Kingfisher Bar & Grill

Kingfisher is an interesting juxtaposition of food, service, decor, and ambiance that provides a generally pleasant experience but leaves one wanting for... something... First, the food: based on the menu, you have appetizers that don't fit with the entrees (French-style steamed mussels in white wine and garlic, for example [we got the similar clams, which were delicious], then fish entrees with decidedly Mexican flavors). Everything tasted good, but the flavors weren't necessarily complimentary. Overall the food was quite good - and flavorful - but definitely lacked in its presentation (see photos). Wine: they have an extensive wine list (mostly domestic) with a nice variety of bottles and selections by the glass. The decor was sparse yet disjointed, nothing really went together. Dimly lit, it could have made for a romantic atmosphere but nothing about it feels cozy. The staff were all pleasant and efficient. They were also knowledgeable about the menu and knew to inform us immediately that they were out of a couple of items (we dined there late on a Friday evening). Overall, this place is worth a try, but I don't think it will be a regular spot for me, personally.

We used to goto this place all the time about a decade ago. It was one of our favorite places in Tucson. We went back last night for a birthday celebration. The appetizers were amazing. We loved the oyster bar which is sort of a sampler platter. The smoked trout was excellent. Our entrees were pretty good but all of our fish was over cooked. We ordered the ahi medium rare and both came out well done and the trout came out a bit dry. Other than that it was a very good experience and we would come back to give it a second chance.

Great food, great service! From the time we stepped into Kingfisher with my family until we left the host, seater, server, and even other servers walking around were enjoyable. We went around 5pm and it was still quite busy. We will be returning again soon. We had the civichè with fresh chips, some bread with housemade pesto, and cioppino as our main dish. My son had the cheese burger with homemade shoestring potatoes... all were excellent.

Went for my wife's birthday and it was a wonderful experience. Great atmosphere with low music and good lighting. One of the few places we have gone in Arizona that enforced a mask policy. The Hawaiian fish was surprisingly delicious. Cappuccino was superb.

My husband and I were visiting Tucson and this restaurant was recommended by our hotel. It was busy on Thursday night. We were celebrating my birthday and one of my favorite dishes is cioppino, which they had. My husband and I enjoyed our dinner and service.

Food and service were very good. I had never been there before. My girlfriend treated me to a birthday lunch. The food was delicious!!

Birthday dinner for mother (90 y.o !) and her friends. Nice fresh shellfish and they made us a chocolate cake. Excellent waiter. Great time.

Very, very good. I reserved a table for one on a Tuesday at 5:15pm and the small parking lot was nearly full (I know, everyone dines early in Arizona). I was welcomed as a single diner (thank you!). I loved the decor but it is a bit dark. A perfect martini from the bar. My waiter Bo was very nearly excellent (a delay when my entree was served but not the wine). Excellent menu. Nice oysters and accompaniments (especially the lemon and cilantro mignonette). Very nice ahi tuna entree. Dessert menu was excellent but the cheesecake portion size could be improved. I even ordered a coffee was very good! (something I don’t normally order.). Also, need to mention the servers and bus staff, all very efficient and kind. Very nearly 5*. Make sure to book ahead, this appears to be a popular place…..even the Kingfisher website recommends booking!

Best martinis and oysters in town! Service was outstanding and salad was fresh. Kingfisher is a treat.

Second time as good as the first. What a great place for dinner. My wife had the lobster roll and I had the bacon cheeseburger. I'm not a big seafood person however she said her role was fantastic. My burger was great as well. We also got the sweet potato chips as a side and they were Fantastic. The restaurant is a little pricey, however, good food always is. Stop by give them a try.

Came here for a pre-fix banquet post SAVOR. We were a party of 30+ so my MIL had reserved the private room for us. Because of this scenario I tend to skew higher on my rating and leave a little bit for a possible stellar review for a regular non-banquet style meal in the future. For a banquet we had some pretty good entree choice, 4 to be exact. I chose the "rotating Hawaiian fish" which happened to be mahi mahi. For my starter I had the poke, a really refreshing mix of tune, honey, wasabi mango sauce and other stuff served with thinly sliced taro chips. The chips were a nice detail to focus the flavors on the poke concoction. For my salad I had the boring but good for me mesclun salad, your standard with a light but present vinaigrette. I read a lot of complaints about how bland the mahi mahi was but I thought it was delicious. It wasn't drowning in crust or sauce although there was barely a bed of rice. Once of my friends ordered the same thing and received a significantly larger portion of rice then me but a small piece of fish. Perhaps there was some compensating going on. Nonetheless, I was satisfied. For dessert I had a bourbon vanilla gelato which was the perfect end to my meal. Our service was almost 100% perfect - well paced, attentive, personable, professional. I would come here again for a regular meal, lunch or dinner. There's not enough parking so overflow goes into the neighborhood as an FYI. So far so good.

