Kona Grill

Kona is a regular spot for the roommates and I, which really says something considering the amount of options we have between the plaza and westport.
They have one of the better happy hours in the city, they expanded the bar area to better suit the insane amount of people that have also discovered this slice of heaven.
From super fresh sushi to amazing salmon, Kona is a great spot to grab some food.

Great food and beverages! Happy hours on Friday you should avoid because you’re not getting a table. unless you enjoy standing in crowded spaces. If you like sushi this is the place to be!

Mission Sushi — Still going.
Went in to Kona Grill after working out, even attended in my gym clothes. Thankfully body spray in the car worked on my side (and my sweat).
Bar was busy and I took at seat to the side of the bar versus the dining room. Service was quick and the servers were very attentive. I ordered a glass of wine and one roll, the coconut shrimp roll, as it was recommended by the server.
Roll was very good, although portion was smaller than expected. Wine was amazing! Despite the smaller size of the roll, it was late in the evening and just the right amount of food.
I will visit again, and hopefully will have my husband in tow so he can enjoy it as well.

Always a good time at Kona. Whether looking for a laid back happy hour, romantic date night or sushi bar experience… Kona has you covered. Ventured in on a Tuesday night to find the restraunt hopping. Luckily seated within minutes. The fun upbeat music sets the tone and the newly renovated modern interior creates a perfect omviance for a good time. My only immediate disappointment was the fish tanks… Kona used to have a huge bad ass salt water tank with awesome fish, sad to see it was removed.
Our waiter quickly greeted us and explained the new menu options. I decided to try out the macadamia nut chicken paired with mashed potatoes and green beans. It came with a fantastic pineapple mango sauce on the side. Huge portion, definitely went home with leftovers. For dessert we ordered the chocolate brownie… oh man, Aaaaamazing! It was a gigantic warm gooey brownie, topped with vanilla bean ice cream, and drizzled with chocolate and caramel, topped with a few fresh raspberries.
Kona knows how to set the bar… top notch food and service!

Love this place. Although, I will say I ordered the turkey burger and it was not my favorite. It was very watery tasting and lacking flavor. The manager asked how my food was and I simply told him my complaint. He took care of the situation by asking if he could replace the meal with anything else. I said thank you but I would be alright. He then offered a dessert on the house. Even though I wasn’t impressed with that particular entrée I was impressed with the service. Will be back! :)

Kona was one of the first places I ate in Kansas City and was my «welcome lunch» to my first job here, so that may explain why I’ve always been somewhat partial to it for the «middle-​range» priced sushi place. Especially for lunch, their prices aren’t bad and the sushi is good for the price. They may be a little chain-​y, but I do enjoy an occasional trip here.
My favorite items on the menu are the angry edamame, edamame covered in a spicy garlic sauce, and their crab crunch roll, an imitation crab roll topped with tempura flakes. Both are really great.

During my college days, I frequented their happy hour, but yesterday I finally got to sit down in their dining area and had a legit meal!
Came during lunch time on a weekday as a belated birthday lunch by my friend. It was busy, but they were able to seat us immediately.
The service there was pretty good, although it did take awhile for them to cook our food and serve it to us, so make sure you have quite a bit of time to get away from work for lunch :)
We ordered the:
Kona Calamari (with spicy aioli) — Great appetizer to start our meal! I was happy that they give a lot of calamari. Perfectly seasoned with a great crisp to each calamari that came with a spicy aioli that only elevated the taste even more. Quite a fan of their calamari!
Shrimp + Lobster Roll (lobster + habanero cream cheese, cucumber, shrimp, citrus aioli, cucumber salsa) — Wow this roll was definitely fresh and just a flavor explosion in your mouth! Love the combination of lobster and shrimp with these other ingredients. The other ingredients kept the shrimp and lobster as the stars of the dish by not overpowering their tastes.
Las Vegas Roll (fresh salmon, crab mix, cream cheese, fried tempura, eel sauce) — las vegas rolls aren’t too special… but on top of a bed of eel sauce!!! Now we’re talking! Sinfully delicious and heart attack worthy. Awesome roll :)
Macadamia Nut Chicken (house mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables, shoyu cream, pineapple-​papaya marmalade) — I could definitely eat this all day. The chicken was battered and fried to perfection with a sauce on top that I can eat all day long lol. The pineapple-​papaya marmalade that came on the side with it stole the show for me. It was surprisingly delicious with it’s sweet and fruity taste that complemented the fried macadamia that was used as a batter to the chicken. It’s the fall right now and our dish came with chinese brocolli :)
Passion Fruit Crème Brulee– I was not a fan of this crème brûlée. It was too tart to my liking. Hence the reason why I am giving this review a 4 star rating. Total let down on the dessert. Maybe when I come back I might just order the chocolate dish that they had. Should’ve gone with it in the first place. Lol Chocolate never fails me.
Happy Eating!

