And so it came to be that Nick gave his last penny ever to Drunken Fish. You guys aren't even the best sushi around my office - you're just the closest. But 2 hours for a simple lunch special for a group of 12 (who called reservations a day in advance AND were half the people in your establishment) is bad enough. Icing on the cake was asking the waitress to fetch the GM for me and then watching him glare at me and hide in the kitchen for the next 15 minutes because he didn't want to deal with a complaint.
Effing ridiculous. Never again. Â Two stars because the food really isn't bad. Â And because our server deserves much better in terms of support from her kitchen and management.
Was told we needed to wait 10 minutes for the "kitchen to catch up". After 20 minutes I asked if we could just be seated, but not order. As there were several tables open. They said no. So I hopped on yelp and saw their reviews weren't that good anyways, especially compared to other sushi spots. So we left for another restaurant with my group of 4. Seated immediately.. good job 801.
Review Source:This was our second time around here and were impressed. Immediate service and friendly. we also used a check in offer for a free shot of sake.The food was delish. We did not order as many rolls, only 2 and the rest were sashimi. I would go this route as it is a better deal and has much more flavor. I still do not think they need a dj, but whatever it takes to make a place trendy.
Review Source:After reviewing Drunken Fish and trying the DF here in KC three times, I thought it would be fair to review the western location. Â And unlike it's CWE counterpart, I like the KC location quite a bit.
I always sit at the bar, and it's worth it to join their "raw rewards," especially since one of the perks is getting a table faster if they can, but at least you earn points for each dollar spent...oh yeah and it's free to join. Â Our last visit there was a 2+ hour wait, yuck. Â We grabbed bar stools and got to drinking. Â The Mr. Miyagi drink is quite good, and Tropical whatever is good too. Â I try to stick with martinis as they are sometimes cheaper than the cocktails (which are usually sake based FYI). Â
The sushi is pretty interesting, it's NOT authentic at all, but good for what it is. Â I love the mango roll, I get it every time, however how good it turns out depends on how ripe the mango is. Â I won't get the so roll again, too many raw veggies, it's like eating a crudite roll.
The bartenders are wonderful service professionals. Â Managers as well. Â Hostesses need a little more training. Â Namely: learn a few recommendations, try to remain calm with large lines (or just try not to yell at each other in front of guests), and be nice. Â You're the first and last customers deal with.
What a tasty delight! From the wide selection of menu items to the warm atmosphere, the Drunken Fish takes the cake. Coming from a sushi veteran, this means a lot. If you don't like sushi, there are plenty of other delectable entrees. The service is great as well (super fast and friendly). Oh yeah - and Ulrich Shnauss was playing on the radio, das good.
Review Source:The DF is a swanky spot in the Power and Light District with delicious, fresh sushi and friendly service. We started with some top notch miso soup and edamame. The spicy big easy roll caught my eye and did not disappoint. I also enjoyed the starburst roll with soy paper instead of the usual seaweed. The honey wasabi sauce glazing the roll was quite tasty! I'll be looking forward to enjoying more DF goodness on the rooftop tables when it warms up.
Review Source:I would recommend Drunken Fish if you have about four hours to kill or are very, very, very patient. Be prepared to wait a long time as service is s-l-o-w. Other suggestions: make a reservation. The space is small and apparently a popular destination at PnL. I think on a typical weekend eve for dinner or happy hour, the wait is about 45 minutes to an hour. Luckily each time I've been, I've made reservations and have been seated promptly.
I have the habit to ask the hostess for a recommendation when I get seated and both times (different hostesses), they've both basically said (apprehensively), "Everything is good!" hmm. As for the sushi itself, I've had much better (and more reasonably priced) at smaller/less-chain-ier restaurants around the area. Also a lot more... authentic. If you do find yourself at Drunken Fish, I would HIGHLY recommend: the Spicy Butterfly Roll. It's definitely delicious and depending on the situation, worth the wait.
If you're on a budget but want to go to DF, I would check them out during their happy hour! They have two opportunities, a mid-day one and a late evening one, I believe (don't quote me on that). Decor is decent. I was seated at one of those red-lit tables and it gave me a headache (may have been the cocktail too...it was kinda strong).
