THRONE ROOM

“If there is a waterfall, then there is a secret behind it.” An enchanted cocktail chamber hidden within San Diego’s rebel wonderland KINDRED, THRONE ROOM is an immersive food and drink experience from the band of misfits behind KINDRED and MOTHERSHIP. Concealed behind a chain-mail curtain seemingly leading nowhere, the chamber transports guests into a fantasy realm untethered from geography or era: a mystical tavern behind a waterfall, where an ancient order has established a refuge for drink, curious comforts, and departure from the known world.

The project expands upon years of lore embedded within KINDRED’s DNA. Its origins trace back to a Dungeons & Dragons-inspired placemat map created for KINDRED’s 2017 Coachella pop-up that imagined a secret dwelling hidden beneath the restaurant itself. That mythology now takes physical form as a 900-square-foot, 35-seat hall reached through a small portal to elsewhere. Guests enter a distinct environment and menu separate from KINDRED, with 90-minute seated experiences featuring 12 cocktails, 6 non-alcoholic elixirs, house tea, wine, ale, and a concise menu of elevated bar fare known as Mystic Mezze.

Designed by BASILE Studio and featuring extensive sculptural plaster work by Sasha Seyb, THRONE ROOM transforms a new addition to KINDRED into a torchlit ritual cave balancing opulence, whispered ceremony, and playful escape. A carefully orchestrated palette of gilded finishes, sculptural arches, reflective surfaces, integrated water features, and crystalline illumination creates a layered spatial experience that transforms light, material, and perception. While richly detailed, the chamber deliberately avoids perfection. Evidence of time and decay suggest ages of quiet existence, allowing the space to feel discovered rather than designed.

An original eight-hour dungeon-synth-inspired soundtrack by ETERHOLM, the recording project of local musician Drew Andrews fills the chamber with rhythmic lo-fi fantasy atmosphere. The evolving score is documented through a limited-edition cassette series and future vinyl releases available exclusively through the restaurant.

THRONE ROOM’s beverage program centers around monastic spirits, herbaceous liqueurs, arcane infusions, and playful apothecary-minded compositions that blur the line between ceremonial drink, imagined artifact, and contemporary cocktail craft. Drinks arrive in hand-made ceramic bowls and chalices made locally in South Park, with carved ice and restrained herbal garnishes, while deadpan menu notes reveal a sense of playfulness.

Neither wholly ancient nor remotely modern, THRONE ROOM presents an escapist realm concealed within the walls of KINDRED: a hidden refuge for those willing to pass through a portal and discover what waits on the other side.