I have been quite naughty, and a good bit delinquent, on updating my review from 11 years ago?!…read more Sheesh, sorry about that! If you happen to pass through this quant well appointed town, and have a hankering for yummy Chinese food which boasts no use of MSG, then China Garden is your place! They have been around for many years, and are better than all the Chinese places in Ahoskie, NC as well as Franklin, VA (nearby towns on either side of Murfreesboro). All to say, we have tried so many of their dishes and have not ever been disappointed. To me that speaks volumes in and of itself! We typically order early or late lunch (to avoid the rush) and order all chicken lo mein (and minus the side of fried rice so as to get a larger lunch portion of only the chicken lo mein...which is one of my fav go to dishes). Their general tso has larger fried chicken type chunks for the dinner order vs the harder chicken popper style they use for lunch (both equally saucy of coarse). At our house its a 50/50 split on who likes which General Tso's style best...but as for me, I am the dinner style vote (just in case you were wondering). ;) The place is always clean and inviting. The prices are comparable to most of the other eateries nearby. The staff are always friendly, and are quick to prepare our orders both in "eat in" or "to go". This is just kinda our go to Chinese place for many years now, and am so grateful for all they do daily in serving up wonderful Chinese food for all us locals, and for those of you who happen to mosey on by and want to enjoy and savor a slower pace of life (even if for just a quick bite to eat). It truly is small town living at its best...but I guess you could say I'm a little bit biased, since I have lived near this area for 18 years and counting.

This is a jewel in Murfreesboro. Some of the very best Chinese food that I have ever hadread more

Fried shrimp entirely too salty! Sent them back and switch to a grilled item Steak temperature not…read morecorrect & completely overcooked which one manager agreed but didn't offer any apologies, good gesture, recook, remove from bill, nothing and tasted just like salt as well. Manager never came out to f/u after fried food was sent back. Only the entree was recooked and told I had to keep the same cold sides. No type of adjustments offered..... Management absolutely horrible! No customer service at all! Never had such an unpleasant, awful experience with any restaurant. Definitely would expect a small town, assuming locally owned restaurant would be more accommodating and concerned about their customers' experiences. Thanks for showing who you were up front before I booked the spot for a private 50 guest birthday party. I was patronizing this spot only to see the space and atmosphere before reserving. All of those $$$ will be headed to Franklin now!

Visited on Wednesday evening I got a oyster platter. I wanted along time for my food . The…read morewaitress came out and said my order got mess up. I should have known them to leave . Finally after about 30 minutes I got my order. I was very dissatisfied the oysters were cook hard as a rock. They need to teach the cook how to.cook oysters. I want be getting oysters again. I should have ask for my money back it was that bad

On our way home from OBX LOOKING FOR BREAKFAST-Found a little mom n pop place just off the main…read moredrive. (We tried once before just after Covid & they were still closed) VERY FRIENDLY hometown crowd and the coffee kept coming!(ask for Stella's brew for bolder flavor) everything was good, but, ORDER THE FRENCH TOAST!! WE ARRIVED 8:03 Just after they opened, door came 9:01.... Plan on visiting with the locals.

What a little local gem we found while traveling from Outer Banks to Raleigh! Stopped here for…read morebreakfast and it ended up being so much more. This place isn't very big but it is just cozy and comfortable right when you walk in! The owners are just charming and southern hospitality is sure next level here! The owner makes the best frosted cinnamon rolls I have ever had! We had biscuits and gravy and the best Swiss cheese mushroom omelette! Everything was homemade and served with friendly conversation! We left there feeling like we made new friends! Stop and have a home cooked meal... wish I didn't live so far away.

