My wife and I visited the newly reopened Kennon House (now with a Sports Bar) and were very pleased with the food, atmosphere and friendliness of the staff. We started off with the Ahi Tuna appetizer and it was amazing! Then I ordered the Brisket Cheesesteak and my wife got the Cajun Catfish with Sweet Potato Fries and Onion Rings. Delicious!! This is definitely going to be our new favorite hangout and so conveniently located! Enjoy!! read more

New management has improved dining experience. Fried chicken is wonderful and made to order. Coconut cake is a favorite. read more

Food was excellent. Service was just as good. Can't wait to try the buffet. Salad bar was really tasty and had a lot to choose from. Highly recommend. read more

First time at Kennon Sports Bar but it surely won't be our last. As we are relatively new to the area we were happy to check this out on a Monday night. While we were happy they were open, we didn't know there was a more limited menu available, as the main restaurant was closed. I was a little disappointed that Fried Chicken wasn't one the menu, but that disappointment quickly eroded when our awesome Waitress Brooke suggested I try the shrimp platter. My date had the smash burger with cheese - we both really enjoyed our dinners ! The fried shrimp platter had 11 giant shrimp- perfectly cooked and very flavorful, the Cole slaw was delish- as were the tots. The smash burger was also so good.~ he's a burger guy and gave it a thumbs up. The ambiance was a high point- a really beautiful setting with great music and a real pulse - even on a Monday night. We totally enjoyed our evening from the service to the food, we will absolutely be back ~ we are looking forward to trying the main restaurant. The history and atmosphere are both amazing..... read more

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Made it over to check out the new upgraded Kennon House & Sports Bar for dinner tonight with the kiddos! Chef ‍ Beth and her kitchen crew did not disappoint! It's still all the cozy vibes from the original Restaurant with a classy modernized stylish atmosphere! Great environment for families or just a date night! For dinner we had "The Yank Burger" .. I added coleslaw to it and oooo my goodness 10/10 recommend The grilled chicken salad was FRESH, COLD, and CRISP!!!!! With real bacon crumbles ! Then there was the "Pig-fla-rib" (ribs and bbq) .. perfect seasoning and paired with that house made coleslaw... there are simply no words but yuummm y'all should definitely head over to check them out ! You won't be disappointed! This was a great soft opening, and we can't wait to see what else they have to offer!!!!! I know we will be returning asap lol to try all the things on the menu read more

The Kennon House is a must visit if you are around the Lake Gaston area. Our favorite entrees are the crab cakes, fried chicken and cajun fried catfish and our favorite sides are the mashed potatoes, black-eyed peas, squash and grits. Enjoy! read more

On a Sunday evening, I had the Philly cheesesteak with tater tots and a draft at the bar. Sandwich was excellent and the draft Blue Moon pint was less than $5. Watched some of a NFL game for entertainment, but by far the barkeep, Brooklyn, was more entertaining. My wife had the Philly cheese with chicken with a side of fries, which wasnt as tasty as the flavorful steak. We will be back for more sports nights! read more

It was like visiting my neighbor if my neighbor was a professional chef. The atmosphere was casual and comfortable with a lot of comfort food. Service was well timed and attentive without being intrusive. Many of the diners were ordering fried chicken so our foursome each ordered something different and were all pleased with our selection. Shrimp and grits were well prepared with a ham cream sauce much like an unctuous gravy. Pork chop had a honey and bourbon sauce that complemented the chop. Country Inn Chicken also had the ham cream sauce which blended well with mashed potatoes. Catfish was a delicious lightly breaded presentation making it a pleasing light flaky fish. Portions were substantial for each entree. Take out options include a whole chicken and accompaniments that would make a great picnic or home dining experience. read more

We went to this restaurant because of all the great reviews and were disappointed. We tried the Sunday buffet. The hamburger steak and gravy, the real mashed potatoes and the ribs were great. The fried chicken was dried out and the vegetables were colorless. The salad was ok. We said maybe we were there on a bad day. We tried again last night for dinner. It was very expensive. We had the seafood platter and the prime rib. The seafood platter was ok but salty. The prime rib looked great, medium rare just the way I like it, however it was COLD. They took it back to the kitchen, dunked it in the au jus for a while and brought it back to me. Not rare any more and very little flavor. The potato was ok and the green beans were green but had so much garlic powder and salt on them I couldn't eat them.On the plus side the coleslaw was good and the hushpuppies were great! The cheesecake and coconut cake were especially good. The service was also good. They smiled and were friendly but we probably won't be back. read more

So glad this place was bought it's amazing and the new sports bar is great. Food was excellent read more

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Open under new management. Visited on a night they were expecting 3 large groups and were still served quickly and efficiently. Our server, Brooklyn, was super friendly. Wife and I both had Country Inn Chicken, which was 2 grilled chicken breasts on a bed of grits with ham gravy. It was terrific, we ate every bit of it. I'll be going back! read more

chicken wings & burger delicious Bartender Rodney is top notch great service!!! Will return read more

