This time around, my friends and I sat inside. It's pretty cute and I could imagine it would be a totally romantic spot to grab some tapas with a current or future love. Most tables are set up to seat two, with just a few that are meant for larger parties. The bar is the focal point. A big complaint I've read about again and again is service. That was not an issue we had. In fact, our waitress was super attentive, bringing everything out in a timely manner and checking in on us several times without being annoying. We were there at 3 pm and no one else was around so that may be a factor. As for the food... we ordered the shrimp ajillo, cheese platter, chickpea fries, baccala and duck gizzards. The menu changes seasonally so you get a bit of a feeling of going to a different place if you visit every few months. The chickpea fries were ok but I thought it needed the sauce to give it some real flavor and make it tasty. The cheese platter had four different kinds, all outstanding, with flatbread and a cherry compote. Yum yum. The fried duck gizzards were a bit less salty this time around with a nice texture, no fat and not too gamey. My favorite of all. The baccala was my least favorite. It's usually an extremely salty dish. Instead, it was the grilled bread that was extremely salty while the dish itself wasn't the usual Portuguese version, rather a really Americanized take on it. I heard the shrimp was good and the smell was certainly tempting but I do not eat shrimp so could not say. The drinks were just a-ok. They sounded amazing on paper but I found them to be slightly off in taste. All in all, I had another good experience and will be back for some more tapas and possibly sangria. read more

I really need to come here more often. It's super close, the happy hour specials are pretty freaking amazing and my friend Couser works here. I like seeing Couser and you probably would to. When we were in high-school, he wore bad polyester pants, Airwalk sneakers and had a crazy white-guy afro. This wasn't his attempt at being a hipster. This was just how Couser wanted to look. Because that's the kind of guy he is/was. A free-spirit. Now he's a free-spirit who works at Extra Virgin, but he no longer has a crazy afro and most of the time, he wears jeans. He just looks like a dude. But that's not a bad thing. Eventually, we all have to stop looking like a strange clown from the 1970's. He's friendly and forgiving, too. We used to give him a lot of shit. For no good reason. That's just kind of how we were. We'd make fun of his idol, Tom Waits (turns out, we were idiots on that one). We'd throw his car into park as we were driving down the road. We'd open the back doors of his car and refuse to shut them, ultimately forcing him to pull over to do it himself. One time, I suplexed him in the Barnes and Noble. The sunglasses that he had perched on top of his head cut him open and required a trip to the emergency room for some staples. Phil Hartman died that day. I remember it because we were watching the TV in the waiting room, blood streaming down Couser's face. Anyway, I feel really bad about all of this and I'd appreciate it if you'd go to Extra Virgin, ask to sit in his section and tip him handsomely. He's a good server, too, so it's not like I'm asking you to do anything out of the ordinary. While you're there, get the halibut cheeks if they're on the menu. They're really good. read more

Oh how Extra Virgin has fallen. First, some context. This is not a grudge review. I've never worked there, I don't personally know anyone that has, I've never been kicked out for any reason, I simply don't have any other reason to be negative other than two really, really bad experiences. I work a block away, there was a time when I'd often enjoy half-price appetizers and spend the money we saved on an extra tip. Then things started to change. The service became amateurish. On a few occasions the server was friendly enough but seemed like they were new at being servers. It was odd, a seemingly upscale restaurant like Extra Virgin with unskilled servers. Then my epic bad experience when my daughter and I literally had our chairs taken out from under us as they were in a rush to close the patio. And then tonight. March First Friday - the first First Friday when people begin to come back out of hibernation. I stayed late at an art auction and was going to meet a group who helped put it together. I showed up just after 9:00 and after not finding my group but finding an upper area with three out of five tables empty, tried to lay claim to the open tables for a group of about ten. The hostess said she'd just sent home two servers and couldn't handle a group of ten. She apologized but said it wouldn't be impossible to handle. So with an almost full restaurant and a steady flow of people past and in the doors, they made the call to cut staff? I don't get it, maybe I'm just spectacularly unlucky with EV. What ever the case, at the very least, no one can say they are offering even adequate service - certainly not service that's inline with their premium persona and upscale cost. I once gave them five stars but if I could, I'd take all that back, as for my last several attempts to give them the benefit of the doubt, they've fallen hard. They're just not even worth considering given all the other options nearby. read more

