Kona Grill

Reviews

• ★★★★☆ Bulgogi Tacos Visited Jun 21, 2014

  Tacos Were Missing Sauce, Sushi Had Shells In It, Service Was Bad

  I visited Kona Grill for the first time while staying at the Westin Hotel connected to the Galleria, where the restaurant is located. A friend who had eaten there before said he'd had a great meal, so I was looking forward to giving it a try. The menu has a wide variety of options, including sushi, tacos, and other entrees, and the food itself ended up being pretty good. Unfortunately, the overall experience was well below what I expected.
  
  Service was slow from the beginning. We were waiting for drinks, and at one point we still hadn't received our sodas while staff members were standing near the entrance talking with people or sitting in booths chatting with customers. When our food eventually arrived, some of the items we had ordered were missing because the restaurant was out of them. The frustrating part was that nobody had told us they were unavailable when we placed the order.
  
  I ordered a sushi roll and some tacos. The sushi was good, although I wouldn't call it exceptional, but about halfway through eating the roll, I crunched down on a piece of crab shell. When the tacos arrived, they didn't have any sauce on them or served on the side. I was then told they were out of the sauce. My friend's meal had problems as well, with issues of his own.
  
  The food itself wasn't bad. The flavors were decent, and everything was cooked reasonably well. The tacos were on the small side, and while the sushi was good, it wasn't anything particularly memorable. Considering the price of the meal, though, I was underwhelmed by the combination of portion sizes, food quality, and service.
  
  After the visit, we contacted Kona Grill by email to let them know what happened. A manager called me back, took the time to go over the details of the visit, and explained that the manager who normally would have been there wasn't working on the day we visited. They ultimately sent gift cards covering the value of my meal and did the same for my dining companion. Neither of us has returned yet to use the gift cards.
  
  The way Kona Grill handled the complaint definitely made a difference. Had they not contacted me and made an effort to address what happened, this probably would have been a two-star review. I appreciated that they acknowledged the problems and tried to make things right.
  
  Hopefully I'll have a better experience when I eventually try the Kona Grill in my hometown. The menu has plenty of options and the food itself has potential, but unfortunately, my first visit was more disappointing than enjoyable.

  — Paul