King & I

06/09/09

Not what it used to be

by Harold423

This used to be a regular destination for me and many of my neighbors when I lived in Loring. K&I had amazing happy hours, great company, awesome bartenders, perfect mood making DJ sets. Sadly, those days are long gone. I recently came in with a few friends to show them my former 'cheers' bar and all we got was attitude attitude attitude from the spikey haired blond bartender. I didnt recognize him from the old days he seemed like he would not be out of place pouring drinks downtown but this is Loring Park and not what i want to pay for.

We ordered some astronomically priced curry dishes which were pretty tasty but still, I didn't feel very welcome this time around. Along with the upbeat neighborhood feeling, also gone is the Wednesday 2-for-1 special. Possibly worst of all to anyone who likes to close a bar, the place now closes at 1am. The DJ sound was garbage too. With so many other choices in the neighborhood (Market Barbecue, the 19, and the thrilling new Indonesian treat Bali) I don't see myself returning to "The King" any time soon.

• Pros: Great food, live DJs, new sunday hours.
• Cons: high prices, snarky server attitude

02/15/09

Several cuts above most Thai restaurants

by pollysigh

My wife and I dined here last night, 14 February. It was our first time and I hope not our last. We have many years' experience at Thai restaurants, and this was one of the best, based on this one visit. We had: King's special egg roll to start. As some reviewers have noted, it was a bit pricey at $9.25 but was quite good as were the accompanying sauces. For entrees, we had Thai-style sweet and sour with a dozen large shrimp and a very tasty and complex broth. Excellent and definitely not over-priced at $19.50, and Gaeng Puk, a red curry prep with tofu (chicken optional). This was wonderful and also not overpriced at $17.50. A large bowl of rice is included with the meal. Aside from the excellent quality, the quantity exceeded our stomach capacities by a long shot. For dessert we split a small and inexpensive mango cake and mango ice cream. Very nice and refreshing. The staff, from the hostess to our server was very friendly, the server particularly so, in addition to being very efficient. The ambience is quite pleasant and several degrees nicer than most Thai restaurants. Those who complain about the food here being overpriced either (a) don't get out much or fail to take into account (b) the higher costs of downtown venues, (c) the quality of the aesthetics of this restaurant, (d) the quality and quantity of the preparations, or (e) all of the above. It was our first visit, admittedly; perhaps a second would be less positive. Of course, many of the critics of this restaurant probably had dined here only once as well.

• Pros: Decor, superior and more complex preps than in most Thai restaurants, reasonable prices
• Cons: None, based on this first visit

10/04/08

Good food, but unfriendly service

by MNelum

Our food was good, and the appetizer's were great! I loved the Cream Cheese Puffs and would recommend them to everyone! However, the price was a bit high, but I suppose that's what you get for eating in the city. Another negative was the service. The waiter fine but not very friendly and didn't appear to care much for her job. I felt like such a burden on her. After working in a restaurant myself, I know that this is not how a waiter should come across. I just would hope that, after paying such a high price for a meal, that I would look forward to coming back and not dread the servers.

• Pros: Food, Cream Cheese Puffs
• Cons: Price, Service