Kingston Cafe

Made me give it 1 star. I would not give any.
Rude watresses. Shotty business practices. They advertised happy hour until 7:00, but they try to avoid serving you until after. Waited for service for over 20 minutes… there were only two tables of customers and 3 «so-​called» watresses. When we finally asked if we could order, we were rudely told, it’s after 7 and happy hour was over. It was actually 6:50, but they said their IPAD said 7:00. It’s really funny how everyone else’s iphone and phones said otherwise.. . I guess their time is different from the rest of the Universe.
We approached the bar to order and the 2 so-​called watresses there suddendly disappeared so we could not order from the bar either. (Here’s the thing, I was with a group of Drinkers, we were there to see a friend of ours play in his band, the band was still setting up at this time. We would have been there for hours and we would have ordered many drinks. But they were so concerned with saving a couple of $ on happy hour drinks, that they lost $$ on full price drinks, we left without bung anything.
I would complain about the staff by name, but they never bother to greet us or offer any names. I have never felt so unwanted and unwelcome at a place in my life.
And now I find out they were on Kitchen Nightmare! Avoid this place at all costs.

Traveling through California for my first time last week was simply amazing. I was out visiting family and decided to stop in to the Kingston Café. The food there and the atmosphere are so great. I loved meeting the famous Olympian Owner Doctor Morris. The food meets great standards. And as a cooking school graduate out of Utah this food was amazing. Thanks for making me feel welcome and serving me. Will be back when on vacation or traveling through California again.

I just loved the vibe here. It’s fun and friendly. The food was amazing. I came back for my birthday because they sent me a Special Offer for a Free Dessert! Very Cool. I had the jerk chicken and loved it. My date had curry and she loved her dish as well. Great fun place when you want to try something different. They have Reggae Dance on the weekends… AWESOME!

I lived on three islands in the West Indies and have to say the food here is authentic and very good. You have to ask them for spicy versions of jerk chicken or curry; they say the Californians don’t like their food spicy! The atmosphere is pleasant and also authentic, reminds me of my childhood. We try to go a couple of times a year, coming in from The Valley. The owner is always there and very pleasant, accessible. She’s a former Jamaican Olympic track star physician who owns/​operates the business next door. She’s clearly not doing it for the money. Highly recommended.

They charge $ 10 for a shot of Jack Daniels. This is insane. It’s a weird bar in a converted house. I will never return here — go anywhere else. There are many other options in old town.

This place has some very authentic West Indian cuisine. They present themselves as a Jamaican food restaurant but this is more like a Jamaican fusion or a West Indian mix of everything that you find in the Caribbean. There’s nothing wrong with that I’m just saying for somebody who has had Jamaican food cooked by relatives, you can tell they put their own little special fusion twist on it.
That being said the food is great. I’ve had the jerk salmon the ackee and saltfish and the coconut rum shrimp. All three of those dishes are delicious and I would say my least favorite so far has been the saltfish because I dont think I got codfish.
I also prefer my fried plantains sweeter and softer. But it doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy them. And they also make up for it with amazing tropical drinks that can make any day in Pasadena if you like as a tropical vacation.
They have a beef chicken and vegan patties and they’re a little bit different than what I’ve had before. The crust has a little bit more curry to it and the insides of the meat has a unique blend of spices that is really damn good.
It’s a little pricey than what I’m used to for Jamaican food but you got to support the locals who are trying to do something different.
They have live bands on the weekends and I’m curious to go check out the place just to see what the DJ gwan play.

I have been to Jamaica, but this my friends is Jamaica coming to me! Everything we ordered was amazing, jerk chicken everything (order it spicy)! We will be back again!
PS. Plantains Jamaican me crazy!

The atmosphere, the food, the /​people/​were so memorable. Everyone was so kind, too. It’s such an accessible place. It’s so hard to find a good place to eat if you’re in a wheelchair, and the staff were so insistent about accommodating us. It was probably the best experience I’ve ever had in a restaurant. Definitely going back!

Had a wonderful party here on a Saturday night for my sorority. We had about 50 people, our party was on the back patio.
Ambiance: Lovely, very intimate but large enough to accommodate our large group, with lighting that was very nice. Also had nice artwork on the walls which were fun to take pictures in front of.
Food: SO GOOD. The Jerk Chicken was the highlight, it fell off the bone it was so juicy! I would definitely come back just for that and my friend got sweet potato fries that were some of the best we had ever had.
Staff: The staff was so sweet and kind! Out of all the venues we have had our parties at I think the staff was the nicest here. There was a little bit of miscommunication within the staff, some seemed to think that we couldn’t take our food to go (because it was catered).
Bar: The bartender was very nice but I would say she needs to take a class on mixology because her drinks were not as on point as the food, so I would say stick to simple drinks and beer if you come here, don’t expect a fancy cocktail, but they will do the job.
Cons: The only reason I am giving Kingston Café four stars in stead of five would be that the cocktails were not as good as they could have been, there was no propane in the heat lamps so it did get a little cold outside, and lastly the outdoor did not have a sound system. The inside did have a sound system that was actually really good, but our party was on the patio. I think this would be a great venue to have a live band or DJ at inside because they do have a stage and everything. Would definitely recommend this restaurant.