Two words: chicken livers. That's really all you need to get. The fig and chorizo stuffed chicken thighs are pretty good, too. Pig ear salad, fine. Goat empanadas, alright. But really? Chicken livers. Enough said. They no longer have the sweetbread raviolis on the menu, which is a shame, they were great. Not as good as the livers, but pretty good. I have never had bad service here, so I can't relate to some of the reviews claiming bad service. Service has always been at least acceptable, and on one visit was exceptionally good. Don't remember the guy's name, but he was funny, friendly, and quick. The place may be full of faux-arty hipsters, but I wouldn't know since all I could see were the luscious brown livery lobes staring up at me from my plate, begging to be devoured. Anything that happened before that moment has been scrubbed from my memory, and anything that happened after is remembered in a rose-colored haze of liver ecstasy. read more

Kiddie cups and churlish serve-ups. My husband has always hated Extra Virgin. I think the vibe is too LA-hipster for him (he would loathe Succotash!). Nevertheless, we've supped at EV on several occasions; the small plates menu has something for everyone and the patio is very inviting. And that is where my praise abruptly ends. Last night, I suffered through an astonishingly subpar meal that included undercooked food, insults from the wait staff, and tableware tailor-made for preschoolers (which my kids might have appreciated if they weren't at home in bed). First, the insults. Our waiter was surly and seldom seen. When we tried to clarify our order, he cut us off and barked "Got it, Got it" before disappearing. When I asked if there was anything distinctive about the Lebanese Hummus, he sniped "the origin of hummus is Lebanon." Excuse Me?! Our water came in very plastic, very neon tumblers with no ice. Hoping that the food would turn everything around, we waited expectantly for our plates. My friend, Christie, ordered Churros & Chocolate. The presentation was nice, but when she bit into her enticing dessert, it wasn't cooked through - raw, gushy batter oozed out from the center. And at $7 for a small plate, I was expecting my Greek Salad to be something special - perhaps with a generous block of feta or farmers market tomatoes. Instead, I was served a paltry portion of a Panera style salad with limp, browning lettuce and cherry tomatoes. Now, I like Panera as much as the next person, but expect a tad more out of a celebrated eatery like EV. Christie did enjoy an excellent cocktail, a ruby hued concoction with orange slices and whole bing cherries at the bottom. And I lucked out with a decent dessert, the tartly tempting Peach Crotada. Unfortunately, these highlights were not enough to count the meal a success. The next time I am looking for a light bite, I will count Extra Virgin out. read more

Honestly I don't know how the food is, but I can tell you about the service. I'm a Hispanic (Mexican) dude and I took my lovely wife to Michael Smith to try something new. We walked in and there wasn't anyone there to greet us. After a while someone from the Extra Virgin staff pulled us into the restaurant and we finally were seated. We waited and waited and waited to be WAITED! We eventually decided to just leave and go to Denny's, which the services was much better. Extra Virgin was practically empty or at least not busy at all. The person who sat us down at our table left us there to go drink wine at the bar right in front of us. It was a bummer, I really wanted to impress my wife. I figured if we dress the part we would be treated the same, but that didn't happen. The 1 star is for the glass of water we got. read more

I think EV has a "hype man" that apparently took the day(s) off when I came in - I just don't get the hype about this place. The tapas are "meh" at best, while the prices for what you are getting are "WHOA!" I've been in a couple of times, once during lunch and once during dinner. They have a nice lunch special so if you're set on trying this place out I would recommend doing lunch. I don't feel that the tapas are very good at all, in fact, I feel like they lack so much flavor! In my honest opinion I think La Bodega is better for tapas and I like the environment so much more, but not the one in Leawood (STALE!!) When we went in for dinner we ordered a variety of tapas the best were the tuna tacos tiny little things and when you break it down they were worth $4.00 a piece. pffffft. Also we sat in a row of tables by the front entrance and on more than one occasion I was looking at a waiter's ass as I was chewing my food. The service was sub par at dinner. If this is the kind of restaurant behind the Michael Smith name please believe I will most definitely not make it next door to "Michael Smith" or back to EV. read more

If you are a foodie like me, you will absolutely love this place. I can't even tell you how great my experience here was but.. Our server was so into her job it made it fun. She knew everything on the menu and how it was prepared and presented. Very fun listening to her cover the entire thing. The menu is so exotic an diverse, I was excited to keep looking and listening. We decided on a few different things as we had a group and were willing to share. The pork cheek was so very tasty. Tuna ceviche tacos also a big hit. But my favorite was the extremely delicious bone marrow. These items were highly recommended by our server and I think she was on target. We will be back and wish I could go here once a week. read more

Absolutely amazing service and delicious deliciousfood. I had the fudgy eggs and the oysters and I couldn't recommend more!

