John King Grill & Dueling Piano Bar — Restaurant in Charleston

We went here on Mother’s Day for lunch. As we sat down, a server nearby was explaining to the table next to us how their tipping worked, seemingly to get a higher tip from them. (She mentioned that the servers tip the bartender and bus staff, which I understand is pretty standard. No need to bother diners with information on exactly how much of the gratuity you’ll keep.)

Our server never said happy Mother’s Day, but whatever. I mostly went here since they mentioned “Maillard” in relation to their burgers. We were disappointed that we missed the brunch menu, but decided to stay anyway. Our food took forever while our server loudly talked to the table next to us about where she was from, where she bought her clothing and how often she went shopping, how her career was going, which pharmaceutical drugs she used, her friend that was pregnant and how shocking having children was (we had our two young kids with us and were obviously within earshot), her previous relationship, her current relationship (in which she discussed something would happen “if he’s a good boy” and “if he buys me nice sh#t”). (Apparently this was someone that she met dining here so just a heads up if you’re interested in dating the waitstaff). This whole conversation was loud, distracting, boring, and took perhaps 10 or 15 minutes. Meanwhile ANOTHER server finally brought us the food we ordered since our server was not in the kitchen checking on it and completely forgot to bring it to us. It destroyed the greasy meal. I got a Swiss and mushroom burger without a bun. It was served on wilted lettuce. The frosé was good and the fries were crispy, but somehow two burgers, an iced tea, and two frosés came to $59 without the tip. Finally, the first frosé had no cherry, but the second did. What changed? I think our server didn’t bother but the second was brought by another server who was more detail-oriented. I don’t mind paying for quality (we went to Eli’s Place later and that was worth every penny), but this was not worth it.

Also, I overheard our server talking to a different table of hers, and she seemed pretty rude to the diners. (They were both people of color and she was not.)

Perhaps nit-picky, but none of the servers seemed to have any dress code. They all wore different clothes so it looked unprofessional and was downright confusing to tell who was an employee and who wasn’t. The only consistent thing was branded T shirts, but even these were all different on each waiter; some had pink writing, some had white, and they had different words also.

Overpriced and underdelivered. Go to five guys instead if you’re looking for a comparable burger. It will be cheaper and better. And if you’re dining here and one of the waitstaff agrees to date you, fair warning that you might just be being used to get...

Was visiting Charleston this past weekend and we stopped in to have a few drinks at the bar and stumbled upon this wonderful place. We sat at the bar with Sarah and she was so nice and knowledgeable about Charleston and gave us great ideas on things to do and places we needed to see! Gave us great food recommendations!! That king Charleston burger is a must!! She raved over the pimento cheese which is house made and I had to try it and I must say it was the best pimento cheese I’d ever tried, had a few beers and lots of laugh so we had to come back again but we wanted to try something different and I was skeptical but she assured me the shrimp and grits were the best on king st and that’s no lie!! The grits were amazing the shrimp grilled to perfection and that gravy was something out of this world!! So glad we got to hang out with her again laughing and having a good time! She is exactly what you want out of a bartender/server, with her great personality and attention to ensure you are having a good time. She recommended us coming back for the piano show and we did we had such a blast we sat with Faith and she was so nice and very prompt on keeping us taking care of! Well done JohnKing with your amazing food and glorious staff! This was a trip we will never forget!! Just sad I couldn’t give these ladies more stars! We will definitely be back and telling all our friends that this is a must stop at while they are in Charleston! Thank you Sarah and Faith for...

Down for the weekend for a bachelorette and this seems like the place to start our weekend off. The entertainment was phenomenal and the food was great. I got 6 wings and a salad and was completely full. The establishment vibes were fun and I would definitely recommend this place again.

our server Emily was absolutely terrible. She started off polite but that truly left the window. We received our food before we received our waters and alcoholic beverages. Which is no biggie but still strange. Upon leaving we simply asked if check could be split 2 ways and she was very quick to snap and say no and we can split amongst ourselves later. Again some people ordered food and others didn't so honestly as a restaurant this doesn't seem difficult. Second, we received all of our drinks except chasers. So a friend went to the bar and asked for the chasers. Emily came back to the table and said "just so you know I am checking on you guys". Extremely unprofessional and truthfully her service was the worst part of the experience, especially for the special weekend we are celebrating. If she can't handle her 10 tables up top maybe this isn't the job for her, because we didn't ask her to work there.

5 stars if it weren't for the service...