Jade Restaurant & Lounge

Apparently this is a sushi/​asain place during the day but at night it has more of a lounge/​club feel. Pretty cool place but most patrons are of asain decent… felt a tad out of place because of this haha. The DJ was playing some good tunes and drinks were reasonably priced. We didn’t stay for too long though since we wanted to bar hop all night in STL.

The food is decent enough, but Jade suffers from the infamous disappearing waiter, who in turn suffers from forgetfulness. An attempted 30-​minute lunch turned into an hour-​long underwhelming experience.

EZ took over Jade last Monday night. And by that I mean, Molly, Doug, Jacki, and myself were they only people there that night at about 7:45. It was the night of March’s blizzard, a little rain was still falling, but it wasn’t stopping us, after just a little trouble spotting Jade’s sign on the side of the building (be on the lookout if this is your first time). We haven’t been around this area of downtown all too much, but are already anticipating our trip back.
Jade is really cool inside, especially the balcony all the way around. I like having a restaurant to myself, but it would be neat to see this place filled up. We were taking advantage of a
coupon. We ended up spending a little more. We started with crab rangoon and edamame. The crab rangoon wasn’t quite as good as I was expecting, but still delicious and the edamame seemed to be on the wimpy side. Nice and salty though. Molly had the DJ E roll, which she really enjoyed. Jacki had General Tzo’s chicken. Doug and I shared a Crazy roll and a Spider roll. The Crazy roll had a little too much going on with all the kinds of fish it had, but the spider roll was awesome. We also each had 3 nigiri, shrimp, crab, and salmon or tuna, not sure which. They were all good with some wasabi and soy sauce. We had to warn Doug about how much he was trying to put on his.
Our server was awesome, regardless of the coupon being used. He also didn’t add the tip himself, which helped him out… a little. Very attentive and friendly.
The drink list and the quality of the sushi make a trip back here look promising.

I had lunch here for the first time in a few months and it was great! They dropped the buffet and now lunch is just the bento boxes and sushi. The service and the food has noticeably improved. Clearly, having two lunch menus, plus sushi, was too taxing on the kitchen staff. Glad to see they’re sticking to what they do best.

I really love Jade. Tucked away on Olive downtown, waiting for the next group of sushi loving fools to come rolling through the doors. When you walk in, it appears small then you look up and see and entire second floor. It’s wide open from floor to ceiling. The bar slapped directly in the middle is the focal point of the room. The small tables placed neatly around the sides of the Restaurant allow for the folks at the bar to scope out the entire room.
Lets chat food! Seaweed salad, at $ 4 it’s a tasty treat to start any meal, if you’ve never had it, try it! Trust me you won’t die. Another item that I love SPRING ROLLS! Rice paper, vermicelli noodles, shrimp, cucumber and if I’m correct beef. Most places slap a piece of pork in there, but I am certain I enjoyed these with beef. Hmm I could be mistaken.
Since I do love sushi that is all I’ve ever had here, but I hear through my friends that all of their items are really a great authentic experience. As for the sushi I typically enjoy: Big & Crazy (soft shell crab, shrimp tempura, crab salad, cucumber, avocado, topped w tobiko, crunch, scallions & eel sauce) and the Geisha’s Kiss (spicy tuna roll, topped w seared tuna, crunch, tobiko, scallions & eel sauce). I have been told the DJ E Roll is awesome, but I do not like cream cheese in my sushi rolls.
And lastly, if you are NOT a FISH FAN, then they do offer a small little selection of non-​fish related maki rolls.

Confession: I’m not a sushi person.
And now you’re thinking, «Duh, you’re a vegetarian, and not one who thinks that fish and chicken are magically exempt from the ‘no meat’ policy.»
Even when I ate meat, I disliked fish. The texture, the smell, the taste — all of it was — and, I suppose, still is — icky to me. So I wasn’t keen on trying Jade, despite my boyfriend being the biggest sushi lover in the tri-​state area. But we had a Groupon and he had a craving, so we hoofed the couple of blocks from my place to Jade.
And you know? It wasn’t terrible. I mean, I didn’t love being there, but I didn’t feel like dying. The restaurant did smell a bit like fish, but not as much as other places (To me, fish smell is like smoke smell — it makes me not hungry and makes me wish I were anywhere else).
My boyfriend pointed out a couple of vegetarian sushi options, but I just don’t like seaweed and wasn’t up for strange textures. I found a plate of broccoli on the menu instead. Sure, it was more chinese than japanese, but at least I was fed. Josh ordered a ton of sushi that contained… I don’t know what. But he was full and happy.
I don’t know that I’ll be back to Jade — Josh may have to have most sushi nights without me. But at least I know that when his cravings do hit, Jade is just a few blocks away and has some broccoli waiting for me.

