I came here recently for a birthday party and was scared because the last time I came here (pre Yelp), I really did not enjoy it much, so I was dreading coming here. However I am glad to report that to their credit, this place has vastly improved since then. The food here is above average. I remember there being a lack of flavor the last time I was here, so that was a vast improvement from before. Also, the prices are still reasonable. I ordered a chicken and broccoli dish, and some appetizers, all of which were under 15 dollars including tip. The restaurant itself is still pretty nice. It's in a prime location and a very popular spot during the evening hours and at night so it can get crowded and noisy. However it does not become as noisy as some of the bars do. The service is good as well, no problems. The waitress was especially adept at refilling our waters, and she was also very friendly, despite how hectic it was that night. Still there are problems. The food here still does not live up to its name, and it could be a lot better. The selection of drinks can also be better as well, because while their happy hour prices are great, their selection of happy hour items is only ok. Still this is a good place to visit and I would recommend it as a stop downtown. However I would not come here as a regular if I were searching for good food for dinner. Its a good hangout spot though.
(3)
Heather S.
Not for the local lunch crowd. Waited 45 min for food that then came out cold. We had to ask for boxes just so we could have a lunch to eat once we got back to work. Alerted our server that there were issues, the manager didnt bother to come by, just threw a measly 20% discount at us. Bad call on his part, we wont be back.
(1)
Taryn R.
The food was okay. The service was okay. All around, this place was okay. Great location though! Don't know what else to really say about it to be honest though. It was just average.
(3)
David A.
I didn't eat here. My musical partner and I were playing music outside on the street for people eating dinner to listen. Mellow jazz and light vocal stuff (not punk rock). 20 minutes later, a police officer shows up and says that Monsoon Chinese Bistro and Sushi had called them to complain that we were playing. We stopped playing and many of the customers came out to give us tips and expressed that they wished we could have kept playing. I will never support a restaurant like this that will call the cops on a street performer without even bothering to talk to us or ask us if we could move somewhere else. Several customers were upset by this as well.
(1)
Dorothy N.
Honestly, it just wasn't good. The sushi we got tasted like it came from a grocery store or gas station...Kung Pao chicken was sickly sweet, not how Kung Pao should be. Slow Sunday lunchtime service despite not being busy. Won't be going back.
(2)
Liz M.
We went here for lunch today and sat on the patio. They weren't too busy for a Saturday, surprisingly. Food was good and waitress was nice. I had sashimi. It was fresh, cold, delicious. I would've liked more daikon underneath the fish instead of the bed of greens. My sister got two rolls and said they were good. Nothing extraordinary but fresh fish and made well. Miso soup was "loaded". Too many toppings, not enough tasty broth! Overall, nice place, but doesn't stand out among other restaurants.
(4)
Patrick M.
Sui Mai with shrimp & crab Spicy tuna roll Soft shell crab Garlic miso clams Miso soup fried rice
(5)
Russell M.
My wife and I tried this last week on a whim. We were hungry and talking about Chinese food and this place appeared so we tried it. It's a pretty funky place that reeks of a cross between trendy college eatery and a Chinese whore house with it's floor to ceiling fire engine red drapes and black lacquer furniture. I liked that it opened out to the busy and vibrant street scene. The service staff seem mostly like young college students who were friendly enough. We ordered a couple of cocktails and some beers before ordering dinner. I had kung pao chicken and my wife ordered a curry thai dish she likes. We both agreed that the food was serviceable but short of great. It wasn't bad but it tasted more like something from Panda Express than a gourmet Asian eatery. Overall, our meal was OK. Probably won't return here as our favorite Chinese restaurant is in Sedona. Not bad though if you find yourself downtown in Flag and have a hankering for Chinese style food. It's definitely NOT Asian fusion.
(3)
Jo Jo K.
I was going through flag during a road trip and stumbled upon this great Asian fusion restaurant. The food was great. We had edemame, sui mai, spicy Thai beef. It was great! Very flavourful. I would recommend you to pop in when your in flag
(4)
Faith T.
This was my first time here and I was very disappointed. It was Sunday evening at 6:30 and busy to be sure, but we had to wait 20 minutes just to get a menu while I saw at least one other table sit and be offered menus right away as we waited and waited and waited. We ordered Sweet & Sour Shrimp. It arrived after another 20-30 minutes. The brown rice was barely warm and gummy. The shrimp dish was also barely warm. The best feature of the restaurant was the plentiful outside seating. I might return to try the sushi but not anytime soon.
(2)
Elena M.
My family used to love Monsoon, but I'm not sure if it's under new management or what. Unfortunately, it now appears to be a college dive bar masquerading (not very effectively) as a Chinese restaurant. We haven't been in a few months, so yesterday I brought my daughter there for happy hour. As usual, a gaggle of college-age staff was standing around doing not much, which is not a huge deal to me. We were told to sit anywhere, so we chose a table by the window. On closer inspection, our table and the one next to it were filthy, with old crusty food remnants caking the sides. Our server was nice enough, but when he handed us the menus, they were also really disgusting/food encrusted. This might sound nit-picky, but it was foul. I am definitely not an over-the-top clean freak, and it doesn't exactly enhance the appetite to order food from a menu that looks like it was used to clean the floors. I chose to overlook this, too, since I've always loved the place, and we were hungry. Anyway, I ordered the tuna roll. Daughter ordered the Sui Mai. Tuna tasted bitter, but otherwise the roll was fair. When I unrolled my napkin, some cooked rice (from another patron before me??) fell out. Yikes! Daughter was still hungry, so we ordered the chicken lettuce wraps. When a different server brought them, he flipped the spoon (accidentally), and about a half-cup of the meat mixture flew onto the table. No big deal. Accidents happen. Rather than replace the dish, however, he proceeded to attempt to wipe the mess clean with what appeared to be a dirty rag and collected the mess in his hand right over my open purse! Health Department visit, anyone?? I was pretty much done at this point. I tried the wrap, but it was over-salted and not good. When I asked for the check, I also asked nicely for a discount on the lettuce wraps, since a bunch of it ended up wasted. (I should not have even needed to do so. After an experience like that, the dish should have been comped.) A whole $2.55 was taken off the price. I am disappointed, to say the least, to see one of my former favorite restaurants in Flagstaff sink to the bottom of my list. Bye, Monsoon. You won't be seeing me or my business again any time soon.
(1)
River G.
Stopped by for happy hour with some coworkers , good atmosphere great prices loved the Szechuan Dumplings and spring rolls. Will definitely be coming back.
(5)
Brianna M.
Can't beat the downtown location, naturally. Their Crab Wontons were some of the best, flavorful, sauces were tasty. Also had the edamame, which were good, but how could anyone screw up edamame? We also ordered the chicken fried rice which was perfectly done, not overloaded with veggies, and had the bean sprouts and egg that some fried rices leave off at their peril. And an Alaskan Roll which was beautiful and delicious. Service was good, but there were a couple forgotten items. No silverware or napkins during apps, and I had to ask for a soy sauce tray. But all in all good. Glad I didn't see all the negative reviews before we went or I may have avoided this restaurant.
(4)
Delilah C.
The food was way too salty and everything took forever to come out to the table. It wasn't peak hours either. I had the lettuce wraps that I couldn't even finish because of the amount of salt used. It's a good place to hangout and people watch but the food was eh.
(2)
Lily O.
The service was outstanding!!!! We sat at the bar. My fish was very fresh and flavorful! The fried rice could have been more flavorful but sriracha helped! The blonde bartender made our experience !!!
(4)
Emily M.
I really enjoy the location. Inside is nice large windows and outside patio is great in the square. From the first time I have come here, I feel as if service is always lacking.. But since their remodel - it's as if the servers are only young girls that have no idea you have to actually work (as in serving) for a tip. Pretty terrible. Do not get any salads here! Terribly bland . Go for Mongolian Beef or Mandarin Orange Chicken. Those are the only two suitable dishes I've found. If you're looking for sushi head to Karma or Sakura only!
(3)
Wheeler E.
Meh meh meh. With such a location I guess meh stays in business. Thai noodle w/chicken. Underwhelming to say the least. Server said if I like curry this is the dish. Barely a hint of curry. Bland as all get out. Had to dose with soy and chili sauce to get some flavor. However good portion of chicken, veggies and noodles. So it has that going for it. Staff friendly and attentive. Wish I could rate higher. 3 stars would be a dose of curry 4 stars the above plus maybe a few more veggies.
(2)
Tom S.
Greasy food. Smoking on patio allowed. Just nasty! Don't be deceived on the environment.
(2)
Michelle T.
Although service here was good, food was far from good Japanese food. I thought the special rolls were not only over-priced, but the quality of ingredients were sub-par. The special roll I got (Red Rock) cost $12+ and the roll was small, full of rice, and lacked fresh ingredients. They use imitation crab meat here...and the sashimi (raw fish) look questionable. Over-salted edamamme, overpriced food...I think I'll save my money for another place.
(1)
Deeah K.
Great happy hour food and drink! Great prices and tasty dishes. We had fried rice, dumplings and cucumbers, delicious! The service was awesome and the staff are so friendly and welcoming!
(5)
Dallas M.
On June 1st of this year, I had just come from a wedding in Flagstaff and was looking for a great place to enjoy some sushi. I made it to downtown Flagstaff at around 9:00 pm and after parking downtown, I immediately saw Monsoon on the Rim and was excited to get something yummy to eat. When we walked into the restaurant, we were told to take any seat. There were a lot of folks who worked there wandering around kind of aimlessly and the place seemed a bit disorganized and chaotic. It was a bit confusing, but we found a table near the front and sat down ready to eat. As soon as the waiter came to see us, about 10 minutes later, he told us immediately that we only had 30 minutes to order our food and eat because they were turning the restaurant into a club and our table and chairs would be taken away at that point. Wow, what a welcome! Yes, I know, I should have just walked out, but I was tired and hungry and had already wasted 15 minutes of my time, so we agreed to hurry and order and eat and get out of there ASAP before the disco was set up. I ordered tofu and some veggie mix and my friend ordered some sushi. Almost 1 hour later, we received food. I wouldn't call it sushi and I'm not exactly sure what my food was, but it looked similar to tofu. I couldn't really tell because it was buried under some kind of funky sauce. The lighting was bad, it was really late and we were panicked because the disco was getting set up, so I hurriedly grabbed a fork and started to eat. I would like to preface by saying that I have been a vegetarian for 20+ years. I took a bite into this food in front of me and realized immediately that it was some sort of animal, not tofu. I then tried to get the waiter, who was bopping around ready to get the party started and let him know that while it might not be a big deal to him to eat meat, as a non-meat eater for 20+ years, biting into some chicken was not the best moment in my life. I was highly upset and also worried about getting sick. He took the food away, without offering to fix it and then brought us our ticket without any comp of food or drink. We also never asked for our ticket, but he made sure to get it to us ASAP after the mistake happened. This might be the worst restaurant experience I've ever had. Not only were we treated like jerks and told an hour before the disco started that we had to hurry and order, but nothing was done to remedy the bad situation of the tofu/chicken mix up. Zero accountability was taken for their mistake and we were not comped anything from our bill. I would NEVER recommend this place to anyone and hope that management understands that while the majority of their money might come from liquor sales on Friday/Saturday nights and their prime location keeps them afloat, food quality, customer service and customer retention should also be a priority to them.
(1)
Anslem Y.
I never give poor reviews but tonight's blatant service of rudeness can not go unaddressed. The manager Eli was disrespectful and did not recognize his lack of professionalism. You would think that his level of responsibility would acknowledge a customer's concern but this is certainly his downfall. I go to monsoons for food and drink and now will reconsider my patronage. On a positive note, the blonde bartender was attentive and courteous.
(1)
John S.
Very good sushi for Flagstaff let alone any other place. Was very surprised in a good way by the quality and consistency of the food. Great flavor, reasonable prices. Would recommend going back there and eating there in the future.
(4)
Dej S.
I can hardly describe it. Tequila Sunrise. People pushing so hard I realize that I'll die if there is a fire. Most of my drink spilled. Bartender says I have to pay again if I want the rest of it.
(1)
Carole W.
My husband and I have visited Monsoon twice, and both experiences have been great. Be there for Happy Hour...good food at great prices, and the beer and wine is priced right too. Chloe is the sweetest server. Sit outside, enjoy the ambience. We really like it. It's like a PF Changs in Flagstaff.
(4)
Rayna S.
Service was great, food was not too shabby. Came here for dinner, had our pick of tables. The ambiance is fine and the location is great, right in Heritage Square, downtown Flag-perfect people watching location! Most places you order the spareribs appetizer and you get a couple of little ribs - the appetizer here is HUGE. It was probably the best part of the meal for me. For the main course I had the Mongolian beef (old style) with fried rice. The beef dish was sort of sticky sweet and the rice was a little bland. All in all it was good and enjoyed the atmosphere all together.
(3)
Philip T.
