If you're in the mood for a quickie/ here it is... 2 stars- Service- slow to pick up food from kitchen, causing good food to be cold 3 stars- Atmosphere- sleek, modern, cold windows 3 stars- Food- cooked to perfection, but cold, and small portions 2 stars- Pricing/portion size, my date left hungry after 3 course meal 3 stars- Wine list- short list by the glass and $12 for an 8 oz pour Grand total -2.6 stars The space is minimalistic and modern. The dining room is defined on two sides by large glass windows that provide an expansive view of Overland Park and a sleek gas fireplace on a third wall. Unfortunately the windows make it a very chilly space in December and the elegant fireplace does not compensate. If you are prone to a chill, sweater up, or seat your chivalrous date on the outside of the booth! I did, it works! Our server was pleasant. He attempted to appear attentive but managed to bring us cold food in the case of the entrees... or warm, in the case of the melting ice cream dessert. Which, by the way, wasn't even my dessert. When they did find my dessert it wasn't even big enough to give a Super model dieters remorse! For an obvious attempt at fine dining don't expect fawning, attentive servers like they have at Capitol Grille or the Bristol. A piano is tucked into a corner for your entertainment. That can be both bad and good depending on the moment. I was seated next to the piano. My pleasant romantic evening was interrupted by an impromptu karaoke performance of " Let it go" by a couple of exuberant, off key 10 year olds. Note to self- request seating based on your desire to be a part of the action. For the most part, the food was beautifully presented, perfectly seasoned, and cooked to perfection. However, the portions were very small for the price and my food was cold. The entree choices were limited to 5 items. A hamburger, a pasta, which is also their vegetarian dish, fish, beef and chicken. Bases covered, just not that interesting. Many restaurants offer complimentary bread basket, not Vinotopia. The menu is seasonal, so be forewarned, you may not be able to request your favorites, or...they may just run out at 5:30 on a Sunday, as was my experience. This restaurant is wine forward, but the list of "wines by the glass" is very short and most 8 oz options are $12 and up. The concept of a 4 oz pour is appealing if you are going all out and having different wines with each course, but if this is just an impromptu dinner and a movie, that's a little pricey for my pocket book. If this venue is to survive, they need better trained staff, larger portions or lower prices, and an interesting, innovative menu.
(2)
Lacey L.
So where to begin..it was mine and my friends first time ever being here and I would have to say that it was a pretty good experience. I might suggest you bring a coat with you though because it can get pretty chilly inside the restaurant. The waiter was nice and polite. He was kind of annoying and I say that because we hadn't gotten our food yet and he had been by like 5 times and asked us how we are doing. Overkill buddy. We had ordered an appetizer (Crab Cakes) and they came out after we had finished our meal. The crab cakes were delicious (melt in your mouth good), but we would have rather of had them before the main course. The pianist was good as well. He played a lot of genres, which was nice considering one genre can get old after awhile. Some of the customers even joined in on a few of the songs he had played, which made it entertaining. Gave us a good laugh. All in all it was a good restaurant. Pricey, but good.
(4)
Josh S.
We came because of the Groupon. It did its job, got us in the door but the restaurant needs to seal the deal from there and failed to do so. It is a unique concept but was so poorly executed that it wont last. For a somewhat upscale restaurant, entering through the theater and up the escalator does not work. You enter and there is a hostess who seemed frazzled and unprofessional and it set the tone for the service. The waiter was new and completely unfamiliar with the menu, mistaking the preparations and having never tried the dishes. I fault not the waiter but the management who would send out a server to do the job without the appropriate knowledge to create a positive experience for the guests. This could be excused as an anomaly but then the other reviews tell the whole story. The fact that someone isn't getting replaced after customer after customer complains about the service is beyond me, It is a sad story of a restaurant just biding time before it closes its doors. There are simply too many good options for a restaurant to develop a decent menu and wine list and think that auto pilot will work in the competitive marketplace. Decent meal but we wouldn't go back and I suggest other diners look for a better option for a night out.
(2)
Brooke P.
We came here to celebrate my dad's birthday last night. There were 7 in our party (including 3 children under 14). We had reservations at 530 and at 620 we still had NO food on our table. And we were the only table in the place. Prices are very high. They have no children's menu on paper but will gladly recite it to you (typical kids fare - chicken tenders, hamburger, mac n cheese, quesadilla). I ordered the arugula salad with chicken and it was about $15 (nowhere on menu is it noted that a protein can be added to the salads and no prices for this was quoted when I asked for it.). Our server acted harried the entire time we were there - and she had no other patrons. The piano music was a nice touch but I preferred the auto player - when the real player came - it upped the noise level considerably and made it more difficult to talk at our table. My kids loved their meals (chicken tenders were moist and hamburger was buttery and delicious). The other two ordered only an app. My total was over $100. We were also there as the sun was setting and they put us right in the sunniest area - we all had to wear our sunglasses for the entire meal - there are no shades to pull and the sun is strong and glaring at this time of night. I think they can improve the place (and really hope they do). Start with customer service training - get a signature starter like lavosh and butter to keep people happy when waiting 50 minutes for dinner - print a children's menu - add protein choices to salads and publish the prices.
(3)
Grace L.
There was a good choice of wine, but not great. It was dead on a Saturday. Entree's and wine are overpriced. I was truly appalled that they would charge over $10 for 5oz of wine. But here's the kicker, they served it in a plastic wine glass?! So tacky. Don't waste your time here. There are plenty of better restaurants close by.
(3)
Christina T.
