Black Dolphin

Live music and great drinks

What makes it fun

The Black Dolphin features excellent acoustics, exposed brick walls, and plush black leather sofas. Despite the emphasis on music, The Black Dolphin has a complete bar and an extensive range of spirits. At The Black Dolphin, grab a drink at the bar and settle in for some amazing music.

Google Reviews

Black Dolphin

4.7

Based on 263 reviews

Samantha Young

15:01 22 Aug 24

This is such a fun date night. The band was amazing, and I loved that interacted with the audience. You can tell the musicians are really happy and having fun. The service was amazing, and the drinks were top notch.

Jim Mair

00:51 07 Jul 24

Dan Ratzlaff

04:07 24 Jun 24

The live music is always amazing.

stupidgoodfoods

21:24 20 Jun 24

Every time I call the voice on the other end is always as kind as possible, upbeat, above & beyond!

YouGotHouses WeGotMahomes

05:26 21 May 24

Came in for a 1st time visit on a Saturday evening around 11pm. Paid the cover at the door and took a seat at the bar with a friend that I was accompanying from out of town. Probably around 20 or fewer patrons in the place while we were there. We sat at the 2 seats on the far right side as you look at the front of the bar. Ordered drinks and starting listening/watching the musicians play. Seemed fairly slow as most all of the tables in front of us as well as the tables around the musicians were empty. However, the waitress that was serving us immediately felt the need to interject herself into our personal space and experience unnecessarily. She was very unwelcoming and off-putting. From the very beginning, we were told (not asked politely) to scoot our bar seats in closer to the inside edge of the end of the bar because it was inhibiting her ability to navigate serving drinks. I thought it was overbearing and a poor start to be so focused on something like that versus providing a warm welcome. As we continued with our drink, this waitress proceeded to basically scold us 2 more times for not being more respectful of her work space. Even suggesting that we were creating a hazard because we almost caused her to knock over the ice water pitchers sitting opposite the bar.
I'm not unacquainted nor dismissive of understanding how safe work spaces in a bar are essential to provide efficient and quality service to customers ordering drinks. However, the attitude we encountered in this particular experience was completely unwarranted. Especially considering how slow the bar was. Not 1 time did anyone besides a waitress walk by us at the bar to use the restrooms. There was virtually no foot traffic whatsoever, with the exception of her. More than adequate space for any waitperson to operate, really. And quite frankly, if the bar was actually busy and full of patrons that did make it trickier to navigate, wouldn't that be a kimd of a good problem to have? I don't want to imagine how this waitress would be if the bar had 80 people inside versus the less than 20 while we were there.
I frequent live music in KC very regularly. It is rare that I come across this type of thing with the bar/restaurant industry. Everyone can have a bad night. But for obvious reasons, it's certainly important to not negatively impact a customer. We stepped into Black Dolphin to take advantage of the relaxed environment music can provide, but came away feeling scolded and unwanted. I'm not someone who runs to complain about things. In fact the opposite. But do feel so surprised by the experience, that I hope communicating will help this establishment more than anything else.

Jason Gregg

22:42 02 Sep 23

Jon Bidwell Photography

16:30 31 Aug 23

The Black Dolphin is a jazz listening lounge in the heart of Downtown Kansas City which was designed for the afficionado of not just excellent music, but also fine atmosphere and strong, tasty craft cocktails. In terms of sheer lumens? This bar has lower lights than any other establishment in Kansas City, or frankly anywhere on the planet. The lighting and every detail were clearly designed and placed with intention and care. It gives the bar's vibe a coziness which is instantly welcoming and sophisticated without being pretentious. There are two colors: black and orange. All of the illumination is provided by tastefully located ambient overhead lamps and warm-temperature vintage star globes which are easier to just see than to describe. The whole feeling is that of a 1963 cocktail lounge right down to the vintage orange resin "Black Dolphin" sign itself which hangs above the Steinway. The Black Dolphin is the more subdued & subtle sister-club to the rowdier Green Lady Lounge across the alley. Just like The Green Lady, however, the musicianship at this joint is consistently top shelf just like the martinis, and once you set foot in The Black Dolphin, you'll realize you've never been in another bar quite like this before in your life.

Crystal Lefoy

16:17 28 Aug 23

Nice laid back jazz spot. We practically had the place to ourselves on a Friday night around 10pm...The music reminded me of a live playing of elevator music which wasn't quite the jazz vibe I was looking for. However, it is still a nice spot & perfect for slow jazz to unwind after a stressful week.

alex fisher

02:24 17 Aug 23

Paige Kanaga

01:38 12 Aug 23

Amazing! Drinks are strong and good. The musicians are simply amazing! 10/10 recommend

Bonnie House

23:31 27 Mar 23

This great little hole in the wall is larger than it might seem from the almost unidentifiable entrance. We went for a special evening with Max Haverfield & Friends. The cabaret style vocals were mixed with a little CW, with great backup by a string bass, wonderful piano, and percussion. Not to be missed is the wonderful cocktail service and steady attention from our server. I appreciated the diversity of the clientele and will definitely visit again.

KCSTEVE

16:41 27 Jan 23

Hands down one of the best places in Kansas City to relax and listen to some amazing music. Can't say enough... If you've never been, you're missing out on some of the best Kansas City has to offer.

frederick P

11:55 21 Oct 22

This was our first time in KC and the first place in the evening we went to check out. It didn't not let us down at all. The host at the the door was pleasant. The atmosphere was perfect for either a date or just to hang out with friends. They had more than enough options as far as cocktail to choose from as you enjoy the great music being played.