I really don't understand the bad reviews. If anything, I'm noticing that the people in CdA aren't yelping right. Just because the waiter looked at you bad doesn't mean you need to give the place one star. You're doing it wrong. Anyways... This is place was pretty awesome. Anything with a beautiful view and good food along with great service gets my vote. Since Idaho is all about huckleberries, I jumped at the chance to taste a huckleberry beer. Great way to start it off in an Asian restaurant. Followed that up with the grilled king salmon with huckleberry aioli. Are you kidding me? I'm trying this at home when I get back to LA!! I especially loved the downstairs koi pond area where your table is on an island, surrounded by beautiful koi fish. Nice. I can see this place getting ridiculously slammed come summer season. Will definitely visit again.
(4)
Emily S.
Service was great and the atmosphere is awesome as well as the decore but I was disappointed in the food. I did the Thursday all you can eat special (which was a huge mistake on my part b/c I couldn't eat much). I had miso soup, the Philly Roll, the North Idaho roll, the Vegas Roll. The miso soup was far too salty, the Philly Roll and the North Idaho Roll had a very dry taste to them. And though the Vegas Roll was the best of the night it still didn't wow me. But I refuse to give up hope of this place!
(3)
Luke S.
The Mongolian beef was juicy and tasty but is no PF Chengs. The sushi rolls were pretty decent sized proportions and the fish tasted fresh. It is usually a hit or miss on how great it will taste here. The environment is a nice and over looking the lake and right downtown coeurdalene.
(3)
Deanna E.
I dislike giving bad reviews but the service at this place was terrible! Went with a group of 8 for a bachelorette party tonight. We had reservations but arrived about 10-15min late. We ordered our meals at about 8:00pm. The group had ordered some appetizers and soups that we thought would have come out before our meal. Wrong. By 9:00pm we asked the waitress where our meal was, her response was that it was going to be about 5 more min and that there was a party of 25 upstairs who ordered ahead of us. We asked if we could have some rice or something easy to dish up to hold us over as we were all STARVING by this point and had been there well over an hour. One of the girls in our party ended up asking another waitress if she could speak to a manager. She explained the situation and the manager said she'd check on our food but seemed really flustered like the restaurant was really busy and she didn't have time to deal with our complaints fully. By 9:15-9:20ish some of the food came out to us....fried rice and beef and broccoli. You could tell the fried rice had been sitting under a heat lamp as it was really dry and crusty looking. The beef and broccoli plate and food was luke warm. As the rest of the dishes came to us, they all looked like they had been sitting out and that the kitchen staff may have put all our dishes out but no one ever came to claim them. We sent back some of the dishes like the sushi for fear it had gone bad. Some of us didn't even get every thing we ordered. The manager ended up comping us all for our meals (which was nice) but we had to pay for our drinks. We were all really disappointed with the restaurant as we had heard good things about the food from friends that live in town. When we left the place looked pretty empty.
(1)
Kelsey W.
So we used to like this place a decent amount, but it seems that it has gone downhill. Last time we went my husband wasn't very impressed with the sushi and the chicken was a terrible texture and wasn't done very well at all. I felt like with the amount you pay the quality no longer matches. Also, the Fuji Molten Cake USED to be amazing. When we got it, it was very small. Basically we paid for tons of ice cream and a little bit of broken up cake at the bottom. IT WAS NOT MOLTEN. And you did not break it apart with all the yummy gooeyness and marshmellow like before. EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED. The worst is this dessert costs $8. $8 for this? It probably cost them a dollar maximum. We most likely won't ever be coming back.
(1)
Keith H.
We are extremely angry with this restaurant and we haven't even eaten there yet. (and now after reading these other reviews we never will). On Sunday we stopped by the Calypso coffee bar that shares the car park with Bonsai. We have been going there on a Sunday on and off for years. This time we were there for about 30 minutes, came out and our car had a BOOT on it! Seriously. Sunday afternoon in a half empty car park in CDA getting booted! We complained to the guy who booted us. He said we were parked in Bonsai's parking spaces. They have put up signs that look suspiciously like they were designed not to be noticed. Grey lettering on white background. Obviously if they had been noticeable we would have parked somewhere else. there was plenty of open spaces available, despite Bonsai taking up 3/4 of the car park. On speaking to some other people, we were told that the owners of Bonsai were trying to "make it difficult" for Calypso because they wanted them gone. We will never eat there.
(1)
Jamie M.
Appetizer: Crab Rangoon -- wasn't very good at all, too much crab imitation -- hardly any cream cheese, it was fried a bit too long (a bit too hard/crunchy) and the dipping sauce could be a bit better. Entree: I had the Thai Curry Stir Fry with Rice Noodles..... It had almost no flavor at all. The texture was good, noodles were good, veggies were good -- but flavor just wasn't there at all, it was really bland. I had to add a lot of soy sauce to it. Disappointed because I was in the mood for that "curry" flavor which I ended up getting a 'soy sauce" stir fry flavor instead. I only got maybe 2 bites of "cilantro" flavor in the entire large dish -- if it had a lot more cilantro in it, it would be much better, and please... the flavor, it really needs to be fixed. Other people at our table ordered the Hawaiian Hot and Spicy Chicken dish -- they all raved about it. I will have to try this next time if I ever return here. Prices are overpriced also -- a plate of noodles (MOSTLY noodles) and veggies (SOME) for 16 bucks, OK well it had (A FEW) chicken and shrimp in it, but still overpriced in my opinion.
(2)
Cindy N.
While in Coeur D'Alene, I was craving for Asian food so bad that we made reservations here. I was not disappointed. We were able to sit in the island that was surrounded by the very cool koi pond downstairs! The food was rather tasty and I was impressed that good Asian food was even available in this steak and potatoes town. If we ever may or way towards that direction again, I can't wait to come back.
(4)
Nomi B.
Food is good, I got Korean Kalbi it is delicious, but service is little off. I used to work as a server, I know how crazy busy it can be but they can do better than that.
(2)
lynda r.
Sadly, I am not able to review the food. We presented ourselves to an all but empty restaurant and were told there was a 20 minute wait!
(1)
Kevin B.
Great service, great food. Thank you for making our 18th anniversary dinner a great one.
(5)
Shelby G.
This place has just about as bad of service, as you could ever get, anywhere. Took a friend here for her birthday lunch, on a Monday and literally waited an hour and 15 minutes, with NO food and NO explanation, before the birthday girl inquired about our sushi. The waitress bit our heads off and snapped that they were extra busy, because a few other people in the restaurant, had also ordered sushi. Okay...it's a sushi restaurant. The food isn't even very good and the service makes it unbearable. We won't be back.
(1)
Brianne T.
Something in my kid's chow mein made him so sick soon after he ate. He almost threw up in the restaurant. But I think he waited until he got home because the moment I left him alone in the bedroom, his food went all over the carpet. I do t know if it was the milk he had and then the chow mein, or just the milk, or just the food, or just he ate too much. Too many variables. But my gut says the chow mein was too oily and milk and oil did not mix well in his tummy. I am so sad that this was the place I had my dinner party for my wedding. Service seems okay. I did hear from a manager when they got a table's order mixed up that they'd fix it right away. But I didn't eavesdrop enough to hear if the manager took incentive to give them a free dessert or something, just that she followed up with them, and that was good on her. Used to really like this place and enjoyed most of the waiters/waitresses enough to give them a good tip. A smile goes a long way with me. And personality goes a long, long way. Not feeling it last time I was there. Meh.
(2)
Christian L.
This place was horrible. The service was atrocious. Super over priced and the fish just didn't seem fresh at all. We will never go back. I felt bad, we took friends that were here visiting from out of town. They also agreed it was a terrible experience and bad fish. One star is too many.
(1)
Megan H.
The all you can eat sushi is absolutely delicious. Great price. Great view of the lake. The wait staff are very timely and friendly. We had such a great dinner here.
(5)
Kyra F.
Very disappointed in our experience at Bonsai tonight. We stopped by the restaurant earlier in the day to check out the koi pond "river" and talked to the manager about sitting in that section for dinner tonight. We made reservations. When we arrived we were told that they had closed that section of the restaurant (the entire downstairs). There was no one seated there at the time. They sat us at a window table in the upper section. The food was good. But the service was inattentive. I ordered a glass of wine right before our food arrived. We were almost done with dinner before the wine arrived. The icing on the cake was that when we left there was a couple they had seated in the previously closed koi pond section.
(1)
Jamieleigh W.
I love the way this place looks - especially downstairs with the water, fish and turtles. But the food has never really impressed me much. The service has always been great, though. When I had their one night stand roll, the salmon tasted off to me. That's never a good thing when you're eating raw fish! Their spicy mayo is good and spicy, their ginger is good and their miso soup is yummy and a generous portion but the mochi ice cream is really bad! I'm a huge fan of mochi and they serve it super soft with a coconut cream filling instead of actual ice cream flavors. It just doesn't taste good at all and the texture is all wrong. It's suppose to melt in your mouth not be melted and stretchy on the plate already.
(3)
Matt B.
Went to Bonsai for the first time with some friends from out of town. Was expecting an interesting Asian Fusion experience, and ended up with something worse than mall Chinese food. Everyone's entrees' were drenched in goopy, bizarre sauces that tasted nothing like what was expected. My cashew almond chicken had a bizarre sulfur flavor that tasted like it was made in a fireworks factory. Maybe that's what they were going for, who knows? The service was okay, but it was fairly empty for a Friday night. Price was comparable to any downtown eatery. We paid about $40 for two entrees, an appetizer and two drinks. Would have been a little more worthwhile had the food been good.
(1)
Sarawr O.
Med. I. Ocre. Just go the 30 minutes to spokane at PF Changs if you want this sort of typical slightly better safe, lame, Pan-Asian food. Overpriced. Odd dining areas. The lunch is the best time - the bahn-mi sandwich that we discovered way too late in the game in that area is a pretty good sandwich and a decent deal. Other than that, you can make it all at home with a well-rated food network recipe & a little imagination at home!
(2)
Liz H.
All I can say is yuck! Don't waste your money. Had wonton soup and it was like they put a bunch of everything in the soup. Gross. The fried rice was like mush. The cashew almond chicken was like eating a bunch of goo. This Resturant has really gone downhill. Are there new cooks? There are plenty of MUCH better places to eat out.
(1)
Chaud F.
Why bother... Management doesn't care. Service staff doesn't care. Kitchen doesn't care. The bussers are the best part if the whole staff. We were a party of 6. Ordered drinks, drinks came in pulses, some never did arrive. Food order horribly messed up we grinned and bore it eating food we didn't order, never getting over half of the food we did order, check was presented with ALL of the food on it, took 30 minutes to straighten that mess. As we were leaving a manager asked how things were, I told him to forget asking, he insisted, I told him how the experience went, he says, "sometimes we don't get it right, I hope you give us another chance in the future." Righhhhtttt. Unlikely! Who owns this wreck? Oh, yeah, part of the "resort." Don't eat here even as a last resort. In fact stay away from the resort venues in general, there is lots of great food in CdA. Syringa sushi just up 4th street, much better food. Actual staff.
(1)
John O.
Was not impressed with the food. Crab Rangoon was just fake crab meat (as it should be) in a shell. No cream cheese, no seasoning. Friend said pad Thai was worst he's ever had. Neither of us enjoyed our sushi. Edamame was only good thing we had.
(1)
Jade C.
Delete review
(1)
Nid M.
Celebrated my daughter's birthday tonight. We had first rate service! They were so friendly and accommodated our large party efficiently. Great food and beautiful view of the lake. The kids were given food to feed the koi... very fun!
(5)
John P.
"I do enjoy this establishment and yet if this restaurant was not loaded with Viewtabulous dining tables, it would not stand up on food alone. The food is NOT all around exceptional however, if you know what to order, it can be a high quality experience. PS: the best time to eat here is during the lunch hours in the summer and Holiday tourist season as they seem to kick it up a notch." Favorite dish: Yellowtail collar
(4)
Sara S.
We have never had worse Asian food. I'm not sure how something can be tasteless and horrible at the same time. We kept remarking that since it is connected with a world famous resort, it seems like they would make a bit more of an effort to have good food. Just horrific.
