On a recent trip to Knott’s Berry Farm, it seemed inevitable that we would see live chickens and roosters walking around outside of the park, just like Mama Knott’s would have seen all the way back to 1934. While she may not have envisioned all the wood and steel roller coasters flying overhead, she would be amazingly impressed with the quality of the newly renovated Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant.
Back on November 2, 2015, Knott’s Berry Farm started the complete overhaul of Mrs. Knott’s Chicken restaurant.
We were very fortunate that during a recent visit to Knott’s Berry Farm, after months of rehab, the restaurant soft opened to guests on April 18, 2016. Besides the glimpses through windows at the improvements, we got a firsthand look at what is an amazing transformation of Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant.
The first thing you will notice upon entry into the restaurant is the large, open entryway with small seating areas elegantly appointed.
Next you will notice lots of new rooms with tables for guests, each having their own character and setting like you were eating in Mrs. Knott’s actual home.
The decor throughout the restaurant is just phenomenal! From all the farm decor to the fresh herbs and plants, the whole theme of a farmhouse restaurant was nailed perfectly.
If you were in the old Mrs. Knott’s restaurant, you will really appreciate the beauty of the new facility. There is still ample seating, including a great new bar area and outside seating.
The question though is did the food live up to the Mrs. Knott’s name?
During our visit to Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner restaurant, we happen to be filling our bellies all day trying the various boysenberry and unique eats throughout the park. So while we were not starving upon entering the restaurant, a visit to the Farm just would not be complete without a short meal, especially given it had been closed for months prior to our venture.
Rather than go with a Family Style Meal which required a minimum of four participants, we elected to go with the Mrs. Knott’s Famous Fried Chicken Traditional Dinner. For $21.99, guests receive the following:
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup or Cherry Rhubarb
Farm Fresh Mixed Green Salad with choice of dressing
Cabbage Seasoned with Ham or Sweet Kernel Corn
Mashed Potatoes and Knott’s Country Gravy
Hot Buttermilk Biscuits served with Berry Market jams (Upgrade to Boysenberry Butter for only $1.99 more)
Choice of Boysenberry Pie, Apple Pie, Vanilla Ice Cream, or Boysenberry Sherbet
We also choose to pay the $3.99 upgrade fee for all white meat chicken.
The meal started out with the salad, soup, and bread with jams and butter. We highly recommend requesting the boysenberry dressing for the salad, which was great with all the fresh vegetables!
The creamy chicken noodle soup was outstanding! Thick and creamy and likely one of the best versions of chicken noodle soup we have ever eaten next to our own mom’s version.
Next was all the buttermilk rolls with fresh Berry Market jams, along with the boysenberry butter. We can not rave enough how perfect all of the Berry Market jams, jellies, and butters are with fantastic, simple ingredients. We are so excited that Knott’s has chosen to reinvigorate Mrs. Knott’s original recipes and not skimped out on cheap ingredients. The boysenberry butter was well worth the upgrade.
The rolls though were not well received by anyone in our party. We had tried them a couple nights prior to Mrs. Knott’s To Go stand and again at the Chicken Dinner Restaurant and were really disappointed in their awkward flavor both times. This was the only drawback to the meal, which likely was for the better to avoid us filling up to enjoy the rest of the meal.
Next was the main course, the plate of chicken and sides. It really does not get much better than Mrs. Knott’s chicken. We received 3 large breast (we paid the $3.99 all white meat upgrade fee) that were super moist with crispy breading and very flavorful with no funky aftertaste. The mashed potatoes were high quality and the ham flavored cabbage was the perfect country touch to tie the entire meal together.
After everyone was thoroughly stuffed to the brink of needing to be rolled out the front door, we were reminded that we were still owed dessert. Well, the saying goes, “there is always room for dessert” so let’s stuff this one in.
Our kids decided to go with the boysenberry sorbet while we selected the traditional boysenberry pie. The sorbet was simply phenomenal with fantastic berry flavor and a real treat to tie the meal together. The pie is always well received, though you really have to appreciate the seedy nature of the boysenberry.
Somehow we eventually managed to get out of our seats and exit the facility. Though this time we were leaving with tears in our eyes. Not from the pain of our waistline busting at the seam, but for the knowledge that another trip to the Farm was coming to an end. Until next time, enjoy the bounties of Knott’s Berry Farm, and make sure you leave plenty of room in your luggage to bring back a large bounty of Berry Market products.
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