On our drive back from Arkansas (thankfully before birds and fish were dying everywhere…), we decided to go via St. Louis to hang out with Jon and break up the long trip. I still have not figured out why driving all day makes me tired and hungry. It makes no sense but the only cure is to find food and a bed.
The best idea we had for a chilly Monday night was Jade — a nearby asian/​chinese/​sushi/​party lounge. It was understandably empty which only meant we had great service. MNF beer specials didn’t hurt either. The three of us kept it simple, ordering Mongolian beef, noodles with chicken, and a few sushi rolls. We started with chicken pot stickers.
We had a nice meal with pretty good food. Jon’s favorite, mongolian beef, was stellar and I enjoyed the noodles dish as well. The pot stickers were ok, a little doughy and un organized but tasty. The least favorite was the sushi rolls. They didn’t have a lot of flavor and the seaweed was impossible to chew.
Jon mentioned that this unassuming asian restaurant turns into a full night club/​lounge on the weekends. I’d love to see that, and can only imagine what could happen when the beer, sake and fried noodles are flowing. Until then, I recommend checking out Jade if you’re in downtown St. Louis for a simple but good quick asian meal.

So I decided to use my new Unilocal app for delivery service, because I was feeling totally lazy (36 hour day at work but that’s not important.) I had honestly never heard of Jade before. I decided, «what the hell.»
OMG… I am totally glad I did. Despite the $ 4 lazy (delivery) fee, the General Tso chicken was the best I have had in St. Louis. And this is coming from DELIVERY! I could only imagine actually being there.
The chicken I recieve was almost all-​white meat. The sauce was actually spicy and tangy, all while being sweet. Crazy huh?
I have really been looking for a less graphic way of describing the flavor… But i can only come up with a new word… «Oralgasm.»

Jade should pay me some kind of commission or something. Since I’ve first tried it out a few weeks ago, I have had the menu on my desk. A handful of curious co-​workers saw it and tried it out too. Then like herpes, Jade spread throughout the office and now only a few weeks later it is a regular lunch spot for half the people I work with.
Jade fever stems mostly from their fantastic lunch special known as the Bento Box. You get to choose an appetizer, entrée, sushi roll (x2), vegetable, and side. All for only 8 bucks! And you can double your sushi for only a dollar. It’s the kind of deal I would expect for a crappy hole in the wall joint. But Jade is a really nice place with great food.
Their General Tso chicken is good but their Sweet N’ Sour chicken is some of the best I’ve ever had. Their crab rangoon, white rice, and philly rolls don’t disappoint either. Did I mention that you can get all of this for only 8 freaking dollars?!
I have not made it yet for dinner. But looking at the menu, I can see a plethora of things I would want to try. While they have a ton of sushi options, I have only had the philly roll. It’s pretty good but honestly it’s hard to screw up a philly roll. I will really have to make it out to dinner or an extended lunch someday and try more of their menu.
If Jade is as good for dinner as they are for lunch, I could definitely give this place 5 stars. But I don’t feel I’ve had enough items or been here enough times to award 5 stars. But I may update my review sooner if I get that commission check…

Stopped by Jade last week for lunch and ordered the bento box. I was pleasantly surprised at how highly customizable the box is (in comparison to some nearby Japanese restaurants), which makes it much more suitable for the veggie folks. And it’s really reasonably priced.
I had a veggie roll, a stir-​fry with broccoli and tofu, and steamed veggies and rice. All of it had good flavor, though they didn’t give me any wasabi for my veggie roll. (And really… What’s the point of eating veggie rolls without the risk of clearing your sinuses with a monster bite of wasabi?)
Service was nice and friendly without force. I ordered ahead, and the place was nearly empty, so while I waited for my order the server stood and chatted with me. Atmosphere was laid back and enjoyable.
I’ll definitely go back.

