New York City: Kingside (November 2018)



My spouse and I visited Kingside for breakfast on a Thursday morning in late November 2018. Kingside is open from 7:00 am (8:00 am on weekends) until 1:00 am for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinks, and everything in between. You can book a spot using the online Open Table reservation system. 

Celebrity chef Marc Murphy created Kingside in conjunction with the Gerber Group. The Gerber Group also operates The Roof (at the Viceroy), Taco Electrico (in Union Square), The Campbell ([Apartment] in Grand Central Station), Mr. Purple (at the Indigo LES, where we have stayed twice before and visited its amazing rooftop venue and adjacent outdoor pool), Irvington (at the W Union Square), and Whiskey Blue (at the Maxwell), in addition to properties in Atlanta, Georgia and Santiago, Chile. My spouse and I and a group of friends visited The Roof in July 2018; see our review titled “Outdoors on a Summer Night Is Best, But Indoors Is Attractive Too”.
Kingside opened in October 2013 on the street level of the Viceroy Central Park; in fact, the entrance door leads from the lobby directly into the restaurant. Black and white are the predominant colors, shown in the checkerboard flooring, bricks, and tiles. Leather banquettes in a caramel brown color and bar stools in bright red provide accents of color. The front of the space contains a small bar (counter service for breakfast), with adjacent high-top round tables and a dining bar against the front window. The dining room includes tables, booths, and a dining counter at the rear that allows a glimpse into the open kitchen. Staff are nattily dressed.

Kingside serves American cuisine. We were overnight guests at the Viceroy, and upon check-in, as part of our room package, we received a complimentary breakfast coupon worth $25. We had looked online at the Kingside menu, and since most plated breakfast entrees were priced at $18, we decided that we would instead use the $25 to purchase some items-to-go at the restaurant’s takeout counter instead. However, when we went to pay for our two coffees and two bagels, we were told that although the items did not exceed the $25 value of the coupon, the coupon could only be used to pay for one guest’s breakfast. We later learned at checkout that we should have received two breakfast coupons, one for each registered guest, thereby having $50 in credit. However, no attempt at recompense was made by the desk agent. This was a most unfortunate situation, because if we had known that we should have had two coupons, we would have preferred to sit down for a served meal. When we checked in, the desk agent made a fuss about asking each one of us for of our photo IDs so that we would both be officially registered, so we don’t know why she only provided us with one coupon.

Our experience at Kingside was disappointing, as was our stay at the Viceroy itself. With so many other dining and lodging options near the southern end of Central Park, we are not likely to return.