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.
