Julian

My husband and I went here for Valentine’s Day this year and were very impressed. We had the buffet which consisted of biscuits and two types of gravy, two egg casseroles, French toast with the most amazing syrup, breakfast potatoes, salad, and the largest, most juicy strawberries with some caramel and rosemary toppings. The breakfast potatoes were amazing. The highlight of the buffet in my opinion. We also ordered sugar doughnuts that I will have dreams about for the next year. They were crispy and sugary on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside. Doughnuts will never be the same for me again.
You can tell the chef really cares about the food she serves and takes pride in it. It made dining there a very enjoyable experience.
The restaurant itself sits about 50 people, but the outside patio is much larger and very nice! I will definitely be back in the spring/​summer to check it out!

I’ve ate at Julian for brunch, lunch, and dinner. I’ve never been disappointed in the food or the service. My favorite brunch item was the poutine, which is sadly no longer on the menu. I am looking forward to warmer weather again so I can sit outside on the awesome patio.

I ordered the salmon and my husband ordered the scallops. The food was great. The service was extremely slow. We waited a long time to order. When we finally did order, they took the dessert order (3 for 35 deal), so they knew exactly what we wanted… Alas, We waited for our dessert for over 20 minutes. We couldn’t wait any more and just wanted to leave. The most upsetting part was that they didn’t do anything to try to make things right. They just packaged up our dessert and didn’t try to comp any of our meal. We won’t be back. very disappointed!

My husband and I went here for New Year’s Day brunch. I will start with the good: it’s a cute little place, our server was genuinely nice & helpful and our drinks were good. I had a bottomless grapefruit mimosa, so not super tricky, but my husband had the signature drink, the orange Julian and loved it. The not so good: we were there at noon –they were serving until 2 or 2:30– and the buffet (which was set up on their oddly tall bar– almost shoulder level for me) was in sad shape.
The options were:
a salad (which was completely empty)
2 choices of frittata (luke warm, but tasty)
biscuits & gravy (Good, even though the gravy tasted flour-​heavy to me)
bacon (the highlight!)
syrup (good if you like sweet, like sweet-​sweet)
and lasagna (?)
I might be missing something, but I guess that just speaks to how memorable it was.
We paid either $ 16 or $ 18 each for this meal and it was not worth it.
All of this being said… I have spent many years in restaurants and my husband still works as a chef and we both know that holidays can be sink or swim. I mean, any given Friday night can be sink or swim, so taking into account that it was New Year’s Day– the day after the biggest drunken holiday of the year– I do not believe that this was the best example of a dining experience at Julian. I am looking forward to trying it again and hopeful that I will be deleting this review.

The interior was not what we expected at all — the kitchen is small and the dining area is shabby. Electrical sockets hanging out of the wall, and filthy cold air returns abound.
Our server, Cary, was very attentive and knowledgeable. Our cocktails were delicious and featured Rieger whiskey, but lacked any garnish. Didn’t necessarily affect the flavor, but that missing detail that made it less special.
The deviled egg appetizer is a must, but t
he soups were only average.
The variety of entrees were just so-​so. Most agreed they were over salted and greasy.
Overall, at $ 50 per person, a very average bill but a below average experience. Won’t go back, and wouldn’t recommend.

An extremely disappointing Thanksgiving lunch. Extremely small portions for the price. Everything was overcooked except for the two slices of turkey which receive the two Starts in this review.
Update:
We ate our T-​Day meal at Julian prior to learning CelinaTio was touted «Famous Chef» in KC. Would my review been different if I knew?
Then I wonder if the good reviews are from regulars suffering from Cognitive Dissonance.

