Dragonfly Lounge

As much as I’m a proponent of neighborhood restaurants, I have to be honest — I found Dragonfly to be terribly overpriced with meh food. Sushi and other dishes were fine, but not memorable and very small portions. $ 14 for three potstickers? Really?
Service was friendly, but somehow our coats got locked in a closet (?!) so it took us about 15 minutes to actually leave. To her credit, the manager bought us a round of drinks while we waited for someone to break into the closet, but at the point we really just wanted to get out of there.
A much better value can be found at a plethora of other places in the neighborhood. For the money, I’d much prefer to go to Crop or Flying Fig. If you’re looking for sushi, Sapporo on E.6^th is fantastic, although no glitz and glam.

Completely Underwhelmed by the Overpriced Food.
I went into this dinner looking forward to the cocktails and delicious-​sounding menu (which is fairly extensive) but left with a big hole in my pocket and a fairly unsatisfied stomach (not to mention a missing coat).
I went with a few friends on a Saturday night and we ordered a bunch of food to eat family style: pot stickers, chicken wings, multiple sushi and sashimi rolls, an entrée, and some cocktails. Overall the food was good but nothing stood out and a number of the things we got seemed very overpriced — namely the $ 14 potstickers (there were 3 — almost $ 5 per pot sticker!). The sushi was good, the drinks were fine, but nothing wowed us, and with so many good restaurants on W25th and in Ohio City I have come to expect at least a little bit of wow, especially for these price points and small portion sizes.
On the plus side the service was very friendly and attentive and the atmosphere was enjoyable. But when we left we had to wait about 10 minutes for them to BREAK INTO the room where they had locked our coats in order to get them out, and according to another review on here this isn’t the first time that has happened. That being said, the staff was apologetic and bought us drinks while we waited.
All in all the experience was just kind of meh and even though we kept ordering more food, we were still a little hungry when we left. Nothing we ate was bad, but I have had a MUCH better meal at a number of other restaurants for the same amount of money. None of the members of my party plan on going back any time soon.

I have gone here a number of times. I have only had sushi and appetizers never a full dinner. The cocktails are unique and interesting. Sushi is simple but fresh and flavorful. Appetizer portions are on the small side but overall pretty tasty. Every time I have gone here though it never seems to be very crowded which amazes me that more people have not caught on to this place. They have a cool relaxed vibe inside. Great place to get a bite to eat and have a few drinks.

Had a late dinner here one evening with a group of six. Everyone opted for a mix of sushi and sashimi. Most of us started with a couple of orders of Edamame which we shared, I had a bowl of the Miso soup as well.
The amount of Sushi ordered was enormous (see the pic I uploaded). There were a couple more plates in addition to the one in the picture.
The food was fresh, tasty and delicious. Some places commit the sin of over-​salting their Edamame — fortunately, they got the salt level just right. And the Miso soup was delicious. All of the various sushi rolls, Nigiri sashimi, and such was scrumptious!
They also offer a couple of Ale selections from Great Lakes Brewing Co., a local craft brewery. So I had the opportunity to sample a pint of the Great Lakes Brewing Co. Christmas Ale. Best description I can offer — it seemed like a cross between a Pale Ale and a spiced Ockoberfest. It was very good and I would order it again.
The service was very good — at least from the food server perspective. The ambiance of the place is interesting — with zillions of little festive red and green lights slowly bouncing and twinkling around there room.
I can’t give Dragonfly Lounge 5 stars for one reason. When we arrived, they offered to take our coats and put them in a locked room. Well, when it was time for us to depart, it turns out the guy who locked our coats away — left the restaurant for the evening — AND took the keys to the room where our coats were locked away. So now we are standing around waiting. The restaurant calls the guy and we wait about 10 minutes — for him to return and unlock the room. It’s late at this point — close to 11:00 pm, so we are all a bit surprised about this turn of events. When the guy returned — after 12 minutes, he had an angry, surly look on his face. Totally unacceptable to act like that when this is your fault.
I’d eat here again, but I certainly won’t give Dragonfly the option of locking up my coat or anything else!

I went to Dragonfly for Dinner Saturday night and it was great. The servers were very attentive and knowledgeable. The sushi rolls were fantastic! Great atmosphere too.

This used to be one of the best kept secrets in town, but I see the crowds are starting to pickup.
Dragonfly is one of the city’s best cocktail bars. Drinks aren’t cheap, but they are also less expensive than other high end establishments, such as Velvet Tango Room. If you want cheap, try going during Happy Hour, if you can find a place at the bar, that is.
I’ve had sushi here several times but haven’t tried anything else on the menu. The sushi is good. There is a variety of specialty rolls, and I think the quality is on par with other nice places in town.
True, you can’t see what’s going on from outside, but that helps create the atmosphere inside. You feel like you’re in an upscale place the moment you walk in.
Definitely, absolutely, give this place a try for Happy Hour or a late night drink. Then decide for yourself if it’s worth a visit for dinner.

