The food, service and ambiance is top notch without breaking the bank! I'm very picky and this restaurant exceeded my expectations.

From the moment we entered Kindred, we were enveloped in warmth and exceptional hospitality - everyone, from the welcoming hostess to our attentive server, Maria treated, us like cherished guests. Maria's thoughtful guidance through the menu and her intuitive sense of our preferences made our experience truly special. We sampled nearly half of the menu and each dish impressed. The rock crab appetizer served with sesame sourdough bread, the rich pasta with tomato sauce, and the outstanding halibut stood out. We can't wait to go back. read more

I've had a few friends, tell me about kindred a few times, and our dinner lived up to all the hype. Dare I say it's the best food experience I've had in the Charlotte area. The ambience is beautiful, the food, the food I don't know how to describe it. I love the thoughtful ingredients fresh unique kindred gave me all of that. cheers to the staff and owners of kindred. read more

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We loved everything about this sweet little restaurant located in the town of Davidson near Lake Norman. The service was incredible! They offer new utensils throughout your dining experience. The milk bread is phenomenal! It's served hot and it stays like that until it's gone. The ribeye was mouth watering. Every bite of everything we ordered was memorable and delightful. We look forward to our next visit. read more

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The vibes here are immaculate. Went for a girls dinner on a Saturday night. The food and service were both great. You seriously can't go wrong with anything on the menu. read more

Kindred Restaurant - New American Near Me - Davidson, North Carolina

Lovely for any celebration. Wait staff very knowledgeable and attentive. Appetizers were very tasty and we look forward to trying more.

A visit to Davidson college led several friends and websites to recommend this charming little main street restaurant. We were a little late to the game and ended up sitting on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant, which affording an excellent view of the passerby in this idyllic town. Nice view of the school as well. The menu is a little bit unusual and, in our opinion, a little bit limited... But that didn't detract from the outstanding service, and outstanding food, that we shared among the three of us. At our server's recommendation, we started with the duck fat potatoes, which were insane. Their recommendations also included the soft shell crab and a pasta, both of which were delicious. We were surprised that was sufficient for us.... But in part, that was because of the bread, which was crazy good. Warm brioche with a salty top. I might have accidentally dropped it into the pasta sauce to make sure none of it went to waste. Lovely experience, reasonably premium priced, nice wine list... to reiterate, might have been nicer to see a few more selections in the menu...but that is as advertised. A great choice when you visit. read more

You absolutely have to put Kindred on your bucket list! The ambience and the service were fabulous. I really enjoyed my Oaxaca Flocka cocktail and the Foxglove Cabernet Sauvignon. There are no words to describe how unbelievably delicious the food is. So fresh and inspired. Every bite was so full of flavor. No gaminess or fishiness whatsoever. It was a different dining experience in that the food is ordered to share (not really family-style per se because the plates are much smaller) so you order based on how many people are at your table. We were a party of 4. We ordered 2 apps (tuna crudo & wagyu beef tartare), 3 entrees (squid ink conchiglia, rabbit gnocchi, & red snapper), a side of duck confit potatoes w/ crab fat mayo, and 3 desserts. We were completely stuffed by the end of the meal. Of course, you can order your own individual apps, entrees, and desserts, but I wish you good luck finding one item of each to try. Trust me, sharing is the way to go to really experience the best food anywhere! read more

I finally had a chance to visit and I'm glad I did. I went on a Tuesday evening and easily made a reservation online the day of. I liked that you can provide allergies or dietary restrictions upfront. The server checked again when we arrived too which was nice. It seems they are try their best to accommodate. I'm familiar with downtown Davidson and didn't realize this is in the heart of it. Just about a block away from Davidson college on the other side of 115. I reserved a table in the heated tent outside which was perfect for the chilly evening. There are several tables inside the tent and it was toasty warm. Our server Alex took great care of us and made our visit fun and relaxed. I did a barkeeps choice cocktail and my flavor profile was vodka, lightly sweet with a touch of spice. The drink I received was somewhat familiar with the cranberry and pineapple (and Cointreau). I feel like when you ask for a sweet cocktail the tropical/mai tai type of drink is a bartender's go to. It was good, but I was disappointed that it wasn't unique. Alex suggested we start with the roasted cauliflower and it was delicious. It had a nice oily base and I loved the added crunch of the croutons. I just about ate the whole app myself. I went with the squid ink conchiglie as my main. It was so good, I wanted more! The portion was small, so if I hadn't had the bread and cauliflower as a starter I would have been looking for another meal. Otherwise the portion was decent and the broth was super flavorful. They use Toast for payment so you can scan the receipt QR code and handle the bill directly from your phone with Apple Pay, Google Pay or a credit card, which is super convenient. I had a great experience here and can't wait to come back. I noticed they have inside seating upstairs too which is cool, plenty of space even though it looks tiny from the outside. Go! read more