(1)
Steve S.
I'm not sure how much those of you were paid to write a good review for this place the service was slow the rice was old and not fresh i ordered soup with my meal and then had to ask for it after i had almost finished my sushi the look of the place is top notch but the food is not you want good sushi go somewhere els this is not the place for you on a good note they did serve some of the best ice tea i have ever had $128 lunch for 4 is only worth it if the food is good stop writing false reviews for this place and making people waist there hard earned money
(2)
Tyler B.
Went here for dinner, firstly there was a pianist playing in the lower dining area and my wife and I were seated roughly 3 feet from them, louder than a fart in the mens restroom at a truck stop. Ridiculously overpriced, poorly made sushi rolls, had the spicy California, Tropical, and Bruce Lee and a miso soup. None of which were memorable, and I paid over $50.00 and was still hungry. I would recommend skipping this place for sushi.
(1)
Rick H.
The appetizers are great went downhill from there the dinner itself was overcooked the waitress should have told us the only advantage they have going for them is right across the street from the hotel
(3)
Alyssa J.
I don't understand the bad reviews. This is my favorite date spot, excellent food and great help, all of our servers have been amazing and accommodating. The food is usually predictable and always good. I've never had a bad experience and I go here often. P.S. The Mojito was AMAZING (But a bit over priced)
(5)
Cindy S.
Love their sushi! I always enjoy the view of the park and the lake! Sometimes service is slow.
(4)
Heather W.
I enjoyed my meal and the small indoor river we can sit around at the bottom of the restaurant.
(4)
Bob V.
I have been to Bonsai probably 6-7 times, actually headed there again tonight. I really don't understand the 1-2 star reviews, it really doesn't reflect the experiences I've had there. I'll be the first to say, I haven't eaten anything but sushi from here, so I can't comment on the rice dishes, etc, but I go there for all you can eat sushi Thursdays, and everything has been quite good.. I'm from Seattle, so have eaten at my fair share of sushi places.
(4)
Stephanie R.
I would love to post a more positive review of this restaurant in beautiful downtown Coeur d'Alene. Tonight my family and I called in a to-go order for 4 sushi rolls and we were pretty disappointed once we got the food home. The rolls were priced a bit high but the quality and quantity just did not justify this price. I don't think I'll be ordering sushi from this establishment again.
(2)
Ben O.
Bland, tasteless food. Overpriced. This place has great atmosphere, but don't be fooled... you are paying too much for sub-par food. I've had better Asian food from Safeway, seriously. We ordered General Tso's Chicken and Mongolian Beef. First, the General Tso's was unlike any General Tso's I've ever had before. That's not a good thing. It was bland and lacked any type of character. Zero spice, zero flavor. No zest. It was chicken pieces with some kind of light glaze... it's like they had never heard of how to make General Tso's before. The glaze tasted poorly too. The Mongolian beef wasn't spicy, wasn't tasty. It wasn't quite as bland as the chicken dish, but didn't have any zest, yet again. It was like we were eating Asian food in a mall cafeteria in Nebraska. The egg rolls were all right, the crab puffs were pretty good, but for the price this place is charging, you'd do better ordering Panda Express. No, I'm not joking. We spent $45 for two entrees, four egg rolls and two crab puffs. Way too much for the quality of food. Sorry, Bonsai, you're like a hot chick with bad breath and nothing interesting to say.
(1)
Stephen R.
I took my wife and our girls and my mother in law for lunch there yesterday on Mother's Day because it was someplace fun and different. The atmosphere was nice, my girls loved the koi pond and turtles...unfortunately the service was terrible, we had to ask for our Edamame which finally came after we were almost done with the meal. 1/2 of the order was incorrect and when we got our food, the sweet and sour pork was not fully cooked.....although they replaced the order of food, it was a very long wait and not a very good dining experience overall. Next time I will go to Canton's or try the Ugly Fish.
(1)
Marla R.
Got a couple of rolls, pork fried rice and chicken lomein. It was so bland even putting soysauce in it to have some flavor. Still not good at all. It's very dissapointing. On the flipside the interior is very nice and big.
(2)
Dan R.
This is probably the best Asian food in CDA. It is a very nice restaurant with great atmosphere. You can go casual or get dressed up. We like the small plates. Honey chicken, tempura veggies are the best. Right across from the resort so you can easily walk
(4)
Pat G.
Really great dining experience.....good food and well prepared...huge selection from blue crab to shrimp and everything in between....oyster shooters with gin and cocktail sauce was sublime.....the dining area and bar is well layed out and pleasing to the eye. Very surprised at the bill which I was sure around 150.00 and came in at 81.00.
(5)
Sayak R.
I was travelling with my brother and sister in law from seattle to yellowstone, making a stopover in coeur d'alene and had dinner here. We loved the place. It has nice upscale decor, but the price is reasonable. The caramelized garlic noodle needs special mention. We went there for lunch on our way back as well.
(4)
Sammy L.
Food was disappointing. The place had great ambience, especially with koi pond and turtles. But the food was definitely sin-par. My beef dish was slightly cold and my wife got sushi, which was not assembled very well and very skimpy in terms of portions. And very expensive. Definitely targeted towards the tourists or the people who stay at the resort. Service was a mess too with some of our items brought incorrectly and other things we had to ask for multiple times. But not coming back here.
(2)
Craig W.
Not great. Taste and looked like something I would have made at home myself. Expected much better sushi for the price. My advice: skip it.
(2)
Heather P.
For people that don't enjoy extensive reviews, I'll give it to you short & sweet: DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY HERE. This place attempts to be classy with their flashy interior, dim lighting & overpriced menu. Unfortunately, they failed to deliver the high quality service their appearance entails. For starters, the wait for EVERYTHING was ridiculous. We didn't get our beverages, orders taken, and food in a timely matter. Our server was absent minded and annoying-- she obviously did not care what we thought about the food, her or the restaurant. How does someone so clueless get a job at a "high end" restaurant? Beats me. As if waiting was not bad enough, ALL THE FOOD TASTED THE SAME. They used the same overly sweet sauce for all of their dishes. The Mongolian style beef, Korean ribs & steak all tasted the same....?????? Garlic noodles were also extremely sweet & had a funky smell... I had to force myself to take a bite-- big mistake. They even somehow managed to over-sweeten their mango lemonade. No lemon, just sugar. You couldn't pay me to come back here. I wish I could have spent my short time in Idaho eating somewhere else, and would hate for anyone else to make the same mistake.
(1)
L L.
"Northwest's Finest Wok Cuisine & Celebrated Sushi Bar" is what their website says. The food there is not anything close to that. I've eaten here quite a few times and have never liked it. I've given this place enough chances I think. The sushi is extremely poorly rolled. There are patches of rice on the outside and chewy fish on the inside. Nothing that I've had tasted even remotely Asian. While my rice had almost no sauce. my salad swam around in sauce which was gross. The only thing that has ever been consistent is that the food isn't good. The bartenders are awesome and the drinks are good. At least they have that going for them.
(1)
Chino B.
This place sucks. $30 for 2 rolls and a miso? Terrible. The service sucked too. I can't believe I wasted my time and money here. I'll never come back and make sure my friends don't either.
(1)
Sarah S.
Absolute worst sushi experience in my life! Tuna on the spicy tuna roll was brown and mushy. Strong fish odor and taste. Waitress was nowhere to be found. Had to go and find her twice, both times she was chatting with her coworker at the drink refill station. I gave a 1 star because the Mongolian beef was actually quite tasty. Poor sushi quality and poor service.
(1)
Hbk S.
I do not understand the bad reviews for this place! we went on the all you can eat Thursday for $29 per person. First, the hot menu items were great, i lived in China so i know what is good Asian food, The Sushi partially was great and some of it wasn't tightly rolled mainly because its Thursday and busy so they have different chefs rolling sushi so i can understand. The best Sushi was the Bruce Lee, and the other tampura fried rolls. I personally thought its worth $29 for a good experience if you feel like sushi once a while!
(4)
Michele R.
It may be a backhanded compliment, but our experience here was not as bad as fellow Yelper reviews suggested it might be. While the food was not memorable, it certainly was edible. The cocktails were good. Service from a staff member named Heather and her team of assistants was friendly and efficient. And our upstairs seating at a window table provided views of the activity by the lake, even if the overall dining room ambiance wasn't something to write home about. (Note photos). Maybe it's because we were in the company of friends who we very much enjoy and who recommended this place (and who we think would say the downstairs ambiance is better than our upstairs seating choice), but we enjoyed our evening at Bonsai Bistro. This would not be a repeat place for us given all the dining choices in the area and the rare times we are in CDA. But the two people for $24 special that Heather recommended (three options from a specialty menu to serve two people) was a pretty good deal...only $12 / person. We chose a trio of Thai curry with rice noodles, Mu Shu pork, and a Vietnamese salt and pepper calamari. The calamari arrived a tad undercooked for my taste, but Heather had followed through on our request to the kitchen to have more tentacles included in the mix. And the other two dishes were decent if not great. (Beware though, they use rice paper as the Mu Shu wrappers and rice paper can be challenging to pull apart and roll up as it cools off.) Unexpected "pluses": 1) Although on three floors...bar on entry level, view dining up, "garden" dining down...each by a short flight of stairs...the restaurant has a lift installed so people of all abilities can get to all of the floors. 2) Parking available in a lot in back of the restaurant and monitored by an attendant.
(3)
Tammy N.
NO. who puts tonkatsu sauce on hamachi kama... just no. the wait for our food was horrendously long but the service was what saved the day. will i be coming back? no.
(2)
Vanessa O.
Used to be really good, but the consistency has changed. Overly priced for mediocre sushi. The service has gone downhill and so has the food. Don't bother with doing the all you can eat sushi because it takes forever. Wish it was back to the old ways.
(1)
Wesley R.
Great view of downtown Coeur d' Alene , really nice inside with a small stream and fish swimming through. The sushi is good but overall the prices are a little higher than some of the other local places with the same quality food.
(4)
Kisa J.
Went there once for the all you can eat Sushi and wasn't as disappointed as I worried I would be. Their normal prices are enough to keep me away when the all you can eat isn't available though. I got to sit next to the Koi pond and that was lovely, it really made waiting for the slow server go by a lot quicker. I grew bored waiting for my food and my drink was refilled rarely. Bummer. The view is pretty and all, but I expected someplace this 'fancy'ish to be a bit better in service.
(4)
K S.
I love this place! The food is amazing, best tofu in town! They don't give you giant blocks of tofu, they grill it in small pieces so it's a more meaty texture. The koi pond is adorable and they have great views of the resort. It's my favorite spot to bring out of towners.
(5)
Don S.
I Think this place dials in at a 3 7/8!! :) Bonsai is a Hagadone Resorts owned restaurant that has sushi and a PF Chang menu. The sushi is good, the PF Chang menu does not disappoint. Love the Lettuce wraps! Eat on the lower level and you can enjoy the Koi Ponds! Upper level you can enjoy lake views. We enjoy eating at the small bar near the tv. This is not PF Changs, nor is it the best sushi in Coeur d Alene, but it is pretty good and located right on Sherman across from the resort and the lake. It is a bit pricey for what you are ordering, but the dishes are plentiful. They offer many beer, wine , and drink options to enhance your meal.
(4)
Emily D.
Came here for lunch on a Saturday and even though it was Ironman weekend and this place is right next to the Ironman village it was dead. The server was very nice and the food was good. Nothing special to write home about, but overall it was a good meal. I had the almond chicken salad and it was good. A few others in our group complained that their meal was a little bland, but after adding some spices they enjoyed it.
(3)
Josh M.
We almost didn't go due to the reviews here, but i'm glad we did. The place us clean and well decorated with a lake inside on the first floor. we split the 3 dish special for $27 between 2 people. We got the Mongolian beef, which was excellent, Vietnamese noodles, which was also really good, and general tso's, which was good. We also got a side of dragon's breath, which is a very spicy hot sauce, and that was also amazing. Be careful as it is really hot, and I like hot. It has a good flavor to it. I would definitely recommend this place.
(5)
Arlene B.