Oh! The extra star would definitely be because the beer is reasonably priced.
The ambiance and decor are nice. Not so sure I'm a huge fan of the pop music that was playing. Drunken Fish seems to cater more to a 20s "I'm hip" something crowd.
Be prepared to wait. When we arrived at 630 we were promptly seated which was great. We had a reservation tho. Â The restaurant was only half full at the time. I'm thinking that it shouldn't take long to be served. I was wrong. This is my second time here and we've already surpassed the amount of time it took from my first visit.
After 45 closer to 50 minutes the food finally arrived. I ordered the sushi sashimi combo. The wife had the katsu chicken. The sashimi and sushi cuts were average. Nothing to write home about. The main issue I had is with chomping down on a fish scale. Something that should not be there! The wife's chicken was extremely dry and in her words like chewing on a little piece of cardboard.
When asked how the meal was by our server and I commented about the scale... I got this um OK confused sort of look and a brief pseudo apology ill let the chef know. A few minutes later another person came by that looked like a manager and asked the same question as our server. I gave the same answer and almost got the exact duplicate response. I gave the scale to her and never saw her again. Our server was nice but seemed absolutely clueless. To her credit she asked if I wanted them to make my dish over again. I declined tho since it took almost 50 minutes to get my food in the first place.
I have given the Drunken Fish a rating of 2 stars because I went there for food not drinks and appetizers. it would be a cool place to hang out for drinks and appetizers. If I only had to rate them for ambiance and drinks it would be closer to 4 stars. If you want a real sushi experience, do yourself a favor and go someplace else.
Trendy and overpriced.. Staffed with rude kids and an incredibly incompetent management. This place is more work than the food is worth. Getting in on a weekend is near impossible without a healthy wait and drinks and food come out at a glacial pace. Food is day old midwestern fare. Save your money and go elsewhere.
Review Source:Drunken Fish looks too trendy to have good food, but this is one of those rare cases where style meets substance.
The place is spiffily decked out, with some outdoor seating, a full service sake menu, with beers, wines and any alcoholic beverage you could want. I had a hot sake, Â the supreme sashimi plate and the awesome California tuna and avocado roll.
Go during happy hour, when there are items from the menu going at half price.
Although it can be noisy, I can see how it's a good spot for dates. The high energy level keeps the mood buzzing, the crowds take away any dating tension or awkwardness shy people might have, and you can always talk on and on about the food and sake.
The only drawback was the service in bringing the food could be rather slow. I got my food quite quickly because I arrived very early at 5.30pm. The woman who sat beside me at the bar came after 7pm, when the place really filled, and after finishing her edamame, her sashimi still hadn't come for awhile and she had to order a crab meat salad to stave her hunger. All of us were raving about the food when it came though.
This was our second attempt at sushi during the Kansas/KCMO trip, and this one was far more satisfactory than the first. Â We came on a Saturday night, immediately after the Big 12 championship game, and I was a little surprised it wasn't crazy busy. Â Apparently the place is a lot bigger than it looks. Â The decor is trendy-looking, but not obnoxiously so, it still looked warm and inviting. Â We ended up sitting at the sushi bar, but apparently they had a large upstairs area as well.
The service here was great, our waiter was very attentive and the floor manager was going around to all the tables to make sure everyone was happy. Â Our sushi was really good, almost as good as my fave place in Cincinnati. Â However, you can't beat half-price sushi, and this place definitely did NOT have half-price sushi. Â However, the quality of food and excellent service made me feel we got our money's worth. Â I'll definitely come back here again the next time I'm visiting KCMO.
Wasn't sure what to expect from a sushi restaurant in Kansas, but I was pleasantly surprised! Atmosphere is fun and lively. They also have a beef sushi roll which is DELICIOUS, especially for those of us that prefer beef over fish. Dessert was amazing too, it was sliced fried strawberry cheesecake pieces that is out of this world!
Review Source:Disclaimer: I really needed a half star to award Drunken Fish the 2.5 stars it really deserved.
