Pufferbelly

Very friendly staff, good food and attentive service. We had the chilli for starters. It was good. Served with cheese & tortillas. Then we shared pasta veggie aglio which was very tasty. Dessert was margarita strawberry pie. No criticisms or faults. Prices are very reasonable for the quality & quantity of the food.

Pufferbelly is a neat restaurant. It’s in an old train station, brick walls, very pretty. There is a lot of room and the Christmas tree is beautiful.
The food was a disappointment. We ordered pretzels as an appetizer, they were great. I had an open face beef sandwich with mushrooms, it was pretty good, not anything that I’ll go back for, but pretty good. My husband ordered prime rib, It didn’t look appetizing, It could’ve been cooked a little better, and he was very disappointed with the taste. Our server was friendly. Most of our disappointment came from the prime rib.

I was forced by the app to give it a star. Just left there. Horrendous experience. We had reservations for 6.00 and so did several other people — we were all told there were no other tables! Then people who walked in after us were seated as tables were being cleared. The hostess wasn’t asking for names nor checking her book! Then we were seated finally after the cleaned off table was given to a walk-​in! Once we decided on a wine, we were told it was not available, picked another one and then told the original one was available! Our food was served cold and the brushetta was 4 pieces of cold bread, with a cold shrimp on top with cut up cold tomato and a little shredded cheese, cold, was in the middle. Awful. My husband’s ribs and fries were cold. The hostess and waiter were very apologetic. However, never again.

Have you ever had a meal that as soon as you bite it you know your coming to eat it again. Well that was this meal. I had the lee’s turkey wrap because I’m trying to go healthy it was absolutely fantastic. I will 1000% be back. I also had the sweet potato fries because I couldn’t resist and it was served with amazing cinnamon butter. All around top notch. Can’t wait to eat again. Must go. Oh yea very clean. Great service. Ambiance is amazing if you don’t know the area. Go go go.

Pufferbelly is a good Traditional American Restaurant, not great, but worth a visit. We had the specials (salmon and prime rib). All were good. Service was excellent and staff was very attentive. For dessert we had the peanut butter pie (good) and the chocolate snowball (great). I would definitely go back for another chocolate snowball… Dark rum, coffee, chocolate, topped with whipped cream… yummy!

Lovely staff and interesting building. But food is really average. Don’t have the ribs. I’m writing this as I deal with stomach ache the morning after as a consequence of ordering it. Stay at the bar and chat with the people who work there. Much better for you.

Interesting atmosphere. OK food except the prime rib which was horrible. Will not be eating there again

A converted railroad depot makes an interesting setting for a good family style meal. A great staff that is more than willing to go out of their way to help. Good food and a wide variety. Clever menu names to boot.

Had the all you can eat brunch buffet on Sunday (11 to 2:30 every Sunday). In historical Kent, this restaurant had a very welcoming and homely ambiance. Very old-​timey, and the flags really brought out the patriotic feels, particularly because it was the day after independence day. The servers were really welcoming, and a free drink comes with the buffet too (I had the pineapple juice).
Even though the place was a really nice and welcoming experience, and the servers were super accommodating, the food was mediocre (probably because I only had the buffet style food). The sausage was a little cold, the sauce on the brisket was a bit too salty. The fruit and the pineaplle juice did not seem too fresh. I really enjoyed the eggs benedict though.
I also ordered an omelette. Apparently there was a malfunction with the pans, and it took a long time to get the omelette. The delivery was not great (picture attached). Although the omelette was really yummy, by the time I got I was already full.
I’m giving then the benefit of the doubt and assuming that the omelette malfunction thing was just a one time thing. Overall, the experience was really pleasant, but the food could use a bit more work.

Great atmosphere, an old train station.
French onion soup, quesadillas, salads, Reuben, hamburgers are our favorites .
The special of the day is usually very good. We have been there many times and are never disappointed. The service has been great.

This is my go-​to place for spending time with good friends! My fav: the BBQ chicken flatbread pizza!!! It is THE BEST. The old train station is wonderful, and Kevin and the staff really make you feel welcome. There are a lot of great places to eat in this town, but this place is special.

Overrated. Decent tasting food, overpriced, decent service, «meh» décor/​atmosphere, good quantity of food. It’s a nice place to take someone for an upscale meal in a not-​so-​upscale area of Ohio.