I don't understand the bad reviews. Food was very good and reasonably priced. The service was quick. I had some sort if spicy chicken dish and my husband had the sweet and sour chicken. Both very good. The view was was very nice! I'm glad our friends recommended we go there.
(4)
Laura W.
YUM! What a delightful surprise to find such a wonderful restaurant, with a gorgeous view of Lake Coeur d'Alene in Coeur d'Alene! Food was excellent! Nick the Bartender was very, very good and really pleasant to spend time with while sipping a couple of cocktails. Our food Server was nice enough and "did her job" - not much of a personality but it will not stop us from returning! We have 4 more days here in Coeur d'Alene!
(5)
Laura G.
My friend and I stopped in here for a late night bite a couple of weekends ago, and it was somewhat better than horrible. None of the employees seemed to know if they were still open, and then they didn't know where to seat us. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure they even worked there. The decor is way outdated. Our food arrived missing some critical components. The sushi chef, who was doubling as our server, disappeared for long chunks of time. The food was average at best. The entire experience was completely underwhelming. I think the only reason I didn't give it one star is because I didn't get food poisoning.
(2)
Tyler I.
"Just traveling through and wanted some sushi I'm with the other reviewers great place very clean very prompt service I would highly recommend"
(4)
Ethan S.
Just came back from this restaurant tonight annddddd yep...this place is not bad above decent to say the least. Great ambiance but definitely even better happy hour prices, if you like deep fried sushi for over 50% during happy hour come here! Order the fire prawns appetizer, that shit is tasty. All happy hour plates are same portions as regular so you cant beat that. Only con i would see is their 3 small plate special for 27 bucks, it really is SMALL and the three items we got: General Tso (yuck not even battered and deep fried), Carmelized Garlic Noodles (tasty but not anything special), and Honey Walnut Shrimp (tasty but i've had better at regular restaurants). If you come here definitely happy hour is a must, 20$ and you can a giant tray of deep fried sushi that feeds 3 hungry slobs.
(4)
Shawn B.
SUCKS!! WASTE OF $$$$ Sometimes you feel bad for a good waitress being brought down by her surroundings. The price would be right if the portions were doubled. Kitchen took forever to get the food out and you could hear the apologies to the other tables not just ours. Problem was it was Thursday night at 7 and not even busy, maybe 30% full. Once the food did arrive the portions were tiny and over cooked. Our waitress was great though, just doesn't seem to be ran very well. Tourist location gets tourist pricing and results. Sad but true. 1st and last time. Kids did love the fish pond though and atmosphere is nice.
(1)
Michele T.
Average sushi, the noodles were good. The air conditioning upstairs was not up to cooling it to a comfortable level on a hot summer day. The had to reseat us.
(2)
Sally M.
Hmm.. ok where to start. 1) Bug in water and dessert 2) Server named Lauren who really did not give a crap about the bugs in our water and dessert 3) Terrible service 4) Terrible service. I came here for lunch on a Monday afternoon and the place was very slow. They had no reason whatsoever to give us a crappy service. We had a dead bug floating in our water and we had to wait about good 20 minutes before our lovely server named Lauren decided to come by and check on us. When we told her that there was a dead bug in our water, she did not bother apologizing nor did she looked surprised. She just said "ok" and brought us a new cup of water, WITHOUT ANY ICE, just a TAP WATER without any apologies. Moving on, we decided to order three sushi rolls and a wakame salad. Wakame tasted mediocre as well as sushi rolls, nothing spectacular. With that said, the rolls were overly priced (for example, tiger roll came in 6-8 pieces for about $18) and the presentation of the rolls were nothing beyond just the rolls on a plate. After our meal, we decided to get desserts. We ordered 3 mochi ice creams, green tea, strawberry and mango flavor ($2.25 each). WARNING: DO NOT ORDER MOCHI ICE CREAM. They tasted absolutely terrible. It was rather beyond terrible. The mochi tasted like rubber, it was hard and FROZEN. In addition, the chef decided to be creative and put some flower petals on our dessert plate and along with some bugs. Beautiful interior, terrible service, and terrible food. If you love eating bugs with your sushi, go here. If not, I do not recommend anyone to eat here.
(1)
Rich T.
Let's say you know your Asian food, being from Asia-Pacific and having travelled and worked extensively in the region. A sassy waiter is slow to get drinks and finally takes your order. I want a main dish. some sushi, and karaage to share as an appetizer. "It's pronounced kah-raw-hey he interjects. You want kah-raw-hey." At that point I should have known this place was gonna suck. And sucked it did! Eggy/soggy fried chicken was our reward for enduring Mr. Sassy "I-know-Japanese-better-than-you" waiter. This place pretends to be high quality and authentic but fails in both endeavors. Really though, who f***'s up fried chicken? Authentic or not!
(1)
Adam J.
Disappointed in the yelp reviews for this place. We had 5 dishes family style, and everything was very good. Got a 3 small plates for $27 deal and that would be a solid meal for 2. We had 4 so we added a large plate and no one could eat another bite. Awesome mojitos (sp?) and very nice architecture. Outside seating was great. Maybe we got lucky, but I think you are safe to give this one a shot independent of the average yelp score.
(4)
Elizabeth F.
We ate lunch here on Sun, Oct. 23, 2011and I was very happy with the staff, view and food. (And I've eaten sushi from various top places to be able to compare this too.) I ordered the Bonsai roll-chef's creation and think they should put it on the menu. Marlin with sweet potato, cream cheese, avocado and not sure what else. Light, tasty and hit the spot. Plan to go back while I'm here. Do have to note the Mongolian beef was a little on the bland side but I just added a touch of the mustard on the table and that did it. Large serving of miso soup was tasty and filling.
(4)
Josh B.
Always a great place to eat. It's not cheap but worth the money. Their sushi is the freshest in the area.
(4)
LisaLisa F.
So this is my second time at Bonsai. The first was a homerun and I would give it 10 stars. However, it was a weeknight and we all sat at the sushi bar. I come to Couer D'Alene to vacation and visit friends 2-3x a year and yes, I might be crazy for eating sushi in IDAHO of all places, but it does have its moments of yumminess. This last time I came to Bansai was so completely night and day, I wondered if I was in the same fabulous place I had spent so much money in last summer (with six friends and me footing the bill of course) Cons: 1. The hostess I wanted to throttle. You do not take a family of five people, tell them you are going to seat them and then STAND in the middle of the dining room for seven...yes...SEVEN minutes while you wait for the bussers to breakdown the large party of 25 who just left. We had people racing around us and meanwhile the boy and I felt like complete jackholes standing there with our thumbs up our rears while the ding-dong hostess discussed the weather. UM...next time...I would rather wait in the lobby you moron. 2. The poor scattered server. They sat him four tables at once, so it took us over ten minutes to get our first drinks. 3. Never...EVER...ever, ever, ever, ever...should it take 45 minutes for two childrens teriyaki chickens to finally get to the table. Shameful and just so completely out of line. We then got the excuse that "the server had put in the kids orders AFTER a large party of 20 had just ordered. WTF?!? I was actually stunned they told me that to begin with. This scenario would be the one reason I would never go back 4. one of the worst Unagi sushi's I have ever had. It tasted like musty shoes and I don't make it a habit of eating musty shoes 5. Service - it was very hit/miss. While our server was a nice guy, he was slow, forgot an entire roll we had ordered, forgot to put the kids dinners in ASAP like I asked and just overall seemed overworked and tired. Get ready kiddo...because it is only May and you still have an entire summer with Europeans to get through! 6. Sweet Jesus it is loud. you can barely hear yourself think much less try to have a conversation with the person across from you 7. After what happened with the little people's dinners, I would leave the kids at home or the hotel. They will hate it, become very restless and begin whining "I hate this place" (hmmm...not too far off how I felt) PRO: 1. The view - you are right across the street from the lake and the beautiful Couer D'Alene resort 2. The sushi/sashimi is good...not great...but good 3. Hamachi Kama Collar freshly roasted (IF they have it) on the grill. If they have it, you MUST get it 4. The Monkey Business dessert. YUMMO!! Overall, if I had to repeat my second visit, I would have gone to Siricha instead up the road.
(2)
Mei-Lu M.
This place is like a Pan-Asian version of PF Chang's - Americanized Asian food that is tasty and reliable. It's a beautiful setting (right on the lake) but I think the Chinese food is better at Ugly Fish and the Japanese food is better at Syringa so I NEVER come here. One thing, though - they offer menu items cooked in gluten-free soy sauce and have a lot of vegan options which neither Syringa nor Ugly Fish do. So if you've got any food allergies, sensitivities or limitations, this place is a better place to come.
(3)
Lovey O.
THE WORST ASIAN FOOD I'VE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE. Let's not get into the details. Let's just put a rule of thumb out there, soy sauce is a salt substitute. It's a major no-no to heavy handedly put both in the mix. Everything was salty, didn't taste like it should have, and pretty expensive. Never again. Park in their lot. They have a young kid that patrols the lot to make sure you're eating at Bonsai and not just using their parking to get to the lake.
(1)
Spiro T.
Mediocre sushi in a slightly upscale but outdated setting. Nothing was wrong with their sushi. It was just unimaginative and did not excite the palate. If you are staying at the resort and are craving sushi, I suggest that you also check out reviews of other sushi joints . Don't be fooled by the façade.
(2)
Ryan P.
Place sucks, period. I didn't like anything. The sushi sucks and the hot food is just as bad. I went there for a family thing and it looked nice until we got our horrible food. Also I was going to calypsos yesterday and was going to park in the parking lot, but as soon as I got out of my truck someone came up and told me I have to park somewhere else as that was only for Bonsai parking. It was 2 in the afternoon and as I walked back to my truck on the street across the parking lot I counted 28 empty spaces. Great way to get customers. I could MAYBE understand if the lot was fulll and it was lunch or dinner time. I will never step foot in the place again, for any reason. Make the drive to P.F. Chang's in Spokane if you want some Asian food.
(1)
Lynne R.
Upsides: food was very tasty, we ordered the sweet potatoes with marshmallow and caramel dip, moo shu pork, ginger beef and broccoli, and hawaiian chicken. All had great flavor and crisp vegetables. If you like sake, there were many choices. We tried the sake flight, which was interesting...but I still don't like sake! Also, the outside and downstairs were very nice, with a little stream and flowers. Also, our server was very friendly. Downsides: the service was rather slow, I'm fairly sure our server had way too many tables, otherwise she would have been excellent. as a result of the too navy tables, the food was not a hot as it should have been. As a note, I was happy to not have looked at the reviews prior to sitting down, else we might not have gone!
(4)
Zack S.
The location and view are great - the sushi is palatable. I did not try their other dishes. This is a place to go to see and be seen in CDA, and it's a great lunch for watching everyone wandering around the resort. However the sushi leaves something to be desired, if you're accustom to quality of any kind. The Wok-Seared Lettuce Wraps were actually a delightful appetizer, but I was disappointed by the quality of the sushi. I ordered some nigiri (Hamachi and Maguro) and two rolls (Caterpillar and something else, can't remember). The nigiri was so-so, and the caterpillar was merely okay...definitely felt over-priced. I live in Las Vegas, so expensive sushi doesn't bother me....but the quality of a caterpillar roll did not justify $14. With that said, I would go back again, if only to try some of their regular entrees.
(2)
Joel D.
Excellent. The ambience I'd wonderful. The food outand drinks are top quality and not gonna put you on skid row. The turtles and fish swimming around the moat are fun to watch as well. Great for a family or a couple looking to enjoy themselves
(4)
L G.
A bit pricey but food was fresh and good. Service was good as well.
(4)
Beth V.
The only reason I gave two stars instead of one is because of the pretty view of the lake from the dinner tables. PROS: -clean restroom, but one door was broken -popular spot -private parking lot -full bar -pretty decor and ambience -tall beers -yummy mixed drinks CONS: -really bad-tasting food (even the sushi was weird) -service was horrible for us and all the tables within eyesight -service was inexperienced -food was cold when it should have been hot -cold white wine was delivered/poured room temperature -they had NO cold white wine available -sake was cold, but we ordered HOT sake -one of our orders was forgotten in the kitchen
(2)
Patrick J.