I bought a Groupon for Drunken Fish months ago. The first time I tried to use, at lunch time on a weekend, I was told the wait would be close to an hour. So, defeated, I left and went elsewhere for lunch. As the Groupon was rapidly approaching it's expiration date, I figured I'd try again. This time, I had a reservation for 7pm.
Entering the restaurant at 7, I noticed a lot of people waiting around but was reassured by my reservation. At the desk, we  were told that reservations were running behind and there would be a wait. Seriously? My dinner companion grumbled just audibly enough, speculating on how that happens and we took a seat in the lobby as the bar was packed.
The manager came out and offered us free drinks and apologized for the wait. Ok. Fair enough. He located one seat at the bar for us and we ordered drinks. Naturally, the bartender messed up one of the drinks. Sigh.
We were quickly led to a table beside the waiter station. Our server, Julia, was friendly and professional. She asked us about our familiarity with their menu and with sushi overall smoothly. Apparently that's policy there, but the waiter I overheard at next table over asked his diners in a condescending, slightly incredulous way.
Ordered the Lobster Spring Roll starter. It was tasty.
Ordered a selection of sashimi and rolls. The sashimi was good, fresh, no problems. The avocado hand roll was yummy. I enjoyed the futomaki roll, but it wasn't anything extraordinary.
I did really, really enjoy the Spicy Eskimo roll though - crab, cucumber and cream cheese topped with smoked salmon, yuzu,garlic mayo, jalapeno slices and black tobiko. It had great depth of flavor and was really fresh and light tasting.
So we were turning the corner and starting to feel better about Drunken Fish when a random waiter comes up, stands with his back to us in our table space and starts chatting with his co-workers over the glass divider. Wait - what? Could he be more rude? Could he possibly have walked another foot around the glass to socialize? Did he have to do so in our laps, more or less?
Ultimately, the manager comped our spring roll as well, but the damage was done. The food is not the problem here. The staff really needs help. Won't be back.
On a recent trip to Kansas City, I ventured into this trendy restaurant in the Power & Light district. I can't say this about a lot of restaurants I've been to but my entire dining experience was perfect, the waitress was friendly and accommodating and the food was wonderful. The flavors are incredibly unique and I instantly fell in love with the Starburst Roll and the White Tiger Roll.
Review Source:Stopped by here while in KC on a business trip. The Drunken Fish had a great coupon offered by the conference I was attending and the restaurant let us use multiple coupons at our table (awesome!). In fact the service as a whole was really good. I'm only giving it 3 stars because, while the service was good, the food was only ok. I realize that I shouldn't have high expectations for sushi in the middle of the country but...here I am. They had a good selection of rolls but none of them tasted all that amazing. Pretty much just tasted like sushi at a random chain restaurant.
Moral of the story: good service and a great deal thanks to the coupon. Otherwise, kind of lackluster.
This placed opened when I used to live downtown. Â I was so excited to have a sushi place near me and I wanted to love it. Â But my husband and I were so disappointed with our experience here. Â Not only was the service less than fantastic but the sushi and edamame was awful! The edamame was oversalted to where I found it inedible. Â The sushi didn't seem fresh or to have any real flavor. And the sushi was overpriced. Â I have paid similar prices for sushi in Portland, Oregon where the sushi was phenomenal. Â For a $15 roll it should be. I know I have high standards when it comes to sushi but I have had better sushi at some grocery stores then this place. Â I will not be coming back for round two.
Review Source:Ate here this past Tuesday evening. Did not have a reservation, so we had to wait a short time. Sat at the bar to grab a drink while waiting, then just decided to eat at the bar. The bartender provided prompt service and was friendly. I would recommend reservations if you'd prefer to not wait as long! I ordered the blue-eyed Asian martini. It was delicious!
As far as sushi goes, it was okay. It did come out fairly quickly. Had three basic rolls, but usually you can't go wrong with those! The calamari, spicy salmon, and St. Louis were the rolls. The St. Louis roll was the best of the three. I recently moved here from Iowa and I kind of figured with this being a much larger area, a downtown establishment would be above and beyond what I've experienced before! This was not the case. Sushi in Iowa City is much more satisfying than what I had here. I will go back and try more things off of their menu though!
