What Happened to Kingston Cafe After Kitchen Nightmares? (Pasadena, CA)
Current status
As of September 2026, Kingston Cafe has closed — confirmed via Yelp, August 2026.
Last verified
What the source shows: A Yelp listing for the address is marked permanently closed as of an August 2026 update; Wikipedia's article on owner Una Morris states the restaurant closed to dine-in service in August 2018 and continued only as a catering and event business under the same owner.
- Season / episode Season 4, Episode 10
- Original air date
- Address 333 S Fair Oaks Ave, Pasadena, CA 91105
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What happened after Kitchen Nightmares?
Kingston Cafe, a Jamaican restaurant on South Fair Oaks Avenue in Pasadena, California, was featured in Kitchen Nightmares' tenth episode of Season 4, filmed in early 2011 and aired April 15, 2011. Owner Una Morris, a radiologist and former Olympic sprinter for Jamaica who had opened the restaurant in 1992, ran the business with what Ramsay described as absolute control, overruling both her head chef and her son and general manager, Keone Chong, on nearly every decision including the menu. Ramsay found the space formally decorated in a way that read more like an office than a Caribbean restaurant, servers dressed in shirts and ties, and food, including jerk chicken and Jamaican patties, that had spent too long frozen or pre-made rather than being cooked fresh. Morris told Ramsay she was deeply in debt and feared the restaurant would not survive another month.
Ramsay's changes started with a patio barbecue setup that customers responded to immediately, then moved inside: he cleared out the frozen and packaged inventory, introduced fresh Jamaican dishes developed with the kitchen, replaced the formal tablecloths and china with casual table mats, put servers in more relaxed shirts, and added prominent new signage so passersby could find the restaurant. Keone was asked to take on more day-to-day responsibility, though the show suggested his mother would remain firmly in charge.
Kingston Cafe went on to operate for several more years, adding a dance floor and expanded bar along the way, with Keone eventually leaving to pursue other work while his mother continued running the business. According to Wikipedia's article on Una Morris, the restaurant closed to dine-in service in August 2018 and was converted into a catering and event-only operation, a change multiple after-the-show accounts also describe; a Yelp listing for the Fair Oaks Avenue address is marked permanently closed as of an August 2026 update. Morris has continued operating a diagnostic imaging center at the same property.
Featured on Kitchen Nightmares
- Show
- Kitchen Nightmares
- Season / episode
- Season 4, Episode 10
- Original air date
- Episode title
- Kingston Cafe
- What was featured
- Jamaican restaurant; controlling owner and stale packaged food
- Role
- Featured restaurant
- Name on the broadcast
- Kingston Cafe
Frequently asked questions
Is Kingston Cafe still open in 2026?
As of September 2026, Kingston Cafe has closed — confirmed via Yelp, August 2026.
What happened to Kingston Cafe after Kitchen Nightmares?
Kingston Cafe, a Jamaican restaurant on South Fair Oaks Avenue in Pasadena, California, was featured in Kitchen Nightmares' tenth episode of Season 4, filmed in early 2011 and aired April 15, 2011. As of September 2026, Kingston Cafe has closed — confirmed via Yelp, August 2026.
Is Kingston Cafe permanently closed?
As of September 2026, Kingston Cafe has closed — confirmed via Yelp, August 2026. We publish a closure only with a dated source behind it, and we say plainly when it has not been independently confirmed.
Where is Kingston Cafe located?
333 S Fair Oaks Ave, Pasadena, CA 91105. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.
What season and episode of Kitchen Nightmares featured Kingston Cafe?
Season 4, Episode 10 of Kitchen Nightmares, first aired April 15, 2011. The episode is titled “Kingston Cafe”.
Did the makeover last at Kingston Cafe?
The episode first aired April 15, 2011. Our most recent check was September 7, 2026 — 15 years later —: As of September 2026, Kingston Cafe has closed — confirmed via Yelp, August 2026.
Is Kingston Cafe still using the Kitchen Nightmares menu or branding?
Owner Una Morris, a radiologist and former Olympic sprinter for Jamaica who had opened the restaurant in 1992, ran the business with what Ramsay described as absolute control, overruling both her head chef and her son and general manager, Keone Chong, on nearly every decision including the menu. Anything newer than our last check on September 7, 2026 may not be reflected here.
Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.
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Visit info
- Address
- 333 S Fair Oaks Ave, Pasadena, CA 91105
- Venue type
- restaurant
- Official website
- None found
- State hub
- TV restaurants in California
Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.
Sources
- realitytvupdates.com — https://realitytvupdates.com/kitchen-nightmares/kingston-cafe/
- Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Una_Morris
- Yelp — https://www.yelp.com/biz/kingston-cafe-pasadena-2
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Record kn-040 · last verified .