Small cozy former pharmacy with excellent food! We had no reservations but got right in at a great table with a lil traffic since right across from the kitchen. Our waitress was gracious and knowledgeable especially upon asking for a vegetarian menu. LISTEN UP PEOPLE - You must yup I said MUST get the milk bread woohoo that's good stuff then one MUST also get the milk bread cinnamon roll - oh my goodness is it good. I had a great pasta dish with a delicious mushroom sauce. Wine list is phenomenal and we sat right by where they grab the bottles. Full bar fir those that like a cocktail We plan to return but will make a reservation to be sure we get in read more

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Beautiful ambiance and visually crafted food! Worth a visit to try some of their dishes. The milk bread alone is what brought this from three stars to four stars. It is fantastic, light and fluffy. All of the dishes are definitely a hit on the overly salty, even as a fan of a salty/savory combo. The grandfather pickles were very dill like and sour, for those who like a pickle pickle. The oysters were fried to perfection and the yogurt did a good job cutting through the oil but wasn't very flavorful otherwise. The squid ink pasta itself wasn't very flavorful but the shrimp were done to perfection. I took home a cake for dessert and slowly been chipping away at it. Delicious! read more

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great food and super cool restaurant. their cocktails were creative and i really enjoyed them. the food was also very good. it's tapas style and i always love getting a bunch of little dishes to share. the bread was sooooooo good. read more

Kindred Restaurant - New American Near Me - Davidson, North Carolina

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Having gotten to know all of the staff at kindred and hello sailor, it is a pleasure to work along with such hardworking and kind staff. These past 2 years working for the company has been the best year of my life. They make every shift enjoyable, and have taught me how to give the best service possible! The ambiance is beautiful and fancy, and the food is even better. I can use the experience learned to enhance my service in the future. read more

Amazing shareable dishes. If you're in Davidson, make reservations for this gem of a restaurant. The good: the food. Its a unique, umami and texture bomb. The atmosphere, we sat outside and although slightly warm on this late June night, it was pleasant. The bad: The bathroom is small and not handicap accessible. It took over twenty minutes to get our desserts and then ten more to get the ticket. Just a little service issue and they weren't busy. The ugly: nothing. It's a lovely place with a few gaps in perfection. read more

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My 4 year old and I are gluten intolerant. We went with a group, 6 in all, and no one else had the same restrictions. The food was delicious! The staff was so kind! Usually it's a little stressful going out with little kids. They had kids menus, they brought some play doh out, they were super friendly. None of this took away from the dining experience. We got several small plates to share with the table. The milk bread was enjoyed by the rest of the group, and the duck fat fries were very satisfying. We did a cheese plate, and got to choose which cheeses we'd like. My kid even tried the funkiest one. Mostly the gluten free options were ones that were already naturally gf (like the fries, cheese, pickles, steak) or they could substitute gluten free pasta in some dishes. I had a dish with cauliflower and gf pasta in a lemony, caper sauce, and my kid got macaroni and cheese with gf pasta. I would have loved a gluten free option for dessert, but I was still really happy with the experience. I would recommend it to friends. read more

Great experience I'll be out and food is just top notch. It's a small plate so people need to understand that.