One of the worst meals I’ve had. Such a disappointing experience on thanksgiving. We chose this restaurant based on positive reviews, good looking food and the fact that the chef had James Beard accolades.
If I had bought pre-​made sides from my local grocery store it would have tasted better. Plus the turkey was RAW. Pink and raw. We rejected most of our food and the waiter did not ask once how we felt about our meal. We were trying not to be rude on thanksgiving but we’re left with a $ 150 tab for horrible food that was inedible. No bread offered — asked for some and got dry day old bread with no butter. Sadly, the child with us actually cried after trying the food. We were sat by the front doors on a cold rainy day. Every person that came in brought in a cold draft. We froze the whole time yet the AC was still blasting down on us. No care or regard by the hostess who played on her phone the whole time. Icing on the cake was the bartender who loudly talked about how she was sick and under the weather while handing out drinks — disgusting. Subpar experience. Subpar food. Subpar restaurant. Will never ever return.

I don’t do a lot of updates. But the burger here is just flat out 5-​star. It’s a beef explosion. A taste bud torpedo. Perfect size. Perfect meat. Perfect seasoning. Topped just the way I wanted without argument. And, for the record, that is house-​smoked gouda cheese, aioli, grilled onion, and house-​pickled jalapeño slices. Holy smokes, was that good!
I don’t want to forget the fries. The fries may induce memory loss of all other fries before them. They do them in-​house here as well. Don’t be surprised. Just eat them! They soak. Dry. Blanch-​fry. Rest. Finish fry. Salt. Plate. Then, you eat with wonder… all of those simple crispy outside, fluffy-​yet-​creamy inside, slightly salty spud sticks. So good.

The food was mediocre. The sourdough bread was stale. The portions were small. I complained about the beer having too much head and the waiter went into a condescending lecture about the bouquet of the beer and the size of the pour! How pretentious and customer unfriendly. The restaurant is overpriced and probably survives by its pretensions of haute cuisine.

Tried the brunch here based on some reviews about this being one of the top 10 brunches in KC. I must say that Julian has either taken a step backwards or they were having a low-​energy weekend. Brunch buffet was just OK, French toast was good, most everything else forgettable and the pasta an embarrassment. The server was very pleasant but I wish the food was better, unfortunately it wasn’t. The carpet needs to be cleaned as well as the bathroom. Also there were flies.

I’d been here once before during a trip to KC. I was pretty disappointed in my second visit. The food took a really long time and two of the three entrees were totally over-​salted and just not awesome. Plus their brunch menu is pretty short and is dominated by smoked salmon options. Service was really good though.

First time here and I assume brunch is not their strong suit. I like the setup of the restaurant and look forward to trying dinner service. Brunch this morning included B&G with bacon gravy. I ordered an over easy egg and it was hard cooked. Came with breakfast potatoes. All underwhelming. The buffet was minimal and included no meat. Potatoes, biscuits and gravy, French toast, frittata square, pasta salad, and cantaloupe. Yep, that’s it. Bloody Mary was good, but nothing more than house vodka and Zing Zang. Brunch menu was limited with no benedicts, waffles, and other brunch food. Probably not the place to go if you are looking for a typical brunch menu and only a burger as a non-​brunch option.

Hera bed burnch here, the drinks were fantastic, the service was good and honest. They were having some issues but they stated it and set expectations to expect. Let me tell you how good the drinks are again… because they were good. Perfect brunch spot after a night out.

food= amazing
Service= rude
Been 3x in the past month and same story. I wish they would hire servers who matched the food.

This review is for KC Restaurant Week 2015 (yea, I know I’m writing this super late) so we had a narrow menu but eveything was still sumptuous. I had a beet salad with goat cheese, arugala, and honey. The was nice. I loved the earthy taste of the beets, bitter arugala, sour and creamy goat cheese, and the sweet honey. All together on one spoon, it was fantastic. For my entrée, I had a fish dish which was yummy and a small portion (probably smaller than I would have paid for given the regular menu price). It was perfectly seasoned and cooked though. For dessert, my favorite, I had the chcocolate ganache which was supposed to come with a stout caramel but since I’m gluten free and can’t have the beer in the caramel they gave me some rosemary caramel instead on top and it was beyond heavenly. I wanted another plate. The ganache was deep and rich and the caramel so herby while still being sweet. Overall the meal was delicious and the atmosphere was quiet and cozy.