We stopped in at the Vinotopia bar before a movie. Every table was empty but the bar was full. We chose a seat by the fire and waited....and waited... We weren't greeted by anyone so we finally decided to go to the bar. The bar was wet and sticky everywhere and glasses were piling up. The poor bartender was overwhelmed. She wasn't very fast but clearly she should have had another bartender to handle the crowd. Each seat at the bar was full and waiters from the theaters were bringing her drink orders. Rather than helping or pouring a beer, other employees just stood and stared at her. A woman we assumed was part of management, due to her ear piece, came by at one point and glanced around and then left. The other guests around us were equally as frustrated. Since we were on a movie timeline and looked at our watches right when we entered, we knew that we waited 27 minutes from entry to service. For a $14 glass of wine... Terribly staffed. We will skip Vinotopia and stay at the bars across the street next time.
(1)
Curtis K.
Well I would say this place is already on it's last legs. When we arrived there were 5 people in the bar and two other tables with patrons in the dining room. I viewed the menu online before coming and was excited about the options, when we arrived the menu was missing about half of the choices show online, probably paring the menu back to avoid discarding excess food due to not being busy. When tried the brie bruschetta and the bread was stale and I could not detect any brie. Both are salads were good but presentation was poor, no cracked pepper offered at the table and no salt or pepper on the tables. The entrees were again good, but nothing special for the price, luckily for us we had a groupon. So another JoCo restaurant that cannot follow through and will not be around long.
(2)
Team BK B.
I will start with the reasons why this review is missing the 5th star... Our initial impression of Vinotopia was utter confusion. We were greeted by the hostess with, "hello," followed by an awkward silence and a blank stare. Uhh...hi? After a few more seconds of silence, my husband finally asked, "So, do we just sit anywhere?" To which the hostess responded, "Sure. You can sit anywhere in the bar or patio." I was sure I had seen a more formal dining setting in my research before we came, so before we sat down I blurted out, "Can't we get a table for two?" Again she responded, "Sure," grabbed two menus, and started walking. This issue could easily be corrected with a little training, or retraining, on how to greet guests. When we got to the dining room, she said we could sit at any two top. The only problem was two walls of the dining room are entirely made up of windows, one that is facing due west, and at about 5:30PM this means the light and heat of a thousand suns. All of the two tops were along the windows. We chose the one with the least direct eye burning light, but we still had to dine with our sunglasses on. Another couple was seated at a two top behind us and wound up being so uncomfortable with the heat and brightness that they changed their minds and left moments later. Sure the view of Overland Park is beautiful, but something has got to give, because no one wants to go on a nice romantic date and have to wear shades. Alright, the positives. The service was great. Both our server, and the other server in the dining room, worked very well together to make our experience enjoyable. The live piano music created romantic ambience. The food was delicious, albeit a little monochromatic--the plates were severely lacking green (or any contrast from brown and orange tones. see photos if you don't believe me.) We started with the bleu cheese stuffed figs. To my surprise (& perhaps dismay), these were made with dried instead of fresh figs. The flavor was good, however the texture wasn't as pleasant as it would've been with fresh figs. I had the braised pork shank that was fall-off-the-bone tender, served with a potato mash, roasted carrots, a peach compote, topped with roasted tomatoes and a jus of sorts. Well seasoned, great flavors. He had the center cut of beef, served with white asparagus, and a potato mash, and a beef jus. Again, flavors were there, but maybe green asparagus would've made the dish appear less anemic. We were also given a small dish of very bland housemade ricotta with a few small slices of bread. We could've done without. Overall, we would dine hear again, but I think we will wait until a slightly cooler evening so that we can sit on the patio. (It is less strange to dine in sunglasses if you're outside.) It was pleasant and romantic, despite the hiccups.
(4)
Blair C.
We came in for a tasting. They do offer 1 ounce pours, but not any flights for comparisons. (Yet). Our server was very accommodating and let us sample a Plumpjack Cab that wasn't on the 1 ounce pour list, very good! Life is too short for bad wine. We will be back!
(4)
Nick W.
My wife and I initially went here because we had a Groupon for it, which seemed like a really good deal for a "fine dining" establishment. Upon getting there, we were instantly seated, which was good, and then taken to the corner room which was somewhat small but had a cool fireplace and ceiling. We did not eat in the "bar section" of Vinotopia, which to my understanding is different food and staff. After being seated, it went unfortunately downhill, we were seated and waited for about 20 minutes before a waiter came up and asked "has someone helped you guys yet?". No... no they hadn't. Hard to believe you could be overlooked in a room with only 20 other people, but sure enough it happened. We most likely would have left except it was the last day before the Groupon expired, which was our fault to be honest. So we ordered our food and began waiting again. So 25 minutes later, our waiter, who in his defense was very nice and professional, informed us that unfortunately our food had been delivered to the wrong table 5-10 minutes ago and they just found out now. Apparently they had ordered "the exact same thing we had", thus the confusion and mishap. So we began waiting yet again, and our food was finally delivered a little later. As far as the meal it wasn't horrible, but you can definitely get a better meal/ experience for less money (and more food) at a Pieront's in Union Station or a Newport Grill across the street. Had we not had the Groupon, which was a good deal cost wise, we would probably have never ate there. Now that we have been there we probably will avoid it no matter what deal or promotion is out. This is unfortunate because even though it is attached to a cool movie theater and has a good potential, the menu is not nearly good enough and they are trying way too hard to be an "upscale dining" place while ironically failing dramatically at it. If they want to survive as a competitive restuarant they will probably have to cut their prices, increase their wait staff, widen their menu, and drastically market their business in the local area to get people coming in, or ever coming back.
(1)
Ryan R.
Very knowledgeable staff, we got a few craft beers from Darren and he was able to recommend a lot of different styles. He was very considerate the entire time and took great care of us! The chicken tenders were pretty tasty as well and good quality. They have a lot of beers on tap, some you may not find other places. Local food as well!