Location / Location / Location - hard to beat a patio seat at the corner of LeRoux and Aspen in Flagstaff. On the plus side - fantastic patio and excellent bar - with exceptionally nice bartenders. On the negative side - the place doesn't seem to know what it's trying to be. I get the "Asian Fusion" concept - but selling a smattering of Thai, Chinese, Japanese dishes isn't Asian-fusion - it's just confusion.
(3)
Jocelyn G.
Giving this a 3.5...so rounding to 4 stars. For a flagstaff place, monsoon is actually a pretty good sushi place. I come here for the super awesome happy hour menu. I've had better sushi in my day...but Still, I say again, pretty good. Definitely something to try if you're ever in flagstaff. Oh and also, the restaurant itself has cool decor. I love being in there.
(4)
Ann F.
Went to Monsoon on our vacation. Food was delicious and the server, Lauren, was attentive, friendly, and gave us suggestions as to what to try via sushi rolls. We ordered a variety of dishes and shared them. I loved the location; downtown Flagstaff. My favorite was a specialty roll with eel. Would go back and definitely will recommend to friends.
(4)
April R.
We go for the Happy Hour, they have good deals on sushi and appetizers. The food is OK, nothing special, the spicy tuna could be spicier. We mainly go there because we can have the dogs on the patio. They did add overhead heaters on the patio which is nice for the cooler evenings.
The draw here for me is the Happy Hour and dog friendly patio! Food is OK/good, atmosphere is good for people watching. The bar in the back is really low key and good for colder weather or to watch a sporting event. Service is unpredictable.
(3)
Orlando B.
Came in tonight with my girlfriend and it was fairly busy to say the least. Ordered the Mongolian beef and a monsoon roll and my girlfriend got a philly roll and a california roll. Overall, everything was great. Taylor was our server and service was promptly and great. The manager Nealand was awesome, came by to see how everything was and was super friendly, it was great to see that. All in all i will definitely be back to enjoy it some more!!!
(5)
Kevin T.
What led us here was the dog friendly patio. Hard to find in flag these days. We stayed for some bombers and a great roll or 2. All in all a great meal and experience.
(4)
Mildred Kitty R.
The food is really Good. I had fried rice with beef and chicken and teriyaki beef. Nicely plated and taste was good !! Only problem was with the service. Young, nice looking servers but in such a hurry one of the guys who brought my son's food actually put it on top of the menus, some packets of sugar, we did not have plates for our appetizers, and they served the wrong appetizer. I had asked to share two plates with my husband and had no plates brought out. When I asked for plates they brought out tiny 4" plates. I asked once again and finally had my plates and could eat. The sangria was awesome and I truly found the prices to be very affordable. Wine was good, but again service awful! They were nice but did not take plates away as we finished, when I asked for a box for leftovers they did bring one but no utensils with which to put the food in the container. I don't know, maybe I was expecting too much or they were short staffed. Anyway I would return because the food was so good and the portions were enough for two or even three.
(3)
Herakles Y.
My friend and I tried the Monsoon restaurant and neither of us really enjoyed it. The environment was beautiful and we seated outside of the restaurant enjoying the breeze and sunset but there was a guest smoking just next to us. We went in happy hour 3-7pm and had a few happy menu item and shared an entree. We loved the Szechuan Dumplings but we didn't like the Siu Mai. We ordered General Tsao and I found it too heavy flavored and my friend found it too greasy. Maybe because I am a Cantonese and I am used to less heavy flavored food than this one. Anyway, if you're just ordering the dumplings you will love it still! It's a little bit more expensive than we expected.
(2)
Majol H.
Waited 10 minutes just for two cups of water and another 15 for only half of our order to come waitress had to put our order in again after us reminding her. People that came after us got our food before us.
(1)
Samantha B.
This was my first and last time here. I'm currently still sitting at the restaurant (after waiting over half an hour for the check), the service, the food, the entire experience was poor. If you want sushi go to tepan up the street. The service was very slow, our food didn't come out at the same time, we waited 25 minutes in between receiving our separate meals. I feel bad for complaining but it just was not a good place to eat at. Don't come here!
(1)
Mary C.
So everyone that knows me knows that I am new at this sushi thing. I really can't lie if it tastes like fish I don't want it, if it smells fishy I don't want it. That is what I have enjoyed about this new sushi experience. This place is the first place where I did not enjoy the food at all. I also tend to be pretty relaxed when it comes to service. But I was thoroughly under impressed with the service. Things kept getting forgotten and the only tables my GG could sit at in her wheelchair were dirty and we got the eye roll when we asked for cleaning. I tend to eat with pretty picky people and no one was impressed especially the uncle that has been living in Asia for the past few years. Needless to say I won't be ever returning.
(1)
Darla V.
We were in the area visiting from CA and we happened to see this place. It was absolutely great!! I had the sweet and sour chicken that was delicious. Our server Lauren was amazing! She made us feel at home. I would definitely recommend this place to my family and friends who stop by the Flagstaff area.
(5)
Susan S.
Updated the look of the building but sushi quality has gotten worse. We hadn't been to Monsoon's in over a year and ended up there when Karma was packed. Unfortunately the sushi was very dry and we felt like we could have made better sushi at home. I am sure from here on out we will stick with Karma unless we are desperate again. On a positive note our service was good.
(2)
G. C.
I'll give it one star, as the restroom was clean. Our service was bad & our food was bad. The restaurant was completely empty during happy hour on a Wednesday afternoon, the server/bartender clearly didn't want to be bothered with us. Skip this place ... there's something better around the corner.
(1)
Luke S.
Very slow service, below average, over-priced sushi. Karma is hands down better quality/exp.
(2)
Kenzi R.
Came here for a private party and had the whole back section to ourselves. Happy hour drinks were pretty good or at least my $5 sake bomber was. I ordered the lettuce wraps with tofu and the vegetarian spring rolls and both were really tasty. Then I noticed at the bottom of their menu: "Parties of seven (7) or more, no separate checks." Wait, what? Is that an industry standard? I've never encountered that before. The private party I was with did in fact pay for everything because it was an appreciation lunch. But if I want to bring 6 of my friends to come dine here, only one of us can pay for it? o.O The food was decent but the service was minimal. Our server/bartender barely engaged us and it was only ourselves (about 13-15 people sharing 3 tables) and her. I think I'd rather try someplace else the next time I'm feeling Asian cuisine....
(3)
Sunny R.
How great it was to find a place with good sushi, great cocktails and allowed dogs on their patio. Whoop! Whoop! Let's start with the cocktails :) yelp.com/biz_photos/7op3… Their bar menu isn't working online (keeps giving me happy hour specials) but I started with something along the lines of an Asian mojito. And it was red. Wow, wish I could remember what exactly it was called and what was in it... Or maybe it was an Amnesiac Asian Mojito and it worked its magic perfectly! I was deliriously happy to have sushi. Honey doesn't eat sushi so it's rare that I get to enjoy it. But since Monsoon seemed to be the only place in town that caters to dogs, he had no choice but to eat here. (His Mom insisted on bringing her dog to dinner. Period.) So I started with a Spicy Tuna Roll and then hopped over to one of their specialty rolls - the Gargoyle Roll with spicy lobster, avocado, cream cheese, tempura crunchies. Y.U.M.!!! Really good. But it was so spicy I couldn't really enjoy that I was eating lobster, if you know what I mean. I'm not even sure what Honey or his Mom got to eat because I was absolutely enthralled with my mojito and sushi. :) I noticed that Jenna N. mentioned her server was awkward. Ours was too! Maybe that's how they roll here at Monsoon - awkward servers. She may have been freaked out because it was "First Friday" in Flagstaff and the place was packed. But, I think their servers need to relax a little. The sushi bar is tiny and the bathroom is 1/2 a mile away, but did I mention they're OK with dogs on their patio? So all in all, Monsoon was a hit.
(3)
C. N.
Given the quality of the food, the price is too high. It's not TERRIBLE but I've certainly had better. I haven't tried the other sushi places in Flagstaff so it's hard to compare to others. Overall, meh. Try it if you want.
(3)
FakePlasticTree S.
Better places to have sushi than Monsoon's. This place is more like a bar than a restaurant as the food is subpar for the outrageous prices they charge.
(2)
Michael T.
Horrible service to say the least. We had to wait around 30 minutes to even have our order taken. Once it was taken we waited another half hour to get the food. Only problem was they only brought one entree and not my sushi...well after waiting to see our waiter again we just split what we had. It got to be almost comical how difficult it was to find our waiter, at this point I decided I no longer wanted my sushi. Needless to say we did not have a good time and I highly doubt we will be back anytime soon.
(1)
Hannah C.
Love this place. Went here for the first time tonight with my family. I wish I could give this place 5 out of 5 stars but we'll get to that later in the review. Place has a super cool chill vibe that I liked a lot, place was super big and there is a full bar in the back of the restaurant. There is a lot of outdoor seating which is always a plus. They play new music that's in so that was very nice instead of older music from the early 2000's. Staff was friendly and always had smiles on their faces. When we asked for a table they asked us to just pick one for ourselves which I thought was nice. I got the Captain Crunch Roll which was beyond amazing! Must try this if you go here and you like sushi! I also got the Rollin on Dubz Roll and it was pretty good! It was a little too spicy for me but it was good. The waitress we had was helpful at first but half way through us eating she disappeared for like 30 minutes and didn't check on us at all which made me a little antsy and annoyed, that's why the only reason why I gave this place a 4 out of 5.
(4)
Caitlin B.
This review is for the restaurant. If you want to attract customers with coupons for buy one sushi roll, get one free, or buy one chinese dinner, get one free, make sure to have servers who don't try anything possible to make it so that customers feel BAD for using said coupon. Our server tried to tell us a coupon that expires in July had already expired. He was largely inattentive after this point. THEN, he reminded us, REPEATEDLY, exactly how much we saved with our coupon when he provided us with the bill--basically trying to induce us to tip on the amount we would have paid, rather than on the amount our discounted bill showed. EDIT: To be clear, I ALWAYS tip on the amount I would have paid on a full meal when I get something free--I was a server for several years, dated a server for several years, and generally try to be the most easy-to-deal-with customer. BUT I hate to be treated as though I'm an idiot who is making someone's day 10 times harder because I decided to have dinner somewhere using a coupon and am probably too stupid to remember I saved money when I pay my bill. The whole time, we felt bad for using the coupon. We wouldn't have gone to Monsoon at all if it weren't for the coupon. I don't think we will go back to the restaurant. Why put up with rude waiters who don't want to honor management's coupons when there are SO MANY OTHER OPTIONS for sushi and chinese food in Flagstaff (and the sushi is better and more affordable)?
(1)
Sabrina G.
We USED to love eating, drinking, and meeting with friends here. It has been a family favorite for birthdays and celebrations. NOT ANYMORE We went in to Monsoons for my husbands birthday on Friday night. We had friends joining us and my son arrived ealier to secure a table for 10. When we arrived with our friends, the restaraunt manager was extemely rude to me and eventually sat us back in a corner and ignored us. It took so long to get a waitress for drink orders that we sent a runner to the bar to fetch our own drinks. On top of that, food orders took forever and they refused to split the check. We too long for a check and then the waitress decided that we could individually circle our items so that she could print new checks for us. This created an additional 35 minute wait with NO FOOD, NO DRINK and bored, angry friends.
(1)
Bacon B.
What's more unusual than finding good sushi in the desert? Finding good sushi in the mountains. Monsoon was a pleasant surprise last night, and an affordable one at that. Loved my company and have a higher impression of Flagstaff as a result of this restaurant.
(4)
Jim M.
Well. Went in today. Did not get served. We wanted sushi. Ended up going to karma. Karma sushi is really good and actually happy we were not served. We will go karma. Try bento box. They are the best.
(2)
Nick T.
I usually don't review places, but I must for this place. Awful service. I went in and ordered the spicy Thai Beef with brown rice. After my food arrived (20min), I was told they were out of brown rice and had to make more. I was told 15 minutes. Whatever, annoying but no big deal. 20 minutes later the server comes out and says the kitchen accidentally made white rice instead of brown. I was asked if I wanted the white rice instead or wanted my food that had been sitting in the heating lamp to go. Really? Amateur hour. Then I get the check for my beer and appetizer. I probably would have comped that if I made someone wait for 40 minutes for no meal.
(1)
Stephanie H.
Monsoon on the Rim is located right downtown Flagstaff. It is a perfect place to start off the night! It has great happy prices on food and drinks. The food is just mediocre, but the drinks are an excellent deal. I wouldn't recommend getting a full meal here, but just an appetizer if you're hungry. The bar area is nice and has large windows for great people watching! So, if you're in the mood for a quick stop with good deals on drinks and food, this may be the right place.
(3)
Sarah W.
Came here on a Saturday night. Very average sushi rolls. Lacked flavor, good portions. Thai street noodles bland... Surprising. Fun atmosphere, more of a drinking place than an eating in my opinion.
(2)
Jamie C.
I HATE POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE! The food was actually pretty good but it was tainted by their under enthused, under concerned wait staff. I was a little skeptical to order the Sushi Rolls but it was much better than I expected it to be especially considering this is Flagstaff. I split a Rainbow roll, the Captain Crunch roll, and a Philly roll. The rolls were tightly made so even with my terrible chopstick skills they didn't fall apart. I also ordered some Edamame which was actually a rather large and tasty serving size easily shared. This place is very loud but it's super close to the University so I guess that's expected.
