the kitchen. This spot was perfect for checking out the food as it left the kitchen (I love spying other peeps food).
It took about 5 min for anyone to help me even though there were 3 waitresses that passed me about 3 times a piece, but they looked frazzled so I’ll give them a break. I tried to order the fried chicken until I found out it takes 20 min to make and then I switched to chicken fried chicken. I got fried mushrooms, corn, and mac and cheese for my sides.
My sweet tea was awesome and tied me over til my food arrived. The food was OK. CFC was good, but a little thin. The mac and cheese was nothing special at all, the corn was ok, but I’ve had better same goes for the mushrooms. The roll and cornbread were pretty good.
Overall this was an OK meal, but I’d rather go to Southern Recipes if I want «home cooking».
I might go back and try breakfast here though — it seems like it might be really good for that!