In a marked difference from my review of the movie theater, I had an exceptional time here for dinner. We were seated quite promptly but had to wait a bit for service - which our wonderful server Steven told us was due to the fact that the other server was swamped. Steven took care of us with giving recommendations for food/wine and making sure our food was served promptly. We decided to split the black truffle french fries. OMG talk about amazing. I can see why they charged $20 for this dish. Normally, we wouldn't have ordered something that cost this much, especially french fries. But come on BLACK TRUFFLE FRENCH FRIES. How could we say no?!?! For our entrees we ordered the burger (boyfriend) and scallops (me) and paired them with beer and white wine respectively. Dinner was phenomenal. It's hard to believe that a restaurant inside a movie theater would have such quality food (expensive though!). My scallops were incredibly sweet and succulent. My boyfriends burger also looked amazing. The ambiance of the restaurant was wonderful as well - there was a gentleman playing on the grand piano (baby?) and keyboard. He kept the music varied and fun! Overall the dinner portion was amazing and definitely made up for the disappointing movie watching experience (see Cinetopia review).
(5)
Jessica S.
What a joke. We had a Groupon for a four course meal and the service is absurdly slow. No hostess... we waited 10 minutes to be greeted and we had a reservation an hour and a half prior to our movie. The lights over our table were blinding and the restaurant was so cold I wore my husbands coat. After waiting 30 minutes for our appetizer we were concerned so our waitress told us we should go get seats in the parlor theater and they would bring our food to us. We attempted to do so but our theater was still showing the previous showing. We went back to the restaurant, the hostess went and checked on our food and was able to bring out our salads and 2 tiny bite size crab cakes in a box. The crab cakes were the most expensive appetizer on the menu and they were the size of a quarter, luke warm with had almost no sauce. I asked for my salad dressing on the side and was served my salad already dressed. After leaving the restaurant again without our entrees we waited to get our seats in the parlor. Our entrees came shortly but we're also a disappointment. My husband ordered the center of beef which was cooked well but could hardly be considered an entree. I ordered the mushroom pasta with sun dried tomatoes after being told it was in a cream sauce. It came in a clear broth with no sauce. Both were incredibly bland and I'm sorry but being served a "four course meal" in a box is not what we purchased. I sent my pasta back and requested a burger in exchange. What followed was complete confusion because we had paid with a groupon. We had to pay for the burger initially. My husband ordered popcorn because he was still hungry meanwhile I still haven't even had my main course and our movie is starting. As I type, my husband is in the hall speaking with a manager. Basically they are trying to do what AMC is doing but they are seriously lacking the man power, sophistication and quality. I should also note everyone around us was dealing with similar situations. 20 minutes for a glass of wine... people without seats in the theater who paid for a ticket, a family seated at a small bar table when there were plenty of regular tables available. If they want to charge this much we expect better service. By the way, if you go here, don't pay extra for the parlor. The couches are located in the front row. The other seats are nothing special. My suggestion, just go to AMC.
(1)
Aaron D.
I'm struggling on where to begin here. My wife and I visited here after a date night movie. Never mind we were ignored inn the living room by the wait staff... that's a different review. However, we were excited to try a few new wines and try out the menu. While our server was clearly excellent, the "bartender" took over 30 minutes to find 8 separate wines (that are arranged alphabetically) and pour a very skimpy 1 ounce pour. Never mind they were out of several of our selections, the wines we did finally get had no taste. I'm not sure if it's the preservation system, but after many trips to Napa/Sonoma/Willamette/etc., I've never tasted... nothingness, even from an $8/oz glass of Chimney Rock! Once we ordered food from the fairly skimpy menu (who sells themselves as a wine bar without cheese selections or some kind of charcuterie??), we were treated to butter soaked gnocchi, oil dripping fried mac and cheese, and bacon-overloaded flatbread. A truely disappointing culinary evening wouldn't be complete without insanely cold temperatures to freeze off my toes. I'll probably see another movie at Cinetopia, but I'll never eat here again.
(1)
Nicholas S.
This place has all the right ingredients but fails to deliver. We were seated by a pleasant young man, but once there, it went down hill. To save time I can sum it up as very poor front of house training. But to be specific I'll list out the issues. The extra place settings were left. No water was brought, had to request it, even after our wine was brought. The menu was different than advertised. We were told that Groupon users get a smaller portion. (??? does Groupon know this?) We were told.there was no soup, and no specials, on a Friday night. After ordering our menus were not taken. The oil candles on the table were dried up and not usable. The server was not knowledgeable on any of the menu, and wouldn't go ask anyone. Appetizers and salads came at the same time, with no appetizer plates and no bread of any type. No salt and pepper at the table, or offered, and the food needed it. The person delivering food, at our table, and others, were auctioning off the plates, "Who had the...?" The tickets at all tables we say were rolled up receipts with no presenters. Come on, they are free from the credit card companies. We did have a manager come and ask, "Howz it taste?" and then flip her hair over our table and stroll off. I have had better service at a Waffle House. The food was ok, but drink prices were over the top, even for a "fine dining" establishment. Sad that a place as beautiful as this was so horrible.
(1)
Jessica N.
We stopped in to Vinotopia before going to Pinstripes down the street. We had about 30 minutes to grab a drink on the patio, and we thought that was plenty of time. We sat down and ordered our two drinks right away. We waited 20 minutes to get a glass of wine and beer. The waiter was super sweet and apologized, but it was ridiculous. He said that the bar was backed up. We chugged our wine and beer and didn't get to enjoy it at all, and he still charged us for it (it wasn't cheap beer or wine). We walked past the bar on the way out. Not including us, there were only SIX people in the restaurant and two staff behind the bar- how was there a back up?!? We loved the patio, but won't be back.
(1)
Meredith R.
