Chicken & Waffles on Tate Street

  CHICKEN WAFFLES.....you now have my attention Sir!! That was my reaction when I heard of a new restaurant here in Greensboro last weekend and I had to venture out and check it out, because thats what I do.

Located at 401 Walker Avenue, right in the heart of the downtown UNCG campus, lies a quant little restaurant that has been opened for all of 4 months. Being new to that area, I am  Guilford-Man myself, I had to get out there and check it out with the quickness. When I located it I was pleasantly surprised once stepping inside and meeting the co-owner Jean Wilson as she manned the front counter taking orders from the myriad of customers that were in line. Amongst the hustle and bustle you can tell that she is full of personality and when it is my turn to order the personality exuded itself the minute she smiled. Standing all of 5 feet 2 inches she possesses a much larger persona but has the tact and personalization to make you feel like you are her only customer. EVER! She took a few moments during a slow time to answer a few questions in reference to her business and I was happy as a clam at the end of the conversation. She mentioned that she opened the restaurant in an eloquent story that also included her love for her husbands mother whom had passed away recently. Always wanting to own a restaurant, she died before she was able to make this dream a reality, along comes Jean and her husband, Renaldo Wilson to fulfill that wish right here in NC. 

The restaurant has a specialty of down home cooking and they do it to a rare form. The best items on the menu range from fried fish, chili-cheese fries and the pinnacle, the chicken and waffles. I had to get my hands on the chicken and waffles and was so pleased when I did that I felt like getting up from the table, going behind the counter and smacking Renaldo AND Jean because they didn’t tell me that it was going to be sooooo good. The very generous portions that they include on the plates are from the days of old before establishments started portion controlling the adult plates so that they mirrored Kids-Meals. The chicken and waffle plate comes to the table piping hot with the oversized waffle anchoring the three massive sized chicken wings that are plated and displayed in a three piece triangular shape. There is nothing bad that I could say and less that I wanted to say once I poured the syrup and sliced into my first bite. The food is prepared in such a meticulous manner that you almost don’t want to disturb the picturesque plate as it is served to you. Savory food without the usual over-salting that you typically find in soul food or down south restaurants was a welcomed surprise.

Opening the restaurant where they did has a backstory that coincides with where these Chicago natives are from. The prior restaurant in the space was called ‘Windy City” so they knew when the realtor explained to them that they had found gold and would be planting their roots here to make Moms dream come true. Being able to spread their genuine love and kindness thru the joy of food the Wilsons are a class act and have one of the best up and coming eateries in the Greensboro area. 

GEANA’S RESTAURANT

401 Waker Avenue

Greensboro, NC 

336-275-2688