On January 3rd, we returned to give the place another shot. I was contacted the manager with a respectful apology and a few coupons as a result of our last experience here. I am happy to say that this last visit was back to the place I had experienced previously. Though, to be fair... Â it was a Thursday night this time as opposed to the weekend rush. Nevertheless, we enjoyed a night of excellent service and really good sashimi and sushi. I added a few pics of our dishes that evening as well.
The Eskimo Roll is still our hands-down favorite. We also had the White Tiger roll which was also excellent. My favorite sashimi is salmon... Â and I had the trio (sashimi, cold smoked, & roe) and Erin ordered her favorite, Escolar ("Super White Tuna" is often the industry name).
My boyfriend and I were excited to see a groupon for this place. We both love sushi and were excited to have a reason to try someplace new, as we regular Friends and Nara and have a hard time risking a less desirable experience, when those two places are solid and predictably great.
So we walk in. It looks cool. It's almost empty because its 8 on a Wednesday night. Â A host sat us and someone came to fill our waters and it was fine. We start to take off our coats and our server J... asks us if we're ready to order but then says he'll come back in just a minute. He came back 8 minutes later. He says: "Are you ready to order now? Because actually, Â I need to walk our hostess two blocks to her car, so I'll be back." And he...left the restaurant and was gone for 7 more minutes. I watched him walk back by all the windows towards the door and then didn't see him at our table for another 5 minutes.
I'm a server. My boyfriend is a chef. We both feel like LEAVING THE RESTAURANT is a bad idea when you have a table. I don't think we are wrong on that.
So we ordered some rolls. Finally. The food took a while to come out but the presentation was lovely. Â That doesn't happen quick with sushi. We ate it all in about 8 minutes and our server didn't come back by at all. He stood around the corner from the sushi bar and talked to a coworker woman who had long brown hair. He sat down. We waited. There were two other tables in our part of the restaurant by this point. Other servers were doing their jobs. From the time he dropped our meal to the time he took our plates, 30 minutes went by. We had three rolls. Â We were eating for barely 8 minutes of that 30. Â He finally came to take our plates and it took him a long time to come bring us our check. He was back at the sushi bar again. Â He even walked by us and did a double take before turning around and printing off our check.
I would give the food here a three or four, but I'm giving Drunken Fish a solid 2 for our terrible waiter. Who we actually waited on, the entire time.
Fantastic Sushi; Get a Reservation
Drunken Fish is one of my top sushi places in KC. The fish is well chosen and prepared here and they offer a variety of rolls including some unique specials. Everything we had here was delicious and our waiter knew the menu backwards and forwards. We trusted him for some recommendations and they were spot on. I would definitely return here, but I must say it is only my 2nd favorite Sushi place. #1 is Zara Sushi in Parkville and #3 is Mr Le's Sushi in KC (up north).
A reservation is a must have. We strolled right in past the crowd waiting and it was a Sunday.
As far as sushi goes, this place didn't hit a homerun with me. First we ordered edamame and it came out luke warm. Then the sushi we got didn't have much flavor. None at all actually. I was really upset upon leaving, especially since the place itself is so nice. Probably wouldn't return.
Review Source:Okay, to be honest I was ready to hate this place. Â Generally, I find P&L too trendy and was expecting this place to be the same. Â Thankfully, I was wrong! Â It's definitely trendy, but not in the overgrown-frat-house way the rest of P&L is. Â We made a reservation and the hostess was very kind, seating us very quickly. Â Our server (Heather - she rocked!) was beyond helpful, walking us through their menu and making numerous suggestions (that we asked for, she was not pushy in any way). Â Their Happy Hour seems to be a pretty good deal, and the restaurant was pretty busy when we were there with people taking advantage of it.
Their martinis are okay - the Sexy Samurai is a classy version of vodka & cranberry. Â The Fountain of Youth is vodka with cucumber and mint. Â Its nice, but very herb-y and probably not for everyone.
I strongly recommend the Starburst roll, which has a spicy flavor to it, and the Fried Cheese Steak Roll (I know, it sounds weird but is delicious and delightfully different).