(3)
Ry P.
This review is for the bar. Dirty, dingy, gross. Barkeep was too busy hanging out with her friends that were sitting at the bar to serve drinks to other customers (on a slow Monday night). More bar stools at bar than spaces to accommodate them, a cluttered insane mess. Busboy TRIED TO PICK A FIGHT WITH ME when I scooted a stool out of the way to get out!! really? wtf! Not a huge fan of places where employees bully the customers. All around unpleasant atmosphere. Never again!
(1)
Larry H.
What a gorgeous February day in Flag. I had the dogs and needed to grab a bite so I stumbled on the patio of Monsoon On The Rim. It was about 3 in the afternoon on a Friday so there was only one other occupied table. There were several veggie dishes and specials for happy hour. None of the lunch options offered anything without meat but the price was similar to the "Flagstaff Dishes" at about $10 a plate. I got the Eggplant Stir Fry Flagstaff Dish with tofu and brown rice. It took a few minutes to get out to me. The tofu and veggies were cooked right. The brown rice was short grain which I like but not sticky which I prefer. BUT the dish was drowning in sauce. They could have used about half as much sauce and even though that would have been better, it still probably would have been more sauce than I like. All in all the dish was pretty good -- I finished it. And I would go back here. The location is good but in comparison to all of the other local restaurants the only thing that set Monsoon apart would be they had a patio and their style of food. If I didn't have the dogs I would have probably gone some where else.
(3)
Paul V.
Good happy hour place in downtown Flagstaff. I like the atmosphere at the bar on a cold weekend night and outside on the patio during the warm summer months. I pretty much go with drinks and apps here to start the night off when bar hopping with my girlfriend. I don't think it'll blow you away, but its central location in town makes it a good place for people watching.
(3)
Jon T.
I always eat in the bar. Part of it is because I usually only come for happy hour. But I also had a bad experience in the main dining room once where I sat for half an hour without anyone taking my order. In the bar at least you can collar a bartender to find out where your waiter is. Don't care for their sushi but the Chinese-Asian fusion entrees are quite good. Other than Golden Dragon on the east side of town, I couldn't really recommend better Chinese cuisine in Flag, unless you are dedicated to the buffet experience. And happy hour is a great deal. Most of the discounted appetizers are good bangs for the buck and go well with the draft beer and decent domestic sake.
(3)
Stewart W.
This place suck the big one. The have a 2 for 1 coupon on valpak that expired on 11/16/2012 and it is 11/2/2012 . The new owner suck and so does the new smaller menu. Wow now collin's and monsoons both suck. Never ever go here.
(1)
Flag R.
Horrible! I've come here for the food multiple times but they have horrible service, they even gave me a dirty spoon with food still on it & didn't even apologize and gave attitude when I informed them of the problem....I suggest not coming here unless you would like to become sick
(1)
Nancy Z.
I would no longer recommend this restaurant. New management, pricier than before and mediocre food and service at best. I have eaten lunch here every couple of weeks for several months because it was reasonable enough for a weekday lunch and I like the patio. NO MORE!! The happy hour menu arrived inside the regular menu. I pointed out my selections on the happy hour menu and received decent enough but not outstanding food.(How bad can a tempura shrimp roll and fried rice be?) Then the bill came. It was nearly double what I had expected. When I asked her about it, the server mentioned that the happy hour menu wasn't available until 3:00. Why didn't she mention that when I was placing my order? It was very clear I was ordering from the happy hour menu. If those items were not available for the prices listed, why was the menu included with the regular menu? The menu used to iclude half-sized salads with chicken or tofu, at reasonable prices. Now the salads are the same price the large one was before and the meat is $3.00 extra. I asked if they still had the smaller salad and the dopey server said that they could make it smaller but it would be the same price. Really?!? Like the other reviewers said, there are better places in the area and it's not necessary to eat here.
(1)
Nicole S.
I would suggest going for their happy hour, because they have 1/2 off select appetizers and sushi rolls. Try their schezuan dumplings, $4 on happy hour. Their fried rice is pretty good too, at $2 on the happy hour menu for a small bowl. Also, their thai spicy beef entree is so good! I don't like their sushi as much as I like their regular food. Aside from this, I think their service is poor. I have been here many times throughout my years at NAU, and I have rarely had great service. On my most recent visit, we had to wait quite some time to place our order. All in all, I would suggest going here, especially for happy hour. If you are a resident of Flagstaff, keep your eyes open for coupons in the mail.
(3)
Sara W.
Not sure why this place has bad reviews. I was a little skeptical eating here after reading the reviews on Yelp, but I thought it was delicious. We had a group of 5, and everyone enjoyed their meal. pad thai, shrimp lo mein, mongolian beef, chicken lo mein. The pad thai and mongolian beef were excellent. My friends had spring rolls for an appetizer and said they were delicious. We also ordered some sushi before our entrees that were also pretty tasty. The reason this place gets four stars and not five is that the shrimp was a little "fishy". The lighting is also a little weird, and everyone looks red. I would definitely go back the next time I am in Flagstaff.
(4)
Jens J.
We didn't plan on having dinner in Flagstaff, but Monsoon was a sweet alternative to joining the five mile long string of gridlocked traffic heading the opposite direction into Sedona on U.S. 89 in a crackly lightning storm and drenching rain. You can eat in Monsoon's bar, in their dining room or outside (too chilly tonight for that though). We were off to a very good start when the host lead us to a table and actually asked us if the table was OK (it was). For a drink I had an Irish Red Ale, which was excellent. Tonight we stayed with the appetizer and sushi menu. JP and I ordered endaname, crab puffs, miso soup, chicken wraps and a dragon roll, which we split. The endaname was served warm with just the right amount of sea salt. The crab puffs were excellent. And I really should have placed a second order for them; they were that good! The chicken wraps, with a delicious hoisin sauce were great, with the perfect proportion between chicken and lettuce. The dragon roll was pretty good, though the "crab" stuffing was sort of dry. The only dish I would suggest that you do not order would be the miso soup. The mushroom pieces were cut too large and soup's flavors just did not blend well. But other than that, this was a great dinner with excellent service, and we were glad to be back in Flagstaff.
(4)
Emily F.
This restaurant has a few really great things going for it: - competitive happy hour prices on sushi and beverages - outdoor patio where dogs are allowed - close to the heart of downtown flagstaff - great selection of beer, wine and sake - all you can eat sushi for $20 - $5 sake bombs on Thursday nights While I'm not that big of a fan of their Chinese food, their sushi is tasty. I highly recommend the monsoon roll.
(4)
Curtiss M.
Spicy eggplant was soaked in grease. Wait staff was indifferent & edgy.
(1)
Bob K.
Nice patio and the wait staff were very friendly. I had the spicy salad and it was good, however I also tried the yellow curry chicken and it was terrible. I really wanted asian food and a patio, next time I know you can't have both in Flag
(2)
Jeff K.
We went here because we had coupons for free appetizers. The food was pretty good. We all got Chinese dishes and didn't try to sushi. Drink prices were good and the service was good. I'm throwing a 3 out there because I kinda expected more from this place. It has a great location and outdoor area so I was expecting this really great food but it was just okay. Sounds like a good place for happy hour though.
(3)
Tim W.
I'm not usually a fan of chain restaurants (there's just so many other new places to go) but I like this Monsoon's. I really like the happy hour deals on drinks and sushi. I can't remember any specific rolls but so far all of the different ones that I have had have been good. The bar is a nice place to sit and chat with friends even though sometimes the jukebox gets a bit loud for conversation. All in all, a nice place. Nothing special and I would recommend other places if you're just passing through Flagstaff (for variety) though it's nice to have here.
(3)
Scott R.
I have gone three times to TRY and enjoy the All You Can Eat special ($20). I have never been able to order more than 3 rolls. First rolls typically come out about 45 minutes after I place my order. I immediately order additional rolls, but the sushi chef is so busy he can't keep up. They should change the name of their special to: All You Can Eat if you can spend 4 hours here. The sushi I have had has been pretty good. I have had outstanding waitresses. I have had waitresses that seem to disappear. All in all I will go back for all you can eat if I can dedicate a few hours to a meal.
(3)
chip e.
My little sister brought me and my family here to celebrate her graduation and the door guy "Wes" wouldn't let me in because I was "too intoxicated" even tho I don't drink. Apparently wearing dress clothes and bringing 12 people equals drunk. When I asked to see the manager he said he was "working" when I asked to take a sobriety test he told me "you can tomorrow," and when I politely told him I hope no one ever disrespected him like that in front of his family and friends in his life time he told me "in one ear out the other, BRA." There are too many respectful places doing too many things right in Flagstaff to even consider walking past this place. I appreciate Wes for saving me, my friends, and all my future friends my money and time.
(1)
Lauren Jeanne G.
I originally disliked this establishment specifically for its poor quality hot Saki. I love all kinds of Saki, and particularly hot Saki in the winter. Wow was Monsoon's Saki terrible! I went back recently because my boyfriend really wanted to try the place out. Our warm dishes were alright, and my Nigiri was good, but the fancy expensive rolls were so un-tasty that I left them on the plate. I do not plan to go back and spend another 90 dollars on sub par sushi.
(1)
Marian R.
Hot sake and el Diego roll..Yummy
(3)
Ben S.
Service was great, food was...o.k. We arrived a little early for dinner, had our pick of tables. The ambiance is fine and the location is good (right on the corner). Most places you order the spareribs appetizer and you get a couple of little ribs - the appetizer here is HUGE. It was probably the best part of the meal for me. For the main course I had the Mongolian beef (old style?) with fried rice. The beef dish was sort of sticky sweet and the rice was a little bland. All in all it wasn't bad and the portion size was good, but not my favorite. The general opinion around the table was that the food was "fine". The cheesecake for dessert got them from 3 stars to 4 in my estimation. Yummy.
(4)
David L.
Food is clean and fresh. Had to be gluten free and they provided many tasty options. The salad with the candied walnuts was awesome. Had a couple of rolls and the singapore rice noodles. The curry could have been a bit more flavorful.
(4)
Jenna N.
I don't know if this restaurant ever really gets packed since I have only been once and it was an early dinner. I imagine it could get obnoxious, and I am basing this solely on the fact that they have the most disgustingly large flat screen TV I have ever seen. Just looking at it when it was turned off made me want to vomit. Anyway, the restaurant was very open. That was nice. I like being able to stretch my arms and take up too much space in general. The server was awkward, but I am too so I didn't mind. I felt bad because the guy I was with kept ordering more food and asking for the menu again and being abrupt with her in general. We got the Dragon Roll, which was excellent. I've never had it before so I have nothing to compare it to. I should mention that you can put avocado on anything I eat and I will gush over it. We also got the spicy Thai noodles with tofu and no shrimp. It was also pretty excellent. They didn't have an option of steamed tofu on the menu, and I didn't feel like asking our server since she was already bogged down in my counterpart's requests. The fried tofu was cooked perfectly, though.
(3)
Mark H.
The sushi meat is okay, but they seem to have forgotten that the word "sushi" refers to the preparation of the rice. The rice is plain and not sushi prepared. Monsoons was recently bought by Jose - the owner of Collins. The recent remodel makes it look better, but also more bar-like and less local friendly. Good place to ignore your date and stare at all the t.v. sets.
(2)
Kathy C.
This is my very first review on Yelp, and I thought I should take time to let everyone know my thoughts. In return, I will Yelp another nearby business which I feel is really terrific, and it's not a restaurant, so my comparisons will be fair. While traveling through the area, we had many choices of restaurants in Flagstaff. Was extremely disappointed on all counts with the Monsoon restaurant. Not only myself, but all 9 of my group were hugely bummed. Mediocre food, really, really poor service from the entire staff--management, bar staff and all around. Our waiter was probably new, so he gets a pass. I ordered chicken, broccoli and rice for my 9-year old daughter, which came to the table so spicy that NONE of us could eat it. She ate only a bowl of rice and water. Food took 40 minutes to get to us, the sushi was served WITH dinner and was thinly prepared, although wasn't bad. The ONLY person in our party who ordered a drink got the most disgusting drink (standard margarita, which literally took 20 minutes to get to our table and the place was not even close to busy) and the bar staff had to be highly coerced into making another, which was equally as poor. I cannot imagine how a place with a full bar could mess up such a basic drink more than once. Our guess is the mixer was stale. Management was so terrible at handling our situation that I was literally appalled, knowing that our nearly $200 tab was likely much higher than they generally see on a slow Thursday evening. Overall: FOOD- mediocre and would never go here again. SERVICE- horrible all around AMBIENCE- okay but not great POTENTIAL TO RETURN--zero.
(1)
Jill M.
Stopped here for drinks and a snack. I was not disappointed. The place had a good energy and crowd. We watched an NBA playoff game at the bar. We got well drinks and beer for $3 during HH. Cali rolls and tempura green beans were very good and $3 also on HH.
(5)
Brian M.