New ownership (Jacki/Ted) take it from great to Awesome. The best Seafood in the Desert! Make reservations as they have limited seating. This is a Tucson legend. From the "extra dirty" Martinis, to the oysters (do the Oyster bar tasting appetizer) to the Sea Bass, to the Seafood soup .... all were fantastic! The Lobster Roll was also solid. Great wine and spirits list! Our server was fast, friendly and efficient. I esp love how they support local non-profits like Southern Arizona against slavery (supports local victims of trafficking)!

Relaxing and upscale vibe with creative (and delicious) cocktails and a thoughtful wine list. I can't help but return to KingFisher often for the grilled shrimp, oysters with mignonette, and lobster roll. Always impressed and inspired by their seasonal dishes like the white gazpacho and the winter salad, or cheesecake with cranberry and ginger compote. Service is aware and educated; a charming and welcoming crew that works together seamlessly.

Consistently delicious food! The service is great, the ambiance is nice, but the food is so beautifully prepared and full of flavor. The mussel appetizer (sriracha broth) is a must-have. There are usually a couple special entrees, in addition to that on the regular menu. Pictured here on our most recent visit is the Hawaiian fish and the (special) Sea Bass. Yum!

Oysters Rockefeller, Clam Chowder and Plate Tasting were DELICIOUS I will let my friends know and bring them to enjoy

The outside appearance took me by surprise in how the inside is such a vibe. The service was very attentive to us throughout our evening, and it wasn't just our waitress; the whole staff, including the owner, checked on us and all the other tables around. For our meal we had the lobster roll and mahi mahi dish. What's also great is they allow you to choose your sides. The cheese cake was delicious and the dirty martini's were perfection.

This locally owned seafood restaurant has a long heritage here in Tucson. I really enjoyed the Alaskan Halibut dinner special with its fresh vegetable parings. The service was decent overall from the staff. I really love the mid century modern vibes in the restaurant. I feel like it has the let's go on a date type of atmosphere as well (saw lots of couples).

A great space for seafood in Tucson with a stellar bar and cocktail menu. The smoked fish (trout) appetizer was a meal of its own. I found the fried oysters a bit too salty but my dining partner loved it. I had the Hawaiian Fish entree which was Mahi Mahi and it was melt in the mouth delicious. I always get nervous with grilled fish being too dry but not here. Service was attentive and pleasant.

The food was amazing. Depending on where you are sitting it can be very dark. We had to use our phone's flashlight to be able to read the menu. None the less, the food was fresh and delicious and I highly recommend this place!

Our go-to special occasion restaurant of fifty years (starting from my high school days!) went off our preferred list after it sold and seriously declined in quality. So upward and onward, in our quest to find a new favorite, we chose Kingfisher for my birthday dinner. I easily made a reservation online for four and was reminded by email in case we forgot, lol. We arrived at Kingfisher at five til seven and our table was ready with ice water, the regular menu, and this month's Summer Road Trip menu. We began by sharing mussels and ceviche, both of which were devoured because they were delicious and we all were starving. The mussels were plump and hot and juicy and came with crusty bread for dipping in the flavorful broth. The ceviche was perfectly "cooked" with scallops, shrimp, chimichurri, roasted tomatillo, lime, avocado, cilantro, pickled red onion, and red bell pepper, and served with yucca root chips, instead of the usual tortilla chips. To the main... I chose the New Zealand lamb chops. They were crusted with pistachio-lemon-mint, served lemon-dressed frisée, and plated on a bed of pea-pancetta risotto that was the best rice I've ever eaten. The lamb was succulent, juicy, delicious, and perfectly medium rare. My daughter had the Hawaiian fish, which was snapper today, with a macadamia nut crust, lemongrass butter sauce, sweet potato chips, Basmati rice pilaf, and sautéed spinach. My son-in-law had a huge plate of paella: saffron risotto, shrimp, scallops, mussels, chorizo, peas, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and Parmesan cheese. The hub had the grilled baby back pork ribs with chipotle prickly pear barbeque sauce, shoestring fries, coleslaw. He said the ribs were so tender and delicious, but he'd ask for regular fries next time. (He's not as much of a crunch fan as I am.) Service was very good. Our server and the manager checked on us regularly, refilling glasses; but we waited a long time for our food. Appetizers appeared about twenty minutes after we ordered them and the entrees took another forty minutes. Way too long. The noise level is high, due to a combination of lots of people and hard surfaces. The food was definitely five+ stars, but the extremely long wait cost one star. Hopefully five stars overall next visit!

