Drunken Fish Sushi Restaurant & Lounge, Kansas City MO

The Power & Light District in Kansas City, MO has lots to offer, including Drunken Fish Sushi Restaurant & Lounge for delicious sushi and great service.

Two weeks ago I was in Kansas City for the Big 12 men’s basketball tournament. I’m a huge college basketball fan, so the fact that I’ve been able to attend all of the Big 12 tournaments since I’ve worked at OSU, as well as quite a few ACC tournaments when I was at Maryland, is awesome.

On my visit to KC during a conference 2 summers ago, I had eaten at Drunken Fish Sushi Restaurant & Lounge on the last evening of the trip. I had a great experience, but my pictures weren’t the best. There are so many restaurants to choose from in Kansas City, but I decided to go back so I could get better pictures…and because I was craving sushi.

My hotel was a little less than 2 miles from the Power & Light District, a huge entertainment area right across from the Sprint Center, where the games are played. Since I hadn’t worked out that morning, I power walked to Drunken Fish from my hotel. If you’ve ever been to downtown KC, you know about the hills. Those hills are brutal, and therefore perfect to help work off the calories. Drunken Fish is a half block from main portion of Power & Light. As you walk in, there is a large bar and bar seating area immediately in front of you. The main dining room was just beyond the bar, seating about 50 and also includes a large sushi bar.

On the first day of the tournament, and the play-in games didn’t start until 6PM. So I wasn’t at all surprised that Drunken Fish was only half full for lunch. Pam, the manager, greeted me when I arrived, and asked if I wanted to sit at the bar. There was one open table next to the patio, and I asked if I could sit there instead. She hesitated, since it was still the height of lunch, but then agreed. I’m glad she did, because that table provided better lighting and there were still a lot of open tables.

Jesse was my “official” server, and he said he hadn’t been working there very long. I really liked him until he told me that he’s an OU fan! OU and OSU are seriously bitter rivals. I don’t have the same level of hate since I didn’t go to OSU, but I definitely understand the rivalry. I’m kidding about not liking him…his friendliness and great smile made up for being an OU fan. I also love that they give you these cards when you sit down. Great marketing

Pam checked on me periodically during my visit, obviously helping Jesse out. Drunken Fish does offer a fun drink menu, and on my last visit I did have a very tasty beverage. But since I had just power walked almost 2 miles, and it was warmer than I expected, all I wanted to drink was water.

The regular Drunken Fish menu is large, so I really like that they have a compact lunch menu. This menu includes appetizers, lunch sushi combos, lunch salads, lunch bowls, and desserts. I contemplated getting a bowl because they sounded delicious, but I had been craving sushi so I held strong. While I was thinking, I decided to start with an appetizer. I was originally going to start with the small order of gyoza, because I love gyoza and you very rarely see it offered in more than one portion size. But Pam said if I liked edamame, I should try the hummus. So in the spirit of the blog, I went with the edamame hummus.

I had never heard of edamame hummus, and this one was fabulous. It is richer than traditional hummus, but still not overly heavy. Pam said that she really likes to drizzle it with spicy sesame oil, and she brought me a small sample. I’m not a huge fan of sesame oil because it is so strong, so I used my fork to drizzle, to ensure that I wouldn’t over-pour. She wasn’t kidding about the spice! One bite, and my mouth was on fire. But it was actually very good, and adds a wonderful flavor to the hummus.

I love wonton chips, and these were so good. I love that they are the thicker strips, and the very generous serving. I wanted to devour them all, but I held back so that I could eat my lunch. Let me assure you though, that was no easy task.

Pam came to check and see how I liked the hummus, and as I was raving about it, she asked if I had the Yelp app. Because for your first Yelp check-in, you get a free edamame hummus. I got right on Yelp, checked in, and got my appetizer for free. That was so thoughtful of her to tell me about it.

The sushi lunch combos come with your choice of miso soup or a house salad. I’m never sure about miso soup, because I’ve had some that I didn’t care for. And I knew that I wouldn’t be eating too many greens over the next couple of days, so I went with the house salad. I waited, and waited, and then my sushi arrived. It wasn’t until Jesse brought the sushi that I realized I didn’t get my salad. He apologized profusely, and I told him it’s because he’s an OU fan. We had a good laugh about it, and just a couple of minutes later my salad arrived

The salad was a perfect portion, and was ice cold and fresh. The dressing was also light and delicious.

I went with the 3 roll lunch special, and got spicy calamari, shrimp tempura, and St. Louis

I was shocked at the amount of food, especially for the price. I don’t think I’ve ever had asparagus in a shrimp tempura roll, but it adds a very nice crunch. I’ve had calamari rolls before where the calamari was overcooked, but this one was perfectly cooked. The spicy mayo adds just enough heat, and I love the added crunch of masago. The St. Louis does have raw tuna, and I don’t do raw very often, but I really enjoyed the flavor. The combination with the avocado and oshinko (Japanese pickles) is wonderful. The first time I tried masago I was really hesitant because I wasn’t sure that I would like the texture, but now I get it every time I can.

I finished as much of the sushi as I could, and in the end only left a couple of pieces on the plate. I should have taken the wonton strips, because they would have been a great late-night snack. But unfortunately I didn’t think about it until I got back to the hotel. I had mentioned to Jesse when I first arrived that I had walked from my hotel, and he brought me a to-go water for my walk back. So thoughtful of him!

Will I go back to Drunken Fish? No question. The food was delicious, the service was great, and I really want to try some of the lunch bowls.