Have a case of the Mondays? Hit Kona Grill for Happy Hour and it will help ease the pain. Half priced rolls, appetizers and flat breads along with specials on drinks and beer are always great. Also a plus is their happy hour extends until 7pm at night (Monday-​Thursday).
We enjoyed a smattering of their specials and I recommend the Voo Doo roll for those who like it hot. The Margherita Flatbread for the vegetarians. The spinach artichoke dip for all of the above. Honorable mention goes to the calamari.
Why the 3 stars and not 4 or 5? Because at the happy hour prices things were affordable and down right decently priced. I scanned the regular menu and things seemed a little high especially if the serving sizes are the same as the happy hour dishes.

My boyfriend and I went and ate here tonight for my second time since we moved here in August, and it was even more delicious than the first time.
We had the Shrimp Tempura Rolls as an appetizer last visit, which were incredibly flavorful and stayed together really well. This time around, we started off with the Chicken and Shrimp Lettuce Wraps to compare them with PF Chang’s. As much as I love the PF lettuce wraps, these blew my mind and taste buds. All of the ingredients are combined and cooked together with plenty of sauce, which helps keep it all inside the enormous pieces of lettuce they give you. They’re definitely on the spicier side, but so tasty and worth the extra drinks of water to cool your mouth down.
For entreés, I ordered the Chicken and Broccoli Stir-​Fry. My favorite part about this dish isn’t even the chicken; it’s the hoisin sauce. Add to that some cilantro and finely chopped veggies and it makes a really tasty dish! Another plus is that the rice is very fluffy and moist which keeps it from falling off your fork. This plate is definitely recommended!
Boe ordered the Lemon-​Garlic Shrimp Penne, which he claimed was the best entrée he’s ever had. The real surprise to this one is that they go heavy on the lemon, but it WORKS! The lemon is what sets this dish apart from any other restaurant serving a cream sauce pasta. The shrimp is cooked perfectly and all of it is served over a bed of baby arugula. I would put this in my top ten entreés for sure!
As if we didn’t get enough food already, we had the Passion Fruit Crème Brûlée for dessert. I was nervous about the size of this dessert because I usually get bored with too much crème brûlée. That wasn’t the case here! The fruit infusion kept the flavor interesting enough to scrape the bowl after we ate it all. On top of that, the crust on top was perfectly cooked and had an incredibly satisfying crunch when we broke our spoons through it.
Kona Grill is a MUST for anybody in Kansas City!

After to disappointing visits, I gave up on Kona.
For some reason, their sushi roll became less and less tasty. Not even worth the calories!

Went with a friend after work for happy our; now I know why this place is so crowded starting at 4:00. The bar and outside seating areas were packed, but we were able to nab a spot at the sushi bar. We found that the sushi bar area is a great place to enjoy happy hour and have a little less noise than the bar. The drink specials are great, but the food is what is really awesome. We shared two rolls and the lettuce wraps; all were delicious. I want to come back with a larger group so that we can take advantage of the many different offerings they have — this is a great sharing place! Two drinks each, three menu items and we were still out of there at just under $ 25, including tip. My only advice is get there early.

I love the sushi! I ordered the volcano roll and the Las Vegas roll and it met my expectations! I will totally be coming back!

Kona Grill is the Cheesecake Factory for sushi. Take that as you will.
Sure– it is passable. It gets the job done if you are in the mood for sushi. But what I will say is that the last two times I have been there, I have had exceptional service. I was beyond impressed with the friendliness of the staff from the minute I walked into the door to the second I left.

Two words: happy hour.
If you aren’t hitting up their bar area or patio for affordable bites, you’re doing it wrong. Try some of their rolls or their lettuce wraps. If you’re digging an entrée, their Macademia Nut Chicken has always done the trick for me.
Sign-​up for their Konavore mailing list to receive birthday coupons on and other specials.

Pretty good sushi here and I love the fact that they have a happy hour and reverse a happy hour. The happy hour selections are great and the prices are pretty reasonable. The regular menu has a good variety as well. If you want to participate in the happy hour during the weekends, be prepared to wait a while to find a spot since they only do the happy hour prices in the bar area. Good place to hang out and try good sushi.

We visited Kona Grill during our trip to Kansas City. The inset at the restaurant is very elegant and somewhat of a contemporary set up.
We started off with the chicken/​shrimp lettuce wrap as an appetizer. Appetizer was great it little spicy but not overwhelming.
For our dinner entrée we both ordered the grilled asparagus salad. The salad was excellent it was mixture of lettuce, large grilled tomato & onions with asparagus and some sort of a balsamic dressing and side of bread with goat cheese.
The restaurant is reasonably priced and I would return. But our waiter was not very attentive specially during the time we went, when the restaurant wasn’t really busy at all. If you’re in Kansas City area you should get this restaurant try.

