Kills Boro Brewing Company — Restaurant in New York

Place opened just months ago and we always pass by saying we should dine one time, so we did. Inside had great ambient lighting, tables, and decor. Our drinks came pretty quick. We wanted to order calamari thinking it would be fried but our server told us it would be pan seared. If the server has to explain every time someone orders, make a note on the menu or change the menu to fried calamari. Food however did take quite a while. When we walked in, it was just 2 other tables, 6 people total including us. We were keeping an eye on their table also, and none of them got their food except for their salad. Our food finally came out, but the calamari was missing. At this point, we wanted to cancel but we didn’t want to waste food. Our server walked by and noticed our calamari wasn’t here yet and to check the kitchen. It came out about 5 -10minutes later. We couldn’t stop thinking if they forgot and just made the dish on the spot. The pizza was lacking flavor, no tangy flavor from the tomatoes. The bottom of the pizza wasn’t crispy at all even though the crust of the pizza was close to burnt. I did expect this since I liked my pizza well done, however the pizza was closer to the doughy side while being burnt. I believe their oven was hot enough but not the surface of their oven, which is very common for I believe is a wood fire oven that they have. There was also too much parmesan which really takes away the beauty sauce and cheese from the pizza. Paying $27 for a pie, one would also expect basil to cut through the heavy and salty flavor of parmesan cheese. For a restaurant to be offering grilled calamari instead of fried, you’d expect it to be tender. It is not chewy, but definitely not tender. I asked if the skirt steak was prime grade, and they did confirm it was. The steak was tender but it was severely lacking in flavor. It basically tasted like unseasoned steak with all the herbs and chimichurri they put on top. A little salt would go a long way. Sadly, this was our best dish. The pricing for the food is not something to boast about. These are NYC prices on the high end. $19 for a cocktail is a bar at Times Square or a Michelin recommended restaurant. We don’t mind paying a premium price for quality dishes. This is just not the case. For some reason, the workers kept leaving one of the doors open where we can see the trash. The smell of the trash was also coming through the door. We were very disappointed since we were just a short drive away. Will not be back for the service, food, drinks,...

Kills Boro’s Van Duzer spot is one of my favorite places in Staten Island, so when I heard they were finally opening the new taproom on Richmond Terrace after five years of years I was actually excited. Should’ve known better.

From the second we walked in, it felt like no one had a clue what was going on. The hostess reseated us multiple times because she mixed our reservation up with someone else’s. Eventually we got sat at a table we had to share with another party, because apparently two-person tables don’t exist here. Plus, while we’re sitting there, they’re still cleaning off the mess from the people before us.

Our waitress also didn’t see us for the first 20 minutes. Not exaggerating. We were just sitting there watching other tables get served their drinks and food.

The menu? Not even done. All they had before 5 PM was pizza and not the good kind. Their $30 square pie was reminiscent of cafeteria-style, NYC public school pizza in size and taste. Somehow, two beers and that sad excuse for a pie ran us $60. Sixty. Dollars. For dinner that felt like a scam.

The only upside? The place looks great, and one of the male hosts was actually super nice and way more attentive than our actual server. But honestly, for a place that took half a decade to open, this felt wildly undercooked.

The menu is wildly over priced for what you get. It’s clear what they are trying to go for but the execution was exceptionally poor. Appetizers are going to run you 25 to 30 dollars and the you could’ve gotten similar pizza down the block for half the price. I talk about the pizza because the rest of their entrees are also in the 40 to 50 dollar range.

I had better things to do today....

After five years of anticipation, we were really rooting for the new Killsboro taproom on Richmond Terrace to deliver. We’re longtime fans of the Van Duzer location - it’s got character, charm, and consistently good beer - so we were excited to check out the new space.

Unfortunately, disappointment set in almost immediately. The hostess had to reseat us three times because she confused our reservation with another party. When we were finally settled, we realized we weren’t even getting our own table - we were seated with another party, because apparently they didn’t consider adding any two-top tables.

Our server didn’t show up until about 20 minutes after we sat down, and we spent that time watching staff wipe down the table from the last group while we were sitting at it. Definitely not the kind of start we expected from a place this hyped.

Then came the kicker - the menu. Or rather, the lack of one. Apparently the lunch menu is still “coming soon” - after five years of planning? Until 5 PM, your only option is extremely overpriced pizza - roughly the size of an Elio’s, and not much more impressive in taste. Two beers and one of those sad pizzas set us back a baffling 60 dollars.

To be fair, the space itself is absolutely beautiful - thoughtfully designed, and you can tell a lot of effort went into making it look and feel special. One of the male hosts was also incredibly kind and more attentive than our actual server.

But at the end of the day, aesthetics can’t make up for poor service, a chaotic front-of-house experience, and a half-finished menu. Here’s hoping they find their footing soon, because right now, this taproom feels like a big missed...