Kingfish Bistro

Absolutely delicious. After living in CP for years finally tried Kingfish. Thank goodness The risotto was perfect. Returned a few nights later with friends who echoed my same opinion– Fabulous. Next will try the highly acclaimed risotto gorgonzola and then the pizza.

Completely taken by surprise! Just moved to college and decided to stop in and see what this place had to offer. Beer prices we good. Dinner was great, I had an amazing Risotto. Definitely a great place to check out!

We decided to try this place for dinner and were very worried because there was no one in here on a Friday night. I don’t mean not crowded, I mean zero guests. We took a chance and was glad I did. They have a small but satisfactory wine and beer list so we started with that and some nice salads, tomato mozzarella and caesars. The server came over and talked to us about the fresh fish which my friends were worried about. If it’s not busy… It might be old. But this was not the case. The fish, tilapia, was lovely. Crispy and moist served on a bed of grilled vegetables. I had a great creamy shrimp and Gorgonzola dish that was very tasty. My other friend had a tasty pasta dish. All the meals were very good and the prices were very reasonable. I would eat there again and would definitely try the grouper next time.

My friend & I ate dinner here last night. Both of us are blind. Our waitress was very kind in describing where things were when placing them on the table. We didn’t have to ask. I’ve eaten here several times & always had great service during lunch & dinner. It is small, quiet & cozy. I would recommend to others. I can also walk there from where I live. My favorite dishes are Risotto.

Service is spectacular. Interesting beer and wine selection on tap. Interior is standard pub décor.
Food is superb! Salads, fish, pastas and pizza — it’s all yummy.
OH and if you’re reading this and you’re from Toronto — don’t freak out or anything. But the owner of Kingfish is related to the owner of King Slice. How cray is that?

No complaints here. Service was pleasant and not slow. Had a pizza which was very good.

I really like this restaurant even though it is oddly named. It is mainly Italian food with some seafood on the menu. The décor inside even has a mild Asian flare. I order from them a few times a month and have never been disappointed in service or the food quality.

Kingfish has the most gorgeous interior! Wonderful ambiance complete with stone tables and unique chandelier-​this place is small enough to feel comfortable but large enough to not feel cramped. It’s also always very clean in here (something that is VERY) important to me. Everything is made to order so the menu is super adaptable to those with limitations (even vegan!) and allergies.
On my last visit I had fresh sea bass with the house DiMarco sauce-​FABULOUS. Very fresh and grilled to perfection. The sauce (white wine, artichokes, spinach, a touch of butter) is to die for.
In the past, I’ve tried several risotto and pasta dishes and have yet to be disappointed!
Definitely take the time to show this place some love!

One word.
SLOOOOOOOOOOOW
I wont be returning for that reason only. As others have said the multiple cuisines is always a little weird but my pizza was good no complaints on that.
But two Asian people working so slow they appeared to be going backwards is bizarre enough that I won’t be giving the place a second chance.

I was initially shy to Kingfish. I was thrown off by their very varied menu. I didn’t think a place that could offer Phở, wings, pizza, and risotto could do it ALL, and do it well. I can’t speak to it all, but what I can say is that the service is great. The owner and staff make you feel very welcome. I want to deviate from the pizza, but it’s too awesome to try something new. They assure me that the pasta and risotto are equally good. It’s kid-​friendly (I have 4-​year old) and the take out is always swift and excellent. Look, I’ve tried all the pizza on Edgewater and the area, and I am convinced that the pizza at Kingfish is THE BEST. Crust is great. Crispy, but chewy. The use of herbs is perfect. My go-​to is the Margherita with Pepperoni. it is better than Pizza Mia-​and I really like Pizza Mia– but Kingfish has better pizza, gotta say. Show this Edgewater eatery some love. I live a block away and it took me a year to try them out because their menu seemed all over the place, but they are worth it and I’m finally glad I gave them a shot.

The service is great in terms of attitude. Super positive.
Service in terms of work ethic is way too laid back. Ordered a burger to-​go, was told it would be ready in ten minutes. Watched the cook read a magazine for 5 minutes, then start making the burger. The grill was off so I got my order 25 minutes after ordering.
I’m cool with laid back — but not when the quality of the food, beer selection or atmosphere can’t make up for it.
I’ll try this place again soon. I dislike giving bad reviews.