Even after finishing the few bites of plain white rice that was served with the chicken, I was still hungry. Yet again I had fallen victim to the Hagadone curse: lots of hype for nothing, and small portions that are jaw-droppingly overpriced. To be fair, I did not get a chance to sample thier sushi, which I've heard is great and worth the price (my father would have gotten queasy at the sight of raw fish - he's a meat and potoatoes kind of guy.) Actually, I was surprised when my dad announced that his stir-fry was delicious and filling and to his credit, he never complained once about the bill. I reminded him that our poor waitress was being paid $3.00/hr or so by old Mr. H, and so he tipped her 10 bucks, our good deed for the day. Overall, the most impressive aspect of this place is the amazing ass-free transformation of the interior. As for the food and value, I was not overly impressed. Read the full review: getoutnorthidaho.com
(2)
Heather B.
I was here about a week ago. I just don't see why people like this place. This is the third time I've been here, and it will certainly be the last. On this occasion, my husband and I ordered 3 rolls: a spicy California, a Tropical, and the Bruce Lee. Normally 3 rolls and a couple miso soups is plenty of food for the two of us, but not at Bonsai Bistro. The rolls came out on one small plate. The "spicy" Californian was not spicy in the slightest, the tropical had no discernible mango in it, and the biggest disappointment, the Bruce Lee, was probably about 4" long before they sliced it. Seriously, the Bruce Lee slices were so thin that even attempting to pick up a slice with chopsticks resulted in complete disintegration. The other rolls were rolled so small, they were about the diameter of a hot dog. All of this for around $40. And on top of that, our waitress seated us about 2 feet from the piano that a woman was LOUDLY playing. I love yelling at dinner! We left hungry and disappointed.
(2)
Scott M.
Food is rather uninspired Asian "fusion" cuisine with an Americanized sushi menu. I cannot fault them for the sushi, since it is common in American sushi restaurants to offer sushi with cream cheese, deep fried bits, etc. I really like the sushi, but like many restaurants serving fish, some days their fish can be a little ripe. A Sushi joint should know better. The wait staff is usually pretty good unless you get one of the college coed waitresses who think that they can cruise by on their looks (this is the only thing that I can think to explain some of this behavior). The restaurant is fun and they do seem to understand kids -- another reviewer has a different story, but in my experience food arrives quicker when there are little ones being served. And the koi pond/stream entertains my kids the whole time. Over all, I recommend Bonsai Bistro.
(3)
Ashley J.
If you had asked me to Yelp this a year ago I would have only marked 1 star. We used to frequent Bonsai monthly until about a year ago when the service got SO bad and the food became terrible. We didn't return until a few weeks ago. Based on our two most recent visits I would give it 5 stars, but because I can't shake how bad it was for a while I will stick with 4. The quality of the food is miles above any other restaurant of the type in town and the service is no longer lacking. I have been hearing that they are changing their menu soon, so I don't know if that will be a good thing or a bad thing. Only time will tell.
(4)
Michael W.
The all you can eat sushi on Thursdays is a great way to satisfy your appetite for sushi and not break the bank...and the views are awesome!
(4)
Steve I.
This is by far the worst restaurant I've been too in a long, long time. Each entree we had tasted exactly the same, like dirty fryer grease. Avoid this place like the plague!!!
(1)
Jennifer B.
Fool my once shame on you, twice; shame on me!! Actually gave this place three tries to redeem itself. Bad service, mediocre over priced food. Recommend any other place in couer d Alene over this one. Even spoke to manager and he was not nice!! Sushi expensive compared to other places around.
(1)
Chris B.
Great atmosphere and very friendly service. However, although the service was friendly it was slow. The food was the most dissapointing part of the experience. The sweet and sour chicken was bland and chewy while the fried rice was bland with an off flavor and the pork tasted old and chewy The teriyaki chicken was not flavorful and left a lot to be desired. I wish I could give it a better review since the atmosphere is so cool and the service so friendly, but given the poor quality of the food, I can't give it any more stars.
(2)
Denver R.
I thought this place was awesome--a cool looking building, beautiful landscaping, and a view of the lake combine for nice aesthetics. Food was excellent, and plentiful. "From the Forest Floor" entree was unique and delicious. The beer taster came with very generously sized glasses, and also delicious "monkey nuts." The vegetarian roll I had was good, as was the bird's nest fries. Service was really outstanding, as well. Not sure why there are some negative reviews below, but I would love to come back to Bonsai Bistro, as it was a great experience overall.
(5)
Robert K.
The manager here is a jerk! They literally hired a full time security guard to yell at people who park in their parking lot. Now they've chained off a whole row of parking spaces to screw over their neighbor businesses. Obviously they don't care about anyone else. I wish this place would go away!
(1)
Mike B.
This place has a nice atmosphere. When it first opened the food was good. But, it has gone down hill. The food tastes like it comes from a can or bag purchased at Safeway. The service can be discribed as poor. Takes too long to be served and once the food arrives, you don't see the waiter again. No one in this restaurant cares. Somebody from the Resort which owns the place needs to take a long look at the food and service.
(1)
Miranda S.
Food is good, not overly creative but gives a nice variation from the norm and makes Bonsai a frequent list when in the mood for Asian in CDA. I have been there 2x and each I have found something I like on the menu and my 4-year old didn't starve, either. The last time we were there the manager let her feed the fish, too...that just made her day!
(4)
Bryan L.
Left feeling hungry and ripped off. Went here for lunch today having only been there one time in the past. It was not good. I ordered the sweet and sour chicken for lunch. The server seemed like she could care less about us and rarely stopped by to check on us. When she did, she didn't even stop at the table. It was in passing. Beyond the service the food was bland, and the pineapple tasted like it was spoiled. Furthermore, the ridiculous price of $11 bought just a tiny, tiny plate. I left the restaurant feeling ripped off, and hungry. Do not go here. IT is a waste of time and money.
(1)
Dave Z.
I suggest the management - send the chef to more than 2 weeks of Asian food camp. The sushi is below average. Only the Lettuce Wraps are worth the time and effort.
(2)
Steven T.
I hate slamming restaurants, I really do but this place is wrong on so many counts that people should be aware. For starters, we nearly did not even go in, the smells coming from the restaurant, the cooking food smells were strange, unappetizingly strange. Then the surly hostess, the raw rice, the off-tasting sashimi, the watered down insipid curry, etc, etc etc. The building is nice and they have a great location but the food is a culinary disaster. If they could fix that this place could be a great restaurant, until then be afraid, be very afraid.
(1)
Rick C.
Coeur d' Alene: great location near the resort ... fantastic view of the lake ... large open restaurant ... very good pacific rim entrees specialities... good Pacific Northwest wine list. Suggest going for lunch versus dinner .... because of the view
(4)
Liz V.
Well we chose this restaraunt because the building had a beautiful interior and a great view of lake Coeur D'Alene, figured the food would be great. Not so much. My sister started with miso soup, AWFUL miso soup. What little flavor there was tasted like watered down tofu. After we ordered our food they never once checked on us. We had to flag someone down for more water, while we were the only ones there. When our food finally arrived some of it was decent, but overpriced for the small portion we received. Overall I would not recommend this place to anyone as I would not come back.
(1)
Heather A.
My professional job is in northern Idaho, with HQ in San Fran, and every time people from our HQ come to the office they love to go here. Atmosphere is classy and cozy, great portions/price. I had some salmon sushi and the Miso soup - and had no complaints at all. After living in India for several months, it was nice to have something other than a typical "americanized" asian restaurant. I do agree with others here that the service was a bit slow and could use some needed improvement, but don't agree with their sentiments on the quality of the food. Give her a shot!
(4)
Mike K.
Deeply disappointing. Heavy handed and mouth puckeringly over salted.
(1)
Amy R.
I've never had a terrible experience here, but it's not the best Asian cuisine either. The atmosphere seems to be the focus, not the food. I guess I can recommend the lettuce wraps and the lemon drop martini (actually very good).
(3)
Katherine T.
I liked it because there were fishies and turtles! I liked that you can order smaller or larger plates, the onions in my peanut sauce prawns were a little undercooked so it has a 3 but overall pretty tasty :)
(3)
Paisley P.
I had a great experience here. Great service, nice decor, nice waitress. Its traditional Chinese cuisine, but very American, with white servers and a sushi bar that doesnt look trustworthy. The food was great! My post stickers were yum yum, and other dishes looked promising. Only complaint is that my Emperor's Fried rice with beef wasn't fantastic, but satisfying. For the low prices and great food, I will come again!
(4)
Melanie H.
Food is decent. Huge place so you can always get a table.
(3)
Jen R.
maybe the restaurant has improved greatly. or maybe my standards have been lowered by two days driving through montana, eating nothing but fast food burgers and buffalo hot chicken jerky (what a bad idea). the decor is attractive, the staff was attentive, the food was good. i had the steamed chicken potstickers, korean short ribs, and garlic noodles with shrimp. the garlic noodles were my least favorite (a bit dull) and the short ribs were my favorite. they come with some very mild kimchee. everything was fresh. the sake list is long and varied. was it a little pricey? sure. but honestly, people who complain about the price of a meal in a resort town should stick to mall food courts.
(4)
Gavin Y.
Nice atmosphere and staff, but the food is average at best. Premium prices for small portions. Better food and value found elsewhere.
(2)
Steve B.
Food and service are alright, but what makes this place awesome is the location. It has great views of the lake and is only a few steps from the resort.
(3)
Kinda Invisible S.
Avoid this place! Slow, uninterested service; ridiculously small portions, food that looks "old", food that tastes strange, stomach pains later. I was visiting family and so wish I would yelped before walking in. $9 for a "lunch plate" means $2 worth of food you could get at the mall foodcourt and it's probably fresher and better tasting at the mall! Avoid, avoid, avoid.
(1)
Janet D.
If we would have Yelped, we wouldn't have come here...but, we followed our family here for lunch. Great views, good service by a young, inexperienced girl, mediocre food. This is the kind of place that survives off of its great location & views and the large tourist base (non-Yelpers, of course!). I can't imagine that locals come here too often.
(2)
Carmen D.
why does this place have such bad reviews? i think its yummy. i will agree though that their potions have gotten way to small, we used to go there all the time and sit by the koi pond and we would get 2 chicken entrees and rice and it would fill us up. we havent really gone in a while and just went a couple days ago because we had a gift card. and i got sushi, and he ordered 2 chicken entrees chow mein and rice for himself, hopeing to have left overs to take to work the next day. well the portions were so small he was able to eat all 4 things himself (with a couple bits stolen from yours truely) the sushi though was good (i thought) well... actually now that i think of it i only really enjoyed one of the 2 rolls i got. the other was just ok. i got one with salmon in it... i think it was the north idaho roll. and the one that was really good was the hippie roll! i got it cuz of the clever name, lol but i really did enjoy it! i give this place 4 stars mostly because its hard to find good japanese food in coeur d alene... and i like most of the food ive had there. syringa is the best though if your looking for a place to go!
(4)
Tawni B.
I absolutely LOVE this place. My parents took my boyfriend and I here for my 18th birthday, and we have since returned many many times for ourselves. The service could use a bit of work-sometimes the waiters/waitresses aren't attentive or they forget about you. We always get the 3 for $27 and an appetizer to accompany it, not that extra food is needed. The 3 for $27 is perfect for two people. I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE the Spicy Beef Sichuan. I heard they got rid of the 3 for $27, but I hope not. In the end, this is my favorite restaurant in CDA, and it's always the first place I think of when we want to go out to dinner.
(4)
Melvon M.
If u know real Asia food, sushi or stir fly, this is not the place. Good for casual food with a view (sit upstairs by the windows). Small portion for that price. The atmosphere is good for typical American chain restaurant.
(3)
C T.
FANTASTIC view, mediocre food. On the menu is a $4 bowl of miso soup. REALLY? (I ended up ordering it anyway, b/c I wanted it, but there was definitely nothing special about it that might justify the cost) I got a curry noodle dish which was good mostly because of the delicious stir fried veggies. The shrimp was ok, but the chicken was dry and the sauce could have been more plentiful. All in all, the food was nothing to rave about, but the server was very pleasant and the view of the lake was stunning.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Trendy Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Chris N.
