Monte Vista Cocktail Lounge - Flagstaff

I don't understand all the high reviews. Partner and I have been here twice, the second time because the Thai place was really busy. Both times we've been struck by how beautiful the food looks, and yet it tastes like nothing. Anything with eel sauce tastes good because of the eel sauce but everything else, basic rolls, nigiri, ramen, etc are just so underwhelming taste wise. I guess that's really the issue here, the food is edible and the service is really slow but competent. It's just not remarkable. The prices are too high for the portion sizes for the food to be so bland. Sushi: both times the rice was on the sushi was too old. It's good for fried rice, but NOT sushi. You can tell. Sushi has 2 ingredients, the rice and the fish. The rice is important. Miso: bland Ramen: broth was bland, and there's a tomato. Wut. Torched salmon: this tasted good, but only 4 slices for 16 dollars? Ridiculous.

I had an amazing experience last night at the Lotus Lounge located in the Hotel Monte Vista. Was not expecting to go there but I?m sure glad I did. The staff is wonderful! They are like family there and made me feel so comfortable and welcomed. Great customer experience. The Miso soup was excellent and the sushi and noodle bowls were mouth watering. Great atmosphere. I will definitely be back. I highly recommend this spot in Downtown Flagstaff.

Lotus Lounge Flagstaff, AZ We traveled to Flagstaff on a Sunday on a holiday weekend. We walked in and recognized that it was almost closing time, asked if the kitchen was still open, they said yes and we were seated. All was well and the environment was quirky. While sitting we decided our meal, we ordered two rolls of sushi (California Roll and Chupacabra roll), and two bowls of beef ramen. The wait was not terribly bad we got our meal 25 minutes after ordering. We weren 't bothered by the wait because we had fantastic customer service. When our meals arrived, there were obvious signs of low quality food. At a glance, the salmon in the Chupacabra roll was browning an obvious sign that the fish had been out all day. Not only was this disgusting to witness, but this would be dangerous if we consumed it. Moreover, the avocados were rotten, and were definitely cut at the beginning of the morning and given to us at night. Furthermore, our ramen was by far the worst ramen I 've had in my life. Not only was it flavorless, but the tap water that was used in the ramen had more flavor than the dish itself. Well actually, maybe the rotten tomato inside gave it some sort of kick. Quality control was notably fumbled when they sent out noodles that were hardened together and clearly scraped off the bottom of the pot. In addition, you would think the kitchen would notice a rotten sliced tomato garnished on the dish. In order for us to stomach this we were given a bottle of bubbly water, note we did not ask for mineral water, this was in fact foam from the city tap water. We declined to drink the water and asked for the check. By the outward look of this establishment, I believe that it has potential to be a thriving restaurant. Unfortunately, under both stress and pressure, this restaurant crumbled. My overall assessment of this restaurant is a stern 2/10. The only saving grace of this restaurant is the environment. The quirkiness of Lotus Lounge fostered an energy that can be shared by many. One could come here after a long day of work for a beer, not food, and have a great time fitting for the name lounge. I left this restaurant feeling sick about the food I just had but with a smile that I got to share some time with some people that I love. What a 2/10 means is the following: You wouldn 't recommend to a friend and if anyone were to recommend to have a meal at this restaurant; and you would encourage them not to go and suggest another option. If you do find yourself here, order something that would be considered simple and safe and avoid complex plates.

We had such a great experience at Lotus Lounge! It was actually pretty slow for a Saturday, but definitely still jumping. I loved the two story dining room where we could look down at the bar and people watch as well as see drinks being made. Our server, Zach, was such a delight! He had wonderful energy, was very knowledgeable about the menu, and was overall a fantastic server. We loved the food, especially the sushi boat. It was great to pick the rolls we wanted and the sashimi was top quality. I couldn't tell you the last time we had sushi so good! And don't stop there! The cocktails were expertly crafted, strong, and so flavorful! The Middle Ground had a touch too much cinnamon for us, but otherwise was delicious. The A6M-Zero, Sol, and the New-New Fashioned were perfectly balanced in flavor!

I'll just go ahead and say that I believe we have tried everything here at least once, maybe twice? The only thing I didn't like was the ramen, it wasn't what I expected, but to each his own. My wife and I LOVE the Fire-Cracker Roll. We always add in other rolls, like the one in my grainy photos (I believe it's called The Tiger Roll, but nothing holds a candle the fire-cracker roll in our opinion! The Korean chicken wings are a pretty close second for me, my wife would probably choose the salmon fillet though!