You could see the managers out on the floor, helping servers and checking on guests, which I always appreciate. Â This place was a pleasant surprise and I will definitely be back for Happy Hour.
Good groupon deals. Â Limited but decent happy hour menu. Â As a vegan there aren't that many options (which is strange with Asian cuisine) and limited flexibility of the kitchen, but overall an ok experience. Â Definitely has the "chain" quality feel to it, but wouldn't return without some kind of coupon/deal.
Review Source:My wife and I tried the Drunken Fish for dinner and it was a disaster. Â We had reservations at 6:15 p.m. and needed to be gone by 7:20 for a show at Sprint center. That should be ample time, right? Wrong! Our food came out at 7:15 p.m. an hour after we ordered it. Our waiter tried his best but to no avail. It seemed like the the kitchen was in chaos mode. Never once did a manager come by our table to apologize. Â When the food arrived our order was not even ordered right. Â My wife (who loves the place RA Sushi) could not stand any of the sushi or rolls.
What turned out to be one of the few nights my wife and I get alone, the Drunken Fish made our night miserable. We will not go back.
I've gone twice with my wife and have had nothing short of amazing service!
I am really confused about all of the bad reviews in regards to mean servers and staff. Everyone has been very friendly and accommodating. People need to understand that this is a very popular and busy restaurant. Expect to wait no matter what. The atmosphere is a little loud, but still romantic. The sushi isn't the best I've ever had, but it is probably near the best in Kansas City. I definitely recommend this restaurant for those wanting to impress a date.
Disappointed that the lobster spring roll is one spring roll divided in half...it should really be 2 spring rolls cut in half! Although the manager said they use a whole Lobster tail but still there should be more of that spring roll for the price.
Otherwise the white tiger roll and the cheese steak roll are my favourites - this coming from a non-sushi fan! But it really needs the wasabi and soy sauce to be edible!
I like Drunken Fish, but at the same time, I have some issues with the place. Â The interior is modern and their light up tables in the bar area are pretty darn cool. Their Starburst Roll is probably one of my favorite rolls around. Â Service is usually pretty friendly and you get your food and drinks in a decent amount of time.
Here are my issues. Â Why oh why do you close from 2-5?! Â It's P&L...there's always something going on and sometimes when I'm craving sushi at 3:30 in the afternoon and I'm in that area, I want to come in! Â My other issue is that the Happy Hour menu needs more options and since it's happy hour, lower the prices just a bit!
Drunken Fish now closes from something like 2 until 5. Don't try showing up at 4:58. If you do, they'll just stare at you through the glass of the door, making plenty of eye contact but otherwise not remotely acknowledging that you exist.
No "hello"
No "oh, we open in just a moment."
No "oh come on in, hang tight and somebody will be right with you."
Just blank, alien stares... until you finally decide to go someplace else.
In the words of Michelle Tanner, how rude!
I was not impressed by the Drunken Fish. Â The atmosphere was trendy and pretty cool, but the food was disappointing.
I actually had to send back my miso soup because it had a funky taste. Â That's a first. Â I usually never send back anything. Â I got their other small soup instead which was nice and tasty, although it had too much sesame oil.
My friend tried ordering 2 different sashimi items which were out of stock. Â I know, Kansas City is not near the ocean, but it was still disappointing! Â This doesn't really affect my review rating however the waitress came back like 10 minutes later to say they were out of it. Shouldn't you know this beforehand or a little sooner?
I got the Red dragon roll. Â It was not spicy at all. Â Not bad, but not good.
I also ordered a tofu appetizer. The fried silken tofu was good but the sauce was lacking. It just didn't taste great, although there was nothing wrong with it. Â
The green salad was yummy. Â I liked the dressing.
The green tea ice cream mochi was my favorite part of the meal, sadly enough. Â I'd give it 5 stars!!
I give the drunken fish 2.5 stars. Â If sushi is your specialty, it should be your strong point. I didn't find that here.