Monsoons really?...light sprinkles at best,we barely felt the drip...mmmm drip & Kesha!
(5)
Mandy M.
the food is OK but a chinese fast food joint delivers better food. It felt like canned food in everthing, and the service was not helping my experience either. Then came the bill dispute that they resolved, still why make an extra buck "that way"? Finally, I stopped complaining about getting the appetizer last. It was probably my flawed understanding that appetizer should be served BEFORE the main course, maybe I am confusing it with the desert? Or maybe it's the new trend, more and more restaurants are doing it.
(2)
Tom F.
Great sushi everytime I go here. I love the feel of this place. Flagstaff and some good sushi. We always have great service. Never eaten at the restaurant only the sushi bar.
(4)
Paul P.
Hmm, where to begin. The location is great right in the middle of Downtown Flagstaff, and the patio is great for people watching. I should have known better not to get Asian food in Flag. My plate arrived with food still stuck on it and no utensils. The pot stickers were OK, not much flavor. I had the Pad Thai which was just plain rice noodles with little or no hint of spice. My wife ordered the sweet and sour scallops...just all around bad. The beer was cold though. Alex our waitress was in her second day and was very nice. If it wasn't for her I would have give a 1 star.
(2)
Henry L.
They have really good service but not the best food.
(3)
peter d.
There is nothing wrong with this restaurant but nothing that is even above average. The food is good but bland-- their Chinese is a blander PF Changs. Their sushi is acceptable but nothing extraordinary. I've found it to be a pretty decent place for happy hour because of their food specials but its just too pricey (12-18$ range) for most dinners. The waiters/waitresses are cute, they have a big TV for sports, and they have pretty decent happy hour specials. Other than that, its completely unremarkable.
(3)
L P.
I have been eating at Monsoons for over 5 years and the food has always been delicious. I used to work downtown and ate lunch there religiously. My favorite dish is the Orange Chicken and it is the best I have ever had!. I make sure to stop there and have it when I am back in town. I like that it is thin crispy breaded breast strip pieces and not wierd breaded balls of mystery chicken pieces you find at other Chinese restaurants. The honey lemon chicken and lettuce wraps are good as well. Service has always been quick and pleasant, but sometimes they do get busy and are understaffed. No better place to sit on the patio on a warm day and people watch. They are dog friendly too! Keep up the good work! =)
(4)
Ben C.
Bad employees and a ridiculous sense of entitlement. It's as if they don't care who the customer is if they haven't met them before and don't have a personal relationship already. Definitely wont be back and won't recommend it to friends and colleges.
(1)
J P.
This place is so awful. Maybe we hit it at a strange time of day...but either way, it's no excuse for how terrible everything was. First off, when we arrived (in the bar area, where "Happy" Hour takes place) I had to go hunt down an employee to let them know we were there and wanted service (they were busy chatting). Second, I wanted coffee, which apparently wasn't brewed, and the server made it clear that I was inconveniencing her by wanting it. When it arrived, she didn't give me sugar AND as I noticed after taking a few slurps, the mug was filthy on the inside. Third, and most importantly, the food. Since it was Happy Hour, we decided to try a whole bunch of different things. We had some sort of fried spring roll and the Su Mai appetizers, as I recall. They both had the appearance and flavor of being tossed out of a box and into a microwave. The accompanying sauces were uninspired at best. I also made the mistake of ordering the Baked Green Mussels, which normally, at any other sushi place are topped with a small drizzle of some sort of mayonnaise concoction. The mussels at Monsoon were heavily covered in slimy mayo-stuff, and the shells were still covered in filthy sea gunk. Gross. The sushi. Luckily for us, we didn't order much of it. We got some sort of forgettable rolled sushi, then we tried two of their hand rolls, a Spicy Tuna, and the Shrimp Tempura. The Tuna was the most memorably horrendous. It was WAY too salty. Like, play-dough salty. It made the rest of the over-salted food seem "normal," in comparison. The hand rolls were also assembled poorly. All rice on the bottom (the majority of the roll) topped off with a glop of Tuna mush. Oh, and the "low sodium" soy sauce was almost certainly watered down regular soy sauce. AND that filthy cup of coffee was $2.50. Normally I like the idea of giving places second chances. Not for Monsoon. Never again. No cheap drinks or happy hour prices will ever make up for the overall lousy quality of the food we were served. In the end, I was just SO HAPPY I didn't get food poisoning. One of the best parts of sushi in general is the attention to detail in the food, the freshness, and the flavor. Monsoon is lacking all three. It's what I would imagine would happen if a fast-food franchise owner opened a japanese restaurant. It's the kind of place for people who THINK they love sushi. And if you're one of those people, give a shot. If you don't want to worry about being totally grossed out and afraid of tossing your cookies, steer clear of Monsoon.
(1)
Madhu D.
we were intending on eating at another establishment during our stop in flagstaff, while on a roadtrip to dc from california. sadly, we came & found that place to be closed. being that we just drove over 4 hours we didn't really want to look too far for a place to eat so we settled on monsoon just around the corner. we had some chinese food that was meh. the location is great for people watching, especially when you sit outside. i wish i could have tried their sushi. i do not recommend their chinese unless you like flavorless & very bland food.
(3)
NK S.
Dull. quite dull. Other than that, fair prices and a good location for people watching.
(2)
W S.
Stopped in to try the all you can eat sushi special. Not impressed. The selection is about 12 rolls to choose from . Most of the rolls were spicy and just variations of shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, spicy crab, and spicy salmon. The sushi rice was not done correctly and seemed undercooked. The sushi chef was not busy but he refused to talk to me even though I sat right in front of him. He was hispanic and spoke english, just not to me. There was only one other couple at the sushi bar. Then after finishing I sat there for over 5 minutes with my credit card out waiting for a check. I had to call the waitress myself while the sushi chef was just standing in front of me. Went back to my hotel with stomach cramps although I did not overeat.
(1)
Susan L.
Compared to asian food from california the food at this place tastes like TV dinners to me. I didn't try the sushi just the lunch specials so maybe the other stuff is better. I have to say though it looked worse than it tasted which is a good thing and once the wait staff finally acknowledged us the service was pretty good and friendly.
(2)
Randy G.
Monsoon is funny, being the only Asian Fusion restaurant in Flagstaff, you would figure they would try to stand out. But they don't. The food is inconsistent, being bold one time, and bland another time. Also, Spicy Tuna needs to be Spicy, it's not that hard. They also offer "All you can eat" sushi, which isn't a good thing. Go there for drinks and apps.
(3)
Paul E.
Great staff, nice vibe, good price.....love the atmosphere and the menu is reasonable!
(4)
Ryan N.
Well I can say that you might get better sushi in Japan, L.A., or Miami, but for Arizona I was totally impressed. This, combined with friendly and competent management, a well-stocked bar, and good chefs make for a great experience. I'm mostly stoked about the perfect downtown location and the happy hour that is just freakin insanely good. I'll be coming by every time I'm in Flagstaff. I have no idea what expectations these other reviewers had, or even if they know what good sushi is like, but do yourself a favor and go have fun here.
(4)
Dean D.
Man, where do I start with this place. The service is bad, like where did they go...oh to catch the fish, ok...bad. When they finally took our orders, we waited a good 1/2 hr for some noodles and a couple of pieces of sushi. The sushi was really, really bad. Fake crab and tuna fish that appeared like Charley Tuna wouldn't sell that stuff. Took a couple bites and realized that I was in my own special purgatory. Prices are not cheap, but not expensive. Ultimately, do not go here, the place may look inviting with its patio and wide open windows, but really its a big ol' tourist trap restaurant, which I hope never becomes the norm in Flagstaff.
(1)
Rebecca S.
i was already thinking "what the hell? we're seriously going out for asian food in flagstaff? this is going to be a waste of money and suck" as i walked in the door. we sat down in the bar area at a high top and ordered cocktails. my vodka tonic (yes, i order them even in asian restaurants) had a good, strong pour even in the tall glass it was served in. his asahi is served with a cold glass and includes sake on the side. we're off to a good start, no doubt. the menu was long, with lots of options. the clapboard in front advertised $8.99 dinner specials, but i never found them on the menu. oh well. what i did find was seared ahi and beef with broccoli, my husband's two favorites. we ordered and split both. plus white rice (for him) and yes, the holy grail, brown rice (for me). why it is so difficult to find brown rice in an asian restaurant in phoenix is beyond me. lo and behold i find it in flagstaff. now we're doing really good ... a strong vodka tonic and a brown rice option. i'm pretty much in heaven. then the food comes. that seared ahi is the best i've ever had, i kid you not. we're both on a mission to find the best seared ahi around, and we may have found it at monsoon. crusted with perfect seasoning, seared and served on a COLD plate, this ahi was perfection. i know, it makes even less sense to me than it makes to you, but holy hell that ahi was good. we actually split the last piece to keep from having to ro-sham-bo for it. next came the beef with broccoli ... also tasty. no cheap, fatty cuts of beef, no pathetic excuses for broccoli, and a few carrots thrown in for fun. we loved it. we left content, with full bellies and a happy wallet ... dinner for 2 including alcohol and tip was $44. oh how i love to be wrong! we're already talking about going back to flag just to have the ahi again. thanks monsoon! you rock.
(4)
Maria M.
Before we get into this, I want you all to know this place gets an extra star for the $5 Martinis. Five Dollars, y'all! I want McCain for president! The martinis were delightful and various different flavors were offered, although you might find it a bit hard to get the attention of the bar chicks. Rest assured, however, this is because they multi-task. I saw one chick helping to get deliveries ready. Anyway, I started with the sour apple. Not very apple-y, but tasty in a very light, springy kind of way. Then I had some tropical concoction with pineapple juice or something in it. That was gooood! I would have continued but I was dead tired from traveling all morning and being up for many, many hours, time difference included, and eager to crash at the very swank Econo Lodge. The food offered was of the Asian variety. I know. Asian food in Flagstaff sounds a little weird. It should be all about the Mexican and Southwestern. Well, we tried that, but Arizona likes to close early. On a Friday night. We're talking 8pm. The whole state gets two stars off for that. But back to Monsoon. I got the Mandarin chicken and my friend got the Lemongrass chicken. Mine was pretty good, or I was just that hungry. I ended up gobbling up almost the whole plate full, and I think I remember letting my friend try a piece. After that, we had a sushi roll called "The Geisha", which had something to do with crab meat or something like that, but I distinctly tasted red bell pepper. That to me is a sushi no-no. I know they were trying to be creative and cute, but it wasn't working. It didn't help that the rolls would instantly fall apart every time I grabbed at one with my chopsticks. One star off for the drunken, blonde co-ed at the next table insisting that she loooooved her friends so much as they rolled their eyes at her. Not that she noticed. Talk about an ambiance killer.
(3)
Linda W.
I don't know where to start.. My husband and I came up up here from the valley to party for the night and escape the heat. We walked around the area for awhile and decide that this place sounded good and we'd come back for happy hour. What a surprise! The service at the bar was top notch, Brittany was awesome, very knowledgeable and cool. The appetizers were great and priced just right. Cool, cool, menu! We will be back. Very classy place without the pretentiousness! Linda and Ron
(5)
Jake C.
This surprisingly tasty and innovative asian fusion spot was where I rung in 2007. Located downtown near the Monte Vista, San Felipe's, Maloney's, and Collin's Irish Pub, it is a convenient way to start off the night firing on all cylinders by having some dinner and maybe a sake bomb or two. Once that is done, you have your pick of Flagstaff hotspots to take your night from there. The creative spicing of the dishes pays tribute to many asian standards in a way that is both accessible and respectable. If you're looking for asian food in Flag, you don't have many choices. This is probably your best bet.
(4)
Doug T.
High arched patio was great in a summer monsoon for people watching with a draft local beer prior to going to the AZ Cardinals Training Camp. I was in the mood for either the orange chicken or lemon chicken and selected the honey lemon chicken on the $7.99 lunch special. The tempura chicken with crisp veggies was good but too sweet for my taste. I didn't bother to ask for lemon zest only but may another time if the patio at the Flagstaff Brewing Company is too crowded as it was this time.
(3)
Jennifer R.
OK, the sushi was... OK; but your in the middle of the desert, right? What I remember is the dessert. This fried banana wonton thingy.... yum! I know, sounds weird but it was awesome!
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Street Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
The popularity of Chinese food in America can be adjudicated by the appearance of China Town in many major cities in the United State of America. The popular trend of ordering or opting for Chinese take away food isn't unknown in America. Chinese take away food comes to rescue when you're too tired from work or too exhausted to cook. No one can resist the temptation of eating spicy noodles, shrimp, chicken, beef or pork cooked in the sweet and spicy sauce. The cooking method of authentic Chinese food is a lot different compared to what is served in America.
Generally, Chinese use dark meat small bones and organs to cook dishes but this changes when you are eating American-Chinese fusion food prepared using white boneless meat cooked with broccoli, carrots and onions. Back in China, the food is less spicy and oily as they favor steaming and braising method for cooking the most popular dishes. So, if you have a taste for authentic Chinese food, then try finding a real Chinese restaurant in the city. You can also try the most popular fusion Chinese food like Pecking Duck, Chicken Feet, Hot Pot, Shrimp Dumpling Soup, Mapo Tofu, Wontons, Chop Suey, Egg Rolls and not to forget Fortune Cookies.
