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Categories: Sushi Bars, Caribbean [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Country Club, The Plaza
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I've had two pretty different experiences at Kona recently. They average out to a collective three star average.
First Encounter, Sunday evening dinner hour (4 STARS**)
It was easy to snag a spot at this hour, around 9, in the bar area. I stuck with a solid choice of Salmon Sashimi, rice and edamame. Compared to a lot of local sushi I have had that has a taste I would imagine comparable to a brush creek bottom crawler, this option was satisfying. The decor of the bar area was warm and accommodating. I snagged a few rolls off the plates of others that I also managed to swallow happily. Overall value, three of us ate lightly, drank heavily and enjoyed ourselves for around $100.00. Not bat at all.
**Disclaimer: I was well on my way to jovial inebriation, this could result in the awarding of unwarranted stars.
Second Encounter, Tuesday Happy Hour (2 STARS)
Meeting a relative stranger who could potentially be my new roommate. He's in his 30's and just got off work. Just like every other person at the bar. Great. It could be any of them. Thank goodness for cell phones. This place has a douche factor of about 7 at happy hour. Shaky handed girls in stilletto's screaming in your ear for another cosmo, suit wearing professionals who raise their eyebrow James Bond style and stare at you uncomfortably. Eeew. The bar staff was pretty slow and inattentive. I have no problem being patient if you're busy, but if my beer is empty and I'm looking at you longingly don't smile and walk away to talk to other staff. Ordered a couple rolls and some Edamame and ran away...never to return during the "see and be seen" afterwork indulgence hour. I will award stars for price point though, it was a good deal if you can sacrifice enjoyment for value.
Kona touts itself as providing the "freshest most imaginative meals anyhwere." I'm not even going to touch that, I'm making a conscious effort to be nicer. Well. At least today anyway. So Kona, to that statement, I'm just going to call Shenanigans. NOT TRUE. Kona, your environment is nice any time but Happy Hour. Your sushi is slightly above ordinary by Kansas City Standards, but that is still a far cry from making you the freshest most imaginative dining spot ANYWHERE. A little modesty please.
I do not, for the life of me, understand why anybody likes this place. Everytime I've been there, the rice is overcooked and gross. There's nothing special about the sushi and the service sucks.
The only thing decent about this place is if you want to go there to socialize and have drinks during happy hour...but even then it's pretty bad, lots of douchebags.
Eff No
AMAZING HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS HERE! They have late happy hours, which is what we did.
We got 3 sushi orders (spicy tuna roll, was one of them) and 2 margaritas for $17. Who can beat that?
The sushi was just eh, but filling. The margaritas were good. The place was rocking! Lots of intoxicated friendly attractive people having a good time. They had the games on tv as well.
Warning: At night, they close off the dining room and only the bar is open. It is HARD to get a seat. You'll have to FIGHT for it! Who wants to eat sushi standing anyway? Drink, yes. Eat, no (and boy was I hungry).
Street parking is the way. It's right in the Plaza.
People seem to be pretty passionate on either loving or hating this place. Regardless, tonight was my first time giving it a try. It took years for me to get a chance to sample some of the sushi and finally cross it off of my places to try list. I guess most of the reviews I read from the folks I trust didn't inspire excitement or enthusiasm.
I will say this, from the items we had, it was not disappointing at all. The fried calamari was delicious and some of the best I have had in the metro (now considering we are in Kansas City, that really isn't much to say) My wife had a bowl of miso soup which was delicious and not overly salty. The edamame was fine, no complaints there.
I will say their lettuce wraps are not all that. The portion size was decent but I found them to be on the salty side. In the words of my wife, it looked like a sophisticated "giniling" (which is a Filipino dish of chicken and veggies in tomato sauce). Not impressed here.
As far as the sushi, the selection was respectable but not as varied as some of the other places in the city. We tried the Spider roll, volcano roll, and also had some yellowtail/whitefish sashimi.
The Spider roll was absolutely insane in that the softshell crab was perfectly fried and the rest of the roll perfectly complimented the rest of the ingredients. As far as the Volcano roll, it was rather strange in texture and although it was unique in that it almost melts in your mouth, I thought the siracha sauce on it was a little over the top in that it kills the rest of the flavor in the roll.
The sashimi I would say was extremely impressive. Both the yellowtail and whitefish were fresh, very delicious and had the right texture.
in the end, I would agree with most in that it's not the best in town (there are a large amount of other choices) but it does hold up very well and is worth a try every once in awhile.
This is a great place to see beautiful people getting drinks early in the night. This is a place you come to early...it'll be packed, but worth it. Good looking bartenders and servers. They pour stiff drinks, and you pay a little more for them, but it's a good place to start the night. One of my go-to places for sure.
I've only been here for drinks but I hear the sushi is good....though an ex of mine got really sick off it once!
