John King Grill is on King Street and it has one job: get a room full of people to stand up, request a song, and sing it badly. The dueling piano shows run Wednesday through Saturday from 8 p.m. until around midnight, with a cover charge that varies depending on the night, and the two pianists work the crowd the way a good MC works a dance floor. It's the kind of place a bachelor party ends up at by default and stays at on purpose. The room is casual and loud, with multiple screens for the people who want their sports before the music starts, and the crowd is exactly what you'd expect on a King Street night: young, local, tourist, and a few people who came specifically for the food.
The food is a smash burger operation done with more intent than the name suggests - the smashed burgers are the signature, and they're good enough that more than one review says to stay for a second round of the menu after the music ends. There's a solid cocktail list for the people who want something with a little more in it, happy hour runs 4 to 7 on weekdays, and the outdoor seating on a warm evening is the best way in if you don't want to commit to the full show. It's not a dinner destination; it's a night out.