There are not many restaurants in America serving authentic Chinese food. A little research on Restaurant Listings directory can help you locate the best Chinese restaurants in the city. Chinese cuisine is continuously evolving, and you can find a variety of dishes categorized as the food for lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant, vegan, vegetarian, and diabetic friendly. So, if you have a group of friends with different taste patterns, save the hassle and visit the nearest Chinese restaurant in your city.
Robert Y.
I came here recently for a birthday party and was scared because the last time I came here (pre Yelp), I really did not enjoy it much, so I was dreading coming here. However I am glad to report that to their credit, this place has vastly improved since then. The food here is above average. I remember there being a lack of flavor the last time I was here, so that was a vast improvement from before. Also, the prices are still reasonable. I ordered a chicken and broccoli dish, and some appetizers, all of which were under 15 dollars including tip. The restaurant itself is still pretty nice. It's in a prime location and a very popular spot during the evening hours and at night so it can get crowded and noisy. However it does not become as noisy as some of the bars do. The service is good as well, no problems. The waitress was especially adept at refilling our waters, and she was also very friendly, despite how hectic it was that night. Still there are problems. The food here still does not live up to its name, and it could be a lot better. The selection of drinks can also be better as well, because while their happy hour prices are great, their selection of happy hour items is only ok. Still this is a good place to visit and I would recommend it as a stop downtown. However I would not come here as a regular if I were searching for good food for dinner. Its a good hangout spot though.
(3)Heather S.
Not for the local lunch crowd. Waited 45 min for food that then came out cold. We had to ask for boxes just so we could have a lunch to eat once we got back to work. Alerted our server that there were issues, the manager didnt bother to come by, just threw a measly 20% discount at us. Bad call on his part, we wont be back.
(1)Taryn R.
The food was okay. The service was okay. All around, this place was okay. Great location though! Don't know what else to really say about it to be honest though. It was just average.
(3)David A.
I didn't eat here. My musical partner and I were playing music outside on the street for people eating dinner to listen. Mellow jazz and light vocal stuff (not punk rock). 20 minutes later, a police officer shows up and says that Monsoon Chinese Bistro and Sushi had called them to complain that we were playing. We stopped playing and many of the customers came out to give us tips and expressed that they wished we could have kept playing. I will never support a restaurant like this that will call the cops on a street performer without even bothering to talk to us or ask us if we could move somewhere else. Several customers were upset by this as well.
(1)Dorothy N.
Honestly, it just wasn't good. The sushi we got tasted like it came from a grocery store or gas station...Kung Pao chicken was sickly sweet, not how Kung Pao should be. Slow Sunday lunchtime service despite not being busy. Won't be going back.
(2)Liz M.
We went here for lunch today and sat on the patio. They weren't too busy for a Saturday, surprisingly. Food was good and waitress was nice. I had sashimi. It was fresh, cold, delicious. I would've liked more daikon underneath the fish instead of the bed of greens. My sister got two rolls and said they were good. Nothing extraordinary but fresh fish and made well. Miso soup was "loaded". Too many toppings, not enough tasty broth! Overall, nice place, but doesn't stand out among other restaurants.
(4)Patrick M.
Sui Mai with shrimp & crab Spicy tuna roll Soft shell crab Garlic miso clams Miso soup fried rice
(5)Russell M.
My wife and I tried this last week on a whim. We were hungry and talking about Chinese food and this place appeared so we tried it. It's a pretty funky place that reeks of a cross between trendy college eatery and a Chinese whore house with it's floor to ceiling fire engine red drapes and black lacquer furniture. I liked that it opened out to the busy and vibrant street scene. The service staff seem mostly like young college students who were friendly enough. We ordered a couple of cocktails and some beers before ordering dinner. I had kung pao chicken and my wife ordered a curry thai dish she likes. We both agreed that the food was serviceable but short of great. It wasn't bad but it tasted more like something from Panda Express than a gourmet Asian eatery. Overall, our meal was OK. Probably won't return here as our favorite Chinese restaurant is in Sedona. Not bad though if you find yourself downtown in Flag and have a hankering for Chinese style food. It's definitely NOT Asian fusion.
(3)Jo Jo K.
I was going through flag during a road trip and stumbled upon this great Asian fusion restaurant. The food was great. We had edemame, sui mai, spicy Thai beef. It was great! Very flavourful. I would recommend you to pop in when your in flag
(4)Faith T.
This was my first time here and I was very disappointed. It was Sunday evening at 6:30 and busy to be sure, but we had to wait 20 minutes just to get a menu while I saw at least one other table sit and be offered menus right away as we waited and waited and waited. We ordered Sweet & Sour Shrimp. It arrived after another 20-30 minutes. The brown rice was barely warm and gummy. The shrimp dish was also barely warm. The best feature of the restaurant was the plentiful outside seating. I might return to try the sushi but not anytime soon.
(2)Elena M.
My family used to love Monsoon, but I'm not sure if it's under new management or what. Unfortunately, it now appears to be a college dive bar masquerading (not very effectively) as a Chinese restaurant. We haven't been in a few months, so yesterday I brought my daughter there for happy hour. As usual, a gaggle of college-age staff was standing around doing not much, which is not a huge deal to me. We were told to sit anywhere, so we chose a table by the window. On closer inspection, our table and the one next to it were filthy, with old crusty food remnants caking the sides. Our server was nice enough, but when he handed us the menus, they were also really disgusting/food encrusted. This might sound nit-picky, but it was foul. I am definitely not an over-the-top clean freak, and it doesn't exactly enhance the appetite to order food from a menu that looks like it was used to clean the floors. I chose to overlook this, too, since I've always loved the place, and we were hungry. Anyway, I ordered the tuna roll. Daughter ordered the Sui Mai. Tuna tasted bitter, but otherwise the roll was fair. When I unrolled my napkin, some cooked rice (from another patron before me??) fell out. Yikes! Daughter was still hungry, so we ordered the chicken lettuce wraps. When a different server brought them, he flipped the spoon (accidentally), and about a half-cup of the meat mixture flew onto the table. No big deal. Accidents happen. Rather than replace the dish, however, he proceeded to attempt to wipe the mess clean with what appeared to be a dirty rag and collected the mess in his hand right over my open purse! Health Department visit, anyone?? I was pretty much done at this point. I tried the wrap, but it was over-salted and not good. When I asked for the check, I also asked nicely for a discount on the lettuce wraps, since a bunch of it ended up wasted. (I should not have even needed to do so. After an experience like that, the dish should have been comped.) A whole $2.55 was taken off the price. I am disappointed, to say the least, to see one of my former favorite restaurants in Flagstaff sink to the bottom of my list. Bye, Monsoon. You won't be seeing me or my business again any time soon.
(1)River G.
Stopped by for happy hour with some coworkers , good atmosphere great prices loved the Szechuan Dumplings and spring rolls. Will definitely be coming back.
(5)Brianna M.
Can't beat the downtown location, naturally. Their Crab Wontons were some of the best, flavorful, sauces were tasty. Also had the edamame, which were good, but how could anyone screw up edamame? We also ordered the chicken fried rice which was perfectly done, not overloaded with veggies, and had the bean sprouts and egg that some fried rices leave off at their peril. And an Alaskan Roll which was beautiful and delicious. Service was good, but there were a couple forgotten items. No silverware or napkins during apps, and I had to ask for a soy sauce tray. But all in all good. Glad I didn't see all the negative reviews before we went or I may have avoided this restaurant.
(4)Delilah C.
The food was way too salty and everything took forever to come out to the table. It wasn't peak hours either. I had the lettuce wraps that I couldn't even finish because of the amount of salt used. It's a good place to hangout and people watch but the food was eh.
(2)Lily O.
The service was outstanding!!!! We sat at the bar. My fish was very fresh and flavorful! The fried rice could have been more flavorful but sriracha helped! The blonde bartender made our experience !!!
(4)Emily M.
I really enjoy the location. Inside is nice large windows and outside patio is great in the square. From the first time I have come here, I feel as if service is always lacking.. But since their remodel - it's as if the servers are only young girls that have no idea you have to actually work (as in serving) for a tip. Pretty terrible. Do not get any salads here! Terribly bland . Go for Mongolian Beef or Mandarin Orange Chicken. Those are the only two suitable dishes I've found. If you're looking for sushi head to Karma or Sakura only!
(3)Wheeler E.
Meh meh meh. With such a location I guess meh stays in business. Thai noodle w/chicken. Underwhelming to say the least. Server said if I like curry this is the dish. Barely a hint of curry. Bland as all get out. Had to dose with soy and chili sauce to get some flavor. However good portion of chicken, veggies and noodles. So it has that going for it. Staff friendly and attentive. Wish I could rate higher. 3 stars would be a dose of curry 4 stars the above plus maybe a few more veggies.
(2)Tom S.
Greasy food. Smoking on patio allowed. Just nasty! Don't be deceived on the environment.
(2)Michelle T.
Although service here was good, food was far from good Japanese food. I thought the special rolls were not only over-priced, but the quality of ingredients were sub-par. The special roll I got (Red Rock) cost $12+ and the roll was small, full of rice, and lacked fresh ingredients. They use imitation crab meat here...and the sashimi (raw fish) look questionable. Over-salted edamamme, overpriced food...I think I'll save my money for another place.
(1)Deeah K.
Great happy hour food and drink! Great prices and tasty dishes. We had fried rice, dumplings and cucumbers, delicious! The service was awesome and the staff are so friendly and welcoming!
(5)Dallas M.
On June 1st of this year, I had just come from a wedding in Flagstaff and was looking for a great place to enjoy some sushi. I made it to downtown Flagstaff at around 9:00 pm and after parking downtown, I immediately saw Monsoon on the Rim and was excited to get something yummy to eat. When we walked into the restaurant, we were told to take any seat. There were a lot of folks who worked there wandering around kind of aimlessly and the place seemed a bit disorganized and chaotic. It was a bit confusing, but we found a table near the front and sat down ready to eat. As soon as the waiter came to see us, about 10 minutes later, he told us immediately that we only had 30 minutes to order our food and eat because they were turning the restaurant into a club and our table and chairs would be taken away at that point. Wow, what a welcome! Yes, I know, I should have just walked out, but I was tired and hungry and had already wasted 15 minutes of my time, so we agreed to hurry and order and eat and get out of there ASAP before the disco was set up. I ordered tofu and some veggie mix and my friend ordered some sushi. Almost 1 hour later, we received food. I wouldn't call it sushi and I'm not exactly sure what my food was, but it looked similar to tofu. I couldn't really tell because it was buried under some kind of funky sauce. The lighting was bad, it was really late and we were panicked because the disco was getting set up, so I hurriedly grabbed a fork and started to eat. I would like to preface by saying that I have been a vegetarian for 20+ years. I took a bite into this food in front of me and realized immediately that it was some sort of animal, not tofu. I then tried to get the waiter, who was bopping around ready to get the party started and let him know that while it might not be a big deal to him to eat meat, as a non-meat eater for 20+ years, biting into some chicken was not the best moment in my life. I was highly upset and also worried about getting sick. He took the food away, without offering to fix it and then brought us our ticket without any comp of food or drink. We also never asked for our ticket, but he made sure to get it to us ASAP after the mistake happened. This might be the worst restaurant experience I've ever had. Not only were we treated like jerks and told an hour before the disco started that we had to hurry and order, but nothing was done to remedy the bad situation of the tofu/chicken mix up. Zero accountability was taken for their mistake and we were not comped anything from our bill. I would NEVER recommend this place to anyone and hope that management understands that while the majority of their money might come from liquor sales on Friday/Saturday nights and their prime location keeps them afloat, food quality, customer service and customer retention should also be a priority to them.
(1)Anslem Y.
I never give poor reviews but tonight's blatant service of rudeness can not go unaddressed. The manager Eli was disrespectful and did not recognize his lack of professionalism. You would think that his level of responsibility would acknowledge a customer's concern but this is certainly his downfall. I go to monsoons for food and drink and now will reconsider my patronage. On a positive note, the blonde bartender was attentive and courteous.
(1)John S.
Very good sushi for Flagstaff let alone any other place. Was very surprised in a good way by the quality and consistency of the food. Great flavor, reasonable prices. Would recommend going back there and eating there in the future.
(4)Dej S.
I can hardly describe it. Tequila Sunrise. People pushing so hard I realize that I'll die if there is a fire. Most of my drink spilled. Bartender says I have to pay again if I want the rest of it.
(1)Carole W.
My husband and I have visited Monsoon twice, and both experiences have been great. Be there for Happy Hour...good food at great prices, and the beer and wine is priced right too. Chloe is the sweetest server. Sit outside, enjoy the ambience. We really like it. It's like a PF Changs in Flagstaff.
(4)Rayna S.