It was a rainy Sunday night in Cleveland and my parents and I were in town visiting family for a few days. We were on the hunt for some good cocktails and had heard good things about both Dragonfly and Velvet Tango Room. VTR is closed on Sundays, so Dragonfly it was. I’m glad VTR was closed, because we had a great experience at Dragonfly!
Upon entering, we were greeted with a glass encased wall of funky martini glasses illuminated by colored lights. We took a seat at the bar, which was modern, but inviting. The cocktails and service were excellent; The prices were very reasonable, considering the quality. All the fruit juices were freshly squeezed — no nasty day glo prepackaged sour mix here. The bartender, Kindra was personable, knowledgeable and made great recommendations.
I tried the Blinker first, since it’s hard to go wrong when rye whiskey and raspberry syrup are involved. Kindra warned me that a lot of people find it too strong, but that made it sound even more appealing. It didn’t disappoint. I was tempted get a second one, but my desire to try something else won. I ordered a Sazerac, which was also delicious. However, the Blinker was my favorite.
My mom had a Singapore Sling and a Boston Sour. Mom wasn’t sure if she’d like the Boston Sour (because it had egg whites in it), but Kindra convinced her to try it, and she enjoyed it. She also enjoyed the Singapore Sling, which was a classic she hadn’t had in years. We tried to get my dad to try something new, he ordered his usual Budweiser. Even it was served with care in a nice frosty glass (sans a snobby attitude, which is refreshing, and sadly unusual in a lot of nice establishments.)
We enjoyed chatting with Kindra as we savored the masterfully prepared drinks. The host was fun also. He had an iPad and actually noticed that I checked in on foursquare and came over to make sure we got the special (which was a free order of edamame.) He was also a very fun fellow to chat with.
The dining area looked really nice and the menu seemed interesting. We will be back the next time we’re in town. I look forward to trying the food (and washing it down with a couple more cocktails.)

I do not know why they turned this place in to a restaurant. This place was cool as a dance club. Had better looking women in there also. Was pretty dead when I went which was about 10pm. I also think the drinks are over priced.

Dragonfly Lounge has cozy and trendy atmosphere just like any other Asian Fusion restaurants. Great service and accommodating staff. They definitely have some interesting mixtures and variety selections on the menu. However, this place fell short when it comes to the food itself because there was nothing special to write home about.
I appreciated the presentation but it seemed they tried too hard to be creative. It almost felt like contrast mixture of ingredients on some appetizers and entrees are there just so they can be called «Fusion.» They did not go together well. Also for the price you pay, don’t go in and expect a big portion. Sushi was decent but there’s better place with better bang for your bucks. Go there to get drinks and hang out in a cool ambiance. Don’t go there for food.

I feel like the «Lounge» part of the name had been keeping me away from this place — also the fact that when you walk by, you have absolutely no idea what’s going on inside.
But it’s Sunday, and our anniversary, and we had totally forgotten that most of our normal go-​to places are closed so we turned to Unilocal.After a simple search of «cocktails», we figured — let’s give it a try!
It was really, really good! The cocktails are definitely some of my favorites! Old-​school with a twist and great service on top of that. I am certainly no expert on sushi (my order starts with «Which rolls DON’T have raw fish?») but… I thought they were really delicious! And they had funnel cake for dessert. Seriously, how cool is that? Maybe just me?

The ambiance is great! Nice décor and furniture setting. I haven’t had their food but their drinks are delicious. I stopped in after happy hour for a 2^nd round of drinks and I tried their Singapore Sling… not a big fan of it. It had a strong taste of the gin and I like fruity drinks, so the bartender actually was very nice and made me another drink for me for no charge. It was a Tokyo Drink tea –all I remember was that it was green and tasted like honeydew.
I have to come back to try their happy hour menu, the prices of food isn’t that bad either. They serve sushi which are reasonable and because I ate before, I didn’t order any food. I heard this was a new place so had to check it out and definitely a great addition to Ohio City.
⁹⁄₂₉ — Went here with a friend after checking out Firkin Thursday at GLBC… we wanted to try sushi. Great decision so far… we ordered a couple of drinks and two sushi rolls. Everything tasted up to par especially their dessert. It was crispy and enough said with the berries. They were sweet! Their rainbow roll was the bomb but I wasn’t too crazy for their spicy tuna roll.

i’ve only had cocktails and sushi here and only in the middle of the week… so i can’t comment on the rest of the food or what dragonfly is like on the weekends, but i love going here!
the cocktails are always delicious, as is the sushi!
the décor is fantastic! and i love the way theyve recently redone the place!
it’s a nice little addition to the Ohio City neighborhood!

