Kingswood

121 W. 10th St., West Village, NY

7.3

map & more

Neighborhood
West Village

Cuisine
Australian
Burgers

Nearby
Blue Note
Le Poisson Rouge

212-645-0018

Official Website

By Chris Stang
February 1, 2010

Wow. How did we not know that Kingswood is such a scene? There are so many single ladies circling that bar that it feels like a perfume-laden shark tank. There’s blood in the water and I’m scared.

A restaurant like this is the entire reason that we created a category for Action at the Bar, and we’re also going to tag this one with Drunk Hook Ups, because that’s precisely what’s going down post-meal in Kingswood’s basement bar. Now, a restaurant with a crazy scene usually means mediocre food (Abe & Arthurs), but a meal at Kingswood can actually be pretty great – though everything is a bit too expensive and i’m still not exactly sure how it’s Australian. I certainly didn’t see any Bloomin’ Onions on the menu. The burger is killer, some of the appetizers are excellent, and brunch is good, but at the end of the day, Kingswood is built for one thing – mixing it up with strangers. There’s a large communal table that makes up a good deal of the restaurant’s seating, and the bar in front is a rectangle, perfect for scoping and being scoped. We’ve had a few meals at the bar and have been lucky spectators to a many a game of “slam your wine and go talk to him”. This must be where they find all the girls for The Bachelor.

Food Rundown:

Pork Fritters with Granny Smith Apple, Soy Caramel, Watercress and Candied Hazelnuts
Imagine a crab cake, but with pork. Amazing, but there is no way to eat this without feeling like bad things are going to happen to your body.

Prince Edward Island Mussels with Lemongrass, Green Curry, Coconut, Cilantro and Jalapeño
Very similar to the Thai mussels at Flex. A tasty plate for sure, but Flex’s version might be better. The giant piece of grilled bread for sopping up the green broth is nice.

Ruby’s Bronte Burger with Cheddar, Sweet Chili Sauce, Truffle Mayo and Fries
Other than the talent, this is what you come to Kingswood for. The sweet chili sauce is kind of mind blowing, and it’s a tasty mess of a burger.

Spiced Baby Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Lime, Maple Syrup and Fried Egg
An unusual treatment to the now ubiquitous sprouts. The egg is nice, but that maple syrup is a little wacky. We like the more standard side dish version.