Had another coupon, so I tried this place again. Not bad, but I was not as impressed as last time.
We got there a little before 8pm on a Thursday. I don’t know if this a regular thing, but live music started at 8. It was a little three-​piece ensemble that played ‘90s adult contemporary and ‘80s power ballads with some country thrown in. They weren’t awful, but the volume was SO LOUD that conversation was limited. Had I known of the «entertainment,» I probably would’ve waited to go a different night.
While there, I tried the tofu spring rolls. They were completely tasteless. Flavorless tofu, flavorless cabbage, and flavorless vermicelli wrapped in rice paper. They only redeeming part was the peanut dipping sauce. That was actually quite tasty.
Got the spicy veggie, again. This time it was served with a garnish of spicy mayo. Still superb. Also tried the tofu roll. The tofu was the same as the spring roll: Tasteless. The tofu has a great texture, but they really should marinate it something. I used a little of the spicy mayo to give that roll some flavor.

The boy and I first visited Jade about a year ago, right after it opened. And we knew we hit the jackpot: cool two-​story space, good happy hour specials, yummy food, young ownership, and friendly service.
We’ve been back many times since then — and it never disappoints.
But, a confession… while it’s one of our fave spots, there have been times we’ve headed downtown with a craving for sushi and driven by Jade — only to see it dead inside… so we head to Wasabi or even Mizu. Last time we were there, we saw a table of women filling their bellies before a night of Bachelorette Party drinking and I actually felt a little sorry for the bride-to-be…I mean, doesn’t she deserve a rockin’ spot to kick off her ultimate party night and not a desolate restaurant?
On a happier note, Jade just added a photo booth — maybe that’ll help get people in the doors!

Everything was delish from the appetizers to the entrees. The Mongolian Beef was really good & had the right amount of spicyness to it. There was one roll (I forgot the name of it) that had the wasabi mayo that didn’t have that much of a kick of it despite my earlier reservations about it. There was one roll that was deep fried on the outside that I thought was both weird & cool. Ambience was cool & kinda hip. Staff was helpful. Food came out fast! Parking was a pain today due to the Cardinals games, but this is expected. All in all I loved this place.

So glad that Jade is open late on weeknights! I hadn’t eaten much all day and was craving sushi like woah after a long meeting last night. Jade stays open until 9:30 or so (or at least they did for me!) and it hit the spot!
My favorite rolls are the Spider and the DJE — try them both if you like shrimp or crab!
Service here, as always, is very kind and genuine.

Tried Jade last week while serving jury duty downtown. Wasn’t really looking for sushi, per se, but when the sky opened up in torrential downfall and the wind nearly demolished my umbrella, it was the closest port in the storm.
Was not even aware it existed until I opened the door and was pleasantly surprised to see another sushi option downtown.
Although there were only about 5 other diners in the place at peak lunch hours, I took a seat at the bar so I could catch up on news/​sports. This may have started the confusion because although I was given a menu/​napkin/​chopsticks and glass of water, I never did get asked about what I wanted to drink, so I just stuck with water.
The lunch specials seemed like a great value. Although there was a lunch buffet in progress, I opted for the $ 10 lunch rolls which came with a good-​sized bowl of Mizo soup and a California/​Philly/​Eel roll ensemble.
Not the quickest service in the world considering the lack of diners, but maybe they were contending with takeout/​delivery orders. When my food was finally ready, it all came out at one time, including the soup, which was odd, but the server apologized and I wolfed it all down and was pleasantly surprised. I’d repeat the $ 10 lunch anytime!
My only real criticism is that it seemed really odd that the main lunch dining room has a single unisex restroom. It wasn’t hard to find, as when not in use, they apparently keep the door propped all the way open to air it out. Not much to see in there either. I’d dedicate any profit or unspent investment capital into restroom upgrades and separate facilities for the ladies. I mean, I can piss in a trough, but I’m not bringing my lady there without warning her to «go» at home first.

Last night was the first night I ate in the restaurant instead of getting take out or delivery. As in the past times I’ve been there for takeout, the place was almost empty (there were probably 2 – 3 other tables).
We started out with octopus salad (the hubby’s favorite), edamame, and hot and sour soup. All were good (the edamame could’ve been salted more for my taste, but none was provided on the table). I wasn’t in the sushi mood, so for my main I ordered Mongolian chicken, while the other two I was with got a: 1 a multitude or rolls 2. omakase for one (5 pieces nigiri and one roll).
Mongolian chicken (with a spicy soy-​garlic sauce was good), but i was hoping for more veggies. It was mostly just chicken (duh) and onions. There were a few (2) pieces of bell peppers, but that was it. But, the steamed rice it came with was perfectly cooked. Yum!
The omakase order had some interesting nigiri, but came with a california roll. I sort of thought that the idea of omakase was to really trust the chef to make you something good and maybe «out-​of-​the-​box», so I was a little confused by the «safe» selection.
Meanwhile, the «hubs» got a spider roll, spicy tuna roll, and dynamite roll. Spicy tuna was his favorite, and I don’t know what they put in it, but it was so spicy he needed a tissue to blow his nose! The softshell crab in the spider roll was great (not like some of those wimpy crabs that come in some other establishment’s spider rolls).
Waitstaff was very attentive and helpful. Overall, I like Jade, and I’ll definitely eat their stuff again, but for me, their real «plus» is their sushi delivery!

