No matter how many tickets are sold they will tell you "it's a full house tonight" and sit you with another couple if you come as a party of two, which is cramped and miserable. Doesn't matter how early you arrive one cannot sit in the bench seats reserved for parties of four. They start late so don't bother showing up until start time. If you are a DD too bad, soda costs for each refill or pay 7.00 for unlimited. Not sure who designed this place but they did not have comfort in mind, it's too bad. Sardine is the only word that comes to mind
Review Source:It is nice to have a comedy club north or the river. Â Improv does draw in some well known talent. Â Unfortunately, that is all I really have good to say about the place. Â It is a little cramped. Â The booth seating is ok, but the chairs are terribly uncomfortable. Â After an hour, you would really prefer to stand a while. Â EAT BEFORE YOU GO! Â The food and drinks are priced like the ball park or Sprint Center. Â Very over priced. Â $9.50 for a mixed drink, and they still have the nerve to add on a mandatory 18% gratuity. Â Order a soda for $6.00 that includes free refills thankfully, and bring your flask. Â ;)
Review Source:I've went to a few shows here and each have been hilarious...however...this one was FAR below my expectations. Â We went to the Loni Love show, who was my favorite person on Chelsea Lately. Â We got there an hour early just to make sure we got good seats. Â The waitress was so incredibly busy...we barely saw her. Â This show in-particular had two comedians before her that were hilarious. Â Everything was going great...then Loni came on. Â There were two girls in the front row that she didn't like immediately only because they were "skinny". Â 99% of her show was political...which sorry, don't find funny. Â Then, the "skinny" girls were ordering a drink from the waiter and Loni stopped the show to make them move to the back. Â The waiter, the girls, and everyone thought it was a joke until she picked up their stuff for them to move. Â It was shocking. Â They ended up leaving (and a few more audience members) for the ridiculousness of it all. Â The rest of the act just went completely downhill. Â It was uncomfortable and odd. Â She kept saying it's a good thing she doesn't drink anymore because there would've been a fight. Â I'm all for taking care of business if someone is being rude or disrespectful, but that was highly uncalled for. Â We were sitting right behind them and nothing was done that deserved that. Â I was incredibly disappointed in Loni and think maybe she should not party so hard before she goes on stage...if that would help. Â Let's just say if Loni comes back, I won't be spending my hard earned money on her again.
Review Source:Love coming to this Improv over the San Jose location since the location is more chill and laidback than San Jose being sticklers about purchase requirements. Â
Here it's always great to have spinach and artichoke dip with chips, and last visit I tried the comedy club which came out triple decker club, hefty size with fries. Â A little messy sandwich but appetizing.
Comedians have majorityly been wonderful and funny, but there has been one experience where the show didn't feel like standup comedy, but more of an infomercial for the book written.
First time at the Improv last night. Â I was very disappointed in the service, the food and poor bartending or lack of bartending skills. Â Â How can you burn Macaroni and Cheese but it took so long to get served that hunger over took taste. Â How can you run out of shot glasses in a bar and not know how to poor proper shots? Â We had to set traps just to catch our waitress to stop and get our drink orders. Â We were there to spend some money and have fun nit it just seemed no one wanted it. Â Â I may give this place one more try. Â Fingers crossed.
Review Source:I gave this place a 5 stars, will return if I am back in KC.  I went on the Saturday night showing of Kevin Nealon, which was hilarious. When we were seated it took awhile for the server to get to us, only when my wife went to go get one. Once we got one, we ordered the food  & drinks, which arrived to us really quick. Additionally , the food was pretty good. Note on the Spicy Chicken Cajun, its really spicy, but tasted delicious. I couldn't finish it because it was too spicy, but like I said, it was good.
Before leaving, i went to the bathroom, were I left my Blackberry on top of the urinal.. When I got back to the hotel room is when i noticed , I lost my phone. By that time the Improv was closed and the following morning I needed to get  a flight back to MIA.  Luckily , I called and left message, and sent them an email through the comment section of their website. They got back to me in a timely fashion, also arranged for me to send them a shipping label, so they can ship it back to me in Miami. I received my phone at my home. That was the best feeling! 5 stars for the IMPROV KC!!!
