Ken’s Corner Grill

For a quick bite and small bill — eat at your own risk. If you’re thinking about dinner and good service, however, save your money.
My husband and I walked here for a southern slop meal (think: country fried steak and hash browns). The line cook was VERY loudly critiquing her employer — screaming about how she has no ‘upward mobility or management opportunities’ in this joint. Shocking to her, somehow. Never mind the fact she had invited a friend and that persons kids to eat at the bar for free. Then went on and on about her time in jail, how her love interest had been arrested, and how she was going to make it big one day. All in between numerous smoke breaks. Hardly appropriate behavior for the face of this diner.
Every time we walk or drive past Ken’s now, we just shake our heads in disapproval. If the owner is smart they’ll sell this prime piece of real estate and let something else come enrich the Smyrna area. The «old Smyrna» crowd keeping this establish afloat tolerates mediocrity. I can’t see how this persists much longer.

My lovely wife Sue and I are regulars at Ken’s on our Sunday morning breakfast rotation. Ya gotta love this place. In 8 years we have had nothing but great breakfasts along with the music I punch up on the juke box. Very clean, fast service, and exactly what you would expect. And that is why we keep going back …

waited twenty minutes for my food they served the guy next to me first who came in ten minutes after me. they only know how to serve regulars won’t go back. corned beef hash was better than most.

My wife and I went for a quick dinner last night — had the pork chop special and breakfast. Grits were cold, pork chops where undercooked and found three strands of hair on the plate. Waitress was outside smoking. Will never return.

The place deserves negative stars. If you sit at the counter it is freezing. They were not even busy and it took them forever to take my order and get my drink even though I was sitting at the counter.
They messed up my order so I basically was going to eat something I didn’t order because it took them over 30 minutes to serve me breakfast. The food was horrible when I did get. No seasoning. Do not order onions in your hashbrowns because there will be more onions than hashbrowns. The whole plate is also doing the back stroke on the pool of butter or grease it is laying on top of.

If you’re looking for inexpensive southern brunch, this is the place! Not sure why the reviews are so low since this is one of Smyrnas signature restaurants. Its good food and great people.

Great DINER food. The BEST servers are: AMI and SARAH! They work evenings. Tell em David sent you!
I love everything there!

Have to agree with Honest A. This place is a relic and aside from the kindly, overly solicitous staff, I’m heading to Waffle House or better yet, First Watch.
1. You have to be 80+
2. You have to like commissary style food: bland and tasteless, even the bacon
3. Plenty of room for your walker or cane in the spacious seating areas
I asked for a well done waffle, I like them a little crispy. Nope it was soft and pale. They tout the corned beef hash «something special». Not sure what the special was, it came right out of the Mary Kitchen can with some added «cooking gold» oil from the flat top grill. Nope, nothing special here either. Oh yeah the biscuit: right out of the microwave. SO within 90 seconds it was fossilized like, dare i say? the rest of the patrons? But really, don’t do that, just don’t.
Good news: no one that goes to Ken’s will ever read this and they don’t care what their Unilocal stars are. That ship has sailed. .. .

An old style diner with the wait staff to match… Good home style food with good atmosphere too. Service was a little slow but every table was full so it was ok.
I ordered the cured ham special and it was very salty but the eggs and hash browns were good (kind of had the texture of spaghetti under the crunchy top). The person I was with got the corned beef hash which was decent (sort of mushy).

Country atmosphere,
neighborly people,
good service,
good food
open 24hrs!

They offer something I can hardly find elsewhere.
My husband and I ate here with a friend in the wee hours of the morning after an evening of copious libations. I would HANDS DOWN rather eat here than a Waffle House, so that advice given in other reviews is downright ignorant. The last time I had Waffle House, I was served a veggie omelette swimming in a pool of mystery grease, and obviously helping a huge chain restaurant get richer with my business while being eyed up by their creepiest patrons. No thank you Waffle House.
Ken’s is a local establishment that sits on the edge of Smyrna Market Village. They offer typical diner fare, including breakfast, and are open ²⁴⁄₇. I was about to order the grilled hash browns until I spotted the biscuits and gravy with a white pepper cream option! Usually biscuits and white pepper cream gravy is something I have to make at home, because no diner ever makes it without sausage. If you’re a vegetarian, this will matter to you. If not, I can assure you my meat eating husband and our friend thoroughly enjoyed their meat and potato filled plates of breakfast food. The biscuits were fluffy and delicious, and the gravy had great flavor. I also snagged some cheesy hash browns from my husband’s plate, and they were crispy and perfect!
Ken’s was recommended to us by our Atlanta native friend, and I will ABSOLUTELY be back for more of their breakfast. Being right around the corner from our house, Ken’s is definitely the best breakfast spot we have found yet.

this place is terrible
bad food, bad services, order came out wrong
go anywhere else. a 15 min drive to the closest waffle house is a much better idea if nothing else is open

A sad little fossil of a place that makes Waffle House food seem creative. Home to the «TGI Fridays is a might-​bit too fancy for me» crowd.
Bland standard dive-​diner food right off the ‘Wholesale-​Grub-​Cheap’ truck. Sweet but career-​stuck older waitresses. Booths designed for anorexia-​thin frames. An AARP card must be a requirement or something, because there’s hardly a person under 60 inside (including the staff). It’s very clean, but if it was dirty it might just be the first element of something resembling charm.
Please for all our sakes somebody buy this place, renovate it and make it a decent place to eat. I would have breakfast here 5 times a week if you would. For now, it’s the kind of place you feel sorry for, and wish would just do the right thing and go sit alone on an iceberg and die, and let the rest of restaurant-​humanity move forward.

