The Kingston Hotel

It’s been a while since we dined at the Kingston and it was always enjoyable. The “new” Kingston after extensive renovation delivers three excellent spaces with great attention to quality fit out that provides a relaxed character and atmosphere to each space. We had lunch in Marble & Pearl, a refined dining room with a focus on Australian beef and local seafood, all cooked on a parilla charcoal grill. Even though it was the official opening day and finishing touches were still being applied, the service from the staff was attentive and friendly, and we were well looked after by Renata. The miso glazed marrow bone was excellent, as was the panko-crumbed John Dory. The retro prawn cocktail was nice but would have benefited from more prawn meat. The 300g O’Connor’s hanger steak from the parilla had a great depth of flavour and was served with house-made green and a red chimichurri on the side The wine list is well curated to match the food on offer and caters to a range of budgets. Will be back.

The Kingston had a really good start for an opening night... Clearly the renovation is still a work in progress and some of the floors near the bathrooms provide an "uneven" passage. Renovation work aside, there is a feel of opulence which suits the menu and it is warm and comfortable. For a gourmet pub with premium prices the team need to focus on making sure the food is exceptional, facilities are clean and diligent service is maintained. The menu is large and ambitious yet there were a number of options including items from the wine list which were curiously written up as being unavailable. However the manager made up for this with his attention to detail and great customer service. The entrees were exceptional and items like Caviar offered a theatrical start to the meal and a once off dining experience. There were a number of teething problems including over cooked steak and a hair in a dessert, which on a normal night would have been grounds for serious complaints. With pasta dishes more food is often not a good thing. Aside from one overcooked steak the meat selection and flavours were terrific. Other diners in our group were less impressed and commented it all needs a lot of work. Overall we had a positive dining experience and will return after giving their team sometime to fix the opening night issues.

We visited during a soft open. The service was fantastic, very friendly and professional. My partner had the Surf and Turf which had a HUGE lobster tail, she enjoyed it immensely. I had the eye fillet and from the first bite my mouth exploded....it was an amazing cut!!! Thanks for amazing food and service we will definitely be back very soon!!!

We dined at the new Kingston Hotel last night our local. Chris the manager is very friendly and chatted with us which was lovely. ...Love the new fit out and ambience. We sat next to the gas log fire...Perfect on a cold winters evening. We ordered the Fish pie and spaghetti beef ragu were both delicious. Looking forward to another lovely relaxed evening at the newly renovated Kingston Hotel...