It's really hard to try and give an accurate review, when aspects of the venue were great and others were truly horrible. Â I guess the best way to do this would be to split it into the good and the bad...
So first the good:
We arrived approximately 2 hours prior to the show and were able to be seated right by the stage, which was awesome. Â We were there for the bf's birthday to see one of his favorite comedians. Â The show itself was quite amazing, but did start about an hour late. Â Granted, I think that was more due to attempting to find another opening comedian rather than anything done by the club. Â Beyond that I didn't feel that there was much else to redeem the club.
So now, the bad:
Service was abysmal, I mean really bad. Â Definitely not worth the built in 18% gratuity. Â Â If you are going have built in gratuity, ACTUALLY HAVE SOME DEGREE OF SERVICE!!! Â I understand that the club is busy, and during the show it's harder to serve your tables, but the overall set up of the wait staff was horrible. Â Waiters and waitresses had tables scattered all over rather than together. Â Which obviously makes it difficult to serve your tables efficiently. Â Additionally, our waitress would disappear for no reason whatsoever for 20 minutes at a time. Â The table next to us had a different waitress and their service was at least 10x better than what we received. Â That was the service, now for the food...
I was intrigued by the BBQ pulled pork nachos, and I was horribly disappointed. Â Honestly, from a Comedy Club AND Restaurant, I expected somewhat better food than what we were served with. Â Even the chicken fingers that the bf ordered were disappointing. Â Added to that, the cocktails were not well made at all. Â
Overall, not counting the show itself, a severely disappointing experience.  It'll be difficult for me to justify returning here to see future shows, even if it is for my  (or the bf's) favorite comedians.  Just not worth the amount of money spent on tickets, food/drinks and service.  I need to see some improvement before I am willing to spend money here again.
They lost a star because of the location change. "But Justin, they only moved a block away?"
Yah but exiting audience traffic pores down a single file hallway. A hallway so tiny that if Great White played we'd all be doomed. If that wasn't bad enough, you get rerouted into the most touristy, water-downed cajun joint I've ever witnessed. That's a whole other review which is out of Improv's control.
Now before you go and think I'm slamming the Improv, this is the only comedy club I go too. I stopped going to the others because of service or price. The Improv makes me feel like a VIP and always delivers great service. I signed up for their email list and get comp tickets all the time. I just liked the other venue better.
Came for the show... had already eaten so didn't try the food...smelled good though. We were seated on the far side which made it a bit annoying for bathroom access and we got stuck in there forever when it was time to leave.
Service could have been better, waitresses huddled at the back watching the show; people near us had to get up to ask one of them for service.
Next time I'll probably try some food. Show was awesome and some other shows are coming up soon that I hope to check out.
Love that this is a bit of comedy here in the Northland! The food is good, more extensive menu than a lot of clubs I've been too. The servers are fast and efficient and super cool about splitting checks for large parties. Connected to Fat Fish Blue if you want to catch some live music and drinks afterwards.
Review Source:I've always wanted to check out a show at an Improv Club. Historic comedy venue and all that. I had the chence to catch the Sunday night Tommy Davidson show at the Zona Rosa location in KCMO. First of all, kind of out of the way for a major comedy club. It's nearly to the airport if you're coming from the city. Access is fairly easy, though. We arrived at the club nearly an hour before show time, and were seated immediately. Note: seating is random. They check you in at the front door and put you where they want you. There's a sign when you come in, so don't act surprised.
We came in early to get dinner before the show. This isn't included in the ticket price and the menu is't cheap. $9.99 chicken tenders and fries. The tenders were pretty thin with the equivalent of a small order of fries. Not worth ten bucks. And, lets just cut to the chase: the wait staff we had sucked. Terribly. She came right up and took our food and drink orders. The drinks came within about 10 minutes. To be expected as the dining room is rather large and it was filling up fast on a Mother's Day evening. It was the additional 55 minutes that we waited for our food that was more troubling. We watched as every other person in our row got their food. When the waitress came back for the first time after 45 minutes without food, she simply said "Is there anything I can get you?" The tone in her voice seemed to miss the absence of food on our table. I said "Yeah, our food would be nice." She was puzzled. I said the amount of time we'd waited and she hurried off. Another 20 minutes passed before she came back and said that the kitchen lost our ticket. I suspect that her 20 minute absence was her looking through her ticket book and finding that she had never entered our ticket.