Courtyard seating had a great atmosphere. Could see it being too hot in the 90s summer heat but it was a cloudy 80 deg day so really was perfect. Service was smooth and professional, explained the dishes well that we didnt understand and gave good opinions. Servings are on the smaller side which is to be expected. So dont come expecting to leave stuffed unless you spend $80+ per person. Wife was 7 days past due so she had a mock tail which was excellent. My cocktail was also pretty good but at $17 each you better have deep pockets if you want to have several. We had the squid ink pasta, a new mushroom and asparagus pasta, the soft shell crab and bread pudding for dessert. 0 complaints in the food. All dishes were cooked perfectly and had several depths of flavor that were very unique. Maybe Id suggest a little thinner batter on the crab as it tasted pretty much like all breading for the claws. But the body was excellent as well as the sauce it was served in. Squid ink pasta was great, the shrimp and sauce is what popped the most more so than the pasta itself. Bread pudding was excellent, no complaints there whatsoever. Was heavy so for sure worth splitting between two people. We spent $119 before tip for 2 people. This included 3 main dishes, 1 mocktail, 1 cocktail and bread pudding for desert. read more

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I'm so glad I finally got to try Kindred! I went with some friends during the pandemic, so we reserved a table outside. The patio was so cute and they were very cautious about safety protocols in the midst of the pandemic. Our server recommended cocktails to try, and we all loved them! Very unique and tasty. The food we ordered was also delicious. Don't forget to start with the Milk Bread - holy moly I NEED that recipe! We ordered a bunch of plates to share - I don't usually like seafood, but the crispy oysters were AMAZING. The duck potato fries, also a must have at Kindred. I can't wait to be back again soon! read more

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Wonderful flavors, great atmosphere and the service was great, I don't mind spending more for a truly good dining experience which Kindred was, will be going back for sure! read more

Dined at Kindred a couple of times while visiting Davidson this week - two top main room reservation 7:30 Saturday and 6ish at the bar on Thursday. Saturday was busy but not rushed, the room was lively but not loud and the playlist was really good! We started with the milk bread (soft and delicious), grandfathers pickles (crispy and delicious), the crispy oysters (delicate and delicious) and a couple glasses of Grüner Veltliner wine (crisp and delicious). Could've (should've) stopped there. The main plates were... okay. The squid ink conchiglie was heavy and bland and the seasoning on the seared scallops pasta tasted...I don't know...stale? But, the waitstaff, service, ambiance and appetizers were so good we thought we'd try again on... ...Thursday we sat at the bar. We had the old fashioned-like specialty cocktail (depth and delicious) and more of the Grüner Veltliner wine (still crisp and delicious). The bar/dining room filled up, the ambiance was comfortable and the playlist was, again, really good! This time the milk bread was overbaked (not soft and delicious), we ordered the little gem lettuces (full of flavor and texture and delicious), the wagyu beef tartare (just okay) and the sweet potato gnocchi (light, flavorful and delicious). Service at the bar... uninspired. No desert this time either (but next time that milk bread cinnamon roll for sure)! Overall, Kindred is a very good restaurant that sometimes... just misses. read more

Excellent food, top notch service. Highly recommend reservations. Creative flavor combinations. Comfortable atmosphere

Was startled when I went to update my Kindred review to see that I've never written a Kindred review. :/ Now that's out of the way... I came to throw out some thanks for the partnership they are taking with Hello Sailor to continue serving some of the wonderful food from both places via curbside pickup or delivery. We tried the curbside last night and it went swimmingly. Got a fried Triggerfish sandwich, Skillet Burger, cheese plate and a milk bread cinnamon roll (On the last one, don't question the calories and whether you should or not, you should!). Placed the order online, rolled up about 30 minutes later, popped the trunk, got the food and headed home. No fuss, no muss. The grub was all delicious and it was a nice change of pace to still be able to get some food from a favorite place. Really appreciate their hard work and being there to serve the public so let's serve them and as many other small businesses and restaurants as we can during this crisis. read more

Amazing every time. Bread, pasta, steak all great. Great wine selection. Had the tuna crudo, squid ink pasta, steak. read more

Kindred Restaurant - Tuna Crudo - New American Near Me - Davidson, North Carolina

Drove up from Charlotte after hearing about it for the past decade and it lived up to the hype. The atmosphere is great, and everything we tried tasted great. We had the pickles, duck fat potatoes, little greens salad (not sure what it was called) and the rigatoni. Would order all 4 again without hesitation. Great restaurant, and worth a drive much farther away than Charlotte. Would recommend any and everyone to have dinner here. read more