Although this experience is a while ago - I remember walking in during Covid and sitting down, and the waiters (wih I would've got their names) asking us to leave because we hadn't wore a mask the 5 steps from the entrance to where our table was. The waiters got loud, refused to serve us, and I'd argue (and said in person), embarrassed themselves. 'Rules are rules' but people power trip, and the great impression I had of the restaurant will always be soured by this hostile experience.

Super nice place, good food good ambiance defenantly going back we had a blessed night.and service was perfect.

Grant is BUSY on a Friday evening! Party of 3 for 5:45 pm, unexpected occasion to dine out. Cleanliness/Ambiance-parking SUCKED...had to go on street. Found a spot. Clean. We were seated prompted. Packed enough that staff and patrons kept bumping my chair...3 stars. Service-helpful, attentive...ran out of drinks a little, but it was pretty good. 4 stars Food. Idiosyncratic, but tastyl Calamari appetizer was sauced at bottom of bowl...staff did not point that out. Assembly of food was very basic and inelegant...We all enjoyed it though. Finished with the cinnamon apple gelato. Delish! 4 stars

Our friends blessed us by watching our kids so we were super excited about getting a date night. A number of people have recommended the Kingfisher so we thought we'd give it a try. Through the Yelp app we were able to get a 5:30p reservation and the Kingfisher live sup to the hype. The staff was friendly and our server took time to explain the menu and specials to us. We ended up ordering the tasting plate to get the greatest hits of their appetizers. I loved the grilled shrimp, my wife could have eaten a whole plate of the smoked trout. Our entrees were the cioppino and the Hawaiian fish. Both were delicious, with the seafood being cooked so well. Who knew you could get such amazing seafood in the desert? While it's not in our budget to eat here all the time, I can see this being a great special occasion place. They even have a private dining room for private events.

Have been very happy in past visits here for sure. Overall great. However I had quite a disappointing time last week with friends.Their usually great coleslaw was watery and tasteless, what a drag. Beer battered cod fish filet pooled hot grease. The slice of cheese cake which was really good was so tiny ($10.00) that I sent it back. Im talking TINY! Quality has dropped a lot. So sad! Staff was fantastic. Unfortunately I will not go again.

Greeted, seated & watered quickly, my mother & I were impressed with our waiter who was hurriedly attending to several other early arrivals around 4:30-5pm for dinner on a Tuesday. After ordering items starting showing up in a reasonable amount of time & the restaurant filled up about 7 of 30 tables while the bar was filling up as well. Food was delicious & service was great, not a loud room by any means. I had the Blackened Carfish & fried greet tomatoes & mom enjoyed the ceviche. Several other severs attended to us with water & plates removed which was nice. When the waiter delivered the check it was much more than I expected & I failed to see it wasn't my check. Upon paying the bill I was informed that it was indeed the wrong receipt, but that my bill had been corrected in the final payment. I recommend you check the receipt to be sure you don't pay $400+ for $117 meal. Other than that slight hiccup, I was impressed with the service & food. Decore was decent & restrooms were clean. I look forward to a return visit.

I can't say enough go things about this place! I just loved everything from the host to the food to the manager when we left. A member of our party was using a walker and the host kindly took her walker after we were seated and stored it for her. The vast menu made it difficult to choose just one meal but I eventually settled on the fish and chips made with cod. Fish included two sides; chips (i.e. fries) and coleslaw. I asked the server if I could substitute the sides for different sides on the sides menu as they were all the same cost and he quickly said "yes." I asked for a double order of zucchini from the side menu to go with my fish and I was a happy camper. It wasn't long before our food came to the table and I could not believe the amount of fish on my plate. It was tasty, the batter was light and I hate to admit it but I ate the whole thing including all of the vegetables. A wonderful little dining experience that I recommend!

My wife and I ate here during our January 2025 visit to Tucson. We were very disappointed. My wife had the Hawaiian fish entre which was Mahi Mahi. It was fresh and light but very bland other than being salty.. The rice and spinach were bland also. I had the gazpacho. This was unacceptably bland. The broth tasted like a low salt vegetable broth with no spices added. There was a variety of seafood, but all was unpleasantly bland. We will not be back.

