Our Dining Experience At This Unique And Historically Important Site In South Carolina

I'm always on the hunt for a new restaurant to try. And, either through targeted ads or searching, I recently stumbled onto Kounter restaurant Rock Hill. At the time, I knew nothing of the restaurant location's history or anything else. I just knew the menu sounded amazing, and I wanted to try it soon. But, the phenomenal food was the tip of the iceberg compared to the history lesson we learned.

For those unfamiliar with Kounter restaurant Rock Hill and the Main Street site that houses it, here's a brief look at a significant moment in Civil Rights history. I had always heard of the 'Friendship Nine.' But, I didn't realize the historical event surrounding the group took place in the very building where Kounter on Main street sits today.

The year was 1961, and a group of brave young African American students from nearby Friendship Junior College staged a sit-in at the segregated lunch counter at what was at the time McCrory's Five and Dime. They ordered their food, at which time, they were promptly arrested and sentenced to a fine of $100 each or 30 days in jail. The 'Friendship Nine' chose jail.

The event caught national attention. And, inspired Rock Hill's motto 'No Room For Racism.' In 2020, Chef Rob Masone leased the building and Kounter restaurant Rock Hill was born. The significance of the 'Friendship Nine' sit-in moved Masone and led to his vision to honor the historical moment. And today, the counter at Kounter, is the original pink formica counter where the gentlemen sat in 1961.

Furthermore, the chairs at the counter feature plaques engraved with the names of each of the 'Friendship Nine.' And, next door, guests can learn more about the important time in history at a type of museum dedicated to telling the story.

So, that's why this spot is historically important. Now, let's talk about how delicious the food is. We went for Sunday brunch. And, the menu is innovative, creative and utterly mouth-watering. Our party of 3 ordered different dishes and sampled from each other's plates in order to try them all. And, there were still items we would have loved to order. Of course, we'll be back and explore the lunch and dinner menu further!

But, I can say everything we ordered was outstanding. From the Shrimp and Grits with a unique twist of flash fried collards, to the Chicken and Waffles featuring light and crispy meringue whipped waffles to the creative Breakfast Nachos with Italian sausage gravy, pimento cheese grits and crispy wonton 'chips,' each bite was something to applaud.

Although this was our first experience at Kounter restaurant Rock Hill, it won't be our last!

You can debate me all you won't but you won't change my mind. Brunch is the perfect meal. You can get a variety of food options from breakfast favorites, to unique offerings, and some lunch options as well.

Mimosas and Bloody Marys give the perfect excuse to day drink which is always superior. Plus you can make brunch super casual, or an excuse to dress up. Truly what is better?

I've also said if I was going to open a restaurant it would be a brunch one. I have rarely ever been to a brunch restaurant that didn’t have a wait. So if they all seem to be popular how do you determine the best brunch in South Carolina?

A good place to start is with Yelp. And the review/rating website recently published a list of the Top 100 Brunch Spots across the United States for 2024. And not one, not two, but FOUR South Carolina brunch restaurants ranked among the best.

So how was this list created?  It is based on Yelp ratings are reviews in the “Breakfast & Brunch category”. Restaurants considered featured a large concentration of reviews mentioning “brunch” and “Mother’s Day” The identified restaurants were then ranked.

Restaurants across the country were considered but Yelp limited the number of businesses per state for geographic diversity. Keep reading to learn about the four spots with the best brunch in South Carolina. You can read the full Yelp list here.