I really don't understand the bad reviews. If anything, I'm noticing that the people in CdA aren't yelping right. Just because the waiter looked at you bad doesn't mean you need to give the place one star. You're doing it wrong. Anyways... This is place was pretty awesome. Anything with a beautiful view and good food along with great service gets my vote. Since Idaho is all about huckleberries, I jumped at the chance to taste a huckleberry beer. Great way to start it off in an Asian restaurant. Followed that up with the grilled king salmon with huckleberry aioli. Are you kidding me? I'm trying this at home when I get back to LA!! I especially loved the downstairs koi pond area where your table is on an island, surrounded by beautiful koi fish. Nice. I can see this place getting ridiculously slammed come summer season. Will definitely visit again.
(4)Emily S.
Service was great and the atmosphere is awesome as well as the decore but I was disappointed in the food. I did the Thursday all you can eat special (which was a huge mistake on my part b/c I couldn't eat much). I had miso soup, the Philly Roll, the North Idaho roll, the Vegas Roll. The miso soup was far too salty, the Philly Roll and the North Idaho Roll had a very dry taste to them. And though the Vegas Roll was the best of the night it still didn't wow me. But I refuse to give up hope of this place!
(3)Luke S.
The Mongolian beef was juicy and tasty but is no PF Chengs. The sushi rolls were pretty decent sized proportions and the fish tasted fresh. It is usually a hit or miss on how great it will taste here. The environment is a nice and over looking the lake and right downtown coeurdalene.
(3)Deanna E.
I dislike giving bad reviews but the service at this place was terrible! Went with a group of 8 for a bachelorette party tonight. We had reservations but arrived about 10-15min late. We ordered our meals at about 8:00pm. The group had ordered some appetizers and soups that we thought would have come out before our meal. Wrong. By 9:00pm we asked the waitress where our meal was, her response was that it was going to be about 5 more min and that there was a party of 25 upstairs who ordered ahead of us. We asked if we could have some rice or something easy to dish up to hold us over as we were all STARVING by this point and had been there well over an hour. One of the girls in our party ended up asking another waitress if she could speak to a manager. She explained the situation and the manager said she'd check on our food but seemed really flustered like the restaurant was really busy and she didn't have time to deal with our complaints fully. By 9:15-9:20ish some of the food came out to us....fried rice and beef and broccoli. You could tell the fried rice had been sitting under a heat lamp as it was really dry and crusty looking. The beef and broccoli plate and food was luke warm. As the rest of the dishes came to us, they all looked like they had been sitting out and that the kitchen staff may have put all our dishes out but no one ever came to claim them. We sent back some of the dishes like the sushi for fear it had gone bad. Some of us didn't even get every thing we ordered. The manager ended up comping us all for our meals (which was nice) but we had to pay for our drinks. We were all really disappointed with the restaurant as we had heard good things about the food from friends that live in town. When we left the place looked pretty empty.
(1)Kelsey W.
So we used to like this place a decent amount, but it seems that it has gone downhill. Last time we went my husband wasn't very impressed with the sushi and the chicken was a terrible texture and wasn't done very well at all. I felt like with the amount you pay the quality no longer matches. Also, the Fuji Molten Cake USED to be amazing. When we got it, it was very small. Basically we paid for tons of ice cream and a little bit of broken up cake at the bottom. IT WAS NOT MOLTEN. And you did not break it apart with all the yummy gooeyness and marshmellow like before. EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED. The worst is this dessert costs $8. $8 for this? It probably cost them a dollar maximum. We most likely won't ever be coming back.
(1)Keith H.
We are extremely angry with this restaurant and we haven't even eaten there yet. (and now after reading these other reviews we never will). On Sunday we stopped by the Calypso coffee bar that shares the car park with Bonsai. We have been going there on a Sunday on and off for years. This time we were there for about 30 minutes, came out and our car had a BOOT on it! Seriously. Sunday afternoon in a half empty car park in CDA getting booted! We complained to the guy who booted us. He said we were parked in Bonsai's parking spaces. They have put up signs that look suspiciously like they were designed not to be noticed. Grey lettering on white background. Obviously if they had been noticeable we would have parked somewhere else. there was plenty of open spaces available, despite Bonsai taking up 3/4 of the car park. On speaking to some other people, we were told that the owners of Bonsai were trying to "make it difficult" for Calypso because they wanted them gone. We will never eat there.
(1)Jamie M.
Appetizer: Crab Rangoon -- wasn't very good at all, too much crab imitation -- hardly any cream cheese, it was fried a bit too long (a bit too hard/crunchy) and the dipping sauce could be a bit better. Entree: I had the Thai Curry Stir Fry with Rice Noodles..... It had almost no flavor at all. The texture was good, noodles were good, veggies were good -- but flavor just wasn't there at all, it was really bland. I had to add a lot of soy sauce to it. Disappointed because I was in the mood for that "curry" flavor which I ended up getting a 'soy sauce" stir fry flavor instead. I only got maybe 2 bites of "cilantro" flavor in the entire large dish -- if it had a lot more cilantro in it, it would be much better, and please... the flavor, it really needs to be fixed. Other people at our table ordered the Hawaiian Hot and Spicy Chicken dish -- they all raved about it. I will have to try this next time if I ever return here. Prices are overpriced also -- a plate of noodles (MOSTLY noodles) and veggies (SOME) for 16 bucks, OK well it had (A FEW) chicken and shrimp in it, but still overpriced in my opinion.
(2)Cindy N.
While in Coeur D'Alene, I was craving for Asian food so bad that we made reservations here. I was not disappointed. We were able to sit in the island that was surrounded by the very cool koi pond downstairs! The food was rather tasty and I was impressed that good Asian food was even available in this steak and potatoes town. If we ever may or way towards that direction again, I can't wait to come back.
(4)Nomi B.
Food is good, I got Korean Kalbi it is delicious, but service is little off. I used to work as a server, I know how crazy busy it can be but they can do better than that.
(2)lynda r.
Sadly, I am not able to review the food. We presented ourselves to an all but empty restaurant and were told there was a 20 minute wait!
(1)Kevin B.
Great service, great food. Thank you for making our 18th anniversary dinner a great one.
(5)Shelby G.
This place has just about as bad of service, as you could ever get, anywhere. Took a friend here for her birthday lunch, on a Monday and literally waited an hour and 15 minutes, with NO food and NO explanation, before the birthday girl inquired about our sushi. The waitress bit our heads off and snapped that they were extra busy, because a few other people in the restaurant, had also ordered sushi. Okay...it's a sushi restaurant. The food isn't even very good and the service makes it unbearable. We won't be back.
(1)Brianne T.
Something in my kid's chow mein made him so sick soon after he ate. He almost threw up in the restaurant. But I think he waited until he got home because the moment I left him alone in the bedroom, his food went all over the carpet. I do t know if it was the milk he had and then the chow mein, or just the milk, or just the food, or just he ate too much. Too many variables. But my gut says the chow mein was too oily and milk and oil did not mix well in his tummy. I am so sad that this was the place I had my dinner party for my wedding. Service seems okay. I did hear from a manager when they got a table's order mixed up that they'd fix it right away. But I didn't eavesdrop enough to hear if the manager took incentive to give them a free dessert or something, just that she followed up with them, and that was good on her. Used to really like this place and enjoyed most of the waiters/waitresses enough to give them a good tip. A smile goes a long way with me. And personality goes a long, long way. Not feeling it last time I was there. Meh.
(2)Christian L.
This place was horrible. The service was atrocious. Super over priced and the fish just didn't seem fresh at all. We will never go back. I felt bad, we took friends that were here visiting from out of town. They also agreed it was a terrible experience and bad fish. One star is too many.
(1)Megan H.
The all you can eat sushi is absolutely delicious. Great price. Great view of the lake. The wait staff are very timely and friendly. We had such a great dinner here.
(5)Kyra F.
Very disappointed in our experience at Bonsai tonight. We stopped by the restaurant earlier in the day to check out the koi pond "river" and talked to the manager about sitting in that section for dinner tonight. We made reservations. When we arrived we were told that they had closed that section of the restaurant (the entire downstairs). There was no one seated there at the time. They sat us at a window table in the upper section. The food was good. But the service was inattentive. I ordered a glass of wine right before our food arrived. We were almost done with dinner before the wine arrived. The icing on the cake was that when we left there was a couple they had seated in the previously closed koi pond section.
(1)Jamieleigh W.
I love the way this place looks - especially downstairs with the water, fish and turtles. But the food has never really impressed me much. The service has always been great, though. When I had their one night stand roll, the salmon tasted off to me. That's never a good thing when you're eating raw fish! Their spicy mayo is good and spicy, their ginger is good and their miso soup is yummy and a generous portion but the mochi ice cream is really bad! I'm a huge fan of mochi and they serve it super soft with a coconut cream filling instead of actual ice cream flavors. It just doesn't taste good at all and the texture is all wrong. It's suppose to melt in your mouth not be melted and stretchy on the plate already.
(3)Matt B.
Went to Bonsai for the first time with some friends from out of town. Was expecting an interesting Asian Fusion experience, and ended up with something worse than mall Chinese food. Everyone's entrees' were drenched in goopy, bizarre sauces that tasted nothing like what was expected. My cashew almond chicken had a bizarre sulfur flavor that tasted like it was made in a fireworks factory. Maybe that's what they were going for, who knows? The service was okay, but it was fairly empty for a Friday night. Price was comparable to any downtown eatery. We paid about $40 for two entrees, an appetizer and two drinks. Would have been a little more worthwhile had the food been good.
(1)Sarawr O.
Med. I. Ocre. Just go the 30 minutes to spokane at PF Changs if you want this sort of typical slightly better safe, lame, Pan-Asian food. Overpriced. Odd dining areas. The lunch is the best time - the bahn-mi sandwich that we discovered way too late in the game in that area is a pretty good sandwich and a decent deal. Other than that, you can make it all at home with a well-rated food network recipe & a little imagination at home!
(2)Liz H.
All I can say is yuck! Don't waste your money. Had wonton soup and it was like they put a bunch of everything in the soup. Gross. The fried rice was like mush. The cashew almond chicken was like eating a bunch of goo. This Resturant has really gone downhill. Are there new cooks? There are plenty of MUCH better places to eat out.
(1)Chaud F.
Why bother... Management doesn't care. Service staff doesn't care. Kitchen doesn't care. The bussers are the best part if the whole staff. We were a party of 6. Ordered drinks, drinks came in pulses, some never did arrive. Food order horribly messed up we grinned and bore it eating food we didn't order, never getting over half of the food we did order, check was presented with ALL of the food on it, took 30 minutes to straighten that mess. As we were leaving a manager asked how things were, I told him to forget asking, he insisted, I told him how the experience went, he says, "sometimes we don't get it right, I hope you give us another chance in the future." Righhhhtttt. Unlikely! Who owns this wreck? Oh, yeah, part of the "resort." Don't eat here even as a last resort. In fact stay away from the resort venues in general, there is lots of great food in CdA. Syringa sushi just up 4th street, much better food. Actual staff.
(1)John O.
Was not impressed with the food. Crab Rangoon was just fake crab meat (as it should be) in a shell. No cream cheese, no seasoning. Friend said pad Thai was worst he's ever had. Neither of us enjoyed our sushi. Edamame was only good thing we had.
(1)Jade C.
Delete review
(1)Nid M.
Celebrated my daughter's birthday tonight. We had first rate service! They were so friendly and accommodated our large party efficiently. Great food and beautiful view of the lake. The kids were given food to feed the koi... very fun!
(5)John P.
"I do enjoy this establishment and yet if this restaurant was not loaded with Viewtabulous dining tables, it would not stand up on food alone. The food is NOT all around exceptional however, if you know what to order, it can be a high quality experience. PS: the best time to eat here is during the lunch hours in the summer and Holiday tourist season as they seem to kick it up a notch." Favorite dish: Yellowtail collar
(4)Sara S.
