Social Profile: 
✔️Brunch ✔️Lunch ✔️Dinner ✔️Dine in ✔️Take out
… View more
Chef & the Farmer is a celebrated destination for thoughtful Southern cooking rooted in the traditions of Eastern North Carolina. Led by chef and author Vivian Howard, the restaurant offers three distinct ways to enjoy: 1. Lunch at The Counter, our casual, family-friendly, counter-service restaurant, open Thurs- Sun, featuring comforting favorites and rotating daily specials. 2. Dinner at Chef & the Farmer, open Thurs-Sat, offers a thoughtfully curated, ever-evolving dining experience centered on a choose-your-own three-course prix-fixe menu. 3. Kitchen Bar at Chef & the Farmer is our signature monthly event series featuring an intimate seven-course tasting menu prepared in front of you by Vivian herself. Tickets are required in advance.
Creative, locavore New American fare in an upscale, urban-rustic spot featured on a PBS series.
Hours
| Friday | 11 AM–3 PM, 4–8:30 PM |
| Saturday | 11 AM–3 PM, 4–8:30 PM |
| Sunday | 11 AM–3 PM |
| Monday | Closed |
| Tuesday | Closed |
| Wednesday | Closed |
| Thursday | 11 AM–3 PM, 4–8:30 PM |
Address and Contact Information
Address: 120 W Gordon St, Kinston, NC 28501
Phone: (252) 208-2433
Website: http://www.vivianhoward.com/
Menu Photos
Order and Reservations
Reservations: resy.com
Photo Gallery
Related Web Results
The Kitchen Bar @ Chef — VivianHoward.com
Naive but determined, I opened Chef & the Farmer in 2006. Over the next decade and a half, our restaurant in the middle of nowhere became a destination, …
Vivian Howard
Vivian Howard is a chef, author, and PBS personality from Deep Run, NC. She owns two restaurants in Kinston, NC: Chef & the Farmer and Boiler Room Oyster …
Chef & the Farmer | Kinston NC – Facebook
Reservations on Resy or call us at (252) 208-2433. The Counter is open Thursday–Sunday, 11am–3pm for casual counter service. No reservation needed — just come …
Reviews
Erica Santana
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!
… moreMy 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!
Malcolm Hathaway
We got catfish filets and chips(potato fingers) That’s why we went there . Saw a feed on my Facebook showing a pic of the catfish & chips so we drove and hour and 15 mins to the restaurant from Clayton . There was hardly any catfish in the 2 fairly small filets that we got and the breading was this overly powdery and fluffy and crumbly . I could probably work around the breading , but there was no meat inside . That was the worst thing about the food . The potato fingers were very good and were the best thing about that lil plate . Next we had some mac and cheese that were served with some fried onions on top , I assume they were onions , but they were very stringy and didn’t really crunch . They did not eat well …. they just kind of wedded up in my mouth . We put those to the side and started to eat the Mac & cheese . This was the second biggest miss ….. The macaroni wasn’t cooked long enough and was very very much still aldente and tacky gummy . Just simply not cooked long enough . Mac and cheese is supposed to be soft , supple , and sharp with that finish of mildly sweet dairy cream in your mouth . We ate maybe half of that . Now for the Two best things on the table . The Brussel Sprouts ! Yes ! Yes ! And the Smashed Potatoes ! Yes ! Yes ! Yes ! Best Brussels sprouts I’ve ever had with this Devine pistachio garlic tomato accompaniment ! Absolutely wonderful ! The smashed potatoes could be eaten at any meal , at any time , with any dish ….! ! ! They were awesome ! They were small round potatoes that were either parboiled or par fried and then smashed and finished under some high heat of some kind maybe a broiler. I have since tried to duplicate them at home and have come very close … they are always going to be a staple at our house from now on ! Lastly we ordered a ‘free form’ lasagna that was extremely different and unique . It was very fun to eat and explore through …. It had some great areas within the dish and some good bites , but seemed to be a little pretentious and seemed to be a lot of waste . It just wasn’t that cohesive and efficient . The Tea was real tea and was very pure . Excellent tea . The sauces and ketchup WERE EXTREMELY WONDERFUL ! ALL SAUCES WERE TOP NOTCH ! The music and lighting was great and fun and tables and chairs were good . A pad for the seats would be nice . Staff very cute and friendly and did GREAT job . We shall return ! But not for the catfish or mac and cheese !
