Cliff's Taphouse — Restaurant in Kansas City

Really disappointing experience. I used to semi-frequent the establishment when it was Ollie’s, and while not spectacular, I definitely liked it. I had always wanted to come in since becoming Cliff’s Taphouse, and finally just meandered in the other day.

I sat by the bar, and the bartender there was obviously very new, and clueless; when I say new, I’m pretty sure he had never worked in a restaurant before. He was being trained by an experienced bartender; she seemed great, but my interactions with the trainees were just awful. I don’t need you to stand there and read me the dressings off the menu, dude. He also barely knew how to take my very simple drink order; I understand he was new, but it was pretty bad regardless.

I think the worst thing about the experience was the decor/ambiance; I’m not being facetious or dramatic when I say I literally felt as though I was in a mid-scale hotel lobby, in 2005. In Johnson County. With fake plants. It was so uncomfortable, stale, impersonal, lifeless, cold. For me, the ambience of a restaurant is hugely important, and this place was awful. It was a strange experience, as I always felt cozy and comfortable here before, as the previous establishment.

I was also disgusted at the total - BEFORE tip, I wasted $25 on a SMALL house salad and a single neat bourbon. The mark-up on the liquor was astronomical, and I definitely would not have ordered it had I known. $18-19 for a drink, (for reference, the bottle retails around $80, give or take). I don’t understand why the bartender wouldn’t give a heads up for something that absurd - when I received the bill and asked about it, she even acknowledged it was quite pricey. It just really felt deceiving, in a way.

The salad was tasty, and a decent portion for the $6 price tag, but definitely nothing special.

Definitely a one-star experience, but am giving two stars for the simple fact that so many one star reviews are ignored/disregarded because of bitter Karen types, and I hope my review is read and considered by people. I’m astounded there are so many good reviews - I suppose there is a clientele for everyone, but I’m definitely not it. Kansas City has such an impressive culinary scene, do yourself the favor and go somewhere else, especially at this price point.

Huge...

Have been to this restaurant numerous times as it is in my neighborhood. Always enjoyed the service from servers and bartenders. I met Cliff himself on a few occasions. Unfortunately, I had an unpleasant experience from Cliff after he aggressively interrupted a personal and deep conversation I was having with a friend. As we were leaving, he yelled at us to “read the room” even though the nice waitress told us that we could stay a little longer after offering us more water. Being in the restaurant industry for 10 years I have NEVER seen or experienced anything like this before. Yes I have had a few nights where I wanted customers to leave but you should never kick your regular clients out. Especially in a demanding manner. Cliff mentioned about being concerned for his safety which is understandable, but we posed no threat to anyone’s safety. In fact, we were shocked that this happened as the rest of the staff was so polite and respectful and we had an amazing conversation about music and entertainment that this place brings. It was very uncomfortable that he brought up not feeling safe around us due to being the only POC and LGBT individuals there and were left confused. Being a customer for years here and then getting the treatment we received today was a slap to the face. I am disappointed because this was one of the very few places I would recommend to anyone because I enjoyed it so much. I do not see this place as the safe and relaxing place that I would go to after work for a drink anymore. I have lost complete respect for Cliff, but not his workers. This was such a horrible experience and I do not wish anyone to experience this, I can’t imagine working under him. Though the food is good here, there are plenty of other places that I will be having dinner at. I recommend other places that have great food without being yelled at when you are on the verge of tears. Never again will any of my family, friends, or colleagues come...

Well, at least now I know why they were dead at 10 pm on a Saturday. Service and food quality were lacking.

There were only two 2-tops already eating before our 3-top arrived, and 2 servers. We sat around a good 10 minutes after deciding on our order before we saw our waitress again. And when she finally reappeared, she walked right by our table, closing all the curtains before coming back to us. Not much on its own, but all this adds up.

My friend then ordered a drink that never came. We never saw our waitress until the food arrived, at which point my friend said she no longer wanted her drink because she had planned on drinking it while waiting. Her response was “OK, sure no problem.” No hint of an apology or even acknowledging her mistake.

I ordered the jalapeno cheese grits, and they were straight up nasty. Super bland with no seasoning or jalapeno taste at all. My friend aptly described them as slop served at an old folk’s home. Zero salt, and I don’t think there was any cheese mixed in. Only a paltry pinch on top.

So, I set them aside, and wouldn’t you know, didn’t see our waitress again until after we were done eating. She offered a replacement side to go, but I had wanted something fresh to eat with my burger, not cold fries later... A paltry comp of even a buck or two on our ticket would have been nice to account for me not getting edible food because she never checked in on our table, or even offer a dessert, but nope.

The BBQ cheeseburger was tasty, but would have been better being properly sauced. There was only a small dollop in the middle of the bun, meaning that all bites around the outside of the burger had a dry bun.

I’ll give a star for the sweet potato fries my friend got. They were good. Sure wish our waitress wasn't hiding so I could have swapped for them… What kind of place never checks on their table, especially when they have...