Kevin’s Restaurant — Restaurant in Town of Thompson

I just completed my third visit to Kevin's, my minimum standard before leaving a review. Even the best chef and/or waitstaff can have a bad day and (less likely) even the poorest team can have an unusually good day. Having been to Kevin's for lunch and dinner with friends who are open to tasting each other's foods. I feel that I have a fair base on which to express my opinion. Let me start with atmosphere. This is not an elegant linen tablecloths kinds of restaurant. The tables and chairs are slatted pieces that one might find outdoors. Still, there is an elegance to to the simplicity of the restaurant's table settings and the elegance is taken up a notch with candles at dinner time. Kevin's offers a regular menu and numerous specials. On this last occasion I ordered the paella special for dinner. I wasn't sure where to expect the crispy rice or socarrat found in traditional Spanish paella and the dish did not include this treat valued by paella afficionados. However, the rice was otherwise properly prepared and the diner would have been overwhelmed anyways by the mixture of seafood (octopus, shrimp, mussels, clams) the filled the dish. I also ordered the optional sausage and found it to be a delicious complement to the perfectly prepared seafood. I began my meal with a traditional wedge salad, a subtle test to reveal the quality of a traditional steakhouse. This wedge salad, with grape tomatoes, cucumbers, bacon and blue cheese crumbles complementing the traditional iceberg lettuce and dressing, rivaled the best that I have had at any New York City steakhouse. It was also so large that I took half of it home and enjoyed it for lunch the next day. My friends ordered an enormous tomahawk pork chop with a potato cake that was beautifully presented and a fisherman's platter with fried cod, shrimp, and scallops with potato wedges. On previous occasions we have enjoyed Kevin's soups (including onion soup and chowder), his juicy large hamburgers, and numerous other gastronomic charmers. Kevin's is a wonderful addition to the restaurant options in Rock Hill and in the surrounding areas. It is never pompous or self-important and that is evident in the assistance of the waitstaff. They are uniformly personable, attentive, and knowledgeable about the menu. At the same time, they are always helpful and willing to do whatever is necessary to please. One final thought. Kevin has assembled a very smart wine list, available by the bottle or by the glass. My friends do not drink alcohol and I have limited myself to the outstanding and reasonably priced options on the wine list, including as good a Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand) as I have ever been served. Still, there is a full range of cocktails and mocktails available for those who wish those options. Kevin's is a deceptive restaurant. It is housed in a rather plain building and you will not find any banquettes inside. But, anyone who visits the restaurant for lunch or dinner is in for a real treat with reasonably priced offerings (especially considering the quality of the ingredients). Reservations are not required, but I urge reservations to ensure availability and to allow greater predictability for the management in stocking the kitchen. I just returned from another day dinner at Kevin's. I won't repeat my praise for the food or for the ambiance, or for the charming wait staff. There has been no letdown in any of the standards I previously experienced at the restaurant. This is a restaurant that consistently goes out of its way to accommodate its customers. It is all you might hope for in a neighborhood...

I am a long time summer local in the area who has watched this place getting ready to open all summer. We went on a Saturday night. Area restaurant closings over the years has left a void in the number of Rock Hill area restaurant choices. Kevin's will fill in nicely. The place is very small and being nearly full, we were offered the option of outside on the patio or at the bar. We chose the bar which had a view of the entire kitchen. The kitchen is very small and it was amazing to watch the entire staff work within such a small set up with grace and smoothness you often don't see in restaurant kitchens - much less in such a confined arrangement. There were many excellent food choices and our meals came quickly and perfectly prepared. I can easily see this place adding on in the future or moving into larger quarters, but I hope it stays...

The food was pretty spot on. We enjoyed our first experience. My only recommendation would be to focus on the music more - we sat outside and the old school jam-box was playing a radio station so we were bombarded by commercials. I actually got up to turn it down. Also lighting - lower lighting is soothing and feels warm. I'd think about amber lights and intentional music. There's so much great music in this world and it really effects a person's experience. Keep at it!...