Yum! Okay, this review is a little biased because we dined for free here (minus the cash tip that we left). We received 2 free dessert vouchers for Vinotopia during the opening events at Cinetopia over Memorial Day weekend. We went in last night before seeing a movie and decided to split a dessert. We were told we could sit anywhere and we sat inside since it was pretty bright outdoors. It was still a bit bright inside (bar area), but we were there around sunset. We were visited by a waiter fairly quickly. We told him we had a voucher and ordered the dessert and two waters. He went ahead and collected the voucher and we never had to wait for a check at the end (super easy). We were served waters quickly and they were refilled later in the visit too, so it was nice to not be treated differently despite using free coupons. The dessert, the "Tower of Chocolate", came out pretty fast... and it was amazing! It was super soft and warm! It was a scoop of vanilla ice cream over layers of chocolate chip cookies (3) and fudgey brownies (2) and drizzled with chocolate sauce. I'm really glad we split it because it was enormous! That being said, we both loved it and we were happy to find that there were no hidden nuts in either the cookies or the brownies. We were checked on more than once and even offered small plates if we wanted to split it easier (we didn't do that, but it was nice to offer). We, of course, left a cash tip for the good service. We have another voucher and we plan to go back and likely get the same dessert and probably split some delicious sounding nachos and get a beer or cocktail this weekend. Nice atmosphere and a very nice bar in there to hang out at before or after your movie.
(5)
Jesscia E.
Went to Cinetopia to see a movie and got there an hour and half early to check out the new area. My husband and I ended up going to Vinotopia to enjoy the bar area and order a couple of drinks. The guys that were working there were awesome! They all seemed to be very knowledgeable of everything behind the bar as well as the menu. They gave awesome suggestions so we could try new things. We still have a couple of groupons to try Cinetopia a couple of times, and to give them the benefit of the doubt. Our first experience there wasn't the best but we thoroughly enjoyed our Vinotopia experience and will always make sure to go early to get a drink before the movies. I worry that the existing/future guests of Cinetopia and their mediocre experiences will hurt the reviews and recommendations to give Vinotopia a chance and actually see what they have to offer. Which is unfortunate, so I do hope that Cinotopia gets past bring a rookie as a movie theater in Kansas City.
(5)
Leslie S.
My husband and I have been here more than once and I will never go back. The food is OK at best. We decided to forego the food the other night and sat at the bar for a glass of wine and an appetizer while we waited for our movie time. There were 2 bartenders and neither acknowledged us at all. I wanted to leave but hubby said he would just get a glass of wine to take in the theater. Finally the bartender came over. My husband ordered a glass of pinot noir. He should have looked at the menu....he told the bartender to just give him any pinot noir by the glass. Bartender asks if he wanted a 5 or 9 oz. pour. He asked for a 9 oz. Bartender pours the wine in a plastic pint beer glass!! What!? Why? And he didn't measure it out he just pours it. I mentioned to my husband that it didn't look like 9 oz. but whatever....We asked for check and you can imagine our surprise when we saw that this skimpy pour in a plastic pint cup was $17.50. WOW! Now I really wanted to ask if that was a 9 oz. pour but I hate looking like a cheap skate so we left. When I got home I pulled out my measuring cup and a pint beer glass and measured out 9oz and poured it in the glass. Bartender totally ripped us off. Wow dude if you can't "eyeball" your pour, may I suggest a great implement called a "measuring cup"! We even gave him a $3 tip..........what a rip off! Called today to speak to a manager since I was so irked by the whole thing. Called and called. No one will answer the phone. Can't leave a voice mail either. All voice mailboxes are full. Hurry up and go out of business please so I can say "I told you so" to my husband!
(1)
Andrea G.
Wanted to try something new and the Groupon price was right. Right off the bat we knew things were not going well. From seating to service everythung was SLOW. Their were 6 other tables and 3 other complaints. The salad was wilted the potatoes were from an instant box and everything tasted average to bad. The view was nice from the windows.
(1)
Emma W.
Two of us went to use the value of an expired Groupon on a Saturday night. The wine selection was good (even if a bit overpriced) and our two favorites were both available - a 2012 Oregon Pinot Gris and a Washington Riesling. Anna was far and away an outstanding bartender. We sat at the bar for about two hours having small plates and wine and she was absolutely the most efficient, informed and capable. There were others working behind the bar that we interacted with but they were less than cordial at best, and absent and disinterested at average. Anna was incredibly attentive and just legitimately good at her job. I was really impressed. One of our small plates was less than desirable (cold and quite greasy) and we didn't have it too long because when she checked on us and my companion said it was rather cold she immediately replaced it with a better option. Anna was so sweet and on top of it with all the guests at the bar, and it was quite busy for a Saturday night. Her look and manner were impeccable. I was impressed. We will be back!
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Specialities
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : No Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Parking : Garage Bike Parking : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Classy Noise Level : Average Good For Dancing : No Alcohol : Full Bar Coat Check : No Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Deana W.