We got the food, ate, and the show started. I've decided that this is the only reason to go to the Improv. The comedians on the marquee were great. Tommy Davidson was something to experience. Not my favorite comic, but had some funny bits. Erin Jackson was really funny. The MC had his moments, but if that's the best part of the show something's lacking.
So, here's the killer. As I mentioned, we had a Groupon. Using one of these at a restaurant comes with rules. One of these rules is that if you have a Groupon you still have to tip based on the original amount. Everyone knows that I would imagine. We had a $100 tab with food and drinks. There's a standard 18% gratuity that comes on all tickets. She brought our ticket (first interruption) and came back 10 min later. Mind you, faster than she got out food to us. Second interruption, she knelt down in front of me to see if we "had payment yet." Our friends were reviewing the ticket and she left. Third interruption, she came back again and took the ticket. Fourth interruption, she came back to say that the Groupon applied would cut her tip in half and set about trying to work the math with our friends DURING THE SET! She was doing this right next to and in front of us. She left again. Came back for her fifth interruption to say that our friends had calculated the total wrong. Who's job is it to calculate a ticket? If there's a standard tip, leave it!
So, by now, we were pretty disturbed. Our friends were definitely deserving of some kind of award. They were very patient and there wasn't really anything you could do while a comedian is on stage enteraining in a dark room. We sat there after the show and as the crowd filed out. It was decided that a manager needed to be consulted on this. We waited after the room cleared and found another table was waiting for the manager. We were ushered out to the hallway where we met with the club manager and she heard and understood our frustrations. With that, she deliberated and took our ticket, advising that she would refund our meals and apologized for the missteps her server made. I was shocked, to be honest.
Overall, ignore the food. Drinks, if you have to. We've decided to go back and drink before we go in. There's no need to load up in the main room. Go for the show, eat somewhere else. Thanks to the manager, though. You were fantastic!
A little customer service goes a long way. And their staff and management are very lacking. Â I have tried to speak to someone at the Improv regarding my questions and the points I'm about to make here, but no one will return my messages.
***FREE VIP TICKETS!*** I'd think that means FREE, wouldn't you? Well, apparently NOT!
After making the reservation, the mumbling CSR gave me a list of instructions, including to arrive by 6:45, all of our party must be there, and in the middle of all that, there is a CHARGE for FREE tickets. Not a service fee; not a convenience fee..but a CHARGE for FREE tickets. Â It's not the money for me (it's not that much), it's the PRINCIPLE of the thing...the bait and switch. Â I barely caught that comment, and I wonder how many people show up, and just go along with it. Â It is NOT anywhere in the offer email, nor is it listed on their website (although if you do purchase on their website, just like Ticketmaster, they will charge you a fee).
Added to the fact that the servers do not return any 'coin change' when you pay, and the 18% mandatory tip (I usually tip 20%/round UP)....I just have a problem with the way they do 'business'. Â I wanted to give them a chance to explain, but with no return call to my messages and Facebook wall post and email, I can't let it go. Â When I tried to talk to a manager over the phone, two separate times, BOTH employees refused to let me talk to a manager...not that one wasn't on duty, but that this is just the way it is.
I love the idea of a great comedy show, and the comedians are pretty good. But I have a hard time giving my money and business to people I don't respect, and who don't respect their customers. Â Imagine, Improv...if you are okay with your crowd right now...or if you'd actually like to have more customers and sold out shows more nights. Â Sometimes, 'barely good enough' just isn't. Â This experience has ruined an otherwise positive review.
Was able to visit the Improv on a whim one night. It was amateur improv night & I was able to score a free ticket through Twitter & the local radio station. This was the first time I had been there even though I had wanted to go for a while now.