This place was delicious! We were in KC for the weekend and wanted to go somewhere fun for dinner. Our original plans fell through, so we were scrambling to find a new place to go. This had great reviews, so we decided to give it a try and we were not disappointed! We ordered cocktails first: A hibiscus margarita for me and a seasonal martini for my husband. His drink tasted like Thanksgiving in a glass--it had squash puree and a bunch of other spices in it. Next we ordered a few small plates: Fig and Chorizo stuffed chicken thighs, grilled bread with ricotta, Serrano ham empanadas, and crab fried rice. All of it was mouth-watering good. My favorite was the homemade ricotta cheese. A must-order if you go there. For desert we ordered the toasted banana bread and it was good, but next time I will get the Churros. read more

Extra Virgin, I really wanted to like you more. Really, I did. First, the photo on the landing page of your website of the interior looks awesome! But the look and feel of the place just didn't match the photo. Bummer. One thing that I rarely see mentioned in a review is the seating in a restaurant and for good reason: it's rarely an issue. But I have to say that my butt was terribly uncomfortable on your chairs. Really. At a restaurant like EV, people should be encouraged to stay a long time and order more and more small plates. But if your patrons are squirming in their chairs due to butt pain, they're not likely to stay for long and work their way through your menu. The service was friendly and efficient. The food was not nearly as exciting as I wanted it to be. There was only one item that I would order again: the chorizo and fig-filled chicken thighs read more

Extra Virgin, that is a good way to describe myself when it comes to some of the dishes they serve. I was initially intrigued by the odd ingredients of some dishes like pig ear, tripe, beef heart, or duck tongue. I ended up sticking to some normal dishes, the chips where pretty good, they use dried plantains as well as potatoes. I think my favorite where the empanadas and mac 'n cheese. The vibe is very bright and almost funky but not overdone. There is a 30 dollar corking fee if you bring your own bottle of wine. Our waiter was very knowledeable but I think he had a slight ego about himself which was kind of weird. None the less the service was good, the plates come to your table as they become ready, not all at once. My tip is to not finish your first plate but pick at it and wait so you have a few plates to mix around. I think part of the fun is mixing the different dishes together and switching back and forth. I would suggest about 2 plates per person 3 if you are both very hungry. read more

How can I put this? The food is meh, the prices are expensive, and the service is less than stellar. Next time I want tapas, La Bodega is a more authentic, cute, fairly priced, and fun option. Though we had reservations, it seemed we ended up with the worst table in the restaurant (next to cold windows and the back door). After we were seated, we remained there for 20-30 minutes without waitstaff. Though we were waiting for others to join us, they could have brought our drinks...which they did, approximately AS our friends were being seated. Great job. Some of the food is good. We got a cheese plate, chicken thighs, hummus, tostones, and lastly duck gizzards. For dessert, bread pudding. My favorite parts of this meal were the chicken thighs and bread pudding -- other than that, it was but average. The drinks were good, strong. My favorite part is the atmosphere. Young, hip, trendy. But be prepared to spend some dough for not a large amount or a remarkable sampling of food, and mediocre service. read more

I just really don't know what to say...from the reviews on here, I'd expected SO much better. What a true disappointment. I wish I'd paid more attention to previous reviews about service issues; apparently, they are woefully accurate. Let's begin with the positives: The menu is exciting. It's different than most places in KC, most items sound very appetizing, and it's difficult to choose just a few spicy dishes to try. The decor is really great, especially the metal artwork over the bar. The food itself is a solid 3 stars. Two-thirds of our food was delicious. Additionally, but most importantly, our server took our table's food allergies very seriously and carefully made substitutions and suggestions as necessary. He was very knowledgeable about the menu and ingredients, which is such a refreshing change from other restaurants in town. I cannot tell you how many times we've come close to going to the hospital because a restaurant is blase about killing it's customers with tree nuts. Now onto the reasons for two stars: The hostess, wearing an inappropriately short mini-skirt, was rude. She walked us to our table, pointed at it, said, "That's your table," and walked off. The service was SO PAINFULLY SLOW, I was actually quite furious by the time we left. It was a combination of the kitchen screwing up a great deal, and the server taking years to deliver to our table. It took about half an hour to get our drink orders in. By the time we were served our first of four courses, it had been an hour. (I wonder if the restaurant thinks it's actually in Spain, where dinners are late and slow by design?) It took two hours from reservation time to walking out the door, and those two hours were filled with culinary disappointment. The flatbread with our hummus was half burnt. One of our party's brussels sprouts, which was supposed to be her second course, came out between our third and fourth courses because they had to be redone after the kitchen burnt them. My dessert was inedible, it was so burnt. Every single course came out in pieces, so half our party had to sit with cooling and wilting food while we waited ten minutes for the rest of the party to be served. The food took SO long; as I mention before, it took 60 minutes for our first course and an additional 60 minutes to get our last course. Along with the slow kitchen, our server took twenty minutes to bring new drinks, and had to be reminded about three drinks he'd forgotten over the course of the meal. We told him some of our party had symphony tickets and needed to leave by a certain time (our reservation was two hours and fifteen minutes before curtain), but they had to leave before dessert and were still late to the show. Despite being told that we were on a strict timeline, the server didn't come pick up our checks until five minutes after walk-out-the-door time. The worst part of the whole experience was the mandatory 20% service charge. After receiving such abysmal service, I was furious that I was forced to pay for my service. I make it a rule not to return to restaurants that add a service charge instead of allowing me to tip. I wouldn't go back to Extra Virgin, anyway, however, so I guess that's a moot point. read more