Nice atmosphere, we wanted to try something new and I never had Jamaican food so Kingston it was. We saw the show with Chef Ramsey and were curious about the changes. The place was really nice and very clean but pretty empty.
Our waitress was Sarah and we never would have known it was her first night because she seemed soo confident (and made a damn good Long Island Ice Tea).
Azul was the waitress training her and she did well giving her direction but still allowing her to do her thing.
We met the owner (my Husband was thrilled) she was nice and still seemed very «hands on». Was sorry to hear her Son was no longer working there though.
I had the Jerk Chicken plain white rice and vegetables. My Husband had the Curry Chicken and brown rice. I ate the vegies n rice but couldnt eat the chicken. Not sure what the spice was but it didn’t work for me, my Husband has had Jamaican food before and he wasnt really impressed with his meal either.
Was glad we went nice to try something new and I cant really say anything negative since I dont know enough about the food to do so.

I also attended the birthday party Diana N. attended and I couldn’t agree more with her review. It took forever for the staff to come and take our order. The poor waitress had to check several times if they had all the items listed on the menu. They didn’t have an ingredient for one of the house cocktails on the menu and I wanted to try the codfish fritters and they didn’t have it. It would’ve been nice if it had been crossed off the menu or if the waitress told me that prior to me trying to order it. When our food finally did come we ordered the Jerk wings and for $ 9 we got 4 little sad wings that were almost cold. My husband’s beer was flat and instead of removing it from the check the waitress charged us for cheaper beer. The evening became chilly and while there were heat lamps on the patio they were never turned on. The price of a Jerk chicken dinner was $ 18… it was only 2 pieces… a leg and a thigh… I don’t see how that adds up.
I wont be returning to this place save your money and go elsewhere for a Caribbean experience.

My friend had her birthday party at Kingston café on a Saturday night in the back patio. The patio and ambience was really nice.
I ordered the escovitch fish, it came with rice and peas, plantains and vegies. When I saw the broccoli on the plates that were being served to the other guests I was thinking, this isn’t going to be good and not traditional Jamaican.
This was not just the worst Jamaican food but sadly the worst meal I’ve had at a restaurant in a long time.

The fish wasn’t fresh and the sauce. ugh!, the rice and peas-​bland, the broccoli-​cold and blah (and where was the traditional cabbage?) and the plantains-​not ripe and came out 20 minutes prior as an appetizer. What Jamaican does that?
Although we waited at least an hour for our meal it was absolutely not made to order. No way! Terrible! No love!
The service… they really tried hard but were not able to give good service. Not experience enough to handle a big group. I really appreciated the effort.
The entertainment was great. A main singer-​Klive and the keyboard player were great. Thank God for being around great friends and entertainment.
After the party I read some Unilocal reviews and found out Kingston Café was featured on Kitchen nightmares. I saw the episode and everything made since with the food and the service. It looks like it reverted back to before the episode. Too Bad, so much potential.

Ordered a $ 14 curry shrimp salad that came with 4 shrimp ordered a side of red beans and rice that tasted like nothing had to heavily salt to taste the Caribbean Rainbow drink was delicious though. I hear their jerk wings are great otherwise

We were surprised to see this place open after a few happy hour stops… they have limited hours so we ventured in and had a great experience! Had the jerk chicken and it was yummy. The place was pretty empty on a Friday night close to 10pm. The bartender was personable and on point. Quick service and decent prices. We would definitely go back

Horrible!!! I’m Jamaican, this place was over priced and the food wasn’t great. If you want really Jamaican food go to Stones in Los Angeles on Crenshaw

Wished I could have given a hight rating as I am jamaican.
The menus is very limited and some items on the menus are not even jamaican.
It’s a friday night and the place is empty.
Pattie was micro waved which makes the pastry flat and soggy.
The oxtail was bland but tender. They forgot to add any jamaican spices.
The rice and peas which is staple with a lot of Jamaican meals taste more like something you would find in a Mexican restaurant. They left out all spices that makes this dish what it is suppose. It’s whites rice with a can on beans mixed in.
Friendly service

I was visiting my father in LA and he took my boyfriend and I to this Jamaican restaurant. My boyfriend is Jamaican so this was a wonderful place just to relax and eat at! I’ll definitely come back here to eat

Took the hubby here for his birthday in July without even knowing the history of this place (Kitchen Nightmares) until my sis told me. Well, the food was really good and the service was surprisingly fast too. We were prepared to wait a while simply because it’s sort of what you expect at a Caribbean place, but our food was served within 15 minutes or so. Our only observation was that the portions were somewhat small. It was just enough food to kill our hunger, but not really enough to take home for later. So we ended up eating again at the movie theater.
I eventually watched the episode of Kitchen Nightmares on youtube and see that the Owner didn’t really keep many of the changes that were shown, but all in all, it’s a decent little restaurant.

LOVE this place!
Saw the Kitchen Nightmares episode shortly after I moved to LA and decided that I wanted to check it out.
My parents came to visit and being from England and attending Notting Hill Carnival, we love traditional Jamaican food.
We were not disappointed at all!!!
The ackee and saltfish is delicious! The jerk chicken from the grill has amazing seasoning.
It is quiet and not many people were there when we went, but the food is great and so is the service.
I take everyone here when they come to visit!

Hate to be the one to break it to you all but theres no more Kingston Café!
WHOMP WHOMP
Yea the business is closed so don’t come looking for beef patties and other Jamaican delights. You will be greeted by an empty door and leave will an empty belly.
It is now a «lounge» called The Triples
you can visit them on FB and check it out also
I guess they are open Thursday-​Saturday
*awkwardly stares at computer*
*shrugs*
*logs off*
*sits down and puts jacket on*