Kion Dining Lounge

I had a group of 10 people in from out of town.45 minutes to get our first drink. waiter didn't even come over we had to go and ask him. not only could we not hear him from the speaker blarring music into our ears when we asked if he could maybe just turn it down "that is not up to you that is up to the manager" we ordered about 20 dishes, maybe got 12 of them (almost 2 hours later, had to go to the bar and get drinks)(they didn't even bother to let us know) they just brought us other stuff and said "sorry, try this". the table next to us had the same situation. what a waste of a dinner and money. trust me there are soooooo many better places that are worth while and know how to take care of guest.

Pros: was with family

Cons: worst service ever, super slow everything, bad service

Posted 05/11/06

The food was medicore, definately not worth the price, small portions! We waited 2 hrs for our food to come! and the seats were quite uncomfortable! We had 13 people & some of us got their food while most didn't. The waiter came over & told us that our food didnt come b/c they usually bring out the appetizers first. That's a lie b/c some already ate their steaks, and I didnt even get my appetizer! Then they said the kitchen forgot our orders. We didnt get to leave that place until 3 hrs after, even though they offered us drinks on the house, it does not help that we missed our event that cost us a bundle more. He also offered us free desserts but we didnt want to stick around for another hour for that to come. It was the WORST service I've ever experienced.

Cons: bad service, uncomfortable seats, pricey small portions

Posted 05/10/06

awsome just awsome!!!
food is spectacular..they added some more decor to the space along the bar which called my attention as soon as i walked in.
the food is the best in the city...nothing to envy big restaurants such as nobu or sushi samba
highly recommend it ....
sorry the other reviewer had a bad experince...it happens

Posted 04/13/06

party of 8 for dinner-birthday celebration, we had reservations for 8:30...we weren't seated until 9:10. We ordered cocktails such as pisco sour, margarita, mojito, martini & it took 25 minutes for drinks to come to the table...."new bartender" our waitress explained...to compensate for the mishap they gave our table champagne with dessert...we had tapas shrimp w/garlic sauce, dragon roll, fried zucchini, & blue potatoes w/feta cream and all were good..entrees also...grilled chicken & mash chimichurri, grilled salmon, ceviche sampler, skirt steak chimichurri was overdone, we had a great waitress but she seemed to be overwhelmed.

afterwards you simply walk downstairs...no cover & dance the night away....the atmosphere and design is high tech cool, impressive...the crowd in the club was a bit wierd....the music was really great brazilian groovy but it was a bit of a freak show but entertaining watching lots of gringos try to get their latin groove on....

Pros: atmosphere, music, interesting food

Cons: small portions, slow service, a tad too crowded

Posted 03/28/06

The good -
Sushi roll is very fresh, and the ceviche dishes are big. We ordered 4 ceviche dishes & 2 rolls for 2 people, and it's one dish too many. Service was attentive, but then there was only 3-4 tables filled on a Sat night.

The bad -
Drinks are horrible. Saketini is by far the worst I had in town. Expensive dishes for what they are. Entree lists just don't match the cuisine (pork chop in a Japanese fushion place?). Avacado in almost everything. The decor was just OK, a little chessy. I would come here for drinks next time, and stick to wine / sake instead of cocktail. $120 for 2, and it's just not worth the price, esp in this neighborhood.

Pros: good ceviche, prompt services

Cons: costly, not unique, average food

Posted 03/20/06

Went to Kion for Valentines; was very excited to try a new restaurant in the area, only to find that we'd been before when it was Industry! We ordered several of the tapas dishes to share but they all arrived at once though and wouldn't even all fit on the table! I really wish they would have staggered the dishes because by the time we got around to eating the steak it was cold. The rest of the tapas was OK, nothing too special but no complaints. The whole thing was over in 45 minutes until we ordered more cocktails to try to make the experience there longer as the place is quite cool inside. Overall I can't say I would rush back as there are plenty of places like this in NYC for less money.

Posted 02/14/06

I'm a big fan of lychee martinis and Kion outdid themselves by adding Chambord to the recipe. I went on a Wednesday night and the place wasn't packed at all. The service was great and the food was oustanding. Try the Kion salmon. The best thing of all is the ambience. The set up is great ... the lighting works ... and the place seems to give off good energy.

Pros: Ambience, Inexpensive

Posted 02/08/06

I didn't know what to expect from a dining lounge, but I was happily surprised. The decor is really well done - stylish, modern, comfortable. The food was really good and didn't break the bank. I was there on Saturday night and they played brazilian music to the wee hours. Will be going back to Kion for sure.

Pros: decor, music, service

Posted 02/05/06

We give Kion Dining Lounge low ratings. The food was a low mediocre, not great. The sushi was better than the entrees but definitely not some of the best in town. The service was poor - we ordered a pork tenderloin which came as a pork chop. When we asked the waitress if the wrong dish had been delivered she asked us "what's the difference?". We think they put tenderloin on the menu and served chops. The atmosphere is cool (but the tables where you sit on the floor are not very comfortable). Definitely try other places before this one.

Pros: ambience

Cons: food, service

Posted 01/27/06

I just hope this place doesnt change once more people find out about it. The Zapallitos Picante is to DIE for as well as their decadent dessert. I had the Passion Flamenco cocktails which was perfect. the decor is sexy, and intimate. Great place for a first date or a dinner party with friends. The manager Marrio is Super cool too. I decided to book the VIP room for my best friends birthday party and he offered us free wine with our meal!! Amazing place!!

Pros: sexy decor, exotic/unique menu, music

Posted 12/22/05

Great food, fun drinks and an ecltic crowd make this palce a real find in the east village.

Posted 12/21/05