Drunken Fish - Westport Plaza — Restaurant in Maryland Heights

So, I just want to say that the waitstaff here was extremely overworked and they provided the best service they could. Highlight to Brandon who at least tried to provide us a dining experience.

We elected to sit at the bar because there would be a 30 minute wait otherwise. Cool, I’ll just have beer and she will have a drink. It took 25 minutes from sitting down to finally see our drinks on the back of the bar. Another 7 minutes to get them and they didn’t even finish making the mixed drink. I get it, they added the alcohol and the fruit purée, but it still has like 3 more ingredients that tie the drink together.

All the beer here is in cans or bottles and go ahead and don’t get the stuff that you think most people don’t order, it’s going to be old and expired.

We ordered two rolls, a chicken/rice entree, and drinks. One roll was good! I mean, it was grocery store roll good. The other roll was hard in a weird way in the edges - cool, we just ate the inner sections.

The chicken dish was supposed to have egg (actually extra egg per Brandon’s recommendation) and it had none. It also lacked anything other than rice. Like, maybe a veggie or something to add some color? Maybe an onion?

The entrees come with salad and soup. I was finished with my entree when I was finally able to ask if we could have the salad and soup. The soup and salad were both better than the other items.

The atmosphere shows signs that this was once the place to be and that time has taken its toll. The place is crazy dark and there was some sort of wartime movie going on over the bar. Not asking for rugby or curling, but it seemed odd.

The problem with this experience is that the cost is still the same as though it’s an over joint. We paid roughly $86 for our dinner and both agreed that it was fun in an awful sense, but we would have been better hitting up sushi from one of the better buffets in town.

I’m including this photo of the strawberries. This was the joke of the night, some of those were rotten and had colors that folks should not get.

TLDR: If you are a boomer or someone of a generation where your parents lament on the merits of the plaza, sureee go here or somewhere else. If you actually want good food and a service you feel good about paying for - head elsewhere.

This is sad because I remember when the founder was featured in magazines and had passion for creating this experience. I understand he’s all about a newer Korean joint, but this is just like watching Willie Nelson play music at 91. You know it is supposed to be good, but it’s...

So I walked in like the sign says a guy says hi. And that was it. Taken back I said hi, umm who do I see for a seat? He say say oh that's me. Then says just sit there and someone will be with you. Gesturing to a small table. Now this was over 10ft away and I had no menu. Well after I waited 5 mins at the table NOBODY greeted me. This is my biggest pet peeve! Not a good start. I had to resort to Google for a menu. Well I got fed up and was hungry. So I got up and went to the bar. Well she was cashing out a guy and I sat to his left since the only spot available. Well the bartender walked away when she was done and completely ignored me. Then after 3-4 mins of sitting there she said ill be with you while she was making a drink. Took care of another customer then came over. I put in my order and asked for a water. I got a water with a dead fruit fly in it. Then i got a second water with a crack it it at the top of the glass. Lovely. I got one of my roll 15-20 mins later. It was shrimp tempura. It was barely warm. For a fried roll I have never had one at a restaurant then didn't come out too hot to eat right away. I got half way and the rest was cool. We shall see my next one comes out because it's fried...

Well 45 mins later I received my second roll. My fried Philly roll. Hot! Nice and hot. But it got super fishy tasting. Gross. Well I asked for low sodium soy sauce. Then I added wasabi, and it tasted better. So maybe I just masked the fishy taste but I couldn't handle that. I got 5 small pieces of shrimp tempura for $11.5 yet there was an app for $7. I couldn't believe how little it was at that price. It's not that great so...

I booked a reservation at The Drunken Fish in Westport Plaza for 8 PM on Valentine’s evening, scheduling it 2–3 weeks in advance to ensure a smooth experience on a busy night. However, when I arrived, I was met with a long line outside the restaurant. When I checked in with the host and stated I was checking in for my 8pm reservation, I was told, “OK, so is everyone else behind you, so I need you to take a spot in line, and I’ll get to you as quickly as I can. We’re trying our best to clear out the restaurant for you all.”

This turned into a 45-minute wait past my reservation time. If reservations are required and expected to be honored by guests, then the restaurant should do its part in upholding them as well. Many people—myself included—were visibly frustrated. It’s Valentine’s Day, a holiday that falls on the same date every year, so there should have been better planning in place. At the very least, a reservation-only system should have been enforced to keep things running efficiently.

What made the situation worse was that there was no offer of compensation, discounts, or even a simple apology for the nearly hour-long wait. It’s one thing for things to fall behind, but failing to acknowledge the inconvenience just made the experience feel even more frustrating.

Waiting that long despite having a reservation was disappointing, and while I understand that things can get hectic, better preparation, communication, and customer service would have gone a long way in improving the experience.

The food was decent, the...