Extra Virgin is delicious, it truly is, but my goodness do you have to spend a fortune to alleviate hunger pains! PROS: -The food is delicious, fresh and innovative (crispy pig ear salad with a vinaigrette, mmmm) -The decor is really cool and eclectic, there is something to look at any place your eyes may wander -The price per plate is reasonable ($7-$19) CONS: -Although the price per plate is reasonable, you need at least 3 to fill up ( will run you about $30 to alleviate those hunger pains) -Service is rather aloof (our server was nice, but it was hard to find her and oftentimes were left waiting a bit) -Automatic gratuity (as a server I am a fan of auto gratuity on large tables, however, it annoys me to death when the gratuity is applied and the server does not point it out, hello double tip. Also, automatic gratuity seems to always encourage sub-par service since the tip is a given) So between my boyfriend and myself we had 2 Manhattans (at $13 a pop for HOUSE liquor) some beef medallion dish ($12), a lemon drop martini ($9), a glass of prosecco ($8) and a crispy pig ear salad ($7).... with the auto grat it cost us a little over $80 for 2 small entrees and 4 drinks. The food and drinks were good, but not $80 worth. I like Extra Virgin, I really do, but I feel that there are better ways to spend $80 on dinner than on 2 small plates and a few drinks. I will not be returning unless for a special occasion or a stellar happy hour situation. The verdict is good but pricey read more

Simply awful service. I was the first table to be be seated outdoors on Friday, May 8 at 5:00 for happy hour. Two other tables that were seated after me were waited on by two different waiters! Both tables were next to ours, and both waiters completed ignored our table. Did not even get water. After 25 minutes, we just walked out, and went to Hamburger Mary's, about 1/2 block away, and were seated and had cocktails within 5 minutes. I was extremely disappointed. I've been to Extra Virgin before, and have had good experiences. Our conclusion was that either both waiters were so clueless about their surroundings that they never noticed the table seated the longest got no service, or they deliberately were ignoring us. Either way, an atrocious way to treat a customer. read more

Scene: Beautiful bright and sunny afternoon, not too hot and perfect temperature in Extra Virgin's shaded patio section. Company: Two of my bests: roommate and former roommate visiting from Chi-City. Service: Competent, fine, but Tyler definitely was not incredibly happy to be there. Not a huge deal. Food: The mixed marinated olives came in a cute oversized ramekin and were tasty. The cheese and herb stuffed focciacia was, in a word, RIDICULOUS. Tyler let us know it was a mixture of mozzarella, guyere and manchego. It was melty and stupidgood. The spring asparagus salad was the perfect warm-weather starter and might be one of my favorite salads...ever. The fennel was topped with sliced green olives and three asparagus spears, and THAT was all topped with a perfectly poached egg. Beautiful. The eggplant baba ganoush came with perfectly grilled flatbread. The GRILLED OYSTER MUSHROOMS. I'LL NOW SING PRAISE TO GOD FOR THOSE. Meaty, tender, smoky from the grill...I'll dream about those. My friends also split the lamb kebobs and loved those. Extra bonus!: We were mistakenly brought an order of Extra Virgin chips. We got to keep them for free...huge potato, plantain and bacon chips dusted with cheese. Nice. Price: Are you kidding me? Happy Hour is more like Happy DAY at Extra Virgin, with the majority of the plates being 50% off 11:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. I believe glasses of wine were $2 off as well. The whole above FEAST set the three of us back $29.00 with tax. What. Overall: I'm not ashamed to say I'm a tiny bit obsessed with Extra Virgin. Can't wait for many return visits. I'm eyeballin' the cheese plate in particular ... read more