Service was great, food was not too shabby. Came here for dinner, had our pick of tables. The ambiance is fine and the location is great, right in Heritage Square, downtown Flag-perfect people watching location! Most places you order the spareribs appetizer and you get a couple of little ribs - the appetizer here is HUGE. It was probably the best part of the meal for me. For the main course I had the Mongolian beef (old style) with fried rice. The beef dish was sort of sticky sweet and the rice was a little bland. All in all it was good and enjoyed the atmosphere all together.
(3)Philip T.
Location / Location / Location - hard to beat a patio seat at the corner of LeRoux and Aspen in Flagstaff. On the plus side - fantastic patio and excellent bar - with exceptionally nice bartenders. On the negative side - the place doesn't seem to know what it's trying to be. I get the "Asian Fusion" concept - but selling a smattering of Thai, Chinese, Japanese dishes isn't Asian-fusion - it's just confusion.
(3)Jocelyn G.
Giving this a 3.5...so rounding to 4 stars. For a flagstaff place, monsoon is actually a pretty good sushi place. I come here for the super awesome happy hour menu. I've had better sushi in my day...but Still, I say again, pretty good. Definitely something to try if you're ever in flagstaff. Oh and also, the restaurant itself has cool decor. I love being in there.
(4)Ann F.
Went to Monsoon on our vacation. Food was delicious and the server, Lauren, was attentive, friendly, and gave us suggestions as to what to try via sushi rolls. We ordered a variety of dishes and shared them. I loved the location; downtown Flagstaff. My favorite was a specialty roll with eel. Would go back and definitely will recommend to friends.
(4)April R.
We go for the Happy Hour, they have good deals on sushi and appetizers. The food is OK, nothing special, the spicy tuna could be spicier. We mainly go there because we can have the dogs on the patio. They did add overhead heaters on the patio which is nice for the cooler evenings.
(3)Jim H.
Although it has a great location, monsoons is really a bar trying to be a restaurant. The atmosphere gives it away at first blush. And the crappy service confirms your suspicions. Food is ok at best. If your looking for a good dining experience just walk a few steps away to cuvée or mountain oasis. Both are nice alternatives. Our if you want sushi go around the block to karma.
(2)Yolanda B.
The draw here for me is the Happy Hour and dog friendly patio! Food is OK/good, atmosphere is good for people watching. The bar in the back is really low key and good for colder weather or to watch a sporting event. Service is unpredictable.
(3)Orlando B.
Came in tonight with my girlfriend and it was fairly busy to say the least. Ordered the Mongolian beef and a monsoon roll and my girlfriend got a philly roll and a california roll. Overall, everything was great. Taylor was our server and service was promptly and great. The manager Nealand was awesome, came by to see how everything was and was super friendly, it was great to see that. All in all i will definitely be back to enjoy it some more!!!
(5)Kevin T.
What led us here was the dog friendly patio. Hard to find in flag these days. We stayed for some bombers and a great roll or 2. All in all a great meal and experience.
(4)Mildred Kitty R.
The food is really Good. I had fried rice with beef and chicken and teriyaki beef. Nicely plated and taste was good !! Only problem was with the service. Young, nice looking servers but in such a hurry one of the guys who brought my son's food actually put it on top of the menus, some packets of sugar, we did not have plates for our appetizers, and they served the wrong appetizer. I had asked to share two plates with my husband and had no plates brought out. When I asked for plates they brought out tiny 4" plates. I asked once again and finally had my plates and could eat. The sangria was awesome and I truly found the prices to be very affordable. Wine was good, but again service awful! They were nice but did not take plates away as we finished, when I asked for a box for leftovers they did bring one but no utensils with which to put the food in the container. I don't know, maybe I was expecting too much or they were short staffed. Anyway I would return because the food was so good and the portions were enough for two or even three.
(3)Herakles Y.
My friend and I tried the Monsoon restaurant and neither of us really enjoyed it. The environment was beautiful and we seated outside of the restaurant enjoying the breeze and sunset but there was a guest smoking just next to us. We went in happy hour 3-7pm and had a few happy menu item and shared an entree. We loved the Szechuan Dumplings but we didn't like the Siu Mai. We ordered General Tsao and I found it too heavy flavored and my friend found it too greasy. Maybe because I am a Cantonese and I am used to less heavy flavored food than this one. Anyway, if you're just ordering the dumplings you will love it still! It's a little bit more expensive than we expected.
(2)Majol H.
Waited 10 minutes just for two cups of water and another 15 for only half of our order to come waitress had to put our order in again after us reminding her. People that came after us got our food before us.
(1)Samantha B.
This was my first and last time here. I'm currently still sitting at the restaurant (after waiting over half an hour for the check), the service, the food, the entire experience was poor. If you want sushi go to tepan up the street. The service was very slow, our food didn't come out at the same time, we waited 25 minutes in between receiving our separate meals. I feel bad for complaining but it just was not a good place to eat at. Don't come here!
(1)Mary C.
So everyone that knows me knows that I am new at this sushi thing. I really can't lie if it tastes like fish I don't want it, if it smells fishy I don't want it. That is what I have enjoyed about this new sushi experience. This place is the first place where I did not enjoy the food at all. I also tend to be pretty relaxed when it comes to service. But I was thoroughly under impressed with the service. Things kept getting forgotten and the only tables my GG could sit at in her wheelchair were dirty and we got the eye roll when we asked for cleaning. I tend to eat with pretty picky people and no one was impressed especially the uncle that has been living in Asia for the past few years. Needless to say I won't be ever returning.
(1)Darla V.
We were in the area visiting from CA and we happened to see this place. It was absolutely great!! I had the sweet and sour chicken that was delicious. Our server Lauren was amazing! She made us feel at home. I would definitely recommend this place to my family and friends who stop by the Flagstaff area.
(5)Susan S.
Updated the look of the building but sushi quality has gotten worse. We hadn't been to Monsoon's in over a year and ended up there when Karma was packed. Unfortunately the sushi was very dry and we felt like we could have made better sushi at home. I am sure from here on out we will stick with Karma unless we are desperate again. On a positive note our service was good.
(2)G. C.
I'll give it one star, as the restroom was clean. Our service was bad & our food was bad. The restaurant was completely empty during happy hour on a Wednesday afternoon, the server/bartender clearly didn't want to be bothered with us. Skip this place ... there's something better around the corner.
(1)Luke S.
Very slow service, below average, over-priced sushi. Karma is hands down better quality/exp.
(2)Kenzi R.
Came here for a private party and had the whole back section to ourselves. Happy hour drinks were pretty good or at least my $5 sake bomber was. I ordered the lettuce wraps with tofu and the vegetarian spring rolls and both were really tasty. Then I noticed at the bottom of their menu: "Parties of seven (7) or more, no separate checks." Wait, what? Is that an industry standard? I've never encountered that before. The private party I was with did in fact pay for everything because it was an appreciation lunch. But if I want to bring 6 of my friends to come dine here, only one of us can pay for it? o.O The food was decent but the service was minimal. Our server/bartender barely engaged us and it was only ourselves (about 13-15 people sharing 3 tables) and her. I think I'd rather try someplace else the next time I'm feeling Asian cuisine....
(3)Sunny R.
How great it was to find a place with good sushi, great cocktails and allowed dogs on their patio. Whoop! Whoop! Let's start with the cocktails :) yelp.com/biz_photos/7op3… Their bar menu isn't working online (keeps giving me happy hour specials) but I started with something along the lines of an Asian mojito. And it was red. Wow, wish I could remember what exactly it was called and what was in it... Or maybe it was an Amnesiac Asian Mojito and it worked its magic perfectly! I was deliriously happy to have sushi. Honey doesn't eat sushi so it's rare that I get to enjoy it. But since Monsoon seemed to be the only place in town that caters to dogs, he had no choice but to eat here. (His Mom insisted on bringing her dog to dinner. Period.) So I started with a Spicy Tuna Roll and then hopped over to one of their specialty rolls - the Gargoyle Roll with spicy lobster, avocado, cream cheese, tempura crunchies. Y.U.M.!!! Really good. But it was so spicy I couldn't really enjoy that I was eating lobster, if you know what I mean. I'm not even sure what Honey or his Mom got to eat because I was absolutely enthralled with my mojito and sushi. :) I noticed that Jenna N. mentioned her server was awkward. Ours was too! Maybe that's how they roll here at Monsoon - awkward servers. She may have been freaked out because it was "First Friday" in Flagstaff and the place was packed. But, I think their servers need to relax a little. The sushi bar is tiny and the bathroom is 1/2 a mile away, but did I mention they're OK with dogs on their patio? So all in all, Monsoon was a hit.
(3)C. N.
Given the quality of the food, the price is too high. It's not TERRIBLE but I've certainly had better. I haven't tried the other sushi places in Flagstaff so it's hard to compare to others. Overall, meh. Try it if you want.
(3)FakePlasticTree S.
Better places to have sushi than Monsoon's. This place is more like a bar than a restaurant as the food is subpar for the outrageous prices they charge.
(2)Michael T.
Horrible service to say the least. We had to wait around 30 minutes to even have our order taken. Once it was taken we waited another half hour to get the food. Only problem was they only brought one entree and not my sushi...well after waiting to see our waiter again we just split what we had. It got to be almost comical how difficult it was to find our waiter, at this point I decided I no longer wanted my sushi. Needless to say we did not have a good time and I highly doubt we will be back anytime soon.
(1)Hannah C.
Love this place. Went here for the first time tonight with my family. I wish I could give this place 5 out of 5 stars but we'll get to that later in the review. Place has a super cool chill vibe that I liked a lot, place was super big and there is a full bar in the back of the restaurant. There is a lot of outdoor seating which is always a plus. They play new music that's in so that was very nice instead of older music from the early 2000's. Staff was friendly and always had smiles on their faces. When we asked for a table they asked us to just pick one for ourselves which I thought was nice. I got the Captain Crunch Roll which was beyond amazing! Must try this if you go here and you like sushi! I also got the Rollin on Dubz Roll and it was pretty good! It was a little too spicy for me but it was good. The waitress we had was helpful at first but half way through us eating she disappeared for like 30 minutes and didn't check on us at all which made me a little antsy and annoyed, that's why the only reason why I gave this place a 4 out of 5.
(4)Caitlin B.
This review is for the restaurant. If you want to attract customers with coupons for buy one sushi roll, get one free, or buy one chinese dinner, get one free, make sure to have servers who don't try anything possible to make it so that customers feel BAD for using said coupon. Our server tried to tell us a coupon that expires in July had already expired. He was largely inattentive after this point. THEN, he reminded us, REPEATEDLY, exactly how much we saved with our coupon when he provided us with the bill--basically trying to induce us to tip on the amount we would have paid, rather than on the amount our discounted bill showed. EDIT: To be clear, I ALWAYS tip on the amount I would have paid on a full meal when I get something free--I was a server for several years, dated a server for several years, and generally try to be the most easy-to-deal-with customer. BUT I hate to be treated as though I'm an idiot who is making someone's day 10 times harder because I decided to have dinner somewhere using a coupon and am probably too stupid to remember I saved money when I pay my bill. The whole time, we felt bad for using the coupon. We wouldn't have gone to Monsoon at all if it weren't for the coupon. I don't think we will go back to the restaurant. Why put up with rude waiters who don't want to honor management's coupons when there are SO MANY OTHER OPTIONS for sushi and chinese food in Flagstaff (and the sushi is better and more affordable)?
(1)Sabrina G.
We USED to love eating, drinking, and meeting with friends here. It has been a family favorite for birthdays and celebrations. NOT ANYMORE We went in to Monsoons for my husbands birthday on Friday night. We had friends joining us and my son arrived ealier to secure a table for 10. When we arrived with our friends, the restaraunt manager was extemely rude to me and eventually sat us back in a corner and ignored us. It took so long to get a waitress for drink orders that we sent a runner to the bar to fetch our own drinks. On top of that, food orders took forever and they refused to split the check. We too long for a check and then the waitress decided that we could individually circle our items so that she could print new checks for us. This created an additional 35 minute wait with NO FOOD, NO DRINK and bored, angry friends.
(1)Bacon B.
What's more unusual than finding good sushi in the desert? Finding good sushi in the mountains. Monsoon was a pleasant surprise last night, and an affordable one at that. Loved my company and have a higher impression of Flagstaff as a result of this restaurant.
(4)Jim M.
Well. Went in today. Did not get served. We wanted sushi. Ended up going to karma. Karma sushi is really good and actually happy we were not served. We will go karma. Try bento box. They are the best.
(2)Nick T.
I usually don't review places, but I must for this place. Awful service. I went in and ordered the spicy Thai Beef with brown rice. After my food arrived (20min), I was told they were out of brown rice and had to make more. I was told 15 minutes. Whatever, annoying but no big deal. 20 minutes later the server comes out and says the kitchen accidentally made white rice instead of brown. I was asked if I wanted the white rice instead or wanted my food that had been sitting in the heating lamp to go. Really? Amateur hour. Then I get the check for my beer and appetizer. I probably would have comped that if I made someone wait for 40 minutes for no meal.
(1)Stephanie H.