Ambiance: Tables & chairs, some 1/2 booths all facing the stage as one would expect. Similar to what one would see in the movies or TV for a stand-up comedy venue. Not sure it would be a good place for a kid, unless there was a kid specific show. I also believe they have age appropriateness listed before hand, and most shows are probably 21 & over.
Attire: I wore jeans and a button up shirt and fit right in. a t-shirt would also have worked and I did see others more dressy as they were probably going out afterward.
Service: The tables are kind of packed in there, but the servers are somehow able to get through and deliver no problem. I had no issues with either my order or the speed at which it arrived. My drink was never empty which was good. I also was in the back-ish and didn't notice anyone walk in front of me, so they were stealthy as well.
Food: I had the mac & cheese w/ shrimp & sausage. It was excellent. Others around me saw the order and ended up getting it was well. I also had a order of fries to start and those were good as well. I would order both again, although the mac & cheese was a generous helping so I probably wouldn't order both together unless someone would help w/ the fries.
Price: about what one would expect from any of the other restaurants around the Zona Rosa area. There was a cover charge to get in which took care of the entertainment, so the food was priced resonably.
Entertainment: It was amateur improv, so some of the comedians were really good and others were still developing, but overall a worthwhile experience. Really enjoyed the comic named "Grasshopper".
Would I go back? Yes. Would I bring a friend / date? Yes.
The Improv offers a solid stand-up routine, as long as you aren't distracted by the shiny stars they try to flash before your eyes. Â The MC is usually pretty good, a local stand-up they have host the night. Â The featured and headlining comic at all three shows I have attend have ranged from ok to great. Â I've been going for 4 years, and the places hasn't really changed. Â I love that they send out free show vouchers sometimes, which have NO strings attached. Â
The food is typical sports bar fare - the salads are huge and pretty fair, the spinach and artichoke dip ($8.99) is on par with Applebee's (take that as a plus or minus if you will) and the corn muffins ($5.49) are a bit dry. Â I typically eat before I come since Zona Rosa and the surrounding area has so many tasty places. Â The drink menus is average. The martinis are ~$9 but are very strong, so one drink can last for the show. Â Draft beer like Guiness and Boulevard are offered at $5-6 for a pint. Â The wait staff is sometimes a bit inattentive, but that may be related to the fact that the room is quite dark during the show. Â One thing to note is that %18 gratuity is added on to every single order. Â
The seat are comfortable, and if you want to take the steps pre-screen the comics via youtube, you are likely in for a pretty fun night.
Knock, knock! (Who's there?)
Ima. (Ima who?)
Ima have to give this place 3 stars because it was a-ok!
So, I don't have a super high standard for comedy clubs in general. I go because I like the comedian performing that night and don't typically give serious attention to all the other details. Because we arrived an hour early, though, I had ample time to take it all in.
Staff at the box office and the front door were friendly and helpful - that was nice! SUPER plus that the entire place is non-smoking. Not a bad seat in the place - really! We got there early so we were toward the front, but walking through the place it was clear that all the seats offered a pretty good view.
We ordered food and were served by Jake. Jake was cool but slow to bring napkins and flatware when our food arrived. The artichoke dip appetizer was really good - especially with crab meat on top! We also ordered burgers which arrived a little more done than we had asked, and they didn't give us the correct side orders (regular fries instead of the sweet potato fries we had ordered). We would have mentioned that to Jake, but he was nowhere to be found once our food arrived -- didn't even check in to see how it was for us. Hm. By the time the check arrived toward the end of the show, we suddenly had a different server. Maybe Jake went home with a case of mediocrity.
So, all of that was JUST ok. The comedy, however, was HILARIOUS!! We saw Maz Jobrani and Amir K this past weekend. My face and sides hurt from laughing so much!! Everyone with us totally enjoyed the show too. It was nice that the crowd was diverse, and we only had to turn around ONCE to ask the guys behind us to stop talking.
Comedy - 5 BIG stars!
