King is a restaurant in theSouth Village neighborhood of Manhattan, in New York City.[1] King opened in September 2016. King serves French and Italian food.[2]
Jess Shadbolt, Claire de Boer, and Annie Shi founded and own King.[3] Shadbolt and de Boer met while they both worked atThe River Café in London,[4] and later met Shi, who was then working atThe Clove Club.[5] Before opening King, Shi and de Boer managed a "supper club" together, first in London and then in New York.[5] The restaurant's interior was designed by de Boer's mother.[6] King's operators originally searched for a space inChinatown.[7] King opened in September 2016,[7] in a location previously occupied by the restaurant Mekong.[8]
de Boer has compared the challenges of operating her upstate New York restaurant,Stissing House, to the challenges associated with operating King, saying that King has "no room" but a large number of potential diners, while Stissing House has "loads of room" and a much smaller pool of potential diners.[9]
Shadbolt, de Boer, and Shi opened a second restaurant,Jupiter, in 2022.[10][11]
The menu at King changes daily, and staff determines what the restaurant will serve each morning.[3][7][8] Many dishes do not contain protein, focusing instead on vegetables.[8] Shadbolt, de Boer, and Shi have said they source ingredients fromUnion Square Market.[6] The restaurant consistently featurespanisse on its menu, which de Boer attributed partially to the fact that the staff enjoys eating it with "a cold drink".[12]
Jordana Rothman, writing forFood & Wine, included Shadbolt and de Boer on her 2018 list of the best new chefs in the United States.[14] de Boer was nominated for the 2018 James Beard Award for "Rising Star Chef of the Year".[15]
Pete Wells, the restaurant critic for theNew York Times, included King on his 2023 and 2024 lists of the one hundred best restaurants in New York City.[16][17] Wells emphasized King's interpretation of French and Italian cooking as his reason for including the restaurant on the lists.[16][17]