We go once a week and love this place and are thankful the new owners invested in renovations to keep it going. Love the sports bar area. The food is solid and the atmosphere is fun. It's a super small town (we moved her from Raleigh and have lived in major big cities across the US) so you need to temper your expectations. But. It is a solid place for a night out in our sweet slice of life area of the world. read more

Went for dinner this evening with my wife waited 50 minutes which was fine because it was fairly busy but when our food came out my wife's was perfect mine was ice cold very disappointed hope new owners can figure it out read more

Service was good,but when it comes to the food was very very disappointed . The salad dressing was bottled not homemade. The pork ribs that were suppose to fall of the bones were not pork ribs and had no seasoning on them. They were very though and not good at all. The meat did not fall off the bone. Ordered onion rings and got more tots then onion rings. The upscale experience is I thought I was getting was very subpar. Very disappointed with. My visit to the kennon house read more

We stopped in last night to watch a little football and received great service and had some delicious appetizers in the bar area. Plenty of TVS and several different games on. We have always enjoyed dining in the main dining room at the Kennon House, but are glad to have options for more casual dining as well. Love the atmosphere on both sides! So glad you are there! We will be back! read more

Food was great and staff very friendly and accommodating to your needs. The building has been renovated and designed to accommodate everyone

We went to the historic Kennon House for their reopening last night. New ownership has done a fantastic job. The food was outstanding, especially the ahi tuna and the brisket cheesesteak! The option of sitting in the dining room or the sports bar is great! Highly recommend! read more

We went to the opening night last night. Food was great especially the ahi tuna. Service was very good. Nice selection of sides.

First trip to this restaurant. You step back in history, the Kennon House was built in 1792. The interior was warm and cozy. Great articles on the walls provided the history. I did the Sunday buffet. Found all the food to be delicious. Excellent waitress. Will be returning. read more

My wife and I went to the Kennon House Monday night, August 5th. The outside is still the historic building it always was, and I'm glad the new owners didn't make any changes to it. They did, however, totally revamp the inside and have done a fantastic job of it, including a very large sports bar, which we sat at. Our main bartender was Ethan, who mixed our drinks to perfection and was right there when we needed another. We were also served by Brook, who was also very attentive. Both servers were very friendly and top-notch at their job. We were only there for drinks and appetizers, so we can't comment much on the food, but the giant pretzel with cheddar cheese and the loaded tots were delicious. While we were there, the owners came in and sat next to us at the bar, very friendly and went so far as to buy us both a drink, which was not expected, but a nice touch. Overall, I think this is a great addition to Lake Gaston and will definitely be going back. read more

This is a good historical restaurant if you are near the Lake Gaston area. Unfortunately, the food and service were a bit underwhelming. We came here for a family dinner with 6 adults and 2 kids. We actually lucked out and got a private room, so we were able to close the door and not have the kids bother anyone. However, there were a few times we felt a bit forgotten in the back of the restaurant. It took about 20 minutes to get our first round of drinks, and unfortunately that was the only round we got the whole dinner. One of the beers was delivered completely frozen, so I think pouring the beer into the frosty mug before leaving the table would have been better. We did enjoy the shrimp appetizer. I ordered the salmon entree with a side salad and baked potato. The salad was definitely out of a bag, and the salmon was a little on the dry side. I did try the crab cakes and those were better. Where it started to fall apart was when we finished our meals - after about 20 minutes of not seeing our server we went out to find him. I asked for a coconut cake to go and the check. It took about another 20 minutes to get that. Finally, almost an hour after finishing our entrees, we were able to leave. Hopefully this was just a one off on a really busy night - I could tell our waiter was working hard, so maybe they were short staffed. I would still go back, but maybe with a smaller group. read more

Great resturant with wonderful decor including white table cloths and cloth napkins. Southern fried chicken to many dishes we enjoy. Well established Resturant with good food. read more

We met for dinner at Kennon House on June 16. The service was great, food was good and atmosphere was quiet. We had the crab cake appetizer that was delicious with no filling, mushroom ravioli that was tasty, and the rest of the party had the hamburger which was pleasing. Nice retreat restaurant out near the lake!!! read more

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This is an absolutely amazing restaurant and a nice addition in Brunswick County! The food is wonderful and the service is very good! The chef is great, and keep in mind the menu is not always the same, as it changes every once and a while. Their fried chicken is some of the best and their coconut cake (pictured below) is my FAVORITE! Our family always enjoys going for various holidays and birthdays. Only open Wednesday-Saturday for dinner and Sunday for their lunch buffet. Highly recommend the buffet as well. See the picture below for specific times. read more

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The atmosphere of this place is really nice. The server was nice but working too many tables. The flavor was good but the temperature bad. My shrimp seems to have been microwaved with some being extremely hot and other warm. The grits were a bit above the temperature of my mouth as were the other person's fries and the catfish was not spicy at all despite the Cajun name. The sauce on my shrimp and the sauce on the catfish was really good. read more

This our favorite place to eat. It is casual or fancy and you feel at home. The staff are friendly and remember you. The owner Dennis is very experienced in food service and in the kitchen. I would give this restaurant a 10 plus. read more

Great setting, great food, great service... hidden gem! See ya soon! Thanks we'll be seeing be coming a lot! Crab cakes are my top pick!