Good, but not amazing food. Not much ambiance. Server was friendly. Reasonable priced, but nothing to bring me back.
Nothing bad to say, but nothing to blow your mind either.

We could not ask for a better date night! The experience started before we even got there. My husband called ahead to ask if we could bring our dog (we have no kids yet and had left her all day running errands). We spoke to man named, Mike, who ended up being our waiter. He volunteered to set up an outside table for us and our pup.
Mike greeted us warmly and got a water bowl for our dog. I had a delicious Sauvignon Blanc that was rather generously poured:) We both ordered the King Risotto and it was buttery, creamy and absolutely delicious! We had the fresh house salad and warm bread sticks that we used to sop up the extra risotto goodness!
Mike was attentive and charming and the owner was also very kind and gracious. The food was VERY reasonably priced and the service impeccable. We will definitely be coming back!

i was underwhelmed by my experience here last night. When we passed by the restaurant and saw that literally no one was dining there, my first instinct was to choose another place. But my boyfriend insisted we try it anyway, and we went inside.
We ordered the mozzarella sticks as an appetizer (previously frozen…*sigh*). I only ate one because I wasn’t in love with them. They could have been heated through more thoroughly so that the cheese was actually melting. We also ordered entrees: chicken piccata for me, lasagna for my boyfriend. I can’t say I’ve ever had chicken piccata that didn’t actually come with any kind of a sauce. Truly, there wasn’t a sauce to be found. The pasta tasted oily and the chicken was very salty, although it was juicy and tender. As a result, I barely touched my food. My boyfriend said the lasagna was just okay, and that the marinara sauce it was swimming in wasn’t very good at all. At the end of the night, we both agreed that we should have listened to my instincts and chosen somewhere else to dine. I won’t be coming back for more food here any time soon.

Great food everytime

First time visiting Kingfish Bistro tonight with a couple of friends. I had tried to go once before when it’s first opened but after seeing how extensive the menu was my friend and I passed. No way that big a menu can be fresh in such a small space with such little turnover. That said, we decided to try. I had the mozzarella sticks and dipping sauce. Not worth the $ 6 price. For the entre, I had the fettuccini Alfredo with chicken. Bland. Overall the price I paid was $ 28+ and definitely not worth the price. The positive was the server Jenn was very pleasant and friendly. Made us feel welcome. Kudos to her, but I won’t go back.

For the record, I am one gal who will travel any lengths and be completely comfortable in any type of ambiance in my quest for good food; be it a Michelin Star rated restaurant or a hole in the wall without even the bare necessities. Exceptional cooking is the only criteria that will bring me back to revisit a restaurant.
In my experience, I have come to realize that it is better to wait a couple of months before paying a visit to a new restaurant, at least in Orlando. It gives them sufficient time to iron out the kinks, etc. to be successful in their endeavors.
Based on a fellow foodie’s recommendation, I decided to make an exception for KingFish Bistro (it opened literally a few weeks ago). Now I generally speaking choose not to eat in Italian restaurants in the US unless they come highly recommended. Somehow, everything seems pale in comparison to the variety of amazing foods I was fortunate to taste on my numerous travels across Italy.
KingFish Bistro sits on the corner of Edgewater Drive and Princeton Street; a prime location in College Park. The restaurant is decorated with the bare minimums and offers casual café style seating.
At first glance the menu reveals a variety of Italian dishes which are uncommon in casual restaurants particularly in Orlando, including Calzones, and my personal favorite Risotto. They even carry quite a few beers on tap.
With the help of our sweet waitress, we ordered a bit of everything; Lasagna Graziela, King Special Risotto, Pollo de Carlo, and Pizza al Salmon.
Risotto is my ultimate comfort food and through multiple practice sessions and endurance I have taught myself to make a fairly decent one. Ideally, a good risotto should display a rich and creamy texture and should be cooked al-​dente. The King Special risotto on the other hand had more of everything but the main ingredient — Arborio rice. And the pesto was washed down by the entire cooking process. Little did I know that the risotto was perhaps the better of the dishes coming out of the KingFish Bistro’s kitchen?
I was both nervous and excited about the pizza, since the kitchen boasted a pizza oven. Smoked salmon and goat cheese pizza, unusual pairing, but why not? The slice itself was light and not greasy. However, the cheese and the heaps of smoked salmon, simply didn’t marry well. It seemed to lack in something?
Reasonable pricing in today’s economy is well received; nevertheless if it comprises on flavor, then the point is moot. True, the carbohydrate loaded portions were generous, but where the ingredients were in abundance — the most essential ingredient: flavor, was completely amiss from each of the dishes I tasted. Now if creaminess means loads of cheese and cream; then sure, this might be the right place for you. I for one can still taste the light and flavorful pastas made with simple, fresh, and few ingredients in Italy.
The only thing reminiscent with Italian cooking at Kingfish Bistro was my one aberration to an evening in the streets of Roma; where the food was the worst I encountered in Italy. One experience I certainly did not wish to recreate any time soon. Alas! It was just that bad.
Now if I wanted to dine on sub-​standard American-​Italian fare, I would much rather pay a visit to Olive Garden. At least there I would have comfortable seating and the food more or less would taste as anticipated.