Food - 3 stars
Service/Staff - 4 stars
I haven't been to other comedy clubs in the KC area so I can't compare this to other places, but it's definitely worth checking them out sometime!
There has been some good comedy here lately, most specifically, Maz Jobrani and Amir K. Â UBER funny.
The good: Â
-Non-smoking facility. Â This is HUGE! Â I hate smelling like an ashtray, well, ever.
-Great seating. Â Really, there's not a bad seat in the house.
-Started on time, and had a great warm-up comic. Â The local host guy/MC, well, yeah, I'm sure he's a very nice person. Â The comedy... not so much. Â But he DID accurately introduce the comedians, so points for this. Â hehe
- Food was decent. Â The artichoke-spinach dip was quite good. Â Our burgers were pretty decent. Â The sweet potato fries, however, were kinda weird. Â Why put SUGAR on them? Â Like raw sugar. Â Didn't quite get it.
-Location: yes, it's north of the river, and yes, it's in Zona Rosa. Â Zona Rosa is pretty cool, and there is a free-parking garage right next to the venue.
The not-so-bad:
-Nothing really bad about the experience, although the bathrooms could be a little bigger/more accessible. Â Also, we were a party of 6 (3 couples), and the bills had gratuity included, although this was hard to discern as the bills came while the comedy was going, and it was dark. Â My dad 'double tipped' because of this. Â The service was good, but not 36% tip good!
-They seem to be pretty good at keeping the crowd noise/conversation to a minimum. Â Nothing worse than seeing good comedy, only to have it ruined by some drunk idiots.
All in all, this is a great place to see comedy, and we will definitely be back!
I use to go to the Improv all the time when it was connected to the Majestic. Â Then they had to move to new place and new menu, but same decor. Â Other than being a bit smaller, it is still the same.
The reason for me coming tonight is because I was sent a free pass. Â (great, they still got me on the books.) Â I had already viewed the menu online. Â so, I knew what I wanted. Â My host and server, Colin
was fun and chipper and fast. Â I need him to be my server every time.
I order the Burbon St Sampler. Â My favorite was the Jambalaya. Â I'll probably just order that next time. Â The gumbo and corn bread was needing some getting use to. Â I did end up liking both. Â I didn't have tastebuds for the beans and rice. Â I'm not a drinker and settled for a Pepsi and water. Â Both were given to me in plenty. Â I was simple this time. Â Hot tea and coffee require a lot of service for me.
Comedy was good. Â They have learned not to play the announcing music too loud anymore. Â This was a great time and I can't wait for my next free tickets.
The Improv is kind of cool.I went there a couple of months ago, so see a comedian. I had free tickets, which was a total plus. I had already eaten, but felt obligated, so I ordered their potato chips, expecting warm, fresh potato chips. They were cold. Not what I expected. I found the menu to be mostly laden with meat, and I wanted vegetarian appetizers. So, now I know not to order the potato chips.I'm not a steak ordering person. But the menu also has coffee, and such.
I parked in a parking lot kind of to the side of the Improv, but I was already at Zona Rosa's. We ate at Abuelo's. I drove to the Imrpov after,and parked early. The parking lot is small.
As for the inside. It's appearance is more on the likes of a place where you'd see someone classy. I imagined Lenny Bruce doing a show there. I liked the inside.It's comfortable,and allows the comedian, when the show is over, to meet with the guests. The interior looks like something from a New York Comedy club, or even from a stripped down Saturday Night Live.
I had a hard time figuring out where in Zona Rosa the Improv was, but once I figured out it was attached to the Majestic Theater, I knew I'd seen it in other visits to Zona Rosa.
The Improv sits kind of hidden, but if people pay attention to both the radio stations, websites, and The Pitch,and newspapers, to catch the schedule, it makes for a pretty fun evening.
This was the very first stop going into KC. Â A friend of ours was able to score tickets for $2.00 through her college, which was awesome.
The show was great, the improv was really big, and I believe they are moving to a bigger location. Â Wait staff circulated pretty well. Â
Parking  - you have to be careful when parking off the street, we got "tickets" with an optional donation to pay. Get there early as the line gets pretty long. Â
I noticed that they offer a separate dining area outside of the theatre, however, you are able to order food at your table during the comedy show.