NOTE: This is the first in my series of reviews dedicated strictly to places that have cool bathroom. Lots of cool bathrooms in KC. Shame that so many of them are in places that suck....
Let's have a happy hour scavenger hunt! Here's your list of things you need to find:
*Pre-mixed drinks that are so overly sweet they'll give you adult-onset diabetes
*Servers who are so convinced of their beauty that they think you'll give them tips not based on service, but on how badly you want to get in their pants
*Old, overly tan men who WILL tip based on how bad they want to get into servers pants
*A gaggle of bros in Affliction and/or Ed Hardy shirts, coordinating distressed blazers, and spikey hair.
*women in low-cut shirts that are definitely weather-inappropriate for the winter, but they don't know because they're made of plastic
*Sushi, average at best
Go to Kona Grill, you can find them all in one place!
But they do have a pretty kick ass sink in the restrooms. Made of what I assume is slate, it looks like a waterfall and is very zen. Makes me relax and forget the scene going on on the other side of the door....
Eh, it's probably "lame" to like Kona, but I do.
Avocado egg rolls = made in heaven. And that's all I have to say about that.
When my roommate and I want fast, affordable sushi that's close to us we always truck it down to Kona. The veggie roll is stupidcheap ($5ish) and 1 or 2 of those is a great meal for me. My omnivorous friends have always had good reviews of the regular sushi. During a happy hour a while ago, my friends and I shared a great pizza as well.
Good location, cheap prices, pretty but good (but sometimes a little slow) service. I'm in.
Kona Grill is an overrated restraunt. I hear good things about this place, but after you get past the atmosphere... bleh. The food is ok, but after you get the bill... you quickly find that the food was "not that good". I say pass.
Food and service are terrible. Worst sushi I've ever had. Rolls fell apart. The music and ambiance are "annoying" at best. Too many chachis and the music is dreadful. No way would I return there ever again.
The thai peanut chicken noodle dish wasn't that great...it claimed it was spicy on the menu but it wasn't at all.
I wouldn't recommend this place for picky eaters- it took me a while to find something I liked. I would go there again, but I wouldn't really think of it as an option-- someone would have to suggest it to me. It just doesn't stick out.
I have tried almost every location of the Kona Grill's from Arizona to Kansas City. My favorite dish is the Pesto Linguine. Their sushi is awesome and fresh. Their special Happy Hour, where sushi is discounted brings in the crowd. The bar area is packed almost every night. The surrounding Plaza area is great to walk and shop.
Why did I ever fear sushi? I used to play it safe at Kona Grill and steered clear of their sushi menu. But then a friend urged me to try her tuna roll dipped in some wasabi-soy sauce, and it was love at first bite.
Since then I've become much more adventurous. Seared tuna, spicy Houston rolls, seaweed salad -- I love it all! The meat-market atmosphere at the front end of Kona might turn you on or put you off depending on how you roll. But if you're coming for sushi, duck the wannabies and head for the back. Everything's fresh, and compare to the other sushi places I've tried around town Kona offers some unique flavors and combinations.
If you like sushi, you will like Kona Grill. They have a seperate menu that has over 35 choices on the menu. Not only do they have great sushi, but the other food that they serve there is really good with large portions. For their Happy Hour, they have 1/2 price sushi rolls, pizzas, and appetizers. This is a great place to go for Happy Hour, but you have to get their early, around 4:00pm if you want to be a part of their Happy Hour. They only do the Happy Hour in the bar section, which isn't very big, but well worth it if you have a chance to go.
Kona Grill is pricey but I here their Happy hour is happening. The Rolls are good just once again pricey. I've been here twice and always wish I got what my fiance is eating (he always orders their food plates not the sushi).
This Arizona chain seems to be swamping Yelp with phony 5 star reviews. See the Talk thread "Shenanigans." The most likely source is the chain's employees. If you value the integrity of Yelp, don't patronize Kona Grill.
Not the best sushi in town...it's convenient to my apartment and happy hour is never a bad thing. I've never gotten sick here which is a plus...the miso soup is a little too salty but the atlantic rolls are yummy :) Enjoy!
I have to say, I really like this place. The food is good. The sushi is good. Never had a bad experience here and I've been several times. I will say the wait can be outta control...but I have to take some blame for that for going during high traffic times. I love their meatloaf. I don't eat meatloaf outside of my families, with the except of here. I enjoy their Phili Roll and Shrimp Tempra Roll. Drinks are pretty decent too as well as the waiting staff. I would recommend it!
I've been to Kona on many occasions. I have had better sushi and I've definitely had worse. The service sucks. Always has, always will. The happy hour is well priced but I would steer clear of the sushi on it. It's definitely made me sick on more than one occasion. Avacado eggrolls and chicken tacos are my favorite. Drinks are so so. Sit at the bar if you want decent service.