My favorite thing about this place is the bar. You can come with 2 or 3 people, grab a spot at the bar and get to have AMAZING tapas and people watch. The bar is really the center of all the action and food/drinks are superb. I'd also recommend the patio. Perfect way to enjoy the summer. Late afternoon tapas and a nice cool spiked sweet tea lemonade (or something along those lines). Also, this isn't a spanish tapas place. It is just tapas style. If you want spanish dishes, go to la bodegas. a little expensive but worth it. this place can execute. read more

Duck. Tongue. Tacos. Getcha some. The food is a little pricey but drinks and atmosphere make it all worth. Service is always fun,. knowledgeable and hip. It also has a great outdoor space to enjoy some off-the-beaten-path drink and food concoctions. read more

I am so torn on what to give Extra Virgin. I want to give them a 4, no problem, based on a majority of the food. Heck, some of the food was worthy of a 5. The service, however, was worthy of a 2 at best, so I am going to settle on a 3 overall. Friday night, the place is busy but not overly so...average Friday night busy, I would say. We were seated immediately, about 15 minutes before our reservation, and our server was over quickly with water. He seemed irritated to be there and, while not rude, he was very far from friendly. After about 10 minutes of perusing the menu, we ordered drinks and 5 plates. After this, our server was pretty much a no-show. Other people randomly brought out our plates, none of them being out actual server, who never checked on our drinks, never asked how our food was, and just came over when he saw our table empty, asking if we wanted more, dessert, or a check. I'm getting ahead of myself though. How about the food? Let's go one-by-one: Marinated Olives - hard to screw this up. They were very heavy on the oil, but the olives themselves were meaty and tasty. Could use a bit more variety, though - for $5, you only get about 3 varieties of olives. Duck Tongue Tacos - I've had a hard time with duck tongue since getting food poisoning form it in China several years ago. BUT, I decided to go for it. They were bland, mediocre, and overpriced. The meat had almost no flavor. Very boring dish, sorry to say. Roasted Bone Marrow - the highlight. Very delicious, very succulent, and the bread was phenomenal. Mac and Cheese - another "hard to screw up" dish that was creamy and tasty. Spanish Meatballs - they were fine, but tasted pretty much like meatballs I can throw together at home in 10 minutes. The quantity was good, the quality was OK. I'll end up back at Extra Virgin and hope for better service. If the service were even just "good", this review would be a 4 instead of a 3. read more

This is not just a 5-star restaurant when compared to other restaurants in Kansas City, this is a 5-star restaurant no matter where you live. Michael Smith is a genius, and Food Network will back me up that this place is worth a visit. I was dining with a group of 7, and Extra Virgin was able to accommodate us with a very last-minute reservation for our large group. For a late dinner on a Friday night, the scene was very trendy, a young and good looking clientele, and good looking restaurant decor. The bar was crowded late into the evening. Our waiter was friendly, and our dishes came out as quickly as we could eat them. This restaurant embodies everything amazing about Spanish tapas, bold flavors, the "nasty bits" of animals that make you feel adventurous,. Not to mention that tapas gives you the unique ability to try dozens of different dishes in one sitting. The 7 of us ate ourselves silly at Extra Virgin, and only paid $33 each after tax and tip including 2 bottles of wine for the table. I'm not kidding, this is an amazing deal. Dishes I recommend: roasted marrow bones ($11, very rich and pairs best with the oyster mushroom dish), plum glazed pork belly ($11, very rich meat and very rich bbq sauce), chorizo and fig filled chicken thighs ($9), braised oxtail sopas ($11, spanish-style pork sliders), campo lindo chicken livers (spanish-style fois gras), grilled oyster mushrooms ($9), and stuffed piquillo peppers (a Spanish classic). Pro-tip: Be adventurous!! Never tried bone marrow, liver, or octopus?? Try it! Michael Smith knows what he is doing, so most likely the more adventurous the ingredients, the better it tastes. read more

Delightful restaurant off the streetcar. Came here with a colleague and had a pleasant lunch full of small plates. Roasted oyster mushrooms, ahi tacos, chickpea fries, bread & butter, asparagus & egg salad and roasted peppers. Yum! It wasn't too expensive and most small plates are 50% off on happy hour. I'll be back! read more

After looking for places to stop on our roadtrip, FoodNetwork led us here for the Crispy Duck Tongue Tacos. But to our surprise the tacos weren't the only things worth stopping for. Happy hour meant half price on dishes marked with a star* and that was quite a bit of them and $2 off drinks. Deviled Eggs - Sure they're just deviled eggs, but EV does them so right. Fried Duck Gizzards - Fried lightly and had the perfect texture (not too chewy) Braised Snail Ragout - Bread was barely burnt, the snail was awesome. Mac and Cheese - Wow..... perfectly done. Crispy top layer, gooey inside, and a great flavor from the poblano peppers and ham Crispy Duck Tongue Tacos - Very good and very interesting. French Onion Soup - It's just French Onion you might say, but this was probably the best I've had. Cheese was perfectly melted and stayed that way throughout the whole bowl. Not too salty and very balanced. Brussel Sprouts and Pancetta - Could have had a little more flavor, but they were cooked well otherwise. For people visiting, I would definitely make the stop; for the locals, you guys are pretty lucky. read more