OK… so an Asian owned Italian Bistro named Kingfish… Not easy to understand. But the food was exceptional. I had the Kingfish risotto with pesto cream sauce, artichoke hearts, chicken, and sun dried tomatoes. Flavorful, creamy, and layer upon layer of flavor. All for $ 12.50. I paid $ 35 for a comparable entrée in a DC restaurant we ate at two weeks ago.
A great value for the money. (The dining space is basic and I see far too much of a messy kitchen… but for the food alone I need to give it all the stars.)
Btw…house wine… not bad either. Try it.
Great addition to College Park!

We tried this new restaurant in College Park last night on a whim.
We walked up and looked at the menu. It was not what I was expecting based on the name or décor — but the descriptions sounded good and the prices seemed reasonable — so why the heck not.
We started with the mozzarella sticks. I couldn’t tell if they were homemade — or Sysco — but they were decent and the marinara dipping sauce was good — so that boded well for the rest of the meal.
The menu is fairly extensive — with a large variety — so my wife and I had a hard time deciding what to get. She finally settled on the Scampi di Roma (Jumbo shrimp sauteed with garlic, olive oil and capers in white wine or red sauce). I opted for the Risotto Riviera (Tiger shrimp, mussels with tomato sauce).
Both dishes were delicious. The Scampi had a nice light, flavorful sauce. It was very lemony… as opposed to some scampis which can turn out too buttery/​oily or overly garlicky. My risotto had a generous amount of shrimp and mussels. And these mussels were really large and meaty. The sauce was tangy and light… perfectly complementing the risotto and seafood.
Now, even though I really LIKE basil — some Italian places will smother a dish in basil. Not so, here. Instead they add a sprig of rosemary to both dishes and it was a welcome surprise that really livened them up. Everything tasted very fresh and light. And the garlic bread/​rolls they served with the meals were really good.
College Park has no shortage of Italian-​inspired restaurants, but this one has good food and the prices are fair. We’ll be back to try some of the other items on their broad menu.

College Park’s newest is the oddly-​named Kingfish Bistro. Underneath its logo, the menu says «Fish, Pizza, Pasta & More.» But there are only four items on the menu listed under Pesce. Kingfish is an Italian restaurant with pasta, risotto, calzones and pizza, with a small sampling of fish, chicken and sandwiches.
It’s nicely located in the heart of CP, on the same block as Les Petits Pleasures and China in College Park. The casual look of the place (occupancy 49 max) belies the somewhat expensive menu offerings. Most appetizers are in the $ 8 to $ 9 range, salads don’t come cheaply, and the entrees range from $ 8.95 for spaghetti to $ 19.95 for Halibut Limone, one of the four Pesce items.
I chose a calzone primavera with artichokes, capers, onions, mushrooms and black olives; pretty tasty but soggy, and as with all calzones, too much food for one person at one sitting.
With the addition of KingFish, along with the higher end Juliana’s and Adriatico restaurants within walking distance, Positano down the street, Rigazzi’s Pizza and NYPD Pizza, Edgewater Drive is almost becoming Italian Central.