08/11/09

Nice Spot

by dwnsouthgurl

I went for the first time last week....It was a very nice spot I really enjoyed myself.....the food is good....Now I wont lie...it's not like Grammas :0) but it's damn good!! No complaints...Dont pay attention to all the other uptight comments....sometimes you can't please people no matter what you do...For the price, atmosphere and location and VIBE ALONE this is a cool spot for drinks and eats 2 thumbs up !!

• Pros: Service Staff Personalities
• Cons: none really (honestly)

08/07/09

Will not be going back

by TanyaLK

After waiting at our table for twenty minutes without any service, we had to go to the front to ask for a server. When she did come, she did not apologize for completely ignoring us. Server was rude throughout the entire experience and acted like we were bothering her.

Before ordering the server said her credit card machine was down and we would have to pay with cash or check (there is not a close ATM). After waiting for an hour, we did not want to get up so we said we would take our chances that her machine would be fixed (it was later in the meal). I have been in retail stores when the credit card machine goes down and they just write down your credit card number and run it later when their machines are fixed, of course no such solution was offered here.

Next, unknown to us, our table was given the winter menu. When the salmon did not have mashed potatoes with it, I asked where they were. The server acted like I made it up even though both my husband and I read it on the menu. I asked for a menu and after quite some time she returned with a spring menu, no potatoes listed. The server just shrugged and said I must have had the winter menu and walked away.

My husband had the ribs and thought they were very average.

There was no toilet paper nor was there any paper towels in ladies bathroom. I went into the men's bathroom (door was open) and they were out of toilet paper as well.

I go out all the time and this has been my worst restaurant experience in many years.

• Pros: Decor
• Cons: Service

07/07/09

About AS Southern as Bjork

by stevebody

If I were Randy Jackson, I'd call this place "pitchy" and say, "Ya lost me, dawg."

I don't even want to go into a lot of detail about this because, to me as a life-long Southerner, this place just doesn't add up. It will probably satisfy anyone who has never had real, home-made Southern cooking, daily, for their whole lives, but it's really just somebody's *idea* of Southern food. Their own bio says that the Coaston sisters weren't cooks before they decided to open KingFish and it shows. Everything SORTA tastes like what the dish is supposed to be but there's something off about every single one. I hesitate to trash any restaurant trying to turn out Southern food because I miss it and wish I could get it somewhere other than my own kitchen but there is a HUGE difference between Southern food as made by a person who has made it since they could reach the stove and someone who got some recipes from their family so they could open a funkily-chic restaurant in Seattle. I put in the time to go back and try everything and none of it was more than a vague shadow of what anybody's grandmother would turn out in their kitchen in Tuscaloosa, Jackson, Valdosta, or Chatanooga. If you don't KNOW Southern food - intimately and with your soul involved - this bloodless imitation will probably be a perfectly adequate change of pace for you. I sorta wish I could eat it the same way. Maybe if they removed any references to the South from the place and just called it food. But my expectations for people who claim to make Southern food go a lot higher than Kingfish.

• Pros: Studiously laid-back
• Cons: FOOD

06/28/09

A lousy evening at the Kingfish Cafe

by ReeveW

I have to assume this restaurant has gone way downhill recently; friends I trust used to love it. But all the food tonight was bland and tired-tasting with way too much breading. And then there was the service, with a waitress who seemed to dislike her job and was never even pleasant. She let our food get cold on the counter, had to be asked twice for our drinks, never produced the salad we ordered. The standbys of fried chicken and catfish were just very poor. Avoid this very over-rated place.

• Pros: None, really
• Cons: Food and Service

06/25/09

Great Food

by robbiefischer

I live on Capital Hill, and have never been here until last night.

What a cool spot

12/03/08

A Great Southern Dining Experience

by njdon

Had dinner on a Sunday night at 6PM. My son and I were immediately seated. Service was fast, efficient, and very friendly (they even sweetened my ice tea for me, twice, once without me asking). We had catfish and chicken with ample sides-well prepared and very tasty. Can't wait to get back to Seattle to explore their menu some more. I'd highly recommend the restaurant.

• Pros: Great food, great service.
• Cons: Gets cold in the front dining room when the door opens.

08/31/08

Avoid at all costs

by Dangtoo

Please - don't waste your time or money. Four (4) of us went Fri, Aug 29,2008. We were told there would be a 20 min wait. At end of 20 they said they were preparing a table for us. Then another 15 min and they sai "oh, we has a big party come in and the table we has prepared for you we gave to them. Two or three times later they came and asked, in succession, is this for 3 people, then two people, and last five. Each time we said four.Then, after our complaints they begrudgingly "found" a table in the back of the room by the kitchen entrance - our reward for a complaint. First things first. We ordered a bottle of wine (priced 200% over retail). After 3 tries the bottle was delivered AFTER our appitizers and our meal arrived. One of 4 orders was wrong. Fried chicken - leg, thigh & breast. The breast was so dry it was terrible. The thigh and leg somewhat better. The coleslaw and potatoe salad at best average. Service nonexistant. Was anything comped for our problems - no, of course not. Do yourself a favor and find another place. Perhaps Monsoon across the street with real food and real service.

04/13/08

flawless

by fatties

There was absolutely nothing wrong with anything we ordered. The staff was very attentive, engaging, and friendly! The atmosphere was great, though it got pretty crowded after six- but we still didn't feel cramped. The drinks were wonderful and full of flavor! The appetizer of fried green tomatoes and hush puppies were seasoned and cooked perfectly. We also ordered the fried chicken and gumbo. The fried chicken was very moist and flavorful and the gumbo was soul in a bowl! For dessert we had both the butterscotch cake and berry cobbler. Beware of HUGE portions! when the waitress tells you to split dessert, do it! The slice of cake was the size of my head. All in all, our experience couldn't have been better!! We'll be coming back!

04/07/08

Lousy food and poor service

by jill321

We went to the Kingfish Cafe looking for some soul food. There is nothing fried and smothered on the menu. The catfish was supposed to be fried but it sure didn't seem like it. It was served with grits that I have never seen taste and look like that. They weren't even edible. It would be nice for some cornbread to be placed in a basket on the table while we wait for the food because it is not fast service.

The fried chicken my daughter had was awful, Popeye's chicken is a whole lot better.

It was a let down. We were looking for some good southern soul food and the Kingfish Cafe is not it.

03/21/08

Fantastic Neighborhood Joint

by cdog206

Most of the dishes are excellent, the times I've had the steaks, I've been disappointed - but the rest of the menu is excellent! Catfish, pork chop, mac & cheese, all great. Start with some apps and be sure to get a side of rice and beans and cornbread. You can't go wrong with a mint julep to wash it all down with. My only complaint is the wine list doesn't work well with the food, and seems as it was an afterthought. there are some excellent washington wines that would match very well with the menu yet there aren't many on the list. All in all a great neighborhood fixture, and one we will return to again and again.

• Pros: Delicious southern fare
• Cons: wine list needs help, service can be spotty