Five stars for the happy hour for half price plates!! We had the shrimp and pork belly fried rice and the poblano Mac and cheese and they were both delicious. The fried rice was actually fried and crispy, seasoned well, the shrimp was tender and perfectly cooked and the pork belly was tasty too. The Mac and cheese is very rich and creamy, and not soupy at all. The best thing about these two dishes is that although the plates are small, they are surprisingly good portions! I went with a friend and we split those two dishes and were full! It was an amazing value ($12 for both plates?) so I am coming back for happy hour! My first experience was not so great- outside of happy hour the tapas seem on the expensive side especially if you are very hungry and order multiple plates. The food is really good so it's definitely worth it, but if you are budget minded, it would be better to go during happy hour. read more

The location in Crossroads is great for a Spring or Fall evening outside but Summer is a bit warm for the patio. Service was excellent and the food came out fast with only one hiccup when the server forgot to order my second drink so it took 15 minutes. The tomato salad was just OK, the veggies seemed soft or not very fresh. Presentation is well done, they do a nice job making the small portions look pretty. The food was good but not great which surprised me. I have heard and read many good things about the location including Gluten Free options (they have several). I had a tough time finding anything normal to eat. Most items are a little off the norm 'Beef Heart', 'Duck Tongue', 'Pigs Ear' when really all I wanted was something simple. I ended up with a soggy salad and Hummus that was good. I expected to be wowed by the quality of the food and freshness but I left hungry and disappointed. Maybe I just had high expectations. read more

Not worth it. Not even close. Decided to try out the happy hour with a few friends. After waiting 10 minutes at our table, our waiter finally tore himself away from his one other table and apparently engrossing conversation with the bartender to "greet" us with as much apathy as I've ever experienced from someone in the service industry. To sum up our service experience, it was sporatic; lacking in warmth, knowledge or efficiency; and full of eye rolling when we questioned about whether or not the last person's food was going to be brought ten minutes after the rest of the food had already been consumed. Needless to say, for the first time in my life I left not a penny for a tip. To make matters worse, the food was well below expectations. Bland is the best word to describe it. There was nothing remarkable about it unfortunately. Many people I have spoken to about this restaurant have had similar experiences (with apparently the same waiter as well). I would like to blame it on reckless employees and lazy cooking staff when the boss was away, but the owner, Michael Smith, was in house that evening. My advice? Take your money elsewhere. read more

I LOVE Extra Virgin for several reasons, and always look for excuses to go there. My number one LOVE of EV is their outstanding "happy hour" which runs from 11:30-6 Monday through Friday. Although the drink specials aren't wildly awesome, the food specials are spectacular. On my latest trip, I had a top shelf Manhattan, cheese platter, and pork belly (A-Mazing!) for $22. To me, that's a deal. Other loves of EV include the handcrafted cocktails, wine night (Mondays after 6; 1/2 off bottles), and most importantly, the interesting, gourmet, unique, and delicious food they have to offer. I love trying new and strange foods, and EV helps me do that while living in the Midwest on a budget. Now that's impressive! Unfortunately, my rating of EV dropped due to my recent visit. Before my last visit, I had always received 5 star service, but during the latest visit, we had poor service. Our waiter was inattentive and took short cuts in service even though the restaurant was nearly empty. read more

If you're coming here, come here for the happy hour 11:30 am-6ish. YES, they have happy hour at lunch! 1/2 price for many food items. Why am I giving it 2 stars? Well, I ordered the grilled mushrooms and the Boulevard shrimp. The mushrooms tasted really strange and not good. The shrimp tasted like bland batter and didn't have anything good to dip in. The bloody mary came out not remotely spicy, but the bartender was kind enough to provide us with hot sauce to kick it up a notch. He was very responsive and nice. Our server......must have been stoned. Didn't crack a smile and was pretty apathetic the whole time. He didn't look like he wanted to be there and walked in a trance. So, yes I got away with $15 plus tip for lunch at a higher end place, but walked away disgusted and still a bit hungry. The only positive points were the happy hour, the responsive bartender (who must get wimpy customers) and no wait. It's an attractive restaurant and I do like the ambience. read more

