Kindred, South Park
For years Thai, Indian, and Chinese restaurants have been silent champions within vegan and vegetarian communities. But even the staunchly meatless among us crave both Sichuan and bold, smoky BBQ. In 2015 Kindred slotted itself on the corner of 30th and Beech bringing death metal, seitan skewers, and bbq’d Memphis jackfruit to a block shared with Buona Forchetta, Wicked Fit, and sitting next door to the now-shuttered Hamilton’s Tavern.
Kindred also became synonymous with themed nights, like Permanent Vacation, a tropical cocktail-fueled Thursday night pop-up that inspired their spinoff bar, Mothership (which we explored in depth… and Esquire just named it one of the best bars in the country).
Now it’s got a facelift. They closed down for a week or so and put in more seating, intricate flooring, and a full menu refresh.
“There were a number of things we wanted to do after eight years of being open,” says owner Kory Stetina. “There’s lots of new food, new cocktails, and new bar seating that has activated the space. We also have a beautiful new mosaic floor with brass inlays. It was all about updating and amplifying.”
Some of the cocktails include Sundance (bourbon, apple brandy, apricot, allspice dram, lemon iced tea liqueur, cardamom), Nightshade (reposado tequila, heirloom Oaxaca chili liqueur, mango, persimmon, red mole cranberry bitters), and Spinal Tap (gin, strawberry liqueur, rhubarb, pear, key lime, tiki bitters), a Kindred classic.
When enriching the food, Stetina says he went for something more communal. “The idea is that now you can try a lot of different things. There are items that have been on the menu since we opened that we’ve updated, but it’ll still be decadent, exhilarating, and match the cocktails,” he says. Expect dishes like Carbonara (bucatini, cream, bacon, peas, shiitake, parm, lemon) and fragrant, vegetable-forward sides like the charred remains (broccoli and greens over herbalized ricotta).
Other enhancements include extending hours until 12 am Sunday – Thursday and to 1 am Friday and Saturday and accepting handfuls of reservations nightly via OpenTable.
