Undercover Diner: Kounter Serves up a Winning Sunday Brunch with a Side of Rock Hill History

Outstanding biscuits and gravy, creative breakfast dishes and attentive service make this downtown restaurant worth another visit.

ROCK HILL, S.C. — When Transformation Church in Lake Wylie moved from one Sunday service at 10 a.m. to two services at 9 and 11, it created a good-news, bad-news situation for our family.

The bad news? We'd gotten used to sleeping a little later on Sunday mornings.

The good news? Attending the 9 a.m. service meant we could get to Kounter in downtown Rock Hill for brunch without having to worry about getting a reservation.

We've visited Kounter several times, and most of those experiences have been positive. There was one exception involving an overcooked piece of chicken with a chicken-and-waffle order, but that was a previous visit.

This time, Kounter delivered one of our better brunch experiences.

Located in the historic downtown building that once housed McCrory's Five and Dime, Kounter offers a contemporary dining atmosphere with an important connection to Rock Hill's civil rights history.

The restaurant features a long counter, metal stools, contemporary artwork and a bright, inviting dining room. It's a comfortable setting for a leisurely Sunday meal.

Our party of three included my wife and our daughter. We each ordered something different from Kounter's Sunday brunch menu.

I went with the Badassery Biscuits & Gravy, and it was outstanding.

The dish features jalapeño cheddar biscuits, three-pepper sausage gravy, sunny-side-up eggs and smoked bacon. It's a substantial breakfast with plenty of flavor, and there's certainly no shortage of pepper.

The gravy was rich and generously seasoned, while the biscuits brought their own kick from the jalapeño and cheddar. The eggs and bacon rounded out a combination that worked exceptionally well.

This isn't your traditional biscuits-and-gravy breakfast, and that's part of what makes it interesting. It's a creative take on a Southern favorite, and one I'd gladly order again.

My wife chose a waffle with bacon and a side of white cheddar grits.

Her meal was good, although the grits were different from the traditional Southern-style grits she's accustomed to. They weren't bad, just not quite what she expected.

The bacon, however, was prepared exactly as requested: extra crispy.

That may seem like a small detail, but we've visited plenty of restaurants where ordering crispy bacon doesn't necessarily mean it arrives that way. Kounter got it right.

Our daughter took advantage of the build-your-own crepe option, selecting Nutella, strawberries and bananas.

It was an attractive presentation, with the folded crepe dusted with powdered sugar and accompanied by fresh fruit and a drizzle of chocolate.

She loved it.

She also ordered a side of Kounter's house potato hash, which earned another favorable review. The potatoes were better than what we've encountered at many breakfast restaurants, and she thoroughly enjoyed everything she ordered.

The food was certainly a highlight, but the service deserves equal recognition.

On previous visits, we've found Kounter's servers exceptionally friendly and knowledgeable about the menu, although service hasn't always been as punctual as we would have liked.

This time, we had Kim, and she was on top of things from beginning to end.

She offered recommendations, kept our drinks refilled and seemed to make the most of every trip to our table. Rather than coming back repeatedly for one small task at a time, she handled several things at once.

It was efficient, attentive service without making us feel rushed.

And it made a difference.

A restaurant with an important history

Kounter's location carries a significance that extends well beyond its food.

In 1961, nine young African American students from nearby Friendship Junior College staged a sit-in at the segregated lunch counter of McCrory's Five and Dime.

The students were arrested after attempting to order food and were sentenced to pay $100 fines or spend 30 days in jail.

They chose jail.

The group became known as the Friendship Nine, and their decision to serve jail time rather than pay fines helped draw national attention to the civil rights movement and the treatment of peaceful protesters.

Kounter honors that history and the courage of the students who challenged segregation at this location.

It's an important reminder that an ordinary-looking lunch counter can be the setting for extraordinary events.

The final bite

Our latest visit to Kounter reinforced why we've returned several times.

The Badassery Biscuits & Gravy was outstanding, our daughter loved her crepe and potato hash, and Lisa enjoyed her waffle and properly prepared crispy bacon, even if the grits weren't quite her preferred style.

Just as importantly, Kim provided the kind of attentive, efficient service that can turn a good meal into a particularly enjoyable experience.

Kounter isn't a traditional breakfast diner, and some of its dishes take creative liberties with familiar Southern favorites. But that's also part of its appeal.

Would we return? Absolutely.

And there's a pretty good chance I'll be ordering those biscuits and gravy again.