If you like delicious, Country Cooking, Soul Food make the drive to Broadnax Diner…read more Family operated, no frills good food. I had baked chicken breast, mashed potatoes, gravy, cabbage, a piece of coconut cake and a glass of real sweet tea. It was phenomenal!! Oh and I forgot about the crispy deep fried cornbread!!! Order extra of these heavenly little treats. Yummmm

This place is not closed…read more Boy oh boy do I love soul food. I found this place a few months ago. I saw a teacher at my job enjoying a hot bowl of soup and a huge grilled cheese sandwich and I had to have one. I left during my lunch break to find the best hole in the wall ever. My first trip I had the soup and sandwich. The soups was full of chicken and piping hot, just the right seasoning and a perfect consistency. The grilled cheese was nice and thick and perfectly grilled. My next visit I had the baked spaghetti. Oh my I wanted more! It was cheesy, not too sugary and mouth watering. I then had the meatloaf and mashed potatoes and cabbage. The meatloaf was perfectly seasoned, I opted for the gravy on the side. Next, I tried the smothered pork chop. The chops were juicy and well cooked. The gravy was awesome. I also had the grilled chicken sandwich, which was juicy and flavorful. I also tried their chicken n dumplin! Pretty good. Lastly, the sweet tea was sweet and refreshing! Please support the small family run business!!!!

I'm not usually one to leave negative reviews because I know how tough the restaurant industry can…read morebe. Im also usually a huge fan of Stockpot, as I frequent the one in Norfolk. I'm a chef myself and travel to different restaurants regularly, so I try to be understanding. That said, the service we experienced yesterday at Stock Pot was unfortunately some of the worst I've had in quite a while. We sat outside, and it honestly felt like we were being deliberately ignored. The restaurant wasn't busy, yet we had to wait long stretches just to get basic things. At one point near the end of our meal, we asked for a box and our check. Instead of bringing it over, the waitresses stood around talking with other waitresses, while we continued to wait. After sitting there for quite a while, we eventually had to ask for the check and box, a second time. Throughout the meal the service was inconsistent. We had three different waitresses checking on us, but were left to sit for about 30 minutes alone at one point, and it took almost 20 to have our order taken, once we ordered, we had to request our appetizer again, after waiting another 20 or so minutes. Upon asking, again, we found out they were out of part of the appetizer we ordered. After that it came out quick. The food, however, was excellent and definitely the highlight of the experience. That's why this review is disappointing to write -- the kitchen is clearly doing a great job. I just hope the service side improves, because it didn't match the quality of the food.

While working at a conference at the VA Convention Center, some colleagues requested I come here…read morewith them for lunch, they said they had been before and it was really good. When we got there, at lunchtime on a weekday, they were packed, but there were a few seats open at a hightop, which we took. Service was great and attentive, as well as helpful as she offered great suggestions and explained how various dishes were made. I tried a cup of their red bean and ham soup (it was the soup du jour) as well as their open face chicken salad sandwich and both were very good. They were both made fresh, in-house with fresh ingredients. Flavors were great too. I really liked the touch of having Dijon mustard on the chicken salad sandwich. There were so many great things on the menu that I would definitely return and try more!

Very dark and old, Needs a facelift Service was good, nice…read morewait staff of one. They need more help. The food was good.

UPDATE: I've been here many times now and it never disappoints, great dinner, extremely friendly…read morestaff & delicious dinner menu.

Grilled cheese on a cold day sign me up! Jessie Lou's does catering and you can book them for…read moreevents. I believe they normally service the Smithfield area, but can even travel to the Hamptons location. I had already made dinner for the night when the hubs and I saw Jessie Lou's. It was a simple red colored mobile truck with their logo on the side. There were two young workers inside making food magic. I browsed the menu and decided upon the hungry man and the Cuban grilled cheese. Prices are affordable given inflation these days. I hope they are able to succeed and thrive while continuing servicing the community with these prices. Some businesses will sacrifice quality for quantity, but this one does it right! After I paid it was only a matter of minutes before our order was ready. Two small little chocolates were given inside the bag. I eagerly opened the container and the hungry man met the hungry woman. The Mac and cheese, buffalo chicken, and crispy bacon was a wonderful comfort combination using two thick toasted buttery slices. I did split the other half for the hubs Cuban so we both had a taste of all this goodness. The bbq pork, ham, provolone, and pickle was good, but the hungry man was the winner! 100 percent my hubs and I will order from here again. The workers are kind and fast. You can't go wrong with grilled cheese. They also have soups if sandwiches aren't for you. Support local businesses and local food trucks! Also don't forget to tip as their prices are great and we want them to succeed as well!