We have never had worse Asian food. I'm not sure how something can be tasteless and horrible at the same time. We kept remarking that since it is connected with a world famous resort, it seems like they would make a bit more of an effort to have good food. Just horrific.
(1)Steve S.
I'm not sure how much those of you were paid to write a good review for this place the service was slow the rice was old and not fresh i ordered soup with my meal and then had to ask for it after i had almost finished my sushi the look of the place is top notch but the food is not you want good sushi go somewhere els this is not the place for you on a good note they did serve some of the best ice tea i have ever had $128 lunch for 4 is only worth it if the food is good stop writing false reviews for this place and making people waist there hard earned money
(2)Tyler B.
Went here for dinner, firstly there was a pianist playing in the lower dining area and my wife and I were seated roughly 3 feet from them, louder than a fart in the mens restroom at a truck stop. Ridiculously overpriced, poorly made sushi rolls, had the spicy California, Tropical, and Bruce Lee and a miso soup. None of which were memorable, and I paid over $50.00 and was still hungry. I would recommend skipping this place for sushi.
(1)Rick H.
The appetizers are great went downhill from there the dinner itself was overcooked the waitress should have told us the only advantage they have going for them is right across the street from the hotel
(3)Alyssa J.
I don't understand the bad reviews. This is my favorite date spot, excellent food and great help, all of our servers have been amazing and accommodating. The food is usually predictable and always good. I've never had a bad experience and I go here often. P.S. The Mojito was AMAZING (But a bit over priced)
(5)Cindy S.
Love their sushi! I always enjoy the view of the park and the lake! Sometimes service is slow.
(4)Heather W.
I enjoyed my meal and the small indoor river we can sit around at the bottom of the restaurant.
(4)Bob V.
I have been to Bonsai probably 6-7 times, actually headed there again tonight. I really don't understand the 1-2 star reviews, it really doesn't reflect the experiences I've had there. I'll be the first to say, I haven't eaten anything but sushi from here, so I can't comment on the rice dishes, etc, but I go there for all you can eat sushi Thursdays, and everything has been quite good.. I'm from Seattle, so have eaten at my fair share of sushi places.
(4)Stephanie R.
I would love to post a more positive review of this restaurant in beautiful downtown Coeur d'Alene. Tonight my family and I called in a to-go order for 4 sushi rolls and we were pretty disappointed once we got the food home. The rolls were priced a bit high but the quality and quantity just did not justify this price. I don't think I'll be ordering sushi from this establishment again.
(2)Ben O.
Bland, tasteless food. Overpriced. This place has great atmosphere, but don't be fooled... you are paying too much for sub-par food. I've had better Asian food from Safeway, seriously. We ordered General Tso's Chicken and Mongolian Beef. First, the General Tso's was unlike any General Tso's I've ever had before. That's not a good thing. It was bland and lacked any type of character. Zero spice, zero flavor. No zest. It was chicken pieces with some kind of light glaze... it's like they had never heard of how to make General Tso's before. The glaze tasted poorly too. The Mongolian beef wasn't spicy, wasn't tasty. It wasn't quite as bland as the chicken dish, but didn't have any zest, yet again. It was like we were eating Asian food in a mall cafeteria in Nebraska. The egg rolls were all right, the crab puffs were pretty good, but for the price this place is charging, you'd do better ordering Panda Express. No, I'm not joking. We spent $45 for two entrees, four egg rolls and two crab puffs. Way too much for the quality of food. Sorry, Bonsai, you're like a hot chick with bad breath and nothing interesting to say.
(1)Stephen R.
I took my wife and our girls and my mother in law for lunch there yesterday on Mother's Day because it was someplace fun and different. The atmosphere was nice, my girls loved the koi pond and turtles...unfortunately the service was terrible, we had to ask for our Edamame which finally came after we were almost done with the meal. 1/2 of the order was incorrect and when we got our food, the sweet and sour pork was not fully cooked.....although they replaced the order of food, it was a very long wait and not a very good dining experience overall. Next time I will go to Canton's or try the Ugly Fish.
(1)Marla R.
Got a couple of rolls, pork fried rice and chicken lomein. It was so bland even putting soysauce in it to have some flavor. Still not good at all. It's very dissapointing. On the flipside the interior is very nice and big.
(2)Dan R.
This is probably the best Asian food in CDA. It is a very nice restaurant with great atmosphere. You can go casual or get dressed up. We like the small plates. Honey chicken, tempura veggies are the best. Right across from the resort so you can easily walk
(4)Pat G.
Really great dining experience.....good food and well prepared...huge selection from blue crab to shrimp and everything in between....oyster shooters with gin and cocktail sauce was sublime.....the dining area and bar is well layed out and pleasing to the eye. Very surprised at the bill which I was sure around 150.00 and came in at 81.00.
(5)Sayak R.
I was travelling with my brother and sister in law from seattle to yellowstone, making a stopover in coeur d'alene and had dinner here. We loved the place. It has nice upscale decor, but the price is reasonable. The caramelized garlic noodle needs special mention. We went there for lunch on our way back as well.
(4)Sammy L.
Food was disappointing. The place had great ambience, especially with koi pond and turtles. But the food was definitely sin-par. My beef dish was slightly cold and my wife got sushi, which was not assembled very well and very skimpy in terms of portions. And very expensive. Definitely targeted towards the tourists or the people who stay at the resort. Service was a mess too with some of our items brought incorrectly and other things we had to ask for multiple times. But not coming back here.
(2)Craig W.
Not great. Taste and looked like something I would have made at home myself. Expected much better sushi for the price. My advice: skip it.
(2)Heather P.
For people that don't enjoy extensive reviews, I'll give it to you short & sweet: DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY HERE. This place attempts to be classy with their flashy interior, dim lighting & overpriced menu. Unfortunately, they failed to deliver the high quality service their appearance entails. For starters, the wait for EVERYTHING was ridiculous. We didn't get our beverages, orders taken, and food in a timely matter. Our server was absent minded and annoying-- she obviously did not care what we thought about the food, her or the restaurant. How does someone so clueless get a job at a "high end" restaurant? Beats me. As if waiting was not bad enough, ALL THE FOOD TASTED THE SAME. They used the same overly sweet sauce for all of their dishes. The Mongolian style beef, Korean ribs & steak all tasted the same....?????? Garlic noodles were also extremely sweet & had a funky smell... I had to force myself to take a bite-- big mistake. They even somehow managed to over-sweeten their mango lemonade. No lemon, just sugar. You couldn't pay me to come back here. I wish I could have spent my short time in Idaho eating somewhere else, and would hate for anyone else to make the same mistake.
(1)L L.
"Northwest's Finest Wok Cuisine & Celebrated Sushi Bar" is what their website says. The food there is not anything close to that. I've eaten here quite a few times and have never liked it. I've given this place enough chances I think. The sushi is extremely poorly rolled. There are patches of rice on the outside and chewy fish on the inside. Nothing that I've had tasted even remotely Asian. While my rice had almost no sauce. my salad swam around in sauce which was gross. The only thing that has ever been consistent is that the food isn't good. The bartenders are awesome and the drinks are good. At least they have that going for them.
(1)Chino B.
This place sucks. $30 for 2 rolls and a miso? Terrible. The service sucked too. I can't believe I wasted my time and money here. I'll never come back and make sure my friends don't either.
(1)Sarah S.
Absolute worst sushi experience in my life! Tuna on the spicy tuna roll was brown and mushy. Strong fish odor and taste. Waitress was nowhere to be found. Had to go and find her twice, both times she was chatting with her coworker at the drink refill station. I gave a 1 star because the Mongolian beef was actually quite tasty. Poor sushi quality and poor service.
(1)Hbk S.
I do not understand the bad reviews for this place! we went on the all you can eat Thursday for $29 per person. First, the hot menu items were great, i lived in China so i know what is good Asian food, The Sushi partially was great and some of it wasn't tightly rolled mainly because its Thursday and busy so they have different chefs rolling sushi so i can understand. The best Sushi was the Bruce Lee, and the other tampura fried rolls. I personally thought its worth $29 for a good experience if you feel like sushi once a while!
(4)Michele R.
It may be a backhanded compliment, but our experience here was not as bad as fellow Yelper reviews suggested it might be. While the food was not memorable, it certainly was edible. The cocktails were good. Service from a staff member named Heather and her team of assistants was friendly and efficient. And our upstairs seating at a window table provided views of the activity by the lake, even if the overall dining room ambiance wasn't something to write home about. (Note photos). Maybe it's because we were in the company of friends who we very much enjoy and who recommended this place (and who we think would say the downstairs ambiance is better than our upstairs seating choice), but we enjoyed our evening at Bonsai Bistro. This would not be a repeat place for us given all the dining choices in the area and the rare times we are in CDA. But the two people for $24 special that Heather recommended (three options from a specialty menu to serve two people) was a pretty good deal...only $12 / person. We chose a trio of Thai curry with rice noodles, Mu Shu pork, and a Vietnamese salt and pepper calamari. The calamari arrived a tad undercooked for my taste, but Heather had followed through on our request to the kitchen to have more tentacles included in the mix. And the other two dishes were decent if not great. (Beware though, they use rice paper as the Mu Shu wrappers and rice paper can be challenging to pull apart and roll up as it cools off.) Unexpected "pluses": 1) Although on three floors...bar on entry level, view dining up, "garden" dining down...each by a short flight of stairs...the restaurant has a lift installed so people of all abilities can get to all of the floors. 2) Parking available in a lot in back of the restaurant and monitored by an attendant.
(3)Tammy N.
NO. who puts tonkatsu sauce on hamachi kama... just no. the wait for our food was horrendously long but the service was what saved the day. will i be coming back? no.
(2)Vanessa O.
Used to be really good, but the consistency has changed. Overly priced for mediocre sushi. The service has gone downhill and so has the food. Don't bother with doing the all you can eat sushi because it takes forever. Wish it was back to the old ways.
(1)Wesley R.
Great view of downtown Coeur d' Alene , really nice inside with a small stream and fish swimming through. The sushi is good but overall the prices are a little higher than some of the other local places with the same quality food.
(4)Kisa J.
Went there once for the all you can eat Sushi and wasn't as disappointed as I worried I would be. Their normal prices are enough to keep me away when the all you can eat isn't available though. I got to sit next to the Koi pond and that was lovely, it really made waiting for the slow server go by a lot quicker. I grew bored waiting for my food and my drink was refilled rarely. Bummer. The view is pretty and all, but I expected someplace this 'fancy'ish to be a bit better in service.
(4)K S.
I love this place! The food is amazing, best tofu in town! They don't give you giant blocks of tofu, they grill it in small pieces so it's a more meaty texture. The koi pond is adorable and they have great views of the resort. It's my favorite spot to bring out of towners.
(5)Don S.
I Think this place dials in at a 3 7/8!! :) Bonsai is a Hagadone Resorts owned restaurant that has sushi and a PF Chang menu. The sushi is good, the PF Chang menu does not disappoint. Love the Lettuce wraps! Eat on the lower level and you can enjoy the Koi Ponds! Upper level you can enjoy lake views. We enjoy eating at the small bar near the tv. This is not PF Changs, nor is it the best sushi in Coeur d Alene, but it is pretty good and located right on Sherman across from the resort and the lake. It is a bit pricey for what you are ordering, but the dishes are plentiful. They offer many beer, wine , and drink options to enhance your meal.
(4)Emily D.
Came here for lunch on a Saturday and even though it was Ironman weekend and this place is right next to the Ironman village it was dead. The server was very nice and the food was good. Nothing special to write home about, but overall it was a good meal. I had the almond chicken salad and it was good. A few others in our group complained that their meal was a little bland, but after adding some spices they enjoyed it.
(3)Josh M.
We almost didn't go due to the reviews here, but i'm glad we did. The place us clean and well decorated with a lake inside on the first floor. we split the 3 dish special for $27 between 2 people. We got the Mongolian beef, which was excellent, Vietnamese noodles, which was also really good, and general tso's, which was good. We also got a side of dragon's breath, which is a very spicy hot sauce, and that was also amazing. Be careful as it is really hot, and I like hot. It has a good flavor to it. I would definitely recommend this place.
(5)Arlene B.