… moreC. Jules
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.
… moreThe 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.
S Russell
Had a wonderful lunch with friends here! I ordered the 3 sides – curate your plate & really loved the beet salad! Both the regular & veggie burgers were also ordered & enjoyed too! It’s a small but unique menu!
… moreregina belcher
Worth. Every. Cent. If you like southern cooking or fine dining or the tv show “A Chef’s Life,” then do not hesitate to reserve a spot at Chef & the Farmer’s Kitchen Counter experience. This intimate setting allows you to leisurely enjoy time with Chef Vivian Howard and her phenomenal staff while tasting complex, bright, and unique dishes that have been extremely well-thought out and expertly executed. You will not leave hungry from Chef Vivian’s table, and every bite is paired with a wonderful wine that brings faraway places in France or California right along side on the bar counter space. The opening dish of the night was the first-of-the-season asparagus salad with hazelnuts and mint. It set the tone for the entire meal and opened my eyes to the power of that spring herb. The loin of lamb was phenomenal, and all the other plates were just as fabulous. We even got soft-shell crab!!! Thank you, Chef Vivian and all, for a wonderful experience and for taking the time to make it so special!!
… moreUnique
Everything was good. And everything on their menu is reasonably priced. And everything they serve has a very unique combination of flavors. And Fendy, our waitress, was great. We ordered the salmon bowl, the blueberry black beans and chicken enchiladas, the fried collards, the broccoli and cheese, the mac and cheese, the roasted roots, the Brussels sprouts, the hush puppies, and the lemon blueberry cake.
… moreMary McCluskey
My husband and I used to watch Vivian Howards show and I am working in New Bern and decided to go to the new place……The dining is pretty casual. The server staff was very friendly. The food was very good! I loved the flash fried collards! The mac and cheese was nice and creamy. The hushpuppies with their topping were very tasty. The salad was good and an interesting combination with the whipped goat butter (first time I have had that), and the pickled onions (loved those)….. Overall, it was was worth the 35 mile drive! Thanks y’all! May come for the later sitting my next trip to New Bern…..
… moreAllyna Bates
I was very excited to try this place but unfortunately a little disappointed. My husband ordered his steak medium-rare, it was nothing short of well-done, no pink at all. My toddlers burger was totally raw, it looked like soggy ground beef inside. Luckily they did remake this for us. I didn’t want to be a complainer and also ask for the steak to be re-done too so we just dealt with it. The flavors were good and it seemed home made. Very expensive though, my child’s meal alone was $20. Our party’s food came out at different times, so some of us were waiting for a long time until our food got cold to eat with them, and the ones that chose to eat were done eating by the time the other’s food came out. There are no waitresses so if you need anything you have to keep walking up to the counter. I’m not sure who our tip went to since there are no servers. It’s pretty dark in there as well, made it hard to see the food or people at your table. Bathrooms were clean and nice looking. The place did look cute and clean
… moreKelly Johnson
Interesting local for such a place. We stumbled upon it whilst venturing downtown looking for lunch. We walked in and staff were very friendly. You order up front and we were provided with lots of choices. Very clean restaurant. We chose a seat by the window which was nice. We ordered an appetizer and were told we could have more chips with it which was a nice surprise. We ordered pimento cheese with grits and sausage beef with fried tortilla chips, smash burgers with caramelized onions, special sauce, pickles, white american or smoked gouda, hush puppies with apple & jalapeno preserve, Brussels sprouts and mushrooms, coconut cake (great big slice). All in all it was good. My friend loved the food while it just wasn’t for me. My Brussels sprouts were burnt to a crisp and not edible. They made it right though. I would try again if I ever go downtown again just because of the great customer service.
… moreDennis Graham
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.
… moreWe 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.