If you're in the mood for a quickie/ here it is... 2 stars- Service- slow to pick up food from kitchen, causing good food to be cold 3 stars- Atmosphere- sleek, modern, cold windows 3 stars- Food- cooked to perfection, but cold, and small portions 2 stars- Pricing/portion size, my date left hungry after 3 course meal 3 stars- Wine list- short list by the glass and $12 for an 8 oz pour Grand total -2.6 stars The space is minimalistic and modern. The dining room is defined on two sides by large glass windows that provide an expansive view of Overland Park and a sleek gas fireplace on a third wall. Unfortunately the windows make it a very chilly space in December and the elegant fireplace does not compensate. If you are prone to a chill, sweater up, or seat your chivalrous date on the outside of the booth! I did, it works! Our server was pleasant. He attempted to appear attentive but managed to bring us cold food in the case of the entrees... or warm, in the case of the melting ice cream dessert. Which, by the way, wasn't even my dessert. When they did find my dessert it wasn't even big enough to give a Super model dieters remorse! For an obvious attempt at fine dining don't expect fawning, attentive servers like they have at Capitol Grille or the Bristol. A piano is tucked into a corner for your entertainment. That can be both bad and good depending on the moment. I was seated next to the piano. My pleasant romantic evening was interrupted by an impromptu karaoke performance of " Let it go" by a couple of exuberant, off key 10 year olds. Note to self- request seating based on your desire to be a part of the action. For the most part, the food was beautifully presented, perfectly seasoned, and cooked to perfection. However, the portions were very small for the price and my food was cold. The entree choices were limited to 5 items. A hamburger, a pasta, which is also their vegetarian dish, fish, beef and chicken. Bases covered, just not that interesting. Many restaurants offer complimentary bread basket, not Vinotopia. The menu is seasonal, so be forewarned, you may not be able to request your favorites, or...they may just run out at 5:30 on a Sunday, as was my experience. This restaurant is wine forward, but the list of "wines by the glass" is very short and most 8 oz options are $12 and up. The concept of a 4 oz pour is appealing if you are going all out and having different wines with each course, but if this is just an impromptu dinner and a movie, that's a little pricey for my pocket book. If this venue is to survive, they need better trained staff, larger portions or lower prices, and an interesting, innovative menu.
(2)Lacey L.
So where to begin..it was mine and my friends first time ever being here and I would have to say that it was a pretty good experience. I might suggest you bring a coat with you though because it can get pretty chilly inside the restaurant. The waiter was nice and polite. He was kind of annoying and I say that because we hadn't gotten our food yet and he had been by like 5 times and asked us how we are doing. Overkill buddy. We had ordered an appetizer (Crab Cakes) and they came out after we had finished our meal. The crab cakes were delicious (melt in your mouth good), but we would have rather of had them before the main course. The pianist was good as well. He played a lot of genres, which was nice considering one genre can get old after awhile. Some of the customers even joined in on a few of the songs he had played, which made it entertaining. Gave us a good laugh. All in all it was a good restaurant. Pricey, but good.
(4)Josh S.
We came because of the Groupon. It did its job, got us in the door but the restaurant needs to seal the deal from there and failed to do so. It is a unique concept but was so poorly executed that it wont last. For a somewhat upscale restaurant, entering through the theater and up the escalator does not work. You enter and there is a hostess who seemed frazzled and unprofessional and it set the tone for the service. The waiter was new and completely unfamiliar with the menu, mistaking the preparations and having never tried the dishes. I fault not the waiter but the management who would send out a server to do the job without the appropriate knowledge to create a positive experience for the guests. This could be excused as an anomaly but then the other reviews tell the whole story. The fact that someone isn't getting replaced after customer after customer complains about the service is beyond me, It is a sad story of a restaurant just biding time before it closes its doors. There are simply too many good options for a restaurant to develop a decent menu and wine list and think that auto pilot will work in the competitive marketplace. Decent meal but we wouldn't go back and I suggest other diners look for a better option for a night out.
(2)Brooke P.
We came here to celebrate my dad's birthday last night. There were 7 in our party (including 3 children under 14). We had reservations at 530 and at 620 we still had NO food on our table. And we were the only table in the place. Prices are very high. They have no children's menu on paper but will gladly recite it to you (typical kids fare - chicken tenders, hamburger, mac n cheese, quesadilla). I ordered the arugula salad with chicken and it was about $15 (nowhere on menu is it noted that a protein can be added to the salads and no prices for this was quoted when I asked for it.). Our server acted harried the entire time we were there - and she had no other patrons. The piano music was a nice touch but I preferred the auto player - when the real player came - it upped the noise level considerably and made it more difficult to talk at our table. My kids loved their meals (chicken tenders were moist and hamburger was buttery and delicious). The other two ordered only an app. My total was over $100. We were also there as the sun was setting and they put us right in the sunniest area - we all had to wear our sunglasses for the entire meal - there are no shades to pull and the sun is strong and glaring at this time of night. I think they can improve the place (and really hope they do). Start with customer service training - get a signature starter like lavosh and butter to keep people happy when waiting 50 minutes for dinner - print a children's menu - add protein choices to salads and publish the prices.
(3)Grace L.
There was a good choice of wine, but not great. It was dead on a Saturday. Entree's and wine are overpriced. I was truly appalled that they would charge over $10 for 5oz of wine. But here's the kicker, they served it in a plastic wine glass?! So tacky. Don't waste your time here. There are plenty of better restaurants close by.
(3)Christina T.
We stopped in at the Vinotopia bar before a movie. Every table was empty but the bar was full. We chose a seat by the fire and waited....and waited... We weren't greeted by anyone so we finally decided to go to the bar. The bar was wet and sticky everywhere and glasses were piling up. The poor bartender was overwhelmed. She wasn't very fast but clearly she should have had another bartender to handle the crowd. Each seat at the bar was full and waiters from the theaters were bringing her drink orders. Rather than helping or pouring a beer, other employees just stood and stared at her. A woman we assumed was part of management, due to her ear piece, came by at one point and glanced around and then left. The other guests around us were equally as frustrated. Since we were on a movie timeline and looked at our watches right when we entered, we knew that we waited 27 minutes from entry to service. For a $14 glass of wine... Terribly staffed. We will skip Vinotopia and stay at the bars across the street next time.
(1)Curtis K.
