King is a restaurant in the South Village neighborhood of Manhattan, in New York City.[1] King opened in September 2016. King serves French and Italian food.[2]

King
King in April 2024
Map
Restaurant information
Street address18 King Street
CityNew York City
StateNew York
CountryUnited States
Coordinates40°43′39″N 74°00′12″W / 40.727573°N 74.003455°W / 40.727573; -74.003455

History edit

 
The dinner menu at King on 14 April 2024

Jess Shadbolt, Claire de Boer, and Annie Shi founded and own King.[3] Shadbolt and de Boer met while they both worked at The River Café in London,[4] and later met Shi, who was then working at The Clove Club.[5] Before opening King, Shi and de Boer managed a "supper club" together, first in London and then in New York.[5] The restaurant's interior was designed by de Boer's mother.[6] King's operators originally searched for a space in Chinatown.[7] King opened in September 2016,[7] in a location previously occupied by the restaurant Mekong.[8]

de Boer has compared the challenges of operating her upstate New York restaurant, Stissing House, to the challenges associated with operating King, saying that King has "no room" but a large number of potential diners, while Stissing House has "loads of room" and a much smaller pool of potential diners.[9]

Shadbolt, de Boer, and Shi opened a second restaurant, Jupiter, in 2022.[10][11]

Menu and offerings edit

The menu at King changes daily, and staff determines what the restaurant will serve each morning.[3][7][8] Many dishes do not contain protein, focusing instead on vegetables.[8] Shadbolt, de Boer, and Shi have said they source ingredients from Union Square Market.[6] The restaurant consistently features panisse on its menu, which de Boer attributed partially to the fact that the staff enjoys eating it with "a cold drink".[12]

Reviews and accolades edit

Reviews edit

Shauna Lyon, in a review published by The New Yorker, praised the restaurant's service and food.[13]

Accolades edit

Jordana Rothman, writing for Food & Wine, included Shadbolt and de Boer on her 2018 list of the best new chefs in the United States.[14] de Boer was nominated for the 2018 James Beard Award for "Rising Star Chef of the Year".[15]

Pete Wells, the restaurant critic for the New York Times, included King on his 2023 and 2024 lists of the one hundred best restaurants in New York City.[16][17] Wells emphasized King's interpretation of French and Italian cooking as his reason for including the restaurant on the lists.[16][17]

References edit

  1. ^ Wells, Pete (6 June 2017). "Some Food, a Plate, a Room. That's Enough at King, in SoHo". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  2. ^ Wells, Pete (27 September 2019). "Where The Times's Restaurant Critic Likes to Eat". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  3. ^ a b Rao, Tejal (17 July 2018). "It Takes a Lot of Skill to Make a Restaurant Seem So Casual". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 26 March 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  4. ^ Saffitz, Claire (1 March 2017). "The Queens of King". Bon Appétit. Archived from the original on 8 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  5. ^ a b "The New Crew: The Founders of King Restaurant in New York City's West Village". Vogue. 10 September 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  6. ^ a b Betker, Ally (23 September 2016). "Inside King, the Women-Run New Restaurant Taking British Fare Beyond Fish and Chips". W Magazine. Archived from the original on 8 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  7. ^ a b c Tishgart, Sierra (8 September 2016). "Meet the Talented Team Behind a Stylish, Unassuming New Soho Bistro". Grub Street. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  8. ^ a b c Dai, Serena (3 October 2016). "All About King, the Sleeper Hit Of the Fall From London Chefs". Eater NY. Archived from the original on 8 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  9. ^ Krishna, Priya (4 March 2022). "A Manhattan Chef Heads Upstate. A Country Tavern Follows". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 25 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  10. ^ Fabricant, Florence (22 November 2022). "Jupiter, From the King Team, Opens in Rockefeller Center". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  11. ^ Fortney, Luke (24 August 2022). "How Rockefeller Center Lured Some of NYC's Top Restaurants to a Midtown Tourist Trap". Eater NY. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  12. ^ Molvar, Kari (25 April 2017). "A Spring Picnic Recipe From Two Rising N.Y.C. Chefs". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  13. ^ Lyon, Shauna (14 April 2017). "A Lusty Love Letter to Italian Simplicity". The New Yorker. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  14. ^ Rothman, Jordana (21 May 2018). "Food & Wine Best New Chefs 2018". Food & Wine. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  15. ^ Rose, Lily (14 March 2018). "The 2018 James Beard Award Finalists: View the Full List". Daily Meal. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  16. ^ a b Wells, Pete (18 April 2023). "The 100 Best Restaurants in New York City". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  17. ^ a b Wells, Pete (1 April 2024). "The 100 Best Restaurants in New York City in 2024". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.

External links edit