Once again, I run into a food truck while at Capstan Brewery for music Bingo. This time, it was…read moreJessie Lou's which serves grilled cheese sandwiches. Most of the items were less than $5 so how can you turn that down?! I picked the white pizza grilled cheese sandwich which consisted of mozzarella and provolone cheese with caramelized onions, garlic and rosemary butter along with a side of chicken and wild rice soup. Talk about oooey gooey goodness in front of your eyes. The sandwich was perfect, cheese melted just right and the caramelized onions, in my opinion, made the meal work. But the true star of the night was the chicken and rice soup. My God was it sooooo good. I could not stop eating it. The one thing I loved was that the chicken appeared to be pulled instead of presented as chunks, which truly worked in its favor. My girlfriend said it reminded her of her mom's gumbo that she would cook during the holidays where she included chicken as a one of the proteins. I was so impressed that I ordered another round of chicken and rice soup, this time as an 8 oz size. If you're into food trucks, definitely check them out. Great people who greet you with a smile while delivering great food.

A couple months ago I went to the Stockpot location in VA Beach, so when in Norfolk and walking by…read morethis one I stopped in. I was taken care of by the chef and she was very helpful with the menu. They have so many appetizing options on their mostly healthy, all fresh menu. I love soup, so I love that they offer several each day, with some standards, plus a soup of the day, which on the day I visited was cream of potato. Where I sat at the counter, I could watch them making all the food and I was impressed to see that they don't just ladle soup into a bowl to serve it, they actually cook and prepare, then dress it to plate it perfectly. Their cream of potato was really good and not the traditionally made where the potato is pureed into the soup - rather they make a creamy soup base and then add potatoes to it. The combo of the soup, a small piece of potato, scallion, and a small piece of bacon really made for a great spoonful in each spoonful I enjoyed!! My coworker got their Asian Chicken Noodle and that looked amazing! He said it was incredible. Next up was the entrée and we both got their lamb gyro.... It's not the traditional gyro, it's an openfaced style, just like their chicken salad toast. It was really good! The tzatziki was great on it! And we also got a side of their cucumber feta salad... this tasted fresh and the feta was vibrant, with the combo of the cucumber and feta together being incredibly tasty. Overall, another very nice visit to a Stockpot restaurant... Looks like I need to try their Chesapeake location to get the trifecta of Stockpot! Highly recommend stopping in!

If you're only in Norfolk for a few days like I was, finding a place that actually sticks with you…read morecan feel like luck--but The Stockpot is exactly that kind of find. I ended up ordering the southwestern skillet with a lamb burger, and honestly, it was one of those meals you don't forget. The flavors were just... dialed in. Everything tasted intentional--perfectly seasoned, balanced, and comforting without being heavy. And the lamb? That slight gaminess added just the right amount of depth and richness to the dish. It didn't overpower anything--it completed it. What really stood out to me, though, was how effortless the whole experience felt. The staff were genuinely friendly--not in a scripted way, but the kind that makes you feel welcome right away. And the service was quick, which I appreciated since I was trying to make the most of a short trip. There's something about this place that feels like a local gem you almost don't want to share--but at the same time, you know people need to know about it. If I had more time in Norfolk, I would've gone back without hesitation. It's the kind of spot that makes you wish your trip was just a little bit longer.

Stopped in after an appointment because it looked interesting. There are multiple types it's soup…read moreand even better, you can try them before you buy. That was a great surprise. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. The soup was yummy and the sandwich was very tasty. The bread was extremely fresh and the toppings were delicious. My only complaint would be the place could have been cleaner but it was not horrible. Will definitely stop in again.

They are closed! There's a sign on the door about technical difficulties and it's been a week.read more