Well I would say this place is already on it's last legs. When we arrived there were 5 people in the bar and two other tables with patrons in the dining room. I viewed the menu online before coming and was excited about the options, when we arrived the menu was missing about half of the choices show online, probably paring the menu back to avoid discarding excess food due to not being busy. When tried the brie bruschetta and the bread was stale and I could not detect any brie. Both are salads were good but presentation was poor, no cracked pepper offered at the table and no salt or pepper on the tables. The entrees were again good, but nothing special for the price, luckily for us we had a groupon. So another JoCo restaurant that cannot follow through and will not be around long.
(2)Team BK B.
I will start with the reasons why this review is missing the 5th star... Our initial impression of Vinotopia was utter confusion. We were greeted by the hostess with, "hello," followed by an awkward silence and a blank stare. Uhh...hi? After a few more seconds of silence, my husband finally asked, "So, do we just sit anywhere?" To which the hostess responded, "Sure. You can sit anywhere in the bar or patio." I was sure I had seen a more formal dining setting in my research before we came, so before we sat down I blurted out, "Can't we get a table for two?" Again she responded, "Sure," grabbed two menus, and started walking. This issue could easily be corrected with a little training, or retraining, on how to greet guests. When we got to the dining room, she said we could sit at any two top. The only problem was two walls of the dining room are entirely made up of windows, one that is facing due west, and at about 5:30PM this means the light and heat of a thousand suns. All of the two tops were along the windows. We chose the one with the least direct eye burning light, but we still had to dine with our sunglasses on. Another couple was seated at a two top behind us and wound up being so uncomfortable with the heat and brightness that they changed their minds and left moments later. Sure the view of Overland Park is beautiful, but something has got to give, because no one wants to go on a nice romantic date and have to wear shades. Alright, the positives. The service was great. Both our server, and the other server in the dining room, worked very well together to make our experience enjoyable. The live piano music created romantic ambience. The food was delicious, albeit a little monochromatic--the plates were severely lacking green (or any contrast from brown and orange tones. see photos if you don't believe me.) We started with the bleu cheese stuffed figs. To my surprise (& perhaps dismay), these were made with dried instead of fresh figs. The flavor was good, however the texture wasn't as pleasant as it would've been with fresh figs. I had the braised pork shank that was fall-off-the-bone tender, served with a potato mash, roasted carrots, a peach compote, topped with roasted tomatoes and a jus of sorts. Well seasoned, great flavors. He had the center cut of beef, served with white asparagus, and a potato mash, and a beef jus. Again, flavors were there, but maybe green asparagus would've made the dish appear less anemic. We were also given a small dish of very bland housemade ricotta with a few small slices of bread. We could've done without. Overall, we would dine hear again, but I think we will wait until a slightly cooler evening so that we can sit on the patio. (It is less strange to dine in sunglasses if you're outside.) It was pleasant and romantic, despite the hiccups.
(4)Blair C.
We came in for a tasting. They do offer 1 ounce pours, but not any flights for comparisons. (Yet). Our server was very accommodating and let us sample a Plumpjack Cab that wasn't on the 1 ounce pour list, very good! Life is too short for bad wine. We will be back!
(4)Nick W.
My wife and I initially went here because we had a Groupon for it, which seemed like a really good deal for a "fine dining" establishment. Upon getting there, we were instantly seated, which was good, and then taken to the corner room which was somewhat small but had a cool fireplace and ceiling. We did not eat in the "bar section" of Vinotopia, which to my understanding is different food and staff. After being seated, it went unfortunately downhill, we were seated and waited for about 20 minutes before a waiter came up and asked "has someone helped you guys yet?". No... no they hadn't. Hard to believe you could be overlooked in a room with only 20 other people, but sure enough it happened. We most likely would have left except it was the last day before the Groupon expired, which was our fault to be honest. So we ordered our food and began waiting again. So 25 minutes later, our waiter, who in his defense was very nice and professional, informed us that unfortunately our food had been delivered to the wrong table 5-10 minutes ago and they just found out now. Apparently they had ordered "the exact same thing we had", thus the confusion and mishap. So we began waiting yet again, and our food was finally delivered a little later. As far as the meal it wasn't horrible, but you can definitely get a better meal/ experience for less money (and more food) at a Pieront's in Union Station or a Newport Grill across the street. Had we not had the Groupon, which was a good deal cost wise, we would probably have never ate there. Now that we have been there we probably will avoid it no matter what deal or promotion is out. This is unfortunate because even though it is attached to a cool movie theater and has a good potential, the menu is not nearly good enough and they are trying way too hard to be an "upscale dining" place while ironically failing dramatically at it. If they want to survive as a competitive restuarant they will probably have to cut their prices, increase their wait staff, widen their menu, and drastically market their business in the local area to get people coming in, or ever coming back.
(1)Ryan R.
Very knowledgeable staff, we got a few craft beers from Darren and he was able to recommend a lot of different styles. He was very considerate the entire time and took great care of us! The chicken tenders were pretty tasty as well and good quality. They have a lot of beers on tap, some you may not find other places. Local food as well!
(5)Richard E.