The Improv is a fun and surprisingly classy joint. Â I never know what to expect when I go to a comedy club, because they can be very hit or miss in terms of cleanliness and class. Â The Improv at Zona Rosa was a blast; lit up by the marquee outside, this fairly new club is clean inside but still full of character. Â There is a full bar in the lobby and waiter service from a friendly staff inside the actual theatre. Â The inside is all smoke free and the tables and seating are comfortable. Â The comic acts had there moments in terms of dirtiness, but it was all in good fun. Â I would not recommend this to a family or a first date. Â But if you are comfortable in your own skin and with the people you are going with, you should enjoy seeing a comedy show at The Improv. Â Recommended drink; the Rubber Chicken.
Review Source:Why this place is cool: Â
  *  great comedy show!
Why this place sucks ass:
  *  HORRIBLE service!!!  The worst ever!!  Upon arrival, we turned on the light at our table for the waiter to take our order.  It was 20 minutes before he responded.  We ordered our drinks...got them a half hour later, minus one drink of the four we had ordered along with the wrong beer.  We got the fourth drink and the replacement beer about 15 minutes later.  We ordered fries at one point, which took another 20 minutes.  Then we dared to ask for ketchup.  We timed it this time:  27 minutes.  The fries were gone by now.  The waiter offered to give us the fries for free since we had to wait for so long, which we happily accepted.
  *  Idiot blonde girl sitting in front of us, kept randomly spouting out nonsense and drunken laughter or obnoxiously answering 'questions' that the comedian would throw out.  Sure it was sort of funny, 10 minutes into the first act of the show.  But as the end of the second half was nearing and she had been shouting the entire time, so much that even the comedian was sick of her, I was ready to lean over and pour my drink over her head.  There was staff all over that theater--why would they not ask her to shut up instead of ruining the show for everyone?
  *  There was a small advertisement on all of the tables with a list of the movies shown in the theater, along with the times.  This was dated May 2008.  It is September.  Hmm....
  *  Time for payment.  Our check arrived and we did NOT get free fries.  We sat around waiting for a bit while the waiter was scurrying around taking people's credit cards and returning receipts.  After sitting there for 20 minutes or so waiting for him to take our card so we could complain about being charged for the fries, we realized that we hadn't seen the waiter in quite awhile.  We gathered up our things and left the theater.  As we went down the hall, we noticed a line at the register.  Apparently after a certain time they no longer take payments IN the theater, you have to come out and stand in line to pay your bill.  Instead of announcing this in the theater, they just left a few of us sitting there with no clue as to what was going on.  One cashier, approximately 30 people in line.  Another 20 minutes of standing around and waiting!
Good thing these tickets were free--I will never pay to come here.
The Improv is sort of a hidden gem in Kansas City - its located in Zona Rosa, which means most everyone from south of the river will ignore it. Â Its near the back of Zona Rosa, so it doesn't get noticed as much as the restaurants/stores right near the entrance. Â And its attached to the Majestic Theater, which has a big marquee and stands out more. Â But don't let that discourage you - the Improv brings in big-name acts at very reasonable ticket prices so if you're into stand-up comedy, you've got to check it out. Â
Names like Doug Benson, Dave Atell, Godfrey and other comedians are at the Improv constantly. Â I've now been twice, for an open mic night and an erotic hypnotist named Brad Clark. Â The hypnotist was last night so its fresher in my memory - what a fun event. Â A hilarious comedian named Johnny O opened the show and I could have listened to him all night - hoping they have him for his own show sometime. Â Then Brad Clark came out and went through about an hour long hypnosis show that ended with some pretty hilarious sexual stuff (much tamer than I had thought it would be).
Along with the comedy, the Improv has a nice, comfortable seating area, good service, decent drink prices and a pretty nice food menu. Â I haven't tried the food yet but it looks pretty good. Â
Give the Improv a try - its an inexpensive, fun way to spend an evening.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