Monsoon on the Rim is located right downtown Flagstaff. It is a perfect place to start off the night! It has great happy prices on food and drinks. The food is just mediocre, but the drinks are an excellent deal. I wouldn't recommend getting a full meal here, but just an appetizer if you're hungry. The bar area is nice and has large windows for great people watching! So, if you're in the mood for a quick stop with good deals on drinks and food, this may be the right place.
(3)Sarah W.
Came here on a Saturday night. Very average sushi rolls. Lacked flavor, good portions. Thai street noodles bland... Surprising. Fun atmosphere, more of a drinking place than an eating in my opinion.
(2)Jamie C.
I HATE POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE! The food was actually pretty good but it was tainted by their under enthused, under concerned wait staff. I was a little skeptical to order the Sushi Rolls but it was much better than I expected it to be especially considering this is Flagstaff. I split a Rainbow roll, the Captain Crunch roll, and a Philly roll. The rolls were tightly made so even with my terrible chopstick skills they didn't fall apart. I also ordered some Edamame which was actually a rather large and tasty serving size easily shared. This place is very loud but it's super close to the University so I guess that's expected.
(3)Ry P.
This review is for the bar. Dirty, dingy, gross. Barkeep was too busy hanging out with her friends that were sitting at the bar to serve drinks to other customers (on a slow Monday night). More bar stools at bar than spaces to accommodate them, a cluttered insane mess. Busboy TRIED TO PICK A FIGHT WITH ME when I scooted a stool out of the way to get out!! really? wtf! Not a huge fan of places where employees bully the customers. All around unpleasant atmosphere. Never again!
(1)Larry H.
What a gorgeous February day in Flag. I had the dogs and needed to grab a bite so I stumbled on the patio of Monsoon On The Rim. It was about 3 in the afternoon on a Friday so there was only one other occupied table. There were several veggie dishes and specials for happy hour. None of the lunch options offered anything without meat but the price was similar to the "Flagstaff Dishes" at about $10 a plate. I got the Eggplant Stir Fry Flagstaff Dish with tofu and brown rice. It took a few minutes to get out to me. The tofu and veggies were cooked right. The brown rice was short grain which I like but not sticky which I prefer. BUT the dish was drowning in sauce. They could have used about half as much sauce and even though that would have been better, it still probably would have been more sauce than I like. All in all the dish was pretty good -- I finished it. And I would go back here. The location is good but in comparison to all of the other local restaurants the only thing that set Monsoon apart would be they had a patio and their style of food. If I didn't have the dogs I would have probably gone some where else.
(3)Paul V.
Good happy hour place in downtown Flagstaff. I like the atmosphere at the bar on a cold weekend night and outside on the patio during the warm summer months. I pretty much go with drinks and apps here to start the night off when bar hopping with my girlfriend. I don't think it'll blow you away, but its central location in town makes it a good place for people watching.
(3)Jon T.
I always eat in the bar. Part of it is because I usually only come for happy hour. But I also had a bad experience in the main dining room once where I sat for half an hour without anyone taking my order. In the bar at least you can collar a bartender to find out where your waiter is. Don't care for their sushi but the Chinese-Asian fusion entrees are quite good. Other than Golden Dragon on the east side of town, I couldn't really recommend better Chinese cuisine in Flag, unless you are dedicated to the buffet experience. And happy hour is a great deal. Most of the discounted appetizers are good bangs for the buck and go well with the draft beer and decent domestic sake.
(3)Stewart W.
This place suck the big one. The have a 2 for 1 coupon on valpak that expired on 11/16/2012 and it is 11/2/2012 . The new owner suck and so does the new smaller menu. Wow now collin's and monsoons both suck. Never ever go here.
(1)Flag R.
Horrible! I've come here for the food multiple times but they have horrible service, they even gave me a dirty spoon with food still on it & didn't even apologize and gave attitude when I informed them of the problem....I suggest not coming here unless you would like to become sick
(1)Nancy Z.
I would no longer recommend this restaurant. New management, pricier than before and mediocre food and service at best. I have eaten lunch here every couple of weeks for several months because it was reasonable enough for a weekday lunch and I like the patio. NO MORE!! The happy hour menu arrived inside the regular menu. I pointed out my selections on the happy hour menu and received decent enough but not outstanding food.(How bad can a tempura shrimp roll and fried rice be?) Then the bill came. It was nearly double what I had expected. When I asked her about it, the server mentioned that the happy hour menu wasn't available until 3:00. Why didn't she mention that when I was placing my order? It was very clear I was ordering from the happy hour menu. If those items were not available for the prices listed, why was the menu included with the regular menu? The menu used to iclude half-sized salads with chicken or tofu, at reasonable prices. Now the salads are the same price the large one was before and the meat is $3.00 extra. I asked if they still had the smaller salad and the dopey server said that they could make it smaller but it would be the same price. Really?!? Like the other reviewers said, there are better places in the area and it's not necessary to eat here.
(1)Nicole S.
I would suggest going for their happy hour, because they have 1/2 off select appetizers and sushi rolls. Try their schezuan dumplings, $4 on happy hour. Their fried rice is pretty good too, at $2 on the happy hour menu for a small bowl. Also, their thai spicy beef entree is so good! I don't like their sushi as much as I like their regular food. Aside from this, I think their service is poor. I have been here many times throughout my years at NAU, and I have rarely had great service. On my most recent visit, we had to wait quite some time to place our order. All in all, I would suggest going here, especially for happy hour. If you are a resident of Flagstaff, keep your eyes open for coupons in the mail.
(3)Sara W.
Not sure why this place has bad reviews. I was a little skeptical eating here after reading the reviews on Yelp, but I thought it was delicious. We had a group of 5, and everyone enjoyed their meal. pad thai, shrimp lo mein, mongolian beef, chicken lo mein. The pad thai and mongolian beef were excellent. My friends had spring rolls for an appetizer and said they were delicious. We also ordered some sushi before our entrees that were also pretty tasty. The reason this place gets four stars and not five is that the shrimp was a little "fishy". The lighting is also a little weird, and everyone looks red. I would definitely go back the next time I am in Flagstaff.
(4)Jens J.
We didn't plan on having dinner in Flagstaff, but Monsoon was a sweet alternative to joining the five mile long string of gridlocked traffic heading the opposite direction into Sedona on U.S. 89 in a crackly lightning storm and drenching rain. You can eat in Monsoon's bar, in their dining room or outside (too chilly tonight for that though). We were off to a very good start when the host lead us to a table and actually asked us if the table was OK (it was). For a drink I had an Irish Red Ale, which was excellent. Tonight we stayed with the appetizer and sushi menu. JP and I ordered endaname, crab puffs, miso soup, chicken wraps and a dragon roll, which we split. The endaname was served warm with just the right amount of sea salt. The crab puffs were excellent. And I really should have placed a second order for them; they were that good! The chicken wraps, with a delicious hoisin sauce were great, with the perfect proportion between chicken and lettuce. The dragon roll was pretty good, though the "crab" stuffing was sort of dry. The only dish I would suggest that you do not order would be the miso soup. The mushroom pieces were cut too large and soup's flavors just did not blend well. But other than that, this was a great dinner with excellent service, and we were glad to be back in Flagstaff.
(4)Emily F.
This restaurant has a few really great things going for it: - competitive happy hour prices on sushi and beverages - outdoor patio where dogs are allowed - close to the heart of downtown flagstaff - great selection of beer, wine and sake - all you can eat sushi for $20 - $5 sake bombs on Thursday nights While I'm not that big of a fan of their Chinese food, their sushi is tasty. I highly recommend the monsoon roll.
(4)Curtiss M.
Spicy eggplant was soaked in grease. Wait staff was indifferent & edgy.
(1)Bob K.
Nice patio and the wait staff were very friendly. I had the spicy salad and it was good, however I also tried the yellow curry chicken and it was terrible. I really wanted asian food and a patio, next time I know you can't have both in Flag
(2)Jeff K.
We went here because we had coupons for free appetizers. The food was pretty good. We all got Chinese dishes and didn't try to sushi. Drink prices were good and the service was good. I'm throwing a 3 out there because I kinda expected more from this place. It has a great location and outdoor area so I was expecting this really great food but it was just okay. Sounds like a good place for happy hour though.
(3)Tim W.
I'm not usually a fan of chain restaurants (there's just so many other new places to go) but I like this Monsoon's. I really like the happy hour deals on drinks and sushi. I can't remember any specific rolls but so far all of the different ones that I have had have been good. The bar is a nice place to sit and chat with friends even though sometimes the jukebox gets a bit loud for conversation. All in all, a nice place. Nothing special and I would recommend other places if you're just passing through Flagstaff (for variety) though it's nice to have here.
(3)Scott R.
I have gone three times to TRY and enjoy the All You Can Eat special ($20). I have never been able to order more than 3 rolls. First rolls typically come out about 45 minutes after I place my order. I immediately order additional rolls, but the sushi chef is so busy he can't keep up. They should change the name of their special to: All You Can Eat if you can spend 4 hours here. The sushi I have had has been pretty good. I have had outstanding waitresses. I have had waitresses that seem to disappear. All in all I will go back for all you can eat if I can dedicate a few hours to a meal.
(3)chip e.
My little sister brought me and my family here to celebrate her graduation and the door guy "Wes" wouldn't let me in because I was "too intoxicated" even tho I don't drink. Apparently wearing dress clothes and bringing 12 people equals drunk. When I asked to see the manager he said he was "working" when I asked to take a sobriety test he told me "you can tomorrow," and when I politely told him I hope no one ever disrespected him like that in front of his family and friends in his life time he told me "in one ear out the other, BRA." There are too many respectful places doing too many things right in Flagstaff to even consider walking past this place. I appreciate Wes for saving me, my friends, and all my future friends my money and time.
(1)Lauren Jeanne G.
I originally disliked this establishment specifically for its poor quality hot Saki. I love all kinds of Saki, and particularly hot Saki in the winter. Wow was Monsoon's Saki terrible! I went back recently because my boyfriend really wanted to try the place out. Our warm dishes were alright, and my Nigiri was good, but the fancy expensive rolls were so un-tasty that I left them on the plate. I do not plan to go back and spend another 90 dollars on sub par sushi.
(1)Marian R.
Hot sake and el Diego roll..Yummy
(3)Ben S.
Service was great, food was...o.k. We arrived a little early for dinner, had our pick of tables. The ambiance is fine and the location is good (right on the corner). Most places you order the spareribs appetizer and you get a couple of little ribs - the appetizer here is HUGE. It was probably the best part of the meal for me. For the main course I had the Mongolian beef (old style?) with fried rice. The beef dish was sort of sticky sweet and the rice was a little bland. All in all it wasn't bad and the portion size was good, but not my favorite. The general opinion around the table was that the food was "fine". The cheesecake for dessert got them from 3 stars to 4 in my estimation. Yummy.
(4)David L.
Food is clean and fresh. Had to be gluten free and they provided many tasty options. The salad with the candied walnuts was awesome. Had a couple of rolls and the singapore rice noodles. The curry could have been a bit more flavorful.
(4)Jenna N.
I don't know if this restaurant ever really gets packed since I have only been once and it was an early dinner. I imagine it could get obnoxious, and I am basing this solely on the fact that they have the most disgustingly large flat screen TV I have ever seen. Just looking at it when it was turned off made me want to vomit. Anyway, the restaurant was very open. That was nice. I like being able to stretch my arms and take up too much space in general. The server was awkward, but I am too so I didn't mind. I felt bad because the guy I was with kept ordering more food and asking for the menu again and being abrupt with her in general. We got the Dragon Roll, which was excellent. I've never had it before so I have nothing to compare it to. I should mention that you can put avocado on anything I eat and I will gush over it. We also got the spicy Thai noodles with tofu and no shrimp. It was also pretty excellent. They didn't have an option of steamed tofu on the menu, and I didn't feel like asking our server since she was already bogged down in my counterpart's requests. The fried tofu was cooked perfectly, though.
(3)Mark H.
The sushi meat is okay, but they seem to have forgotten that the word "sushi" refers to the preparation of the rice. The rice is plain and not sushi prepared. Monsoons was recently bought by Jose - the owner of Collins. The recent remodel makes it look better, but also more bar-like and less local friendly. Good place to ignore your date and stare at all the t.v. sets.
(2)Kathy C.
This is my very first review on Yelp, and I thought I should take time to let everyone know my thoughts. In return, I will Yelp another nearby business which I feel is really terrific, and it's not a restaurant, so my comparisons will be fair. While traveling through the area, we had many choices of restaurants in Flagstaff. Was extremely disappointed on all counts with the Monsoon restaurant. Not only myself, but all 9 of my group were hugely bummed. Mediocre food, really, really poor service from the entire staff--management, bar staff and all around. Our waiter was probably new, so he gets a pass. I ordered chicken, broccoli and rice for my 9-year old daughter, which came to the table so spicy that NONE of us could eat it. She ate only a bowl of rice and water. Food took 40 minutes to get to us, the sushi was served WITH dinner and was thinly prepared, although wasn't bad. The ONLY person in our party who ordered a drink got the most disgusting drink (standard margarita, which literally took 20 minutes to get to our table and the place was not even close to busy) and the bar staff had to be highly coerced into making another, which was equally as poor. I cannot imagine how a place with a full bar could mess up such a basic drink more than once. Our guess is the mixer was stale. Management was so terrible at handling our situation that I was literally appalled, knowing that our nearly $200 tab was likely much higher than they generally see on a slow Thursday evening. Overall: FOOD- mediocre and would never go here again. SERVICE- horrible all around AMBIENCE- okay but not great POTENTIAL TO RETURN--zero.