My brother and his wife enjoy this place, but I wasn’t a fan. We got there with my nieces and nephew and they got settled into the booth before us. Immediately my two year old nephew turns the salt shaker upside down and builds a small mound on the table. Our server then decided that we couldn’t control things and confiscated the salt and pepper from our table. This was the first of many annoyances. Took me asking twice and about 5 minutes to get get both straws for the table and my wife’s tea. Then I ordered a burger and a bowl of chili for lunch. While waiting I noticed a cook carry out a gallon-​sized vacuum sealed bag of what appeared to be my chili and pour it into a warmer. I found that less than appetizing and began debating with myself whether or not I’d eat it. Turns out our waitress forgot to ever bring my chili so I never found our which side won that debate. The burger and fries weren’t bad, but neither tasted super fresh. Although they charged us for the chili, the cashier luckily removed it from the bill. Overall, just dissatisfied with my visit.

Complete and total spithole. I’m fairly certain that my experience here was some sort of karmic punishment for a past transgression against humanity.
Service was unapologetically slow, had to send eggs back as they were literally half-​cooked (whites were raw), and they STILL weren’t cooked to what would be considered edible. Hash browns were mediocre, biscuit was tough and dense. Gravy was OK. At least they didn’t screw up the bacon, but I’m sure they have a crack team of flunkies trying to figure out how to mess that up, too.
Air conditioning was blasting in January, which is great if you are into freezing your butt off.
This is a greasy-​spoon diner that doesn’t even have the basics down. They can’t even get eggs right. Avoid at all costs.

the first time I went there I waited for 45 minutes to get my runny eggs with a hair in it. The second time I would not go and my boyfriend went with our roommate and he saw a cockroach on the floor and the dishwasher pick it up with his dish rag towel then commence to cleaning the dishes with it this morning. They waited an hour and food was never served. I think this place needs Restaurant Impossible to step in and help because it is bad. The people are nice but nice is not cleanliness or good eats. I would pass on this place and hope they read this because they need to get with it and teach their staff how to be MUCH cleaner.

Been there twice. First time we waited a little long for our food… basic breakfast fare. The meal was okay. Second time we waited for our food (breakfast again), asked twice if it was when on the grill yet, got insipid answers, and left after nearly an hour with no meal in front of us. Never going back.

Good breakfast spot near the house. Very friendly staff and good hearty food.
Their whole menu is ²⁴⁄₇ if i’m not mistaken and the wait staff is good about letting you know what to get for the best food for your money. Check it out.

2.5 Stars for being a decent after-​hours food spot.
3.5 stars for being nearly ideal for what it is.
Ken’s is an ex Huddle House or ex Waffle House which has been somewhat refashioned.
It’s Smyrna’s Own version of quick breakfast and easy dinner fare.
Anticipate «reasonably alright» satisfying food served fast, in laid back welcoming atmosphere, with reliably good service.
The staff is consistently friendly and warm. Be prepared to hear a lot of «Hun’s», «Sugar’s» and «Sweeties» from the wait staff, I find it amusing.
They’re personable and chatty, just what you’d expect from a little diner that mostly handles regular customers.
All the waitresses have their teeth and none of the cooks are morbidly obese, lol.
Diners can dine at the front bar-​style counter or at a booth table. Service is usually fast, and you can watch as your meal is being made in their open kitchen.
Seniors get a nice discount (why some of them come here ritually). They love the inexpensive, casual breakfasts and servers that greet them by name and know their favorites.
There’s a jukebox with modern selections as well as old. Put on a song and do some people watching while you wait for your order.
To Try:
Any of their breakfast platters, sausage gravy biscuits (ask them to toast the biscuits), or one of the meal deals advertised on their front sign.
A good philly cheesesteak sandwich (ask them to toast the bread here also), Cheesecake (I didn’t even know they had cheesecake til I saw one of their employee’s indulging in a slice of it).
Coffee is obviously a classic item here, though I can’t form an opinion since I don’t drink it.
OR
Your customized, personalized order: if you want a BBQ dog with cheese and crumbled bacon with a side of egg whites with gravy, they will help you with that! Just ask =D
Like any other 24-​hr diner, they are busiest during late weekend nights and between the hours of 6:30 — 9:30am. You wont see the same crazy characters you would at the Marietta Diner… but it can still get interesting after the bars close. Ken’s is mere steps away from the Smyrna Village pubs, so it’s the perfect place to «get yourself together» before heading home.
If you live in Smyrna and want something besides a drive-​thru burger or taco after midnight, definitely check them out.
Take it out or dine in. They’re a town staple, so you can’t call yourself a resident til you’ve had a few meals here.

This place is solid after a night of drinking at Vintage Tavern in the village. You could literally walk to Ken’s from the village, it is that close.
Breakfast is served all the time and the place has a Huddle House/​Waffle House feel to it except that it’s local. I have been here for lunch and it gets pretty busy, but last night I hit it up after the bar… totally clutch. I called in the order and it was ready when I got there — Bacon, Egg, Cheese Sammie with Cheese Grits — YUM!
Not a 5-​star fancy restaurant, but a solid 3-​star diner local to Smyrna, open ²⁴⁄₇ — can’t beat that!