I don't understand the bad reviews. Food was very good and reasonably priced. The service was quick. I had some sort if spicy chicken dish and my husband had the sweet and sour chicken. Both very good. The view was was very nice! I'm glad our friends recommended we go there.
(4)Laura W.
YUM! What a delightful surprise to find such a wonderful restaurant, with a gorgeous view of Lake Coeur d'Alene in Coeur d'Alene! Food was excellent! Nick the Bartender was very, very good and really pleasant to spend time with while sipping a couple of cocktails. Our food Server was nice enough and "did her job" - not much of a personality but it will not stop us from returning! We have 4 more days here in Coeur d'Alene!
(5)Laura G.
My friend and I stopped in here for a late night bite a couple of weekends ago, and it was somewhat better than horrible. None of the employees seemed to know if they were still open, and then they didn't know where to seat us. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure they even worked there. The decor is way outdated. Our food arrived missing some critical components. The sushi chef, who was doubling as our server, disappeared for long chunks of time. The food was average at best. The entire experience was completely underwhelming. I think the only reason I didn't give it one star is because I didn't get food poisoning.
(2)Tyler I.
"Just traveling through and wanted some sushi I'm with the other reviewers great place very clean very prompt service I would highly recommend"
(4)Ethan S.
Just came back from this restaurant tonight annddddd yep...this place is not bad above decent to say the least. Great ambiance but definitely even better happy hour prices, if you like deep fried sushi for over 50% during happy hour come here! Order the fire prawns appetizer, that shit is tasty. All happy hour plates are same portions as regular so you cant beat that. Only con i would see is their 3 small plate special for 27 bucks, it really is SMALL and the three items we got: General Tso (yuck not even battered and deep fried), Carmelized Garlic Noodles (tasty but not anything special), and Honey Walnut Shrimp (tasty but i've had better at regular restaurants). If you come here definitely happy hour is a must, 20$ and you can a giant tray of deep fried sushi that feeds 3 hungry slobs.
(4)Shawn B.
SUCKS!! WASTE OF $$$$ Sometimes you feel bad for a good waitress being brought down by her surroundings. The price would be right if the portions were doubled. Kitchen took forever to get the food out and you could hear the apologies to the other tables not just ours. Problem was it was Thursday night at 7 and not even busy, maybe 30% full. Once the food did arrive the portions were tiny and over cooked. Our waitress was great though, just doesn't seem to be ran very well. Tourist location gets tourist pricing and results. Sad but true. 1st and last time. Kids did love the fish pond though and atmosphere is nice.
(1)Michele T.
Average sushi, the noodles were good. The air conditioning upstairs was not up to cooling it to a comfortable level on a hot summer day. The had to reseat us.
(2)Sally M.
Hmm.. ok where to start. 1) Bug in water and dessert 2) Server named Lauren who really did not give a crap about the bugs in our water and dessert 3) Terrible service 4) Terrible service. I came here for lunch on a Monday afternoon and the place was very slow. They had no reason whatsoever to give us a crappy service. We had a dead bug floating in our water and we had to wait about good 20 minutes before our lovely server named Lauren decided to come by and check on us. When we told her that there was a dead bug in our water, she did not bother apologizing nor did she looked surprised. She just said "ok" and brought us a new cup of water, WITHOUT ANY ICE, just a TAP WATER without any apologies. Moving on, we decided to order three sushi rolls and a wakame salad. Wakame tasted mediocre as well as sushi rolls, nothing spectacular. With that said, the rolls were overly priced (for example, tiger roll came in 6-8 pieces for about $18) and the presentation of the rolls were nothing beyond just the rolls on a plate. After our meal, we decided to get desserts. We ordered 3 mochi ice creams, green tea, strawberry and mango flavor ($2.25 each). WARNING: DO NOT ORDER MOCHI ICE CREAM. They tasted absolutely terrible. It was rather beyond terrible. The mochi tasted like rubber, it was hard and FROZEN. In addition, the chef decided to be creative and put some flower petals on our dessert plate and along with some bugs. Beautiful interior, terrible service, and terrible food. If you love eating bugs with your sushi, go here. If not, I do not recommend anyone to eat here.
(1)Rich T.
Let's say you know your Asian food, being from Asia-Pacific and having travelled and worked extensively in the region. A sassy waiter is slow to get drinks and finally takes your order. I want a main dish. some sushi, and karaage to share as an appetizer. "It's pronounced kah-raw-hey he interjects. You want kah-raw-hey." At that point I should have known this place was gonna suck. And sucked it did! Eggy/soggy fried chicken was our reward for enduring Mr. Sassy "I-know-Japanese-better-than-you" waiter. This place pretends to be high quality and authentic but fails in both endeavors. Really though, who f***'s up fried chicken? Authentic or not!
(1)Adam J.
Disappointed in the yelp reviews for this place. We had 5 dishes family style, and everything was very good. Got a 3 small plates for $27 deal and that would be a solid meal for 2. We had 4 so we added a large plate and no one could eat another bite. Awesome mojitos (sp?) and very nice architecture. Outside seating was great. Maybe we got lucky, but I think you are safe to give this one a shot independent of the average yelp score.
(4)Elizabeth F.
We ate lunch here on Sun, Oct. 23, 2011and I was very happy with the staff, view and food. (And I've eaten sushi from various top places to be able to compare this too.) I ordered the Bonsai roll-chef's creation and think they should put it on the menu. Marlin with sweet potato, cream cheese, avocado and not sure what else. Light, tasty and hit the spot. Plan to go back while I'm here. Do have to note the Mongolian beef was a little on the bland side but I just added a touch of the mustard on the table and that did it. Large serving of miso soup was tasty and filling.
(4)Josh B.
Always a great place to eat. It's not cheap but worth the money. Their sushi is the freshest in the area.
(4)LisaLisa F.
So this is my second time at Bonsai. The first was a homerun and I would give it 10 stars. However, it was a weeknight and we all sat at the sushi bar. I come to Couer D'Alene to vacation and visit friends 2-3x a year and yes, I might be crazy for eating sushi in IDAHO of all places, but it does have its moments of yumminess. This last time I came to Bansai was so completely night and day, I wondered if I was in the same fabulous place I had spent so much money in last summer (with six friends and me footing the bill of course) Cons: 1. The hostess I wanted to throttle. You do not take a family of five people, tell them you are going to seat them and then STAND in the middle of the dining room for seven...yes...SEVEN minutes while you wait for the bussers to breakdown the large party of 25 who just left. We had people racing around us and meanwhile the boy and I felt like complete jackholes standing there with our thumbs up our rears while the ding-dong hostess discussed the weather. UM...next time...I would rather wait in the lobby you moron. 2. The poor scattered server. They sat him four tables at once, so it took us over ten minutes to get our first drinks. 3. Never...EVER...ever, ever, ever, ever...should it take 45 minutes for two childrens teriyaki chickens to finally get to the table. Shameful and just so completely out of line. We then got the excuse that "the server had put in the kids orders AFTER a large party of 20 had just ordered. WTF?!? I was actually stunned they told me that to begin with. This scenario would be the one reason I would never go back 4. one of the worst Unagi sushi's I have ever had. It tasted like musty shoes and I don't make it a habit of eating musty shoes 5. Service - it was very hit/miss. While our server was a nice guy, he was slow, forgot an entire roll we had ordered, forgot to put the kids dinners in ASAP like I asked and just overall seemed overworked and tired. Get ready kiddo...because it is only May and you still have an entire summer with Europeans to get through! 6. Sweet Jesus it is loud. you can barely hear yourself think much less try to have a conversation with the person across from you 7. After what happened with the little people's dinners, I would leave the kids at home or the hotel. They will hate it, become very restless and begin whining "I hate this place" (hmmm...not too far off how I felt) PRO: 1. The view - you are right across the street from the lake and the beautiful Couer D'Alene resort 2. The sushi/sashimi is good...not great...but good 3. Hamachi Kama Collar freshly roasted (IF they have it) on the grill. If they have it, you MUST get it 4. The Monkey Business dessert. YUMMO!! Overall, if I had to repeat my second visit, I would have gone to Siricha instead up the road.
(2)Mei-Lu M.
This place is like a Pan-Asian version of PF Chang's - Americanized Asian food that is tasty and reliable. It's a beautiful setting (right on the lake) but I think the Chinese food is better at Ugly Fish and the Japanese food is better at Syringa so I NEVER come here. One thing, though - they offer menu items cooked in gluten-free soy sauce and have a lot of vegan options which neither Syringa nor Ugly Fish do. So if you've got any food allergies, sensitivities or limitations, this place is a better place to come.
(3)Lovey O.
THE WORST ASIAN FOOD I'VE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE. Let's not get into the details. Let's just put a rule of thumb out there, soy sauce is a salt substitute. It's a major no-no to heavy handedly put both in the mix. Everything was salty, didn't taste like it should have, and pretty expensive. Never again. Park in their lot. They have a young kid that patrols the lot to make sure you're eating at Bonsai and not just using their parking to get to the lake.
(1)Spiro T.
Mediocre sushi in a slightly upscale but outdated setting. Nothing was wrong with their sushi. It was just unimaginative and did not excite the palate. If you are staying at the resort and are craving sushi, I suggest that you also check out reviews of other sushi joints . Don't be fooled by the façade.
(2)Ryan P.
Place sucks, period. I didn't like anything. The sushi sucks and the hot food is just as bad. I went there for a family thing and it looked nice until we got our horrible food. Also I was going to calypsos yesterday and was going to park in the parking lot, but as soon as I got out of my truck someone came up and told me I have to park somewhere else as that was only for Bonsai parking. It was 2 in the afternoon and as I walked back to my truck on the street across the parking lot I counted 28 empty spaces. Great way to get customers. I could MAYBE understand if the lot was fulll and it was lunch or dinner time. I will never step foot in the place again, for any reason. Make the drive to P.F. Chang's in Spokane if you want some Asian food.
(1)Lynne R.
Upsides: food was very tasty, we ordered the sweet potatoes with marshmallow and caramel dip, moo shu pork, ginger beef and broccoli, and hawaiian chicken. All had great flavor and crisp vegetables. If you like sake, there were many choices. We tried the sake flight, which was interesting...but I still don't like sake! Also, the outside and downstairs were very nice, with a little stream and flowers. Also, our server was very friendly. Downsides: the service was rather slow, I'm fairly sure our server had way too many tables, otherwise she would have been excellent. as a result of the too navy tables, the food was not a hot as it should have been. As a note, I was happy to not have looked at the reviews prior to sitting down, else we might not have gone!
(4)Zack S.
The location and view are great - the sushi is palatable. I did not try their other dishes. This is a place to go to see and be seen in CDA, and it's a great lunch for watching everyone wandering around the resort. However the sushi leaves something to be desired, if you're accustom to quality of any kind. The Wok-Seared Lettuce Wraps were actually a delightful appetizer, but I was disappointed by the quality of the sushi. I ordered some nigiri (Hamachi and Maguro) and two rolls (Caterpillar and something else, can't remember). The nigiri was so-so, and the caterpillar was merely okay...definitely felt over-priced. I live in Las Vegas, so expensive sushi doesn't bother me....but the quality of a caterpillar roll did not justify $14. With that said, I would go back again, if only to try some of their regular entrees.
(2)Joel D.
Excellent. The ambience I'd wonderful. The food outand drinks are top quality and not gonna put you on skid row. The turtles and fish swimming around the moat are fun to watch as well. Great for a family or a couple looking to enjoy themselves
(4)L G.
A bit pricey but food was fresh and good. Service was good as well.
(4)Beth V.
The only reason I gave two stars instead of one is because of the pretty view of the lake from the dinner tables. PROS: -clean restroom, but one door was broken -popular spot -private parking lot -full bar -pretty decor and ambience -tall beers -yummy mixed drinks CONS: -really bad-tasting food (even the sushi was weird) -service was horrible for us and all the tables within eyesight -service was inexperienced -food was cold when it should have been hot -cold white wine was delivered/poured room temperature -they had NO cold white wine available -sake was cold, but we ordered HOT sake -one of our orders was forgotten in the kitchen
(2)Patrick J.