Oh Julian. We showed up with our reservation and had to awkwardly stand around another 30 minutes… Reminded me of Seinfeld:
«Do you know what a reservation is? I don’t think you do. You see, you know how to *take* the reservation, you just don’t know how to *hold* the reservation. And that’s really the most important part of the reservation: the holding. Anybody can just take them.»
The staff was absolutely not prepared for the KC Restaurant Week rush, as many others with reservations were left standing around. But who cares, we had a good time no matter what and waiting a little extra time on a Friday night is somewhat expected.
Food wise, I tried the chicken pâté and it would’ve been really good except for one big issue. They had about a half inch of grease on top of it. It reminded me of when my parents used to pour bacon grease in old jars and it solidified into a gross, milky white paste. So that took some getting over.
The roasted pork shoulder was fantastic. It was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, almost like a crab cake but with pork. It was over a bed of ferro and all around delicious.
Dessert was intense. It was a dark chocolate torte that you could feel the blood rush to your head as you took each bite. Very rich, but altogether delicious.
I really think Julian is better in the summertime with their nice big porch and ability to seat more folks. The inside is completely and utterly plain. It’s just kind of there, and it looks like a low-​key brunch spot inside. Since it lacks identity and charm, I won’t be coming back but I am glad to have tried it out and checked it off the list.

First time here but have heard good things. Empty for World Series but it made it a nice quiet evening for us. Waitress/​hostess was very nice & helpful on menu & drink selections. Tried the mussels with celery, celery salt & lemon cream. Nice sea salty with creamy citrus & crisp from celery. Little did I expect celery & mussels could make a savory combo. I loved my main dish of pasta with buttery soft short ribs made rich from creamy mascarpone cheese & capers. My husband had the braised beef on whipped potatoes, pickled olives & topped with a fried shredded carrot. Can’t tell you what I enjoyed most. We also appreciated some dipped chocolate strawberries as a treat for our anniversary celebration. Small, intimate environment & not good for groups of more than 6. Seasonal menu changes & fair size bar/​wine selection. Noticeable care with flavor construction, makes me look forward to going back for more.

Absolutely delicious meal. Ordered a side of the zucchini & squash as well as a side of mac and cheese for dinner. More than enough and man oh man was it delicious. The food smelled, tasted and looked dreamy. Local and seasonal ingredients make all the difference!
Was here by myself on a business trip, but I think this would make quite a romantic date spot.
Other reviewers complained of the service but I was actually pleased with the service from both the hostess as well as the waiter.

It was a Friday night and I met with three others here around 7pm. The parking was around the restaurant and in the lot next to it. I didn’t have a problem finding any parking. I was the first one to arrive and we had a reservation. The host and hostess were both nice and seated me at our table. There was a bar that was right next to the other tables. It was a small restaurant from what I saw but it felt cozy.
We all decided to order either a side dish or a starter along with the main plates. I asked our waitress, who was very nice, on what was the most popular dish and it turned out to be the pork shoulder. I wanted to try something else so I ordered the Blvd Pale Ale macaroni & cheese w/​bacon ($ 5) and the seared beef, cheesy gratin potatoes, sauteed chard ($ 22). Everybody else ordered the house-​smoked salmon, «deviled egg» salad, crostini ($ 10), house-​made pretzel sticks, smoked gouda cheese sauce ($ 6), hush puppies with harissa aioli ($ 5), seared scallops, mashed potatoes, mushroom ragu, pickled red onions ($ 23), pork shoulder, brussel sprouts, lardons, onion purée ($ 19) and braised pork belly, green onion, egg, carrots, noodles, Asian broth ($ 20).
The house-​smoked salmon, «deviled egg» salad, crostini tasted good and house-​made pretzel sticks, smoked gouda cheese sauce was great. It would have been good if there were more pretzel sticks. The smoked gouda cheese sauce complemented the pretzel sticks very well in my opinion. The hush puppies with harissa aioli were just okay and it was a bit hard so I don’t know if those were old ones or not. The Blvd Pale Ale macaroni & cheese w/​bacon was interesting, but I thought the Blvd Pale Ale’s flavor was strong and that was all I could taste. The seared beef was excellent as well as the cheesy gratin potatoes. I would recommend that to anybody. The pork shoulder was dry so maybe it was an off-​day or something. The seared scallops were alright to me and the pork belly was good.
For dessert, we ordered two coffee panna cotta with chocolate sauce ($ 5 each), butternut squash cheesecake with pepita brittle ($ 5), and bread pudding, apple caramel, nutmeg whipped cream ($ 5). In my opinion, the best was the coffee panna cotta compared with the other two. The bread pudding was yummy and not too sweet. The butternut squash cheesecake was okay to me.
Overall, I thought this place had good food and I’d recommend it to anybody if they’re in the area.