Since Kona Grill boasts an all «from scratch» kitchen, and at least one reviewer here described the Macadamia Nut Chicken as «one of the best things you’ll ever eat,» I decided to venture from their always-​delicious sushi offerings. Big mistake.
The chicken was overdone and tough, and the Macadamia nut crust didn’t add any flavor. I’m a big fan of al dente vegetables, but if their al dente-​ness can’t even be cut with a serrated knife, that’s called just plain undercooked, which perfectly describes the green beans today. Perhaps it was an off-​day for the chef.
But it was not an off-​day for our server, Teri, who was warm, friendly, and knowledgeable, and served up just the right amount of attentiveness. She was also patient, even bringing out the chart listing what possible allergens are in which dishes for my dairy-​averse dining companion.
This restaurant is WAY too noisy for my comfort and dining pleasure, even during an uncrowded late lunch hour (1PM) on a weekday, seated as far from the bar area as you can possibly get. However, as the manager pointed out, they thrive on their «happy hour vibe» at all times, and are even scheduled for a remodel that will enlarge the bar area in the very near future. While their Happy Hour offerings do sound great, they’re not worth losing my hearing over! One of the top perks of dining and/​or imbibing out is talking to (and being able to hear) my friends!
I want to end on a high note… they serve one of the best (and biggest) pieces of Key Lime Pie in the city (and you can get a free dessert on your birthday)! The presentation, with a sprig of fresh mint, whipped cream and a bright red raspberry, makes your mouth water. Then be prepared to pucker up, because this signature dessert packs the perfect wallop of tartness!

Lobster Mac and cheese and sushi are two of my all time favorite foods ever. Kona Grill provided both. I ate each dish like it was my last meal on earth; I savored each delectable bite. The cost of that enjoyable? Pretty darn high. But we were dining on the plaza, so I guess that should be expected, right?!
I loved the lobster mac and cheese. The lobster pieces were large and savory. The mac and cheese so creamy and cheesy.
My volcano roll was tasty, as well. Though, I must say: On the menu, the list the rolls downward from mild to spicy. The volcano roll was definitely on the bottom half of the middle portion, but wasn’t spicy at all! I was pretty underwhelmed on their interpretation of a spicy scale.
Good food, high prices. I’ll try Happy Hour next time!

I’ve been here a couple times. Recently came here on a Wednesday for a belated birthday lunch with a friend. Wasn’t too busy, very clean, didn’t need to wait long for a table. Interior is fancy-​like with dim lighting.
My friend and I were seated in a booth (if you’re short like me, you’ll probably need to sit on your legs, LOL). We ordered two starters: Spinach & Artichoke dip and the Chicken & Shrimp Lettuce wraps. Both were delicious! Note: If you order the chicken & shrimp lettuce wraps, just know that it can get a little messy and you’ll make good use of the black cloth napkins.
For our main meals, we both ordered Kona rolls: Picasso Roll and Checkerboard Roll. Both were spicy but the Picasso Roll literally was one of the spiciest foods I have ever tried. My mouth was watering like crazy! Thank goodness I had water! The ingredients for all of the meals are listed in the menu description for the item. It also took some time for our meals to come out.
Our server, Chioma, was very friendly and attentive, making sure to keep our water glasses full. I had also wanted a Strawberry lemonade. Our server let me know that it wasn’t an actual menu item but that they could make it for me if I wanted (and I did). It was delicious.
I must have been starving because after eating nearly all of our starters and sushi, I still somehow had room for dessert. On the receipt, it gives you the option to take an online survey about your experience for a free dessert. The manager even came over and said that we could use it at that time if we wanted to. So I did.
The dessert menu didn’t appeal to me much but since it was free, I decided to try the Spiced Apple Bread Pudding. Portion was huge. It had some nuts, cinnamon and caramel among other ingredients. Very sweet. The outer edges had a nice crunch and as you go deeper into the dessert, it becomes more pudding like and soft. It was alright, I wasn’t able to finish it. My friend was amazed that I was even able to get that far, LOL.
All in all, excellent experience, delicious food, friendly server and manager. I’d come again for those starters and to try some other entrée items.

It had been years since I had been here. A friend wanted his going away party here. Although there were only four of us, we sat at the bar and thoroughly enjoyed drinks, sushi, and dessert. My (2) mojitos were superb, the sushi was delightlful, both the shrimp and lobster roll, as well as the atlantic roll, and the volcano roll. The three cookie/​ice cream sandwiches were fun and fabulous.
The bartenders were great. Fast and friendly.
A glimpse at the dining room, on the way back from the restroom, did seem that new carpet was in order over there. Prices were high but not obnoxious, really as one would expect for sushi.
I would definitely go back.