I tried Vinotopia because of the Groupon. I was turned away twice before because we were told dinner consistently takes TWO HOURS to have an appetizer, 2 salads, and 2 entrees and we either didn't have enough time before our movie or their seemingly available tables were actually reserved and they were full. Really?! The server explained the difference between the groupon and regular menu, and apparently the groupon serving sizes are actually smaller than what they normally serve. I'm not sure if this could even considered to be a "deal" since groupon customers order off of the same menu but actually receive an inferior item in quantity. I feel like the groupon was actually a huge ripoff. Cutting corners on the groupon is NOT a way to win future customers. Serve us the same items! If I order the Mac and cheese balls for $10, serve me your normal serving of 3 Mac and cheese balls, and don't serve me only 2 because I'm a groupon customer! You can't claim there's a $10 value on an appetizer when you only serve 2/3 of it. So technically, I really only should have a value of $6.67 since I'm not getting a full serving. I digress. Other food notes: - There was mold on my lettuce (southwest half salad) and the server didn't do anything about it except apologize. - The burger was ordered as medium and came out as overly well done. - The burger also was ordered with bacon but the bacon was not there when our food arrived. - Fries with the burger were lodged with so much grease! - The beef entree was really good and might have been the only thing that was served as ordered. Portions were small, probably because of the groupon. - The potato purée that was supposed to come with the beef was actually cauliflower purée and was VERY over salted. The server was kind but service was slow - Vinotopia should hire more kitchen and restaurant staff, and a manager should be asking for feedback from every table. I heard other tables around me commenting negatively on missing food, proportions, or poor food preparation. I would have loved to say better things about this experience at Vinotopia, but I am glad the wine and beer are at least consistent. They have such a great opportunity to be an amazing restaurant but are clearly lacking the operational excellence needed to run a restaurant. We will be back, but only for wine and beer because those are next to impossible to screw up.
(1)Caroline L.
In a marked difference from my review of the movie theater, I had an exceptional time here for dinner. We were seated quite promptly but had to wait a bit for service - which our wonderful server Steven told us was due to the fact that the other server was swamped. Steven took care of us with giving recommendations for food/wine and making sure our food was served promptly. We decided to split the black truffle french fries. OMG talk about amazing. I can see why they charged $20 for this dish. Normally, we wouldn't have ordered something that cost this much, especially french fries. But come on BLACK TRUFFLE FRENCH FRIES. How could we say no?!?! For our entrees we ordered the burger (boyfriend) and scallops (me) and paired them with beer and white wine respectively. Dinner was phenomenal. It's hard to believe that a restaurant inside a movie theater would have such quality food (expensive though!). My scallops were incredibly sweet and succulent. My boyfriends burger also looked amazing. The ambiance of the restaurant was wonderful as well - there was a gentleman playing on the grand piano (baby?) and keyboard. He kept the music varied and fun! Overall the dinner portion was amazing and definitely made up for the disappointing movie watching experience (see Cinetopia review).
(5)Jessica S.
What a joke. We had a Groupon for a four course meal and the service is absurdly slow. No hostess... we waited 10 minutes to be greeted and we had a reservation an hour and a half prior to our movie. The lights over our table were blinding and the restaurant was so cold I wore my husbands coat. After waiting 30 minutes for our appetizer we were concerned so our waitress told us we should go get seats in the parlor theater and they would bring our food to us. We attempted to do so but our theater was still showing the previous showing. We went back to the restaurant, the hostess went and checked on our food and was able to bring out our salads and 2 tiny bite size crab cakes in a box. The crab cakes were the most expensive appetizer on the menu and they were the size of a quarter, luke warm with had almost no sauce. I asked for my salad dressing on the side and was served my salad already dressed. After leaving the restaurant again without our entrees we waited to get our seats in the parlor. Our entrees came shortly but we're also a disappointment. My husband ordered the center of beef which was cooked well but could hardly be considered an entree. I ordered the mushroom pasta with sun dried tomatoes after being told it was in a cream sauce. It came in a clear broth with no sauce. Both were incredibly bland and I'm sorry but being served a "four course meal" in a box is not what we purchased. I sent my pasta back and requested a burger in exchange. What followed was complete confusion because we had paid with a groupon. We had to pay for the burger initially. My husband ordered popcorn because he was still hungry meanwhile I still haven't even had my main course and our movie is starting. As I type, my husband is in the hall speaking with a manager. Basically they are trying to do what AMC is doing but they are seriously lacking the man power, sophistication and quality. I should also note everyone around us was dealing with similar situations. 20 minutes for a glass of wine... people without seats in the theater who paid for a ticket, a family seated at a small bar table when there were plenty of regular tables available. If they want to charge this much we expect better service. By the way, if you go here, don't pay extra for the parlor. The couches are located in the front row. The other seats are nothing special. My suggestion, just go to AMC.
(1)Aaron D.
I'm struggling on where to begin here. My wife and I visited here after a date night movie. Never mind we were ignored inn the living room by the wait staff... that's a different review. However, we were excited to try a few new wines and try out the menu. While our server was clearly excellent, the "bartender" took over 30 minutes to find 8 separate wines (that are arranged alphabetically) and pour a very skimpy 1 ounce pour. Never mind they were out of several of our selections, the wines we did finally get had no taste. I'm not sure if it's the preservation system, but after many trips to Napa/Sonoma/Willamette/etc., I've never tasted... nothingness, even from an $8/oz glass of Chimney Rock! Once we ordered food from the fairly skimpy menu (who sells themselves as a wine bar without cheese selections or some kind of charcuterie??), we were treated to butter soaked gnocchi, oil dripping fried mac and cheese, and bacon-overloaded flatbread. A truely disappointing culinary evening wouldn't be complete without insanely cold temperatures to freeze off my toes. I'll probably see another movie at Cinetopia, but I'll never eat here again.
(1)Nicholas S.
This place has all the right ingredients but fails to deliver. We were seated by a pleasant young man, but once there, it went down hill. To save time I can sum it up as very poor front of house training. But to be specific I'll list out the issues. The extra place settings were left. No water was brought, had to request it, even after our wine was brought. The menu was different than advertised. We were told that Groupon users get a smaller portion. (??? does Groupon know this?) We were told.there was no soup, and no specials, on a Friday night. After ordering our menus were not taken. The oil candles on the table were dried up and not usable. The server was not knowledgeable on any of the menu, and wouldn't go ask anyone. Appetizers and salads came at the same time, with no appetizer plates and no bread of any type. No salt and pepper at the table, or offered, and the food needed it. The person delivering food, at our table, and others, were auctioning off the plates, "Who had the...?" The tickets at all tables we say were rolled up receipts with no presenters. Come on, they are free from the credit card companies. We did have a manager come and ask, "Howz it taste?" and then flip her hair over our table and stroll off. I have had better service at a Waffle House. The food was ok, but drink prices were over the top, even for a "fine dining" establishment. Sad that a place as beautiful as this was so horrible.