I came here with very low expectations, but a groupon to use. I was pleasantly surprised when I left, though if I was drunk perhaps my fishing experience would be better :)
The manager greeted us and said the hostess would be with us right away. They were quite friendly and got us seated. I was pretty enamored with the "cool" factor of the design of the restaurant. Very modern with vibrant colors and high ceilings. Today was in the 60s in January and I really can't wait till they open the ground level patio and the upstairs patio up so that we can enjoy food and drinks in the nice weather. Â I'm hoping they are dog friendly on the ground level patio as most restaurants are in the KC area.
Anyhow, we were met by our server Christopher and he gave us a business card his name and showed us the fresh catch of the day (the off menu item), the happy hour specials, the main menu and the drink menu.
We were both hungry and I had a schedule to keep as I had to head to school in an hour or so.......So we quickly submitted a spicy salmon roll and chicken yakitori from the happy hour menu.
We got that food pretty quickly and the spicy salmon was decent, but the yakitori's sauce was a bit undesirable. Too salty, I think would be the best way to describe it.
10 minutes into our visit, we ordered the California roll, drunken fish roll, saint louis roll, and philly rolls.
That's when the visit got a bit frustrating. Our food took 30-45 minutes to come out and it came out all at once. Why couldn't they just give us the rolls as they were prepared? The restaurant wasn't that busy (wasn't empty either). It took way too long! The waiter brought our food out and apologized for the wait (he said there was a rush on people coming in after we put in our first food order) immediately after we brought it to his attention.
The drunken fish roll was my favorite and ranked 4 out of 5 stars. I didn't like the California roll at all. It reminded me of the Trader Joe's sushi to go (those are gross). The Saint Louis roll was decent.
So, this place can be super slow at times with food preparation, but I thought the service itself was pretty good and they are making an effort. Of worry is that they are expanding to two other locations in the KC Metro, which may distract them. They still have more work to do. What will happen when summer comes and they are fully packed? They looked to be at 1/3 capacity by the time we left if that.
As far as the food goes, the quality is decent as far as KC Metro goes, but Jun's is much better and Kobe next store is a notch better as well. It's a bit overpriced for the quality.
I have a love hate relationship with the Drunken Fish. Â Do you remember those kids that were too cool for you in gradeschool, but then you still wanted to be their friends anyways? Â Even if they made fun of you in front of everyone, you would still try to impress them? Â That is how I feel about the Drunken Fish.
Every time I go there, I feel like the people working there are too cool for their own good. Â With the exception of one visit, when I had a large group in a large booth, my hostesses and waiters have been coolly dismissive at best. Â I showed up last Friday with a reservation, and four or five couples without reservations were seated before my girlfriend and I. Â Not a deal breaker, but indicative of the terrible level of service that I always get at this establishment.
It is a shame, too, because the sushi is by and large enjoyable and delicious. Â It isn't the best I've ever had, but it is consistent. Â The drink specials are decent as well, so I will probably keep coming back. Â I just wish I didn't feel like I wasn't one of the "cool kids" every time I walked into this place. Â This isn't New York, check your attitudes at the door.
While I still think Drunken Fish is a nice addition to the clubbish-vibe (is that even a word? Probably not.) P and L District, it won't be my first stop for sushi. Went again recently with a Groupon and although I was generally satisfied with the place, I think A.) they're overpriced and B.) service is shit.
Went out to lunch with a friend at around 2ish. The place was not busy but our server continuously left our drinks dry and let our dirty dishes accumulate around us. He was nonchalant about it all and decided it would be appropriate to chill behind the sushi bar and talk to the sushi chef about "hitting Westport and getting fucked up" later that night. That's cool and all dude, but can't you at least refill our drinks first before you talk about your evening endeavors? Or deliver our check PRIOR to taking your 20 minute smoke break? Just a thought.
The sushi is decent; plate presentation is impressive more than anything. Overall, the presentation of multiple factors plays a big role in the ever after success of the place. It's a stylish, beautiful restaurant with outdoor sitting on their rooftop deck, sleek interior design, and modern decor all in the heart of the flashy P and L District. Similarly, the sushi presentation is that of all the bells and whistles. Almost too picturesque to eat.
Otherwise, if you're not in the club hoppin' mood, I'd advise you stick to your more low key, mom and pop sushi joints with great sushi at a lower price. Don't expect top notch service here.
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