07/01/09

Lovely ladies dinner

by KatblueNYC

had a great dinner last night with 5 friends, i checked and the first seating is 7:30, so I made our reservation for 8PM. Once everyone arrived we were seated immediately (8:15) at the banquette in the front. Cute, kind waiter, good service. We drank bottles of prosecco and had lots of seafood: oysters, tuna tartar, mussels, and the scallop entree, all were delicious. Also the mac and cheese is good but too heavy on the truffle oil, the corn is fabulous. The mussels were very very spicy but I love heat, some girls couldn't eat them. Some sound absorbency would be nice we had to SCREAM at each other to hear but were having fun so didn't care... just an fyi. Best for either large groups or groups of 2, tables are close and not a lot of room.

• Pros: Fabulous mussels, attractive men at the bar
• Cons: VERY loud

03/10/09

Birthday celebration

by porkstone

After an inital issue wih the booking all was well, special thanks to the maitre'd on duty on friday the 7th march she was a star. Food was good and the somellier was brilliant in his wine recomendation. Good time had by everyone..

01/13/09

Fantastic food and bar scene

by peteyw

I have been to Kingswood several times over the last month for both dinner and drinks. I actually stumbled across this place and have only had amazing experiences so was very surprised to read about other peoples experiences. Yes, the place is loud but that is kind of the fun thing. Its one of the few places you can go and get a drink in a great scene and then if you are hungry grab a really good meal too. Anyway, I hear they are changing the ceiling in the next couple of weeks which is going to address the situation. Everytime I have been there the staff have been really friendly and helpful. the sommelier takes the time out to come to all the tables and makes useful recommendations without making you feel like you have to spend lots of money.

I have tried most things on their winter menu...the coconut curry mussels are delicious and great to share at the bar if you just want a light meal. I also really like their lamb osso buco which was perfectly cooked and melts of the bone. my girlfriend eats the cod everytime which comes which is really light but so flavorsome. The scallop special was to die for. And of course those truffle fries!!

this place is definitely in my rotation and looks like it is here to stay.

• Pros: great food and bar scene in the same place
• Cons: none

12/21/08

not so nice place

by caprh

its not good its not good at all and i wud again say its NOT good at all. this is waste of money n a lot of time. Dont go there i say mind it

• Pros: hmm....
• Cons: evrything i guess

12/08/08

OVERRATED - Mediocre food, rude service ---NOT WORTH YOUR MONEY

by AnniePagano

The food was marginal. Nothing special offered here except a nice view of the park.

The hostess and waitstaff were INCREDIBLY affected and rude. At one point after being seated for a few minutes, we had to ask the waitstaff outright if they were in a hurry to get us out as we were not able to even look at the menu thoughtfully between their multiple visits to the table asking us if we were ready to order.

A member of our party lost his jacket, and instead of acknowledging the issue and diffusing the situation by either saying "that is terrible, we are sorry and if we can't find it, we will cut XX of the bill"....or "we'll give you a drink at the bar while we look" ...something any normal restaurant management would have done to ensure customer satisfaction.....but instead the hostess was outright rude, raising her voice and telling him in a very condescending manner that "mistakes happen" and he needed to "relax". The reason the customer was so upset about the jacket was not the actual loss, but the way he was being dealt with. This is not how customers should be treated after paying good money for a mediocre meal.

I would advise that you take your business to another trendy spot that knows how to treat paying customers, especially in this market.

• Pros: Nice view of park, good ambience
• Cons: Rude staff, average food, very pricey for what it is

11/15/08

expected more

by gtcttww

my friend and I went here on a Friday night (btw- do not show up sober b/c the place is so loud you will have a headache within 10 mins)... after being sat at a table literally 2 inches away from our screaming neighbors, we asked to be moved b/c we could not hear ourselves talk or think... they moved us but long story short - the service was AWFUL- we were being served by the manager and literally had to get up and ask for something EVERY time we needed something and the only person who ended up helping us was the amazing busboy.... we ended up giving him a 25% tip and could not have been happier... over-priced, awful service and loud...but good locationand somewhat charming inside!

09/21/08

Make reservations, or else!!!!!!!!!

by mizpink

We kept getting told that our wait was 45 minutes....every 45 minutes. Sat at the bar, ordered some drinks, and the bartender ended up giving us some bread and EVOO. If the hostess hadn't been so rude to my friend, we might have stayed and stuck it out. The menu looked so so. There were a few items that looked ok, but not good enough to starve until 11PM. I mean, we were only in NYC until Sunday. ha. The place looked awesome, though. It was sooooooo crowded too.

• Pros: The bartender was really gracious and friendly
• Cons: The hostess had no people skills...nor concept of time

06/03/08

Nice experience

by pmate778

Went in last saturday night, had the signature kingswood cocktail at the bar--great flavors. Was seated right away even though we were late getting everyone arrived, hostess was funny and nice.

liked the lamb but the cod was a little tasteless. great atmosphere--go when its busy, not for all-out fine dining. and dont miss the pavlova dessert. would go again.

06/01/08

rude Matradie

by aussiebloke

I wanted to check out the australian restaurant Kingswood because i grew up in australia and was looking forward to it. i was on a date and thought it would be a decent place to take her. i got there early and asked for a table for two, it was raining out and my friend would be there shortly. i asked the 'Hostess' for a table for 2 she didnt ask me anything but 'come back when your both here' i noticed lots of extra tables so i thought " no worries" i waited outside....when my friend arrived we came in. asked for the table and she says 45 minutes. i told her i was here a half hour ago. she didnt care, she says 'get a drink at the bar' my freind and i both agreed that she was out of order and we left. its named after an old GM holden motor car. Be nice hostess & dont be a rude american in an australian restaurant !

• Pros: possibly great
• Cons: rude Matradie

05/30/08

Trendy & loud... but the food, wine selection & service makes up for it

by emmarina

8:30pm on a Thursday night my friend and I were seated without a reservation and without a wait. Our waitress was wonderful as were the other staff. Wine list was well chosen, even the dessert wines. We had the crab and avocado appetizer which was phenomenal, as was the risotto with ramps, fresh peas and prosciutto. After such filling appetizers we decided to split the burger which was extremely juicy and flavorful. Unfortunately while the desserts were definitely edible they were not memorable and next time we'll be saving our calories. We had the lemon tart with lemon sorbet and the peanut butter parfait. Left a lot to be desired. In agreement with other reviewers in terms of the loud atmosphere but I don't feel that it took away from the dining experience.

• Pros: Food, stellar service, great wine list
• Cons: noise