The atmosphere at Kingfisher is classic seafood/steakhouse with booths around the edges and tables in the middle. The mid century roofline maintains the exposed beam supports. Some exposed brick adds to the atmosphere. Service was excellent and I enjoyed my sea bass on a vegetable medley, though I thought the drizzle of sauce was unnecessary and masked the nice taste of the fish and seasonings so I scraped most of this off. I also shared the calamari, which was breaded in a gluten free cornmeal and had a nice dipping sauce that was mildly spiced and slightly sweet. The calamari was very good, not chewy and fried just right, not at all greasy. The wine list is extensive and I was surprise to see an alcohol free Chardonnay. I didn't know such things existed so I had to try it - it was OK, a bit "grape" tasting, but a decent choice if you want to be part of the wine crowd without the alcohol.

We came here for our first time tonight because I had a sweet deal coupon. I have always wanted to trt this place. I was very shocked & happy to see them on that deal. The food I had was quite tasty! I got the warm lobster roll & let me tell u, they do not skimp on the lobster! It was so good! Also got their sweet potato chips and those were good too. We shared a bowl of their clam chowder, which was very flavorful as well. The only thing was that my husband's burger wasn't cooked right. He ate it anyway though, because he was hungry and didn't wanna wait any longer. Our server. John, was very friendly & even made some suggetions! It was very cute decor inside as well, will be back :)

Went here for my birthday dinner . Everything was delicious start to finish. Impeccable service. Nice ambiance. I know this restaurant is a Tucson staple and has been around a long time . Drinks were also good. Would definitely recommend for a special occasion.

Ok, quick work lunch, 3 ppl took about an hour and a half, $150 with tip which is kind of expensive for lunch but it's seafood and it was all good. Shane was our server and he was cool. I ordered calamari for the table and we could've scraped up the sauce if we had a few more bites, delicious! I ordered the pen seared salmon, skin-on, saffron tomato fish broth, pickled corn salsa, roasted yuca root(which was dry) & sautéed zucchini, and I enjoyed the plate. My co-workers got the fish and chips and lobster roll, devoured! We ended with the chocolate cake which was chilled and moist, a decadent slice of cake. The restaurant was relatively quiet but there was some sort of business group in the room off the side of the entrance and they were rowdy but not disruptive.

Valentines limited menu was a little different than we were expecting so I'm not sure we would return on a fixed menu again, but it's never a disappointment at kingfisher. Service is impeccable along side cocktails (they make the BEST mojito! With fresh mint that is grown in their garden!)

Very good food and service. Nice relaxing dinner atmosphere. I had fish and chips, excellent! My date had the lobster roll and said that was fantastic as well.

Excellent seafood restaurant with very experienced staff. Reasonable prices. Don't miss the clam chowder! Tucson institution!

The Hawaiian fish was wonderful. With Rice Pilaf that was prepared very well. Also Crab Cakes as an appetizer that were excellently prepared. Their red Sangria was excellent with a Peach flavor. Great service, no long wait, nice atmosphere. Not noisy or loud! Want to go back soon!

We were visiting Tucson, and looked on-line for restaurants with "lobster", and found that King Fisher has great reveiws and lobster rolls. The ambiance was like something out of the 50's or 60's - though not in a cool vibe way. The interior decor was old and tired. The service was good, and the food was ok. The entire experience was kind of "meh". The french fries were delicious, however.

Recently signed up for Tucson Foodies and went all out at Kingfisher. We ordered Rockefeller Oysters, Hawaiian Fish, Cioppino, and a cheesecake for dessert. We really had a fun time and the food was great. Would definitely recommend everything we got! I have a ton of small allergies and they were very accommodating. Also really liked the vibe of the place. A lot of interesting art (a painting of a lobster immediately comes to mind), a couple of pillars had a "seafaring" kind of look, and everyone there looked like they were having a good time. Will definitely go again!

Only went there once and the food was great. 2nd time a totally different menu and was very disappointed. I couldn't eat my whole meal and had it ready get a Togo container, and a bus boy came and took my plate and tossed it. I had only had one bite. Didn't get any compensation at all. It was a $30 plate. I wanted to take my salad also but NOPE that was taken too. My husband said he wasn't watching because the bus boy had taken all his empty plates and was talking to the waiter. Gf uses it wasn't my night.