DON'T GO. Worst experience in 30 years. We walked out after an hour of not getting our appetizer and being ignored by our waitress. HORRIBLE experience. read more

I'm from New York City where we have some of the greatest restaurants in the country. Everyone raves about kindred I ate there twice and I have to say it is highly overrated. The prices are way too high and the portions are way too small. The only good thing was the bread. I honestly have to say That this is some of the worst food that a server has ever put in front of me on a table in my life, don't understand the hype. read more

Inventive, upscale cuisine from a chef owned duo. I live in the area and only have eaten here on special occasions. We don't get out to Kindred very often, but I love the milkbread starter. I could probably devour the entire little loaf myself. So amazing. Their menu changes seasonally based on local ingredients so you really are getting the best quality. I like sitting upstairs in this old building, you get a nice view of downtown Davidson and Davidson College. If you are in the area, or live in the area, get to Kindred for a very memorable experience. read more

In town visiting friends and the recommended we go here for lunch. The food: 3-3/4 stars. The food was good, but I just don't think I can give it 4 stars. I had the fried chicken as recommended by our server. The price points were weird. The fried chicken salad was around $15, but if I wanted a different salad the didn't have a protein (around $13), it was an additional $8 to add chicken. The service: 5 stars Exactly the service you would expect from this place. Very attentive, passionate about his job, and great menu knowledge. Defintely worth checking out! read more

Kindred Restaurant - Lunch Fried Chicken Salad (thigh meat) - New American Near Me - Davidson, North Carolina

Ate at Kindred for the first time last night and it was an awesome experience. The food and service were both fantastic. Will be dreaming about the milkbread for days!! We had the little gem salad, homemade pickles, fried oysters, duck fat potatoes, papardelle and a mushroom pasta. Finished our amazing meal off with a cinnamon roll and scoop of sweet cream icecream. divine! read more

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Probably our fourth time dining at Kindred, and this was hands down our favorite. Our server, Macyn, and the rest of the staff went over the top to give us a memorable dining experience, knowing the joyous occasion we were out celebrating. For four of us, the salad, Summer squash, tagliatelle, squid ink pasta and Scallops was plenty. And plenty fantastic. Topping it off with the milkbread pudding, a dish my wife was craving for weeks, was a great finish to such a wonderful meal from beginning to end. Can't wait to dine with you again! read more

Came here on a Saturday night and it was poppin'! They start you off with warm, delicious milk bread with butter, which I could've gladly eaten so much more of. I ordered the butternut squash soup and tagliolini pasta with truffle mushrooms. The butternut squash soup was great, but the pasta left a little to be desired. This is a tapas style sharing spot, but my friend and I really just wanted our own entrees, so we went that route. To end our meal, we had the chocolate cake, which was moist, flavorful and just the sweet treat I needed. The service was impeccable! Our server made sure to go through the menu with us, provide recommendations and check in on us constantly. Worth checking out if you're in the Charlotte area! read more

Kindred Restaurant - Chocolate Cake - New American Near Me - Davidson, North Carolina

Every review I read spoke about the friendly staff, and they are right. Everyone was warm and welcoming from the time we arrived until we left. We were running late due to traffic so called ahead to change our reservation time, and still arrived late, but they graciously seated us. Downtown Davidson is a quaint town. Street parking is available and close by the restaurant. The milk bread is amazing albeit a bit salty, but still amazing. The portion sizes are more what we should be eating...tappas size but still plenty. Two in our group had the crispy oysters and couldn't stop raving about them. My hubby had the squid ink with shrimp and said it was delicious. I had the Rigatoni (pasta with lamb) and it was amazing, I would not normally order something like this when eating out since it can be a gamble, but I would order it again and highly recommend it. We will definitely go back again. read more

