Sunday Best By Juniper

Dear Curious & Hungry, My husband and I visited Juniper after hearing about it and its fried chicken online. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by multiple staff members and told the story of how Juniper came to be. Once left alone to truthfully discuss our initial judgements it was quickly apparent that we very much enjoyed the mix of southern inspired decor and classic musical jams. The cocktail menu was intriguing and inventive. Throughout the course of our meal it became apparent that I will never enjoy a gin and tonic more than I did that evening. Our server, Matthew, crafted it himself and was very educational about the local tonic and speciality gin they used. He even gave us samples of their barrel aged gin and recommended we do a bourbon tasting as well. But, back to the food. Offering 5 different styles of bread, the beginning basket was the beginning of the most delicious meal of my life. The angel biscuit, hushpuppies, and corn bread melted in our mouths. The hand made butter was incredibly sweet and fluffy, the apple butter was spicy, sweet and lick the knife desirable. Next came the chicken and waffles. That chicken...damn. Juicy yet crispy. Sweet yet savory. Spicy yet tangy. Covered in fish sauce caramel syrup, spiced pickles and smooth, classic peanut butter. Fluffy and soft waffles. Mmmm....the flavors didn't seem real together. Who would have done this?! To try and remake something as classically delicious as chicken and waffles, nuts. But it was just nuts enough to work. It was so wrong it's right. My vote for best item on the menu. The more you eat, the more flavor you uncover. It is the most interestingly tasty dish I have had in my life thus far. Now on to our main course. My husband had the catfish, which naturally, meant I had catfish. The breading was very crisp and flavorful. The fish, light and flaky. Very flaky. the star of the dish was the tartar sauce. So herby, so lemony and creamy. So good. I ordered the shrimp and grits. This was a very classic take on the dish and they nailed it on the head. The shrimp was cooked beautifully. Juicy, plump and crisp. The grits were perfect and the sauce pulled the entire dish together. Just when we thought we were done, Matthew says oh we have homemade ice cream. Not only was it homemade ice cream, it was a flight of homemade ice cream. Orange ginger, Citrus elderflower and sarsaparilla cinnamon all made an appearance at our table and are now forever in our hearts. All in all I would highly recommend Juniper and will be revisiting soon and frequently. I had one of the best inning experience of my life and can not recommend or praise the staff and chef enough.

A fresh take on southern cooking. From the Georgia Julep with wonderful peach undertones, to the bread samples and creative deviled eggs- fennel? It works. Throw in a complete surprise on the smoked rabbit, and I loved the take. Smoked to just the right level, and complemented with a chicken liver mousse and field greens. All blended nicely for a unique dish. Nice cozy neighborhood place, that is like dressing up jeans with a sport coat and tie. The people at my table liked the fried chicken, steak special and shrimp and grits, as well as the ham and cheese pies small dish. Juniper will go on my recommended places for dinner in the Lou and Lou County.

We ordered half bird spicy, bread basket, mac n cheese, collard greens, and some smokey catfish dip. First, chicken was absolutely amazing. 10/10. And mac n cheese, creamy and well cooked but maybe need little bit more of seasoning. Collard greens, good texture but it was bit sweet to me. Smokey catfish dip had very clean flavor. Overall, I will come back to try other things! Also our server, Seth was very attentive and kind!

I’ve been coming to Juniper for years solely for the fried chicken so when the restaurant transitioned to the poultry-centric “Sunday Best” I was ecstatic. Sure, the old menu was filled with gourmet delights that a copious amount of people enjoyed. I was not one of those people. I ONLY ever got the fried chicken. People with whom I dined ventured off the beaten path into the depths of gastronomic pleasantries but I remained stalwart. Sunday Best held true to the fried chicken I’ve grown to love at Juniper. One could even say there are slight improvements upon the old recipe. The chicken itself was cooked wonderfully. Juicy on the inside, crispity-crunchity on the outside. I particularly enjoyed the spicy version after trying both side-by-side. Seemingly a Nashville inspired hot oil. The strips were thick and delectable but the main attraction for me was the bone-in variety. I had the breast and wing. Both were fall-off-the-bone tender. Well seasoned and mouthwatering. 9.15/10 clucks. The sides were hit or miss. The bread plate was AMAZING. The cornbread was my favorite followed by the fluffy Cheez-Its. My friend got the mac and cheese and could only take a single bite of it. Just not their cup of tea. The cucumber tomato salad was good but the collard greens were too sweet. The fries were crispy and texturally magnificent but very slightly too salty. My biggest let down was the ranch. For years I had smuggled Wingstop ranch into Juniper to accompany my chicken. For whatever reason they just didn’t offer it back then. Now they have a buttermilk-dill ranch and let me tell you it should be called “dill sauce in the style of ranch”. Very overpowering dill notes and the texture is odd and lumpy. I reckon I’ll be going back to bringing the ol’ trusty Wingstop ranch with me on future visits. Overall I LOVED the chicken and the atmosphere. The Cheerwine was a tremendous surprise as well. I enjoyed the Cheerwine cocktail AND a bottle of the plain, unadulterated, soft drink with my meal. Both really hit the spot. First rate service and friendly staff. Very strongly recommend.

Juniper is a hidden gem. It comes across as very unassuming with semi casual seating but has bright and airy decor. The cocktails are very good. I've tried different ones and each time have been very satisfied. For food I got the hot chicken sandwich and it was delicious. My colleague got the scallops and I got to try them they were very tasty. For dessert we got the smores cake and it was yummy. I would highly recommend juniper. There is street parking right outside.

WOW!!!! Food was incredible. We ordered the whole fried chicken with 3 large sides. It was the best, the chicken was crispy, juicy, goodness, mashed potatoes with pot lickka gravy was awesome, vegan collards greens was perfect. We truly enjoyed the food and atmosphere here. I would give Juniper 10 🌟 I recommend that you try this place, And don't let me forget about the staff, everyone was very polite and courteous, our waiter Kevin did an excellent job.

Chicken and waffles excellent; portions were better than ok. Try he biscuits were good tried that on my second visit ❗️Staff was very friendly, parking wasn’t bad we got lucky!