This place is delicious and fun! I went on Mother's Day with my mother who is a vegetarian. Extra Virgin had plenty of choices for her and they were all very delicious! I'll definitely be returning to try their 'adventurous' selections since I stuck with meat-free this trip in order to be able to share. We had the Oyster Mushrooms, the Poblano Mac & Cheese (incredible!), the Empanadas, Deviled Eggs, and Churros w/ Chocolate. Everything was unique and tasty. Our server was very polite and fast. I also had a Negroni cocktail which was quite good and my mother liked her drinks as well (wish I could remember them..). read more

Came here for dinner on a snowy Saturday night during KC Restaurant week. Our table was ready when we walked in. My husband ordered a sazarac, which he declared "perfect", and I ordered a glass of wine. Tapas that I'd highly recommend include the poblano macaroni and cheese, fig and chorizo filled chicken thighs and the peanut and cucumber salad. Our server told us that nearly every table ordered the Spanish Meatballs, but we found them to be underwhelming and under seasoned. (If only a little spice from the paprika shrimp had been added to the Spanish meatballs...) Service was great, attentive but not too attentive. Make sure to save room for the olive oil cake with seasonal jam! Great way to end a great meal. read more

I've been twice, once during lunch time happy hour (one of the best deals in town) and once at dinner. Let's be honest, their food is phenomenal! Poblano Mac & Cheese is smoky and delicious, and I adore their simple Bread & Ricotta. The cocktails are also very good, I especially like how refreshing their Pipp's Cup (Pimms!) has been this hot summer. My one complaint that keeps this from a five star rating is staffing. To Management - Hire More People! The servers and bartenders are nice enough but they are obviously swamped. Both times it took sometime for them to come back after taking our drink order to take our food order, and also to check on us after the food had come out. We could see them clearly working...running food, busing tables, delivering drinks. Maybe hire a dedicated buser/runner to help the servers out and make the service as impeccable as the food. read more

Okay, I have been hard on Smith for his other restaurant, and judging by the lack of crowd over there when we went to Virgin, the rest of KC has given up on it too. However, thanks to my wife obsession with groupon I had no choice but to eat his food. Thank goodness I did. Extra Virgin is the better of the two by a mile. It was hopping. We sat at the bar and ordered drinks and tapas. I had the best old fashion cocktail I have ever had. For supper I started with the duck tongue tacos, 3 outta 5 stars, solid but forgettable. The real deal was what has become my favorite dish ever, marrow. Who knew, it's the bees knees. I will go back as long as it stays on the menu, and I usually am not one for return visits. Congrats kitchen staff and bartenders on a job well done. read more

I think this place suffers from over-hype, at least for me. I had put off trying this celebrated tapas bar until just recently, and my experience was underwhelming. The food was good, but the concoctions seemed more focused on creativity and originality than taste. The drinks were fine, no amazing mixology magic here. The cocktails I tried were delicious, but my friend's waiter-recommended drink fell flat. The interior is well decorated and the setting (Crossroads District) definitely oozes urban hibster/scenester. Nevertheless, it's a fun atmosphere. I would go back if a group wanted to eat here, but probably wouldn't be my first choice. read more

What a disappointing experience. We were off to a bad start when my Manhattan arrived with 6 dead fruit flies floating in it. There was an apology, but I was still charged for the drink. Having worked in the service industry I think that's pretty unacceptable. But things happen, so we were willing to continue, however the food was a total disappointment too. The octopus salad was poorly presented and totally bland - the accompanying potatoes were flavorless and slightly crunchy. The haloumi on the arugula salad was excessively greasy and over seasoned. The Spanish meatballs tasted like they were straight out of the supermarket freezer. The only decent item we had was the tuna ceviche tacos - a dish that Cheesecake Factory couldn't mess up. All in all, bland food, overpriced for what it is, a menu completely lacking in theme or flow, and poor service to boot. With so many terrific new restaurants nearby, we won't be back. For what it's worth, we went next door to the Rieger Hotel for a drink to recover - it worked. That place is fantastic. read more

I love coming here for dinner! Service is cheerful and attentive without being overbearing. I appreciate that the plates are very well timed in that one arrives just as my date or friends and I are finishing the one before it. Everything is always hot and fresh this way, and the table doesn't become over crowded. The cocktails are wonderfully well balanced and unique. The bone marrow is one of my favorite dishes here. You can always count on it to be perfectly done, extremely light and buttery in texture but so rich. I don't know of many other places I can routinely find that. I do have my favorites, of course, but I have yet to try a plate here that I don't enjoy. And that's part of the fun: trying new things every time, which you can do without having to pass on the dishes you really love. read more