***The service is incredibly friendly and nationally known head chef Celina Tio is right there engaging with customers (which is rare nowadays); the food was a bit of a mixed bag, but the strawberry shortcake bread pudding captured both of those desserts very well***
Julian has a great neighborhood feel to it. The restaurant is located in a nice area of Kansas City that feels more small town and college town-​like than the many industrial areas of Kansas City. There are a few seating areas. There is an outdoor dining area and two small dining areas inside (one area next to the bar and another area next to the open kitchen).
I sat in the small dining area next to the bar and the décor was very comfortable and home-​like – incredibly home-​like (I noticed a guitar, maybe property of one of the staff, next to me).
For lunch, Julian has an okay sounding menu. Their dinner menu sounds much more ambitious. Julian’s lunch menu though is a mix of sandwiches, salads and comfort food dishes.
I started with the seared trout, which sat atop green onion quinoa and was topped with creamed corn and crispy onions. The trout itself was nicely cooked. It flaked very well and was moist. Unfortunately, the trout was under-​seasoned. Most of the dish was quite bland.
The creamed corn was not bad. It probably would have been better during the summer. The green onion quinoa was not good. It was bland and quite mushy. The crispy onions were crispy and not too greasy.
I also had the linguine with mortadella, tomato sauce, Swiss chard, and shaved grana padano. This was the kind of big pasta dish that you would find at a lot of run-​of-​the-​mill Italian restaurants. The flavor was not that good and I do not think the mortadella was the best choice of meat to mix into the pasta.
I wonder though if the meal would have been better if I had ordered differently. There was a pork shoulder dish that was also on their dinner menu and their chicken pot pie seemed to be popular.
The meal did get significantly better with cheese and dessert though. The cheese plate included good crisps and crunchy marcona almonds. There was also a good and housemade strawberry peach jam.
The cheeses were good too. There was a creamy and smooth smoked gouda and the smoked flavor was very pronounced (like a lot of smoked dishes in Kansas City). The other cheese (a local cow’s milk cheese) was very good – very sharp and not dry for a cheese with a parmesan-​esque flavor.
The dessert was very good. It was a strawberry shortcake bread pudding and it did represent those two desserts very well. The bread pudding was moist and filling; from the baking of the bread pudding, it also had a good caramel flavor. The strawberries were good – nicely sweet but also with a little bit of tartness.
The whipped cream was very good – sweet, light, frothy, and airy.
The service was very good – attentive and extremely personable. The food came out at a good and quick pace. Though Julian’s chef Celina Tio is a chef who has appeared on television (Top Chef Masters), she seems to be in the restaurant most of the time.
She was in the restaurant on my visit and she was very engaging with all customers – friendly and personable – which helped give Julian a very neighborhood and personable feel, which is rare with celebrity chef owned restaurants.
Prices were good. Most of their lunch dishes are below $ 15 and the portions were generous. Cheese and dessert prices were also reasonable.
Julian provides a personable and friendly dining environment. The service is great. The savory menu items were disappointing, but the cheese and my dessert were good. I think you could probably have a good meal if you order right and the friendly environment and reasonable prices make this a restaurant where you might even find yourself becoming a regular.
Julian is part of a retail plaza that has its own free parking lot, but it can be difficult finding an open space. Nearby (free) street parking is also available.