This is one of those places where you'll try and force yourself to like. It's promoted all the time over the radio, claiming to be the best place for hot young sophisticates to go. It says it has great sushi. C'mon, forget about.
This place is overrated. After several attempts (all starting with a sense of naive optimism) you'll eventually come to your senses that this place is no good. The evenings get far too crowded with wanna-be sophisticates and a 44 year old woman who hits on a 23 year old guy. Now, if you're into that sort of thing, I think her name was Janet.
The Sushi I'm convinced is purchased from the local Sunfresh grocery store. Which, given that it's Kansas City probably means the sushi is about 10 days old and is growing all sorts of interesting pathogens. Again if you're into that sort of thing, I think it was called the spicy tuna roll.
um, I dont know why Kona is under the category of "Carribean" food, its definitely more Asian Fusion.
I lost my sushi-virginity at this place when my brother from LA force-fed it to me. I actually really liked it, and went back a ton when I still lived in KC. They do have really good calamari and drinks (love their mojitos). KC doesnt have much to offer in terms of good sushi, so I would definitely recommend this place! It also a really good place for a night out with friends.
Hands down my favorite trendy spot to hang out on a nice afternoon. The food is good and not expensive. The drinks aren't bad either and the eye candy is usually great! After I moved to Chicago I really missed this place... I can't believe there are only a handful of these restaurants, I want one in downtown Chicago NOW!
Try the Vegas Roll their specialties are pretty special unlike a lot of places...
I spent two weeks in K.C. on business, and I didn't get bbq once. But, I did eat at kona grill twice!
Quality sushi, fun atmosphere. I highly recommend the las vegas roll, if you are looking to try out a new sushi roll.
I was here on a wednesday and a thursday evening, and both nights were packed. Make reservations if you don't want to eat in the bar area.
I will definitely be back if I ever find myself in kansas city again.
So we finished our daily workload early, the locals were insisting we try this place at the Plaza. The phrase that sold me was sushi. I haven't eaten sushi in awhile, so my vote was for this place.
From the looks of the bar area (where we sat), people are drinking, eating, smoking, and watching tv. I could do without the smoking, luckily the windows are wide open as if it's not a window but another way outside. I notice for many of the restaurants, mainly because they allow indoor smoking. I've always been a non-believer in smoking, but people have their addictions. Like this guy across the bar in a pink shirt, never seizes to stop smoking. With the time spent ordering, eating, paying, this guy went through a pack in less than an hour. Can you say bad day at the Pink Shirt Company.
Plus, I smelled like smoke the rest of the day. Bleh.
It was late midday when we got there. An early happy hour, woohoo! First thing I thought of was sushi. Little did we know that this was a mixed joint. They serve sushi as well as everything else. The sushi wasn't the best, it wasn't the worst, but closer to worst...thank goodness it was happy hour. I also ordered a bbq chicken pizza, which I didn't finish because it just wasn't very appealing.
Overall, the hh food...good since it's cheap. I don't drink, so I can't really assist you on that aspect. Until next time, we will explore the daily eating styles of...me.
Kona Grill is easily my favorite spot in Kansas City. I love their reverse happy hour that pleasures me with $3 strawberry margaritas and spicy tuna sushi rolls. Yum. The fish tacos are great. The calamari is great. The pork chops are great. The sushi is great. The avocado eggrolls are great. It's just a great place. It can be loud and crowded during reverse happy hour or the dinner rush. But it's always worth it to me. And in the summer when it's hot, the windows on the bar are opened for you to just walk in and out. Gotta love a place like that!
Considering we ate here instead of Melting Pot this visit of May 2007, It was the better of the two by default thus meriting a star over the Melting Pot. The other star comes in due to the food and quality of which is good. It's tasty. Yet, we were sort of looked at funny since we had our one year old with us... people have kids, sorry! So, they didn't merit any more stars. Done.
You're Kona love it? Ummm...not me.
I do not understand the hype about this place - the service is slow and the food isn't good. This is one of those places I dread going to because it's uncomfortably crowded. You seriously feel like a sardine in here, which is always fun at a "sushi-prided" restaurant.
The nightlife here is definitely better than the restaurant portion of Kona Grill, but I still think it's overrated.
Crowded as in crazy. You have to wait too long to get a table in the evenings. We were offered to sit at the sushi bar... No, thanks! We wanted a table.
Food is good, though. I recommend the Volcano: Baked crab, white fish and yamagobo, topped w/motoyaki sauce, sriracha and eel sauce. And you definitely have to order the edamame.
If you pick a better time to go, you will enjoy your meal. Not just at "rush hour."