Yummy! I wasn’t sure what to expect. From the street it doesn’t look all that impressive but when you walk in you enter a different world. Very trendy and the light display at the bar was a nice touch. They had a good selection of liquor to pick from. Not many people were there at 6:30pm. But it was a nice relaxing evening. I didn’t feel rushed sitting at the bar and it was nice to watch the bartender make the different cocktails.
We went on a Thursday when they have their happy hour specials– $ 2 off sushi rolls and cocktails. I had the La Louisiana cocktail which was well made but too strong for my liking.
We tried 3 different sushi rolls–
California Roll which was one of the best I had.
Spicy Tuna it was more smokey than spicy.
The Philly which was salmon and cream cheese. It was rich but it was a nice balance between the others.
Next time we go (which will be soon) my boyfriend and I are going to try out the entrees, which looked good at the table next to us.

Went here on a Tuesday for dinner, early evening, and the place was almost completely empty. That’s really too bad, because the food and drinks were very good and I’d love to see this place stay open. Hopefully things pick up later in the evening. One reason for the emptiness might be the image projected to the street/​sidewalk. Except for the little «open» sign, you’d never know the place is still in business. They have drapes covering all the windows except for one, but that one you see the high wooden back of a curved booth. Now I understand the sun beams in there as it sets, so I’m sure that’s one reason the drapes are drawn, but you gotta do something to make the place look like it’s not out of business. We walked up and almost didn’t try the door. I told them as much upon entry. The main sign being a temporary banner doesn’t help either.
But enough of all that. You’re reading this… just go in. We started with cocktails. It was refreshing to see a place with a cocktail menu, and not the trendy 20-martini’s-none-of-which-have-gin-in-them menu. They had some very interesting twists, a number of which have a short history to go with them. $ 2-​off for happy hour (discounted sushi as well). Andre recommended a Moscow Mule (Vodka, Ginger Beer, Lime) and a Jameson Sour (Jameson, Lemon, Egg White, Simple Syrup), which both sounded good so we gave them a try. Well made, strong enough, but not overwhelming. Good recommendations. Their beer and wine selections aren’t expansive, but they have some interesting bottles all the way down to Miller Lite and Schlitz.
Food was delish. My table split between sushi rolls and an entrée. Not a giant selection, but the sushi was fresh, tasty, and menu contains a few interesting creations like the Dragonfly Roll. Same can be said about the entrée menu. Not a giant number of dishes to choose from, but they seem perfect what they do. We had the prawns with andouille sausage, and they were fantastic. Big prawns, cooked perfectly, and they don’t skimp on the quantity: 6 big guys on the plate, plus a good amount of spice sausage. Excellent plate.
In the end, 2 of us were out of there with full bellies, great food + a few drinks for under $ 50. I’ll be back, probably with friends.

I went here for drinks with some friends on a Friday night. They had a nice menu of cocktails and I got the Monte Carlo Sour which was DELICIOUS. It had cognac, amaretto, and lemon with some red wine floating on top that made it look super cool.
I really loved the décor and atmosphere there, it’s a chill place that’s not super crowded and good if you want to just sit and catch up with friends. The service was also great, the waitress was friendly and checked in frequently to make sure everything was okay.
I didn’t try the food here, but I noticed they had sushi rolls on the menu that looked reasonably priced. I’ll have to try it out next time I’m there. I also heard they serve food until 12am, score!

I didn’t eat any food here, as I had a huge dinner prior to coming out, so my 5 star rating will be put on hold until I try the food.
But, for now, definitely four star worthy!
I love the atmosphere and the service was fantastic. The selection of cocktails was interesting because they had historical information listed, as well as ingredients and creative names. I tried the Hemingway Daquiri and must say it’s definitely a new favorite. I knew as soon as I saw one of my favorite authors and alcohols in the name, this would be a winner. I feel like I’ll indulge in one of these every time I go – sorry other cocktails, I found a favorite!
Overall, I really enjoyed my time here and I feel like it’s a good «in-​between» when I want to feel a little fancier than normal, but not feel inappropriate ordering a beer if I really want to.

We only went their for their drinks. Very interesting cocktails. Everything on their cocktail menu is worth trying. My bf is usually a pretty good drinker, but the one he ordered got him tipsy pretty fast… it has never happened before!
Also saw people eating sushi! Going back to try their food next time along with the drinks!