I've been to Extra Virgin at least a half dozen times for Happy Hour. The food and drinks are absolutely delicious, but throw in half price Happy hour and you really can't top this place in Kansas City. I've tried nearly the entire menu, so I will just highlight a few of my favorite things: - Cabrito tacos = the best thing I've had here, the meat is so juicy and has the perfect amount of spice...unfortunately I don't think its on the menu anymore. - Spanish meatballs = the romsesco sauce is fantastic - Oyster mushrooms = they have a very meaty flavor and texture, but are a little greasy - Baked pasta formaggi = so rich and creamy, with a great crunch on top from the baked parmesan Some of my faves are no longer on the menu unfortunately, but I still haven't tried any of their pizzas...this is the next thing on my list. I love the interior of the place, its very modern and a great contrast from his other restaurant across the hall. The food is always top notch...I still need to try more of their drinks but I did have some sort of basil mojito that was very good. read more

Meh. I'm a huge tapas enthusiast, so I've always meant to try this place. The service was okay, however it was at least 10/15 minutes before we had our drink orders taken. The space is pretty neat, with an over-sized bar in the center giving it kind of a lively feel. Cocktails were great. But the food, meh. Of what we ordered, I really enjoyed the Spanish Anchovies, though I'm guessing there's not a lot of prep work on those happening in-restaurant. Other items we ordered were very bland. We had about six different plates, a few examples: Chorizo and fig filled chicken - I expected that fun combo of spicy chorizo with the tangy/sweet fig flavor. The filling didn't have any flavor at all, the dish just tasted of plain baked chicken. Brussel sprouts - My all time favorite vege. The dish looked lovely, but needed salt, pepper, herbs, something! There appeared to be ham included, however we couldn't detect any flavor derived from it. We agreed this might be a nice place on a summer day to enjoy a glass of wine and their great selection of cheeses and meats out on their patio. Having said that, the prepared food just wasn't good or interesting. And I like good food. read more

My absolute favorite restaurant in Kansas City. Don't leave without trying the Grilled Bread & Ricotta and the Spanish Meatballs. I have yet to be less than thrilled with anything that I've ordered. EV also has the longest happy hour ever -- 11:30am - 6:00pm, Monday - Friday. Most plates are half price, and $2 off glasses of wine. Perfect for a long lunch or just living there and reveling in the endless deliciousness. read more

I honestly can't say why I haven't already written a review for Extra Virgin, but better late than never, right? First of all, no matter what you order here, you CANNOT go wrong. Some of the items on the menu may sound a bit far fetched, but that's what makes this place so great. They always have a great happy hour, which includes half off of many of their tapas menu and discounted select drinks and wines. They make a killer Long Island Iced Tea (my personal favorite). To my knowledge, they almost always have their chorizo stuffed chicken thighs, which is probably one of my most frequent and favorite plates to order. I can never share. But, on my latest trip, I decided to opt for a new flavor and ordered the fried duck gizzards and the penne with cheese and panchetta. My mom ordered the brussel sprouts and the hanger steak, while we shared the deviled eggs. There is always a little bit of a wait for your food, but you'll soon understand why. To put it quite simply, this food is to die for. The deviled eggs were smooth and had a nice tang (which I'm not used to, but LOVED), and the penne was piping hot, seasoned perfectly and the cheese.. holy cow, the cheese was awesome. And bonus, panchetta - which you can never go wrong with. But, my favorite part of my meal was the duck gizzards. Now, I love gizzards anyway, even if they're a little on the chewy side, but these were on a whole new level of delicious. They had a delicate fried crust, were hardly chewy, and were drizzled with hot sauce, which I had never had with gizzards before, however I was definitely a fan. I tried a bite of my mom's hanger steak, which was of course superb, and the brussel sprouts were pretty fantastic (coming from someone who's not normally a brussel sprout eater). The waitstaff have never been anything less than superb, always having great attitude, are attentive without being annoying, and are able to give excellent recommendations for food and wine. Added bonus, the place looks fantastic, the bar is especially cool with the iron work up above. AND! Another added bonus, right next door, is Michael Smith, which is the owners self titled restaurant, which I also hear is one hell of a good spot for dinner. Maybe next time! read more

See all

Great food, great service, and a fun atmosphere. Chef Michael Smith is well known for inventing unique recipes, and Extra Virgin is like the most delicious science experiment you'd ever want to share with friends or family. Read the menu of you like, but if you're there when Ben is serving, tell him what you like and he'll set a perfect assortment of small plates in front of you, and pair it with the best choices of beverages. This a spot worth lots of re-visits! read more