Having never been to this restaurant my expectations were high as all I've ever heard are great reviews. The ambiance was very retro, which I loved. Wait staff were great. There were a bunch of seafood options, which is what they are known for. I had their half rack of ribs which were excellent. I'll have to go back and try a seafood dish

This place is still the retro spot it was in the 90s. The happy hour specials are fantastic. The food is great and they take service very seriously.

The food and service is fantastic. John was my server, and the rest of the team ALWAYS kept my water filled for me. The clam chowder as an appetizer was a great start, and I had a fantastic cocktail too. When I'm back in Tucson, I will be coming back here. The service and food was excellent, and I'd say the service from the team alone was probably some of the best I've experienced in Arizona. Thank you, John and team!

Fish n chips- too much breading in the chips and the French fries were limp. The bread was a bit dry. The service was good.

Went for the Oyster Fest and it was really good. The servers were not ready for the amount of people who love Oysters in Tucson, but that's ok. The oysters were amazing.

As we entered the establishment, we were greeted warmly and with a big smile. We were made very welcomed at the start. They asked whether we had a reservation or not, we did and they escorted us to our table. No waite, no fuss, very efficient. Our seating arrangements were good and the ambiance was great. No loud talk or anything. Our waiter was excellent as he greeted us cheerfully and warmly. Asked if we would like a beverage of choice which we replied "yes". We ordered and he left to order our drinks. When he came back with our drinks, he went over the "specials" of the night. We ordered our food, which was excellent! Definitely, a great place to eat on special occasions or just to have a great meal and ambiance!!

Best fish and chips I have had in Tucson! We have lived here over 15 years. Service was great. The bar area was filled. Fine dining and seafood well done.

Excellent location. Great bar that is quiet but lively with OUTSTANDING martini and drinks that are reasonably priced. Food and service is high quality.

This was one of my favorite places to eat. Went last night (Valentines) and it was a total fumble. If I did not have a gift card I would not return again. The only good thing was that we got there early and had fabulous cocktails. That was it. The seating staff did not seem in alignment. The waiter had good energy but it became apparent that he did not know what he was doing. He did not take time to get to know any of his tables. Because he kept forgetting what we ordered. He apparently never studied the menu, which was a fixed menu with the option of wine pairings which we chose. He brought out the wrong wine on one course. So he did know the menu. What was worse tho, most of the the wines came out after we finished the course. So not paired! That is even after we waited! The only time the wine came out before we finished or nearly finished was desert. He kept blaming the electronic equipment which was only four days old. I blame lack of communication with the staff. The choice of wines were very good tho. One course came out cold. The next course was good. The next course the meat was not trimmed properly and the spinach was not edible. The desert was ok, not a wow.

Tiny portions of food for full Price entree. Ambience feels like a flea market. Made reservations in advance and still got seated by the toilets.

Kingfisher has very good food. Nice big dining room. But the acoustics are bad, especially if restaurant is crowded, like the Friday night we were there around 6:30. It was hard to have a conversation. Decent service... I felt like our server was more focused on the tables that were having cocktails and we don't drink. We'll probably try again sometime.

Wonderful seafood. Highly recommend. I had the shrimp appetizer and loved it. I had shrimp cakes and they were good.

Always reliably fresh oysters! Clam chowder is the real thing. Always interesting Fish preparations.

Came here on New Years Eve and the food was amazing. Numerous people told me it was excellent and they were all right. We got a sampler that had a taste of everything. And it was all wonderful. Oysters fresh, shrimp firm, tasty ceviche, and delicious trout. Clam chowder was solid and sourdough bread was light (perfect as didn't fill me up). Dessert was light and came with a sparkler too! The staff was all super polite, nice and friendly. The restaurant itself clean - but old school inside. You can go dressed up or casual and wouldn't feel out of place either way. Will be back - this place is definitely a keeper.

Service and food were wonderful! Waiter was friendly and very personable. My husband received his special request on the menu for his birthday.

Great food cool retro feel. Reservations recommended but we walked in and they were able to accommodate us. We arrived at 5:30 at 6:00 PM, it started to get crowded. It appears they have a very loyal following! Great staff too!

The service and food were amazing. Had to claims, fish, and lamb and it was very tasty. I brought my parents here and they too loved to food and plan on going back. Thanks Kingfisher for making it a great experience.

Went for a celebration dinner. Always a a satisfying experience - the oysters and clam chowder were great and their Hawaiian fish entree never disappoints. My husband had steak this time and really enjoyed it. Had to have dessert too. All in all a great meal.