Even after finishing the few bites of plain white rice that was served with the chicken, I was still hungry. Yet again I had fallen victim to the Hagadone curse: lots of hype for nothing, and small portions that are jaw-droppingly overpriced. To be fair, I did not get a chance to sample thier sushi, which I've heard is great and worth the price (my father would have gotten queasy at the sight of raw fish - he's a meat and potoatoes kind of guy.) Actually, I was surprised when my dad announced that his stir-fry was delicious and filling and to his credit, he never complained once about the bill. I reminded him that our poor waitress was being paid $3.00/hr or so by old Mr. H, and so he tipped her 10 bucks, our good deed for the day. Overall, the most impressive aspect of this place is the amazing ass-free transformation of the interior. As for the food and value, I was not overly impressed. Read the full review: getoutnorthidaho.com
(2)Heather B.
I was here about a week ago. I just don't see why people like this place. This is the third time I've been here, and it will certainly be the last. On this occasion, my husband and I ordered 3 rolls: a spicy California, a Tropical, and the Bruce Lee. Normally 3 rolls and a couple miso soups is plenty of food for the two of us, but not at Bonsai Bistro. The rolls came out on one small plate. The "spicy" Californian was not spicy in the slightest, the tropical had no discernible mango in it, and the biggest disappointment, the Bruce Lee, was probably about 4" long before they sliced it. Seriously, the Bruce Lee slices were so thin that even attempting to pick up a slice with chopsticks resulted in complete disintegration. The other rolls were rolled so small, they were about the diameter of a hot dog. All of this for around $40. And on top of that, our waitress seated us about 2 feet from the piano that a woman was LOUDLY playing. I love yelling at dinner! We left hungry and disappointed.
(2)Scott M.
Food is rather uninspired Asian "fusion" cuisine with an Americanized sushi menu. I cannot fault them for the sushi, since it is common in American sushi restaurants to offer sushi with cream cheese, deep fried bits, etc. I really like the sushi, but like many restaurants serving fish, some days their fish can be a little ripe. A Sushi joint should know better. The wait staff is usually pretty good unless you get one of the college coed waitresses who think that they can cruise by on their looks (this is the only thing that I can think to explain some of this behavior). The restaurant is fun and they do seem to understand kids -- another reviewer has a different story, but in my experience food arrives quicker when there are little ones being served. And the koi pond/stream entertains my kids the whole time. Over all, I recommend Bonsai Bistro.
(3)Ashley J.
If you had asked me to Yelp this a year ago I would have only marked 1 star. We used to frequent Bonsai monthly until about a year ago when the service got SO bad and the food became terrible. We didn't return until a few weeks ago. Based on our two most recent visits I would give it 5 stars, but because I can't shake how bad it was for a while I will stick with 4. The quality of the food is miles above any other restaurant of the type in town and the service is no longer lacking. I have been hearing that they are changing their menu soon, so I don't know if that will be a good thing or a bad thing. Only time will tell.
(4)Michael W.
The all you can eat sushi on Thursdays is a great way to satisfy your appetite for sushi and not break the bank...and the views are awesome!
(4)Steve I.
This is by far the worst restaurant I've been too in a long, long time. Each entree we had tasted exactly the same, like dirty fryer grease. Avoid this place like the plague!!!
(1)Jennifer B.
Fool my once shame on you, twice; shame on me!! Actually gave this place three tries to redeem itself. Bad service, mediocre over priced food. Recommend any other place in couer d Alene over this one. Even spoke to manager and he was not nice!! Sushi expensive compared to other places around.
(1)Chris B.
Great atmosphere and very friendly service. However, although the service was friendly it was slow. The food was the most dissapointing part of the experience. The sweet and sour chicken was bland and chewy while the fried rice was bland with an off flavor and the pork tasted old and chewy The teriyaki chicken was not flavorful and left a lot to be desired. I wish I could give it a better review since the atmosphere is so cool and the service so friendly, but given the poor quality of the food, I can't give it any more stars.
(2)Denver R.
I thought this place was awesome--a cool looking building, beautiful landscaping, and a view of the lake combine for nice aesthetics. Food was excellent, and plentiful. "From the Forest Floor" entree was unique and delicious. The beer taster came with very generously sized glasses, and also delicious "monkey nuts." The vegetarian roll I had was good, as was the bird's nest fries. Service was really outstanding, as well. Not sure why there are some negative reviews below, but I would love to come back to Bonsai Bistro, as it was a great experience overall.
(5)Robert K.
The manager here is a jerk! They literally hired a full time security guard to yell at people who park in their parking lot. Now they've chained off a whole row of parking spaces to screw over their neighbor businesses. Obviously they don't care about anyone else. I wish this place would go away!
(1)Mike B.
This place has a nice atmosphere. When it first opened the food was good. But, it has gone down hill. The food tastes like it comes from a can or bag purchased at Safeway. The service can be discribed as poor. Takes too long to be served and once the food arrives, you don't see the waiter again. No one in this restaurant cares. Somebody from the Resort which owns the place needs to take a long look at the food and service.
(1)Miranda S.
Food is good, not overly creative but gives a nice variation from the norm and makes Bonsai a frequent list when in the mood for Asian in CDA. I have been there 2x and each I have found something I like on the menu and my 4-year old didn't starve, either. The last time we were there the manager let her feed the fish, too...that just made her day!
(4)Bryan L.
Left feeling hungry and ripped off. Went here for lunch today having only been there one time in the past. It was not good. I ordered the sweet and sour chicken for lunch. The server seemed like she could care less about us and rarely stopped by to check on us. When she did, she didn't even stop at the table. It was in passing. Beyond the service the food was bland, and the pineapple tasted like it was spoiled. Furthermore, the ridiculous price of $11 bought just a tiny, tiny plate. I left the restaurant feeling ripped off, and hungry. Do not go here. IT is a waste of time and money.
(1)Dave Z.
I suggest the management - send the chef to more than 2 weeks of Asian food camp. The sushi is below average. Only the Lettuce Wraps are worth the time and effort.
(2)Steven T.
I hate slamming restaurants, I really do but this place is wrong on so many counts that people should be aware. For starters, we nearly did not even go in, the smells coming from the restaurant, the cooking food smells were strange, unappetizingly strange. Then the surly hostess, the raw rice, the off-tasting sashimi, the watered down insipid curry, etc, etc etc. The building is nice and they have a great location but the food is a culinary disaster. If they could fix that this place could be a great restaurant, until then be afraid, be very afraid.
(1)Rick C.
Coeur d' Alene: great location near the resort ... fantastic view of the lake ... large open restaurant ... very good pacific rim entrees specialities... good Pacific Northwest wine list. Suggest going for lunch versus dinner .... because of the view
(4)Liz V.
Well we chose this restaraunt because the building had a beautiful interior and a great view of lake Coeur D'Alene, figured the food would be great. Not so much. My sister started with miso soup, AWFUL miso soup. What little flavor there was tasted like watered down tofu. After we ordered our food they never once checked on us. We had to flag someone down for more water, while we were the only ones there. When our food finally arrived some of it was decent, but overpriced for the small portion we received. Overall I would not recommend this place to anyone as I would not come back.
(1)Heather A.
My professional job is in northern Idaho, with HQ in San Fran, and every time people from our HQ come to the office they love to go here. Atmosphere is classy and cozy, great portions/price. I had some salmon sushi and the Miso soup - and had no complaints at all. After living in India for several months, it was nice to have something other than a typical "americanized" asian restaurant. I do agree with others here that the service was a bit slow and could use some needed improvement, but don't agree with their sentiments on the quality of the food. Give her a shot!
(4)Mike K.
Deeply disappointing. Heavy handed and mouth puckeringly over salted.
(1)Amy R.
I've never had a terrible experience here, but it's not the best Asian cuisine either. The atmosphere seems to be the focus, not the food. I guess I can recommend the lettuce wraps and the lemon drop martini (actually very good).
(3)Katherine T.
I liked it because there were fishies and turtles! I liked that you can order smaller or larger plates, the onions in my peanut sauce prawns were a little undercooked so it has a 3 but overall pretty tasty :)
(3)Paisley P.
I had a great experience here. Great service, nice decor, nice waitress. Its traditional Chinese cuisine, but very American, with white servers and a sushi bar that doesnt look trustworthy. The food was great! My post stickers were yum yum, and other dishes looked promising. Only complaint is that my Emperor's Fried rice with beef wasn't fantastic, but satisfying. For the low prices and great food, I will come again!
(4)Melanie H.
Food is decent. Huge place so you can always get a table.
(3)Jen R.
maybe the restaurant has improved greatly. or maybe my standards have been lowered by two days driving through montana, eating nothing but fast food burgers and buffalo hot chicken jerky (what a bad idea). the decor is attractive, the staff was attentive, the food was good. i had the steamed chicken potstickers, korean short ribs, and garlic noodles with shrimp. the garlic noodles were my least favorite (a bit dull) and the short ribs were my favorite. they come with some very mild kimchee. everything was fresh. the sake list is long and varied. was it a little pricey? sure. but honestly, people who complain about the price of a meal in a resort town should stick to mall food courts.
(4)Gavin Y.
Nice atmosphere and staff, but the food is average at best. Premium prices for small portions. Better food and value found elsewhere.
(2)Steve B.
Food and service are alright, but what makes this place awesome is the location. It has great views of the lake and is only a few steps from the resort.
(3)Kinda Invisible S.
Avoid this place! Slow, uninterested service; ridiculously small portions, food that looks "old", food that tastes strange, stomach pains later. I was visiting family and so wish I would yelped before walking in. $9 for a "lunch plate" means $2 worth of food you could get at the mall foodcourt and it's probably fresher and better tasting at the mall! Avoid, avoid, avoid.
(1)Janet D.
If we would have Yelped, we wouldn't have come here...but, we followed our family here for lunch. Great views, good service by a young, inexperienced girl, mediocre food. This is the kind of place that survives off of its great location & views and the large tourist base (non-Yelpers, of course!). I can't imagine that locals come here too often.
(2)Carmen D.
why does this place have such bad reviews? i think its yummy. i will agree though that their potions have gotten way to small, we used to go there all the time and sit by the koi pond and we would get 2 chicken entrees and rice and it would fill us up. we havent really gone in a while and just went a couple days ago because we had a gift card. and i got sushi, and he ordered 2 chicken entrees chow mein and rice for himself, hopeing to have left overs to take to work the next day. well the portions were so small he was able to eat all 4 things himself (with a couple bits stolen from yours truely) the sushi though was good (i thought) well... actually now that i think of it i only really enjoyed one of the 2 rolls i got. the other was just ok. i got one with salmon in it... i think it was the north idaho roll. and the one that was really good was the hippie roll! i got it cuz of the clever name, lol but i really did enjoy it! i give this place 4 stars mostly because its hard to find good japanese food in coeur d alene... and i like most of the food ive had there. syringa is the best though if your looking for a place to go!
(4)Tawni B.
I absolutely LOVE this place. My parents took my boyfriend and I here for my 18th birthday, and we have since returned many many times for ourselves. The service could use a bit of work-sometimes the waiters/waitresses aren't attentive or they forget about you. We always get the 3 for $27 and an appetizer to accompany it, not that extra food is needed. The 3 for $27 is perfect for two people. I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE the Spicy Beef Sichuan. I heard they got rid of the 3 for $27, but I hope not. In the end, this is my favorite restaurant in CDA, and it's always the first place I think of when we want to go out to dinner.
(4)Melvon M.
If u know real Asia food, sushi or stir fly, this is not the place. Good for casual food with a view (sit upstairs by the windows). Small portion for that price. The atmosphere is good for typical American chain restaurant.
(3)C T.
FANTASTIC view, mediocre food. On the menu is a $4 bowl of miso soup. REALLY? (I ended up ordering it anyway, b/c I wanted it, but there was definitely nothing special about it that might justify the cost) I got a curry noodle dish which was good mostly because of the delicious stir fried veggies. The shrimp was ok, but the chicken was dry and the sauce could have been more plentiful. All in all, the food was nothing to rave about, but the server was very pleasant and the view of the lake was stunning.
(3)