Stopped in simply because of the name — I love Dragonflies and it seemed a logical place to stop while visiting Cleveland. First, let me say the service was superb and the vibe was just right! Very laid back, casual yet elegant. Really enjoyed the musical selection and it enhanced the ambiance. The real surprise was the food! My friend loves sushi but I am not a fan cooked or otherwise but this place converted me! We had the Philly, Shrimp Tempura and the Dragonfly… of course! A M A Z I N G!!! I am sure those sushi afficianados out there won’t be disappointed!
We ate at the bar and our fellow diners seemed to be thoroughly pleased with their selections as well. Their eclectic drink menu, in itself, could keep you busy! I believe all of the juices including grenadine are made fresh and the taste explosion created… well you just need to check it out for yourself!

I love exploring new bars and restaurants. It is much like opening Christmas presents for me. Like gifts, most suck, but every once in a while you get the Red Ryder BB gun. Dragonfly is such a find.
There is so much I like about this space it is hard to pick a place to start. First off I love the feel of the space. It is very sheik and very hip. The accent lights cast a warm glow in the dark shadows of the bar and warmly transition from one color to the next in a very subtle manner. The inside has the feel of an old warehouse and features large white framed mirrors that remind me more of the south of market district of San Francisco then Ohio City. I did have a brief moment one night where I thought I actually was taken back to SF after my third Manhattan. The entire décor oozes with modern sex appeal and swank.
It is very hard to look at the menu not see that this place has clearly been inspired by it’s Ohio City neighbor Velvet Tango Room. Now, it is simply a fact that you cannot do a better cocktail then VTR, and the menu also has about a quarter of the depth of the well established and dominant Tango Room. That being said, at the price point and compared to everywhere else in Cleveland, the cocktails are quite phenomenal. It is my opinion that they are the definitely in the top five in the CLE.
If I was king of the world, this bar would be on my side of the bridge in the Warehouse and not on West 25^th hipster land. It seems out of place location wise with near by establishments such as garage bar and ABC tavern catering to the wanna-​be blue collar urban hip. I would like to see Dragon Fly compete in the bar dense warehouse as I think it would up the game of the competition.
At the time of this review, Dragonfly is not serving food. I am interested to see what the kitchen cooks up and how this will change the dynamics of this establishment.
The talent? Well… good luck. People tend to come here with a purpose and it does not seem to attract the large crowds it would if it was located elsewhere. Right now, it is ideal for a post dinner date drink or a birthday gathering. But my gut tells me that this place will establish a following in short order.

So, I had a chance to attend the opening festivities of West 25^th Street’s newest nightlife resident, The Dragonfly Lounge.
There are still some elements coming together (front steps, no food yet), but all in all it’s a unique spot that will contrast the easy, low-​key drinking and dining along the strip.
The décor is striking. The ceilings are tremendously high. Three of the most gigantic mirrors I’ve ever seen are positioned behind the bar, which looks pure awesome.
They have plenty of seating, with stand alone tables and even a few booths that beg to be made out in. They also have a few make-​out stations downstairs in the hall that leads to the restrooms. You might say «Brandon…that’s disgusting… I’m not going to make out near bathrooms!»
Oh…but you will. And you’ll love it.
Speaking of the bathrooms, they’re roomy and able to handle a bunch of people… crucial for a drinking establishment, no matter how fancy.
Oh yeah… drinking…yes, there’s some of that going on as well.
They have some great signature cocktails, of which I’ve tried the Dark and Stormy, a mix of dark rum and ginger beer. I meant to try a different drink after my first, but found myself ordering another D&S.
The bartender suggested the Manhattan, which apparently had been selling well. I even saw a Budweiser, so no worries if you’re not into the highfalutin’ stuff.
Speaking of the bartender, he was chill and helpful. Many times in a joint like this the bartenders tend to be of the jackass species. This is not the case. The gal doing table service was equally nice and did her job well without being remotely overbearing.
It’s going to be a hot spot I’m sure. I’d imagine it’ll get a bunch of Bier Markt spillover. Though, it seems like it would have been a good idea to have some sort of dance floor… there’s a DJ, but with the tables everywhere, getting jiggy wit it will be a bit tight. Perhaps they’ll correct that.
Inventive drinks, awesome atmosphere and great location. Five stars just for not really having any competition for that type of joint. BUT… this isn’t the famed «Brandon’s Five Star Rating»…they’re on probation until the food arrives.
If they’re smart, they’ll knock it out the park with the eats.