Be on and eggs are delicious. There are many deserts as well. Don’t pass by the special bread butters and the waffles.

On Sunday 11:00 — 2:30 Branch $ 14
I like food here but I think it is expensive…
Good traditional atmosphere.

Great atmosphere and worth a visit if you are in the area. The food was good, not outstanding or ground breaking but good American comfort food.

I’ve been eating here for years — like, maybe 25+? I think I have had a good sample of the experience here. So, this is not a «one shot case study.»
What one can usually expect: Good service and good food. Nothing extraordinary, but some of it is really quite excellent. It’s not a «chain» and the owner is more often than not present when the business is open — that’s a good thing. And, the Pufferbelly is a most welcome respite from the seriously overpriced fare in the very commercial and glitsy «new downtown Kent.»
OK, so why did I not rate this place higher? Inconsistency. Example: There were two of us for lunch today. We both had the grouper reuben sandwich — normally quite good. Once in a while in the past they have been «fishy» tasting but generally they are quite excellent. Today’s reuben was almost inedible. Actually, both of use ate about ½ of ours, snarfed up the fries (excellent!) and left the rest. I asked the waitress to make certain the owner was aware that they had problems with the grouper. I paid the bill — and resolved never to order that again. (Too bad — when it’s good it is REALLY good! But, well, bad fish … you know …)
So, overall the place is good. Decent food and OK spirits — all at a very fair price.

This place is just okay. Nothing outstanding and food is just average. Portions are normal size. The staff seems friendly enough and there’s a lot of seating.
The ambiance is cool, lots of brick, tall ceilings and Americana décor. Nice place to come once but probably won’t be back. If the food was better than we’d be back.

My experience here was… okay, I’ve had better but would be willing to give this place another try. I ordered their pulled BBQ chicken sandwich– there was next to no sauce, the chicken was not pulled but in larger chunks, the cinnamon/​butter sauce that came with the sweet potato fries was disgusting! And in the center of my sandwich had large chunks of fat– super gross!
But what I managed to pick through was average at the best. I was annoyed that their menu clearly states something about choosing from a variety of herbal teas yet I wasn’t given the option to choose. Instead I was given the cheap brewing tea Lipton makes that has no flavor :(My sister in law got their pierogies but was disappointed because there was very little cheese in them. Yet the bread was good and I liked our server & who I’m pretty sure was the manager (very nice guy)!

I started with the gazpacho, which was a good choice. I am not a real big cold soup person, or tomato’s, or heck, not even cucumbers, so I have no idea why I tried this. The waitress was very persuasive about trying it, so I took her suggestion and tried it. Very fresh, and definitely good.
My main was the chicken fajita salad, and unlike the gazpacho, I am a salad and fajita person. The chicken was sautéed in a fresh teryaki and ginger sauce with onions and peppers. I thought the tomato wedges were unnecessary, especially after my soup, and ate just the meat and lettuce. It was a little too much sauce so ask for them to go light on it, I did and it was still a bit heavy.
I ended with the chocolate snowball. A flour-​less low carb treat that looks like… yep a snowball (whip cream). Dark rum, coffee, and chocolate. Yeah, as good as it sounds, and yet another suggestion by my waitress. Not too rich, and a good way to end the meal.

My first visit to this train depot was in 1952. It was the way I traveled to see my Grandparents in Pittsburgh.
I have eaten at the Pufferbelly 3 – 4 times this year. I do not recall having any significant complaints during any visit. Most recently, my visit was definitely above average. I was alone and seated at a small table on the trackside of the restaurant. I arrived at 11:45 am on a weekday.
My server came to my table quickly, was very friendly and explained some of the more popular items on the menu. I thoroughly enjoyed my food and desert. What I liked most was the professional manner of my server. I eat out frequently and regardless of the food quality, the performance of the server can make or break a restaurant meal.
I believe like many restaurant patrons, that when I decide to eat out, my available choices are mostly chain type establishments. The Pufferbelly is a refreshing change both in décor and it’s history. Additionally, I like the privacy that the booths provide if you don’t want to share your conversation with the next table.
My suggestion for those with very discriminating tastes, would be to discuss the menu with your server and not just take for granted the menu offerings. I find that it is often worth the time to show interest in the server’s opinion.