(1)Jessica N.
We stopped in to Vinotopia before going to Pinstripes down the street. We had about 30 minutes to grab a drink on the patio, and we thought that was plenty of time. We sat down and ordered our two drinks right away. We waited 20 minutes to get a glass of wine and beer. The waiter was super sweet and apologized, but it was ridiculous. He said that the bar was backed up. We chugged our wine and beer and didn't get to enjoy it at all, and he still charged us for it (it wasn't cheap beer or wine). We walked past the bar on the way out. Not including us, there were only SIX people in the restaurant and two staff behind the bar- how was there a back up?!? We loved the patio, but won't be back.
(1)Meredith R.
Yum! Okay, this review is a little biased because we dined for free here (minus the cash tip that we left). We received 2 free dessert vouchers for Vinotopia during the opening events at Cinetopia over Memorial Day weekend. We went in last night before seeing a movie and decided to split a dessert. We were told we could sit anywhere and we sat inside since it was pretty bright outdoors. It was still a bit bright inside (bar area), but we were there around sunset. We were visited by a waiter fairly quickly. We told him we had a voucher and ordered the dessert and two waters. He went ahead and collected the voucher and we never had to wait for a check at the end (super easy). We were served waters quickly and they were refilled later in the visit too, so it was nice to not be treated differently despite using free coupons. The dessert, the "Tower of Chocolate", came out pretty fast... and it was amazing! It was super soft and warm! It was a scoop of vanilla ice cream over layers of chocolate chip cookies (3) and fudgey brownies (2) and drizzled with chocolate sauce. I'm really glad we split it because it was enormous! That being said, we both loved it and we were happy to find that there were no hidden nuts in either the cookies or the brownies. We were checked on more than once and even offered small plates if we wanted to split it easier (we didn't do that, but it was nice to offer). We, of course, left a cash tip for the good service. We have another voucher and we plan to go back and likely get the same dessert and probably split some delicious sounding nachos and get a beer or cocktail this weekend. Nice atmosphere and a very nice bar in there to hang out at before or after your movie.
(5)Jesscia E.
Went to Cinetopia to see a movie and got there an hour and half early to check out the new area. My husband and I ended up going to Vinotopia to enjoy the bar area and order a couple of drinks. The guys that were working there were awesome! They all seemed to be very knowledgeable of everything behind the bar as well as the menu. They gave awesome suggestions so we could try new things. We still have a couple of groupons to try Cinetopia a couple of times, and to give them the benefit of the doubt. Our first experience there wasn't the best but we thoroughly enjoyed our Vinotopia experience and will always make sure to go early to get a drink before the movies. I worry that the existing/future guests of Cinetopia and their mediocre experiences will hurt the reviews and recommendations to give Vinotopia a chance and actually see what they have to offer. Which is unfortunate, so I do hope that Cinotopia gets past bring a rookie as a movie theater in Kansas City.
(5)Leslie S.
My husband and I have been here more than once and I will never go back. The food is OK at best. We decided to forego the food the other night and sat at the bar for a glass of wine and an appetizer while we waited for our movie time. There were 2 bartenders and neither acknowledged us at all. I wanted to leave but hubby said he would just get a glass of wine to take in the theater. Finally the bartender came over. My husband ordered a glass of pinot noir. He should have looked at the menu....he told the bartender to just give him any pinot noir by the glass. Bartender asks if he wanted a 5 or 9 oz. pour. He asked for a 9 oz. Bartender pours the wine in a plastic pint beer glass!! What!? Why? And he didn't measure it out he just pours it. I mentioned to my husband that it didn't look like 9 oz. but whatever....We asked for check and you can imagine our surprise when we saw that this skimpy pour in a plastic pint cup was $17.50. WOW! Now I really wanted to ask if that was a 9 oz. pour but I hate looking like a cheap skate so we left. When I got home I pulled out my measuring cup and a pint beer glass and measured out 9oz and poured it in the glass. Bartender totally ripped us off. Wow dude if you can't "eyeball" your pour, may I suggest a great implement called a "measuring cup"! We even gave him a $3 tip..........what a rip off! Called today to speak to a manager since I was so irked by the whole thing. Called and called. No one will answer the phone. Can't leave a voice mail either. All voice mailboxes are full. Hurry up and go out of business please so I can say "I told you so" to my husband!
(1)Andrea G.
Wanted to try something new and the Groupon price was right. Right off the bat we knew things were not going well. From seating to service everythung was SLOW. Their were 6 other tables and 3 other complaints. The salad was wilted the potatoes were from an instant box and everything tasted average to bad. The view was nice from the windows.
(1)Emma W.
Two of us went to use the value of an expired Groupon on a Saturday night. The wine selection was good (even if a bit overpriced) and our two favorites were both available - a 2012 Oregon Pinot Gris and a Washington Riesling. Anna was far and away an outstanding bartender. We sat at the bar for about two hours having small plates and wine and she was absolutely the most efficient, informed and capable. There were others working behind the bar that we interacted with but they were less than cordial at best, and absent and disinterested at average. Anna was incredibly attentive and just legitimately good at her job. I was really impressed. One of our small plates was less than desirable (cold and quite greasy) and we didn't have it too long because when she checked on us and my companion said it was rather cold she immediately replaced it with a better option. Anna was so sweet and on top of it with all the guests at the bar, and it was quite busy for a Saturday night. Her look and manner were impeccable. I was impressed. We will be back!
(4)