To start of I've never written a review but felt the need to warn people considering to dine at this restaurant. To sum it up, you could not pay me to come back here. As we walked in we noticed that the restaurant was split into two sections; the buffet and the menu style. This is fine but difficult for parties that want to do a little bit of both. Once we sat down the owner/host told us that he "wasn't trying to be ugly" but next time we come we need to make a reservation. You know a comment is going to be bad when it starts off with "not trying to be ugly," because obviously he was being rude. This was especially frustrating because there were plenty of empty tables that remained empty for the entirety of our journey. After waiting for service for 25 minutes we finally asked a kind server for water, which he gave us. Then after waiting approximately 10 more minutes our server made an appearance to take our orders. Ordering was easy but then the service was inattentive from there on out. We then asked the other server for bread and more drinks because we noticed all the other tables had bread except us. After waiting around 45 minutes for our food we were just ready to leave. We nibbled off our plates then boxed everything up and waited for the check. Eventually we got up and walked to our server to get our bill which we waited about 10 minutes for. While waiting, we watched the owner break health code by grabbing silverware on the part where customer put their mouths. Finally we paid, walked out, and overheard other customers complaining about how terrible their service and food was. If you are willing to pay high prices for decent food and horrendous service, then this is the place for you! read more

So this little gem of a local place ! Just plain ole southern fare Fried chicken buffet plus extras ! The house is divided in two sections: buffet and full service! It's extremely well priced ! Staff is excellent and parking is like going over a friends house! It's very limited at lake Gaston of the choice of places to eat ! Just good eats ! read more

Great food, great staff and great history in this Lake Gaston hidden gem. Dennis is a great restaurateur with big time training from Johnson & Wales and Angus Barm. This place has great fools and a warm friendly atmosphere. Crab cakes and salmon amazing... chocolate chess pie outrageous read more

Historic home converted into a country restaurant in a rural wooded setting. Interior looks like a colonial home/tavern. Buffet on weekends are great but very crowded in the summer. Buffet is typical of fried chicken, fried fish, veggies, salad bar, Brunswick stew, desserts, etc. Extensive menu and bar. Local institution for 40 years. You'll notice that many of the diners know each other. Good food, good service, and great atmosphere. read more

This is in a way two very different great restaurants under the same roof. The buffet side features southern comfort food and has a rather casual atmosphere. Fried chicken (very moist, probably the best fried chicken I know of), black-eyed peas, Brunswick soup (not the official name, but it really is a soup version of Brunswick stew), green-beans, and fried fish are some of my favorites and can be found there nearly every week. The 'restaurant' side caters to those with fancier tastes in ambiance and flavor. My favorite dishes are the country ham: flavorful and not overwhelmingly-salty, and the shrimp & grits: creamy and smooth. The walls are classily decorated with 19th century-style paintings and artifacts. The wait-staff is attentive and polite, and the owner often comes around to make sure everyone is enjoying their meals. There is also a certain old-house smell that I find charming and helps with the feeling that you've stepped back in time, to the early days of the mud house. read more

Just tried the fried catfish and fried breaded shrimp and both were the best you are going to find around the lake. Kennon House is the one restaurant where you know what to expect "Always fine dining and fine food" read more

Went with a bunch of girlfriends to Saturday night buffet - absolutely delicious food that was reasonably priced! Highly recommend and would definitely return but service was poor - they might could benefit from more staff. There seemed to be only 1 server and 2 bus boys so drinks didn't get refilled quickly at all and it took forever to get our check and then another 30 min it seemed to get our change- that really sucked but the food was worth it! read more

Outstanding restaurant! Service, food quality and pricing are all comparable for the ambiance. In my opinion, this restaurant is the best in its class for forty miles in all directions! Collard greens, grits, homemade rolls and chocolate chess pie were among the best I've ever had! Highly recommend. This is my new go to in the Lake Gaston area! read more

The blackened steak was fabulous, although my favorite is their prime rib on fridays... but get there early because it goes fast! Our waitress, Sarah, was awesome! Great food, friendly staff, one our favorite places for dinner out. read more

Great food, fresh fish and vegetables makes the Sunday buffet delicious! The desert selection was great too. Extremely kind and helpful waitstaff. read more

The owner (who is also the host) is so rude and unwelcoming that it's hard to patronize this restaurant. There are several other restaurants in the area that have friendlier management and food of the same caliber. read more

We used to eat here frequently when I was a kid. In fact, some of my favorite memories were their tenderized ham, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Unfortunately they've changed. Although the mud hut still stands and looks the same (along with the same old smell I love), the food is lacking. We won't be eating there again. :( read more