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I was a bit worried that Kindred wouldn't live up to the hype. Three time James Bearden award finalist. I should have known better. Every meal starts out with their famous milk bread and butter. Sounds simple, but it is phenomenal. For two of us, we ended up ordering four dishes. We had the waitress decide on the best way to pace them and she did a nice job on timing. Our cobia crudo came out first. So fresh and paired beautifully with the grapefruit and pepper. Next, the crispy oysters and scallops. I loved the yogurt and chili oil with the oysters. But, those scallops, though. They were the best I've ever had. Four plump and juicy jumbo scallops on a bed of baba ganoush and corn. I would have never thought of that combination, but it was divine. Our last dish was the squid ink pasta. The pasta was al dente and has great mouth feel. The sauce was outstanding as well. Rich and peppery. We thought we were done, and I would have been perfectly content, but then the waitress surprised us with a complimentary "birthday cake" dessert for our anniversary. I mean we had to eat it right? Otherwise it would have been rude. It's been a long time since I've had a meal where every single one of our dishes blew my mind, but Kindred did it. Don't let a bit of a drive keep you from this great restaurant! read more

Kindred Restaurant - Scallops a la Plancha - New American Near Me - Davidson, North Carolina

Food was so sooo great. The milk bread is the die for. And it doesn't break the bank when sharing with another couple

My mom and I came here while visiting and loved it! The ambience is laid back, noise level was perfect, food was delicious and unique, and the servers were lovely and personable. Definitely recommend sharing lots of plates, especially the tuna crudo and the gem lettuce! Also really appreciated that the servers seemed to want to make personal connections with us, we talked to one very nice lady for a long time and she gave us lots of recommendations for our trip! 100% recommend coming here! read more

Worth the hike from south Charlotte! Cute restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating set in an adorable town. Ambiance was fun and boisterous in every good way. That's what happens when everyone enjoys the food and service. We ordered almost every dish and it was all exceptional from the yellowtail crudo, tartare, ribeye and the pastas. Service was great too. $20 corkage fee but they have an amazing wine and cocktail list. Go and Enjoy a great experience. read more

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Unpopular opinion here. The food was okay. We had a reservation later in the evening so most of the entree ingredients were out of stock by the time we were seated. It was between the shrimp pasta and the $89 market price steak, since my husband decided on the fish dish. I wasn't in the mood to drop that much for a steak so I went with the shrimp pasta and we shared the duck fat potatoes. The dish was very fresh and clean tasting and I enjoyed the al dente-cooked pasta but overall the flavor wasn't exciting. Nothing I'd have to run back to Davidson to order. The milk bread really is the showstopper. We had plenty for the table then got the cinnamon roll AND the bread pudding for our friend's birthday. Both very decadent. Left with a gluten high for sure! Our server was very nice and as accommodating as she could be with most the ingredients gone and half the entrees unavailable. My takeaway: get the earliest reservation possible Rating: 3.5 b/c overall it's cute and so is Davidson :) read more

Kindred Restaurant - Squid Ink Conchiglie - New American Near Me - Davidson, North Carolina

Wonderful local place with excellent service , great ambiance and the food is amazing. It can be a little rich (calorically) or expensive but they always have a basic option for locals :-) Never a bad time at kindred! read more

I've wanted to dine at Kindred, located in the Charlotte suburb of Davidson, for the last two years. Charlotte's lone James Beard semi-finalist. Tonight I got to experience the magic! Beyond the exceptional food and service, the prices were so affordable. Kindred opened in 2015. It ranked #7 on Bon Appetit's Top 50 Best New Restaurants list in 2015. The menu has been described as "chef-driven" and "contemporary cuisine of the new South". Our server told us the restaurant's pasta focus was due to the chef's extensive travel in Europe. When we arrived, we were escorted to the bright and airy upstairs dining room. After ordering cocktails, the warm Milk Bread arrived. We select three signature starters, on the menu since day one: Grandfather's Pickles, Duck Fat Potatoes and Crispy Oysters (that look like Buffalo Wings). We had a feast of starters. At Kindred, you better be hungry for delicious pasta. I select the Squid Ink Conchiglie and my dining partner the Bucatini. We both loved what we ordered. For dessert, the decadent Chocolate Birthday Cake. I can't wait to return and to visit their sister restaurant: Hello, Sailor. read more

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We tried this place when house hunting in North Carolina. Didn't know much about the area and the restaurant and was definitely pleasantly surprised when visiting. Ambiance is fantastic. Very cozy but super charming. Food is outstanding and service is very nice. Highly recommend. read more