(1)Jill M.
Stopped here for drinks and a snack. I was not disappointed. The place had a good energy and crowd. We watched an NBA playoff game at the bar. We got well drinks and beer for $3 during HH. Cali rolls and tempura green beans were very good and $3 also on HH.
(5)Brian M.
Monsoons really?...light sprinkles at best,we barely felt the drip...mmmm drip & Kesha!
(5)Mandy M.
the food is OK but a chinese fast food joint delivers better food. It felt like canned food in everthing, and the service was not helping my experience either. Then came the bill dispute that they resolved, still why make an extra buck "that way"? Finally, I stopped complaining about getting the appetizer last. It was probably my flawed understanding that appetizer should be served BEFORE the main course, maybe I am confusing it with the desert? Or maybe it's the new trend, more and more restaurants are doing it.
(2)Tom F.
Great sushi everytime I go here. I love the feel of this place. Flagstaff and some good sushi. We always have great service. Never eaten at the restaurant only the sushi bar.
(4)Paul P.
Hmm, where to begin. The location is great right in the middle of Downtown Flagstaff, and the patio is great for people watching. I should have known better not to get Asian food in Flag. My plate arrived with food still stuck on it and no utensils. The pot stickers were OK, not much flavor. I had the Pad Thai which was just plain rice noodles with little or no hint of spice. My wife ordered the sweet and sour scallops...just all around bad. The beer was cold though. Alex our waitress was in her second day and was very nice. If it wasn't for her I would have give a 1 star.
(2)Henry L.
They have really good service but not the best food.
(3)peter d.
There is nothing wrong with this restaurant but nothing that is even above average. The food is good but bland-- their Chinese is a blander PF Changs. Their sushi is acceptable but nothing extraordinary. I've found it to be a pretty decent place for happy hour because of their food specials but its just too pricey (12-18$ range) for most dinners. The waiters/waitresses are cute, they have a big TV for sports, and they have pretty decent happy hour specials. Other than that, its completely unremarkable.
(3)L P.
I have been eating at Monsoons for over 5 years and the food has always been delicious. I used to work downtown and ate lunch there religiously. My favorite dish is the Orange Chicken and it is the best I have ever had!. I make sure to stop there and have it when I am back in town. I like that it is thin crispy breaded breast strip pieces and not wierd breaded balls of mystery chicken pieces you find at other Chinese restaurants. The honey lemon chicken and lettuce wraps are good as well. Service has always been quick and pleasant, but sometimes they do get busy and are understaffed. No better place to sit on the patio on a warm day and people watch. They are dog friendly too! Keep up the good work! =)
(4)Ben C.
Bad employees and a ridiculous sense of entitlement. It's as if they don't care who the customer is if they haven't met them before and don't have a personal relationship already. Definitely wont be back and won't recommend it to friends and colleges.
(1)J P.
This place is so awful. Maybe we hit it at a strange time of day...but either way, it's no excuse for how terrible everything was. First off, when we arrived (in the bar area, where "Happy" Hour takes place) I had to go hunt down an employee to let them know we were there and wanted service (they were busy chatting). Second, I wanted coffee, which apparently wasn't brewed, and the server made it clear that I was inconveniencing her by wanting it. When it arrived, she didn't give me sugar AND as I noticed after taking a few slurps, the mug was filthy on the inside. Third, and most importantly, the food. Since it was Happy Hour, we decided to try a whole bunch of different things. We had some sort of fried spring roll and the Su Mai appetizers, as I recall. They both had the appearance and flavor of being tossed out of a box and into a microwave. The accompanying sauces were uninspired at best. I also made the mistake of ordering the Baked Green Mussels, which normally, at any other sushi place are topped with a small drizzle of some sort of mayonnaise concoction. The mussels at Monsoon were heavily covered in slimy mayo-stuff, and the shells were still covered in filthy sea gunk. Gross. The sushi. Luckily for us, we didn't order much of it. We got some sort of forgettable rolled sushi, then we tried two of their hand rolls, a Spicy Tuna, and the Shrimp Tempura. The Tuna was the most memorably horrendous. It was WAY too salty. Like, play-dough salty. It made the rest of the over-salted food seem "normal," in comparison. The hand rolls were also assembled poorly. All rice on the bottom (the majority of the roll) topped off with a glop of Tuna mush. Oh, and the "low sodium" soy sauce was almost certainly watered down regular soy sauce. AND that filthy cup of coffee was $2.50. Normally I like the idea of giving places second chances. Not for Monsoon. Never again. No cheap drinks or happy hour prices will ever make up for the overall lousy quality of the food we were served. In the end, I was just SO HAPPY I didn't get food poisoning. One of the best parts of sushi in general is the attention to detail in the food, the freshness, and the flavor. Monsoon is lacking all three. It's what I would imagine would happen if a fast-food franchise owner opened a japanese restaurant. It's the kind of place for people who THINK they love sushi. And if you're one of those people, give a shot. If you don't want to worry about being totally grossed out and afraid of tossing your cookies, steer clear of Monsoon.
(1)Madhu D.
we were intending on eating at another establishment during our stop in flagstaff, while on a roadtrip to dc from california. sadly, we came & found that place to be closed. being that we just drove over 4 hours we didn't really want to look too far for a place to eat so we settled on monsoon just around the corner. we had some chinese food that was meh. the location is great for people watching, especially when you sit outside. i wish i could have tried their sushi. i do not recommend their chinese unless you like flavorless & very bland food.
(3)NK S.
Dull. quite dull. Other than that, fair prices and a good location for people watching.
(2)W S.
Stopped in to try the all you can eat sushi special. Not impressed. The selection is about 12 rolls to choose from . Most of the rolls were spicy and just variations of shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, spicy crab, and spicy salmon. The sushi rice was not done correctly and seemed undercooked. The sushi chef was not busy but he refused to talk to me even though I sat right in front of him. He was hispanic and spoke english, just not to me. There was only one other couple at the sushi bar. Then after finishing I sat there for over 5 minutes with my credit card out waiting for a check. I had to call the waitress myself while the sushi chef was just standing in front of me. Went back to my hotel with stomach cramps although I did not overeat.
(1)Susan L.
Compared to asian food from california the food at this place tastes like TV dinners to me. I didn't try the sushi just the lunch specials so maybe the other stuff is better. I have to say though it looked worse than it tasted which is a good thing and once the wait staff finally acknowledged us the service was pretty good and friendly.
(2)Randy G.
Monsoon is funny, being the only Asian Fusion restaurant in Flagstaff, you would figure they would try to stand out. But they don't. The food is inconsistent, being bold one time, and bland another time. Also, Spicy Tuna needs to be Spicy, it's not that hard. They also offer "All you can eat" sushi, which isn't a good thing. Go there for drinks and apps.
(3)Paul E.
Great staff, nice vibe, good price.....love the atmosphere and the menu is reasonable!
(4)Ryan N.
Well I can say that you might get better sushi in Japan, L.A., or Miami, but for Arizona I was totally impressed. This, combined with friendly and competent management, a well-stocked bar, and good chefs make for a great experience. I'm mostly stoked about the perfect downtown location and the happy hour that is just freakin insanely good. I'll be coming by every time I'm in Flagstaff. I have no idea what expectations these other reviewers had, or even if they know what good sushi is like, but do yourself a favor and go have fun here.
(4)Dean D.
Man, where do I start with this place. The service is bad, like where did they go...oh to catch the fish, ok...bad. When they finally took our orders, we waited a good 1/2 hr for some noodles and a couple of pieces of sushi. The sushi was really, really bad. Fake crab and tuna fish that appeared like Charley Tuna wouldn't sell that stuff. Took a couple bites and realized that I was in my own special purgatory. Prices are not cheap, but not expensive. Ultimately, do not go here, the place may look inviting with its patio and wide open windows, but really its a big ol' tourist trap restaurant, which I hope never becomes the norm in Flagstaff.
(1)Rebecca S.
i was already thinking "what the hell? we're seriously going out for asian food in flagstaff? this is going to be a waste of money and suck" as i walked in the door. we sat down in the bar area at a high top and ordered cocktails. my vodka tonic (yes, i order them even in asian restaurants) had a good, strong pour even in the tall glass it was served in. his asahi is served with a cold glass and includes sake on the side. we're off to a good start, no doubt. the menu was long, with lots of options. the clapboard in front advertised $8.99 dinner specials, but i never found them on the menu. oh well. what i did find was seared ahi and beef with broccoli, my husband's two favorites. we ordered and split both. plus white rice (for him) and yes, the holy grail, brown rice (for me). why it is so difficult to find brown rice in an asian restaurant in phoenix is beyond me. lo and behold i find it in flagstaff. now we're doing really good ... a strong vodka tonic and a brown rice option. i'm pretty much in heaven. then the food comes. that seared ahi is the best i've ever had, i kid you not. we're both on a mission to find the best seared ahi around, and we may have found it at monsoon. crusted with perfect seasoning, seared and served on a COLD plate, this ahi was perfection. i know, it makes even less sense to me than it makes to you, but holy hell that ahi was good. we actually split the last piece to keep from having to ro-sham-bo for it. next came the beef with broccoli ... also tasty. no cheap, fatty cuts of beef, no pathetic excuses for broccoli, and a few carrots thrown in for fun. we loved it. we left content, with full bellies and a happy wallet ... dinner for 2 including alcohol and tip was $44. oh how i love to be wrong! we're already talking about going back to flag just to have the ahi again. thanks monsoon! you rock.
(4)Maria M.
Before we get into this, I want you all to know this place gets an extra star for the $5 Martinis. Five Dollars, y'all! I want McCain for president! The martinis were delightful and various different flavors were offered, although you might find it a bit hard to get the attention of the bar chicks. Rest assured, however, this is because they multi-task. I saw one chick helping to get deliveries ready. Anyway, I started with the sour apple. Not very apple-y, but tasty in a very light, springy kind of way. Then I had some tropical concoction with pineapple juice or something in it. That was gooood! I would have continued but I was dead tired from traveling all morning and being up for many, many hours, time difference included, and eager to crash at the very swank Econo Lodge. The food offered was of the Asian variety. I know. Asian food in Flagstaff sounds a little weird. It should be all about the Mexican and Southwestern. Well, we tried that, but Arizona likes to close early. On a Friday night. We're talking 8pm. The whole state gets two stars off for that. But back to Monsoon. I got the Mandarin chicken and my friend got the Lemongrass chicken. Mine was pretty good, or I was just that hungry. I ended up gobbling up almost the whole plate full, and I think I remember letting my friend try a piece. After that, we had a sushi roll called "The Geisha", which had something to do with crab meat or something like that, but I distinctly tasted red bell pepper. That to me is a sushi no-no. I know they were trying to be creative and cute, but it wasn't working. It didn't help that the rolls would instantly fall apart every time I grabbed at one with my chopsticks. One star off for the drunken, blonde co-ed at the next table insisting that she loooooved her friends so much as they rolled their eyes at her. Not that she noticed. Talk about an ambiance killer.
(3)Linda W.
I don't know where to start.. My husband and I came up up here from the valley to party for the night and escape the heat. We walked around the area for awhile and decide that this place sounded good and we'd come back for happy hour. What a surprise! The service at the bar was top notch, Brittany was awesome, very knowledgeable and cool. The appetizers were great and priced just right. Cool, cool, menu! We will be back. Very classy place without the pretentiousness! Linda and Ron
(5)Jake C.
This surprisingly tasty and innovative asian fusion spot was where I rung in 2007. Located downtown near the Monte Vista, San Felipe's, Maloney's, and Collin's Irish Pub, it is a convenient way to start off the night firing on all cylinders by having some dinner and maybe a sake bomb or two. Once that is done, you have your pick of Flagstaff hotspots to take your night from there. The creative spicing of the dishes pays tribute to many asian standards in a way that is both accessible and respectable. If you're looking for asian food in Flag, you don't have many choices. This is probably your best bet.
(4)Doug T.
High arched patio was great in a summer monsoon for people watching with a draft local beer prior to going to the AZ Cardinals Training Camp. I was in the mood for either the orange chicken or lemon chicken and selected the honey lemon chicken on the $7.99 lunch special. The tempura chicken with crisp veggies was good but too sweet for my taste. I didn't bother to ask for lemon zest only but may another time if the patio at the Flagstaff Brewing Company is too crowded as it was this time.
(3)Jennifer R.
OK, the sushi was... OK; but your in the middle of the desert, right? What I remember is the dessert. This fried banana wonton thingy.... yum! I know, sounds weird but it was awesome!
(4)