This is like the Denny's or McDonald's of sushi... This place is OVERPRICED, crappy and we had terrible service. Some lame ass emo kid working there thought he was too cool to help us. Generally I understand when a waiter is busy, but he had 2 tables, I pay attention.
Not only that, but my wallet was stolen at a happy hour at this place. I will not set foot in here... Crappy food, stupid patrons, bad service!
This is not the best sushi in Kansas City. If you want mediocore sushi and your on the Plaza and you also want a lively atmosphere, this might work for you.
Most nights the bar is more crowded then the restaurant, which might tell you something.
The spicy shrimp appetizer is yum, but only if you get it for less during happy hour. The sliders had noticeably bad beef, the "ladies margaritas" are actually the "lamest margaritas," and I received some of the surliest service ever here the other night. A cousin noted that the service itself was fine--the server took our orders, brought them out, and refilled our waters--but I don't need so much 'tude. I don't need my servers to be servile, but I also don't want them to be practically rolling their eyes at me.
Reverse happy hour (the few hours before closing time) at this chain restaurant is always pretty… Read more »
I've eaten here once and I remember it was a spinach salad that was pricey but reeeeally good.
I come here to hang out with friends once in a while but the seating in the bar area is just ridiculous. I can't think of any time I didn't have to either rest my heel-hurting feet one at a time on their rocky wall or put up with some interesting sociables just to sit for a minute. I'm one of those types that needs to be sitting somewhere at some point because I usually have those really fancy and uncomfortable shoes on. If you're one of those this may just be an 'in and out' for you.
If you do get lucky with a table it can be a good time and good place to people watch. I'm not sure if I agree its a place to "be and be seen" but its certainly a place that I will usually bump into someone I know.
Lastly, you want to dress to impress in there. Where the typical Plaza Casual attire or the 'before the club' attire if you want to make an impression on the opposite sex.
It's not necessarily a meet "market" persay, but you'll find some new friends for sure.
Kona Grill is one of the Country Club Plaza's most popular sushi restaurants and night time hang outs. I went to check out their happy hour one Friday afternoon and I was not disappointed. They have a bar in the front and plenty of seating for the restaurant in the back. The back of the restaurant is accented with a Sushi bar and big saltwater fish tanks. The front area where the bar can be found, is almost always packed. The happy hour specials include drink specials and half price appetizers (sushi). There are seats at the bar as well as high table around the perimeter of the room, including some that sit next to big retractable windows when the weather permits. The bar has numerous flat screen TVs to catch whatever sporting event you're interested in. Whenever you go, happy hour or not- I recommend the spider roll.
Though it's a chain restaurant, the atmosphere is conducive for actually being able to enjoy the people you're with, and the service is always good. I've only eaten there for lunch, and find the prices reasonable and well worth it. It's a nice mid-scale lunch. The Macadamia Nut Chicken is excellent, as well as the Thai-Peanut Chicken Noodles. I tried the Jerk Chicken sandwich last week, and it had great flavor. For starters I'd recommend the "Potstickers", Kona Calamari, or the Avocado Egg Rolls. The Sushi bar is very good as well.
Definitely a seen and be seen place any time of the day and any day of the week. Food is not so great, especially their Asian fusion food on the menu. The sushi is not that bad, especially they got tons of hot rolls which are pretty tasty. I like the the las vegas roll and volcano roll. On the weekends, there are many boys and girls dressed in thier hot outfits hanging out in the bar-crowded, but fun. There are quite a few clubs within 10 mins drive from there if you are looking for something more exciting to do rather than walking in the romantic conuntry club plaza afterwards.
The reverse happy hour is nice, but the sushi specials are limited, if you want access to the full menu, you have to pay full price. But it does appear to be the best sushi in kansas city, very fresh and from what I'm told, flown in 2x a day. Prices are comparible with the rest of the plaza, very trendy and a favorite hang-out for the young professionals in the area.
A bit disappointing, considering how popular this place is for the 'scene' in KC. Food was decent, but I felt like I was at a chain restaurant.
I've been to Kona Grill several times when visiting Kansas City, and it's always worth a visit. If you hang in the bar, it's much more of a "scene" with TVs, lots of people, etc - fun, but completely different than the experience you'll have sitting in the relaxed, swanky restaurant. Just depends what you're into. Most recently I was there on a Sunday night, and we had no problem getting a table right away. We tried the sunshine rolls and the Las Vegas rolls - both very good, and reasonably priced! The bar is best experienced in the summer, when the big windows at the front are opened up. Along with good sushi and seafood options, Kona Grill has a great atmosphere - and some of the coolest bathroom sinks I have ever seen (you'll see).
I have cravings for their sushi! Try their specialy rolls at near the bottom of the page. They are like heaven!!! Don't forget to order a side of edamame!
Neighborhood: Central Business District
Category: Japanese
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