Rye Leawood — Restaurant in Leawood

Went to Rye last night for the first time. They were fairly busy, but my wife and I were seated promptly. First observation, was that the tables wee extremely close to each other. I was actually closer to the diner beside me than I was to my wife across the table. It was tight enough, that when the wait staff delivered food to the table beside us, their butt was actually on our table. We started with drinks, wife the the mule drink and I had a twist on an Old Fashion. Both were really good. We had a new waiter in training, so there were a few minor errors, but nothing that could not be overcome. The pork skin snack (originally forgotten, but then delivered) was amazing. Crisp, light, and seasoned perfectly. My wife had the fried chicken, which she thought was really good. However, it came with a side of ham gravy, which not only did not taste good (think thickened ham and bean juice), but seemed really out of place with the chicken, since there were no potatoes or anything to go with it. I had the 14 oz prime ribeye. The steak seemed really thin for a ribeye, and was cut unevenly, so the thin side was med well while the thicker side was med rare. I was disappointed in the quality of the steak. Tough, and it had inedible hard gristle running through it. The steaks are wood fired, and the staff said they use a combo of oak and cherry wood. Regretfully, the wood firing left a burnt chemical aftertaste. We also had the side cauliflower and asparagus, both unremarkable, both with the same off taste due to the wood firing. I discussed the entire meal with the wait staff, not bitching or complaining, but just discussing cooking methods, tastes, etc., and they respectfully said they would discuss my comments with the cooking staff. I could not ask for anything more than that. Overall, I was really looking forward to the meal, based on other reviews, but did not feel it lived up to the hype. Total bill with tip was $145. For that price, I want to be blown away,...

This experience was a disappointment. We were led to believe that this was a 5/5 for dinner. The food was good, but not outstanding in any way. Full disclosure, we had the fried chicken. Their steaks may be better, but the prices they are asking for steaks are too much to gamble on. 115 bucks for a Tomahawk steak that takes nearly an hour to arrive is a big ask for a place of this caliber. This is in Kansas City, literally the beating heart of steak country, so go get a giant cut like that at the butchers and save yourself a nice bit of coin.

The service was pretty bad. We are not from the area, which is affluent, so we might have been underdressed, but it really shouldn’t have made a difference. We were dressed casually. The drinks took way too long to arrive, and after making the order, we didn’t see our waitress at our table but three more times. The first time, when we asked for more water, which never arrived. The second time she appeared, apparently with check in hand, to ask if we needed anything boxed up instead of asking if we wanted to order dessert or coffee (missed opportunity). Regardless, we asked for the banana cream pie (pictured), which was worthy of a college cafeteria at best. And finally, the waitress arrived when it was time to pay. As soon as I laid down my card though, it was snapped up. That was an indication to us that she wasn’t too busy, but that perhaps we weren’t worth her time. The icing on the cake was that it took far too long to get my card back. People have bad days, so who knows what was going on, but there was never an apology for the wait, nor even an acknowledgement for it.

For all the great reviews this place gets, the expectations were fairly high. I’ve had better service at more pedestrian establishments. Skip this place unless you are a local with more...

"I recently dined at The Rye (R Y E) and had an experience that left me both disappointed and deeply frustrated. From the moment I arrived, I felt as though I was being judged as if I didn’t belong or couldn't afford to be there. Despite this inappropriate behavior, I decided to give the staff the benefit of the doubt.

Things worsened when I was refused wine and my food service was delayed with the excuse that I was on the phone—an excuse that seemed more like an attempt to dismiss me rather than a genuine concern for the dining environment. Despite this poor treatment, I still paid my bill in full and even tipped generously, believing that being kind might encourage a better attitude.

After my meal, I politely brought my concerns to the manager, expecting an apology or some acknowledgment of the situation. Instead, I was met with condescension: the head chef was brought out, not to listen or understand, but to ask me to leave because they felt "uncomfortable." This was a shocking response, especially given that I was a paying customer who had done nothing wrong other than expect decent service.

It's incredibly disheartening when a restaurant shows such a lack of respect for its customers. Mistakes can happen, but refusing to acknowledge them, and doubling down by asking a customer to leave after voicing their concerns, shows a complete lack of accountability.

I hope The Rye (R Y E) re-evaluates how they treat their guests, especially those who take the time to offer feedback. If they continue to dismiss valid concerns and treat customers with such disdain, they'll find that people take their business—and their money—elsewhere. I would love to see them make this right, not just for me but for any future guest who deserves to be treated with...