We had a very good meal at Jade. The décor is quite nice, and the place had lots of seating, but was cozy at the same time. The bar had a few decent beers on tap, but i didn’t see a draught Japanese beer; that could have sent this place to 5-​stars.
Our sushi was very good. The spicy tuna was subpar, but the 2 specialty rolls were amazing.
Service was a bit pokey, but friendly and prompt enough to not be a hassle.
A solid 4-​star, we will be returning here!

Who knew that Jade delivered to Lafayette Square? I assumed incorrectly that they didn’t deliver period, let alone outside of downtown — what a great surprise to find out they did!
My sister had some people over on Saturday and instead of cooking we decided to give Jade delivery a try. We called in an order of 18 rolls and then the hostess hung up to prep the order for a few minutes (confirming the costs and delivery time with the kitchen, etc) and then called my sister back and reconfirmed the full order one more time. The delivery came in an hour (not bad for that much sushi if you ask me) and each of the boxes was labeled with the type of roll that in each one. The delivery person (who we’ve seen at the restaurant working behind the bar before) was very friendly.
This experience just increased my pleasure of Jade’s food and service — I’ll definitely be back in to eat as well as get delivery more often.

Was Jade having a really bad day today? The food was a hot mess. By hot, I mean lukewarm.
Usually I like to give establishments at least 2 visits before I cross them off the list, but I can’t go back to this place.
First off, let’s discuss the positives. I gave them an extra star because our waiter was super-​duper nice, attentive, and friendly. I liked him. I really wanted to like the food, because the menu looked decent — I liked the variety. The interior is cute, painted in fresh/​funky greens with nicely polished wood floors. The speakers were playing good music (a few indie stars such as Death Cab and Phoenix), which was also a plus.
Bento Box: FAIL. General Tso’s chicken was covered in a very thick, sweet goo never before experienced by my palette. The meat itself was fatty and just, ugh, gross. California roll was bland and tasted a few days past fresh. Hot & Sour soup, again with the gooey blandness. The crab rangoons were standard St. Louis-​style. The only thing on my plate that was OK were the sauteed green beans, which I would give a B-​. Portions were very modest.
My dining compatriots sampled the very limited buffet, which appeared to be understocked and less than fresh.
Sorry Jade, I can’t recommend you although I would have loved to.

The first thing you’ll notice about Jade is exactly what you won’t notice… A large, well placed sign. It’s a bit hard to find — especially on a dark rainy night.
The great news is that everything else about it is delightful! From the décor, to the cleanliness, to the excellent and accommodating staff, I was pleasantly surprised on my visit to Jade Restaurant and Lounge.
The food? Another win. If you judge your asian food on the deliciousness of the crab rangoon like so many St Louisans do, you’ll be very happy you chose to dine there. It’s hand made, crisp and not too greasy. Pretty much everything you want in a rangoon.
I, however, judge almost solely on the spicy tuna roll. And let me tell you… it was the best I’ve had in St Louis. That’s no joke. Perhaps it was just a good night for the Sushi chef, but I haven’t had better here. The tuna was fresh, the rice perfectly cooked and the spiciness was just right. I’ll be a patron of Jade again sometime soon just to make sure it’s as good as I had the first time. Until then, 4 stars!
One caveat — when I was there it was mostly empty similar to other reviews here. Being a new restaurant I hope people give it a chance. If the problem is that you can’t find it, just go to the corner that Culinaria is on and walk west. When you smell crab rangoon take a left and enter the door. You’re either in an Asian restaurant at that point or somebody’s apartment building. If you’re in an Asian restaurant, you’re probably at Jade! Sit down and order some saki. If you’re in an apartment building, look at the resident listing like you’re pretending to visit someone. Then feign a cell phone call and say out loud, «Oh, you’re at Jade? I’ll be right there!» This saves embarrassment. Now leave and start over from Culinaria.