Restaurants

If you go to Kansas City, you owe it to yourself to try Kansas City Barbeque. There are many different BBQ restaurants around town and pretty much all of them are worth giving a shot. There are regular restaurants as well, but you can visit those in any town. Here’s a list of BBQ and “other” places to check out when you’re in K.C.

 

1.      Barbeque

a.       KC Masterpiece

This is perhaps the most famous of the KC BBQ joints only because of the mass-marketed KC Masterpiece Barbeque sauce. With locations both downtown and in Overland Park, the restaurants – which are also located in other parts of the country – aren’t actually owned by the same people as the sauce. Dr. Rich Davis, inventor of KC Masterpiece Barbecue Sauce contracted with HV Food Products Company in 1987 to open restaurants that feature the sauce.

b.      Arthur Bryant’s

Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque Restaurants now has three locations in the Kansas City area. The original location on Brooklyn Avenue in K.C., Missouri remains the most popular, but the newer locations at the Ameristar Casio and in the Kansas Speedway area in K.C., Kansas also do well. Arthur Bryant, known as the “King of Ribs” is claimed to be the most renowned barbequer in history. This restaurant will show you what Kansas City Barbeque is all about.

c.       Gate’s BBQ

With six locations around the K.C. area, Gates is one of the easiest barbeques to find; but don’t think that takes away from their quality or style. When you get to the counter, and even sometimes before then you’ll be promptly greeted with "Hi, may I help you?" You will then be expected to promptly answer. Pay attention to both the board menu and those in line ahead of you and you’ll catch on quickly to the Gates way of customer service. Gate’s also has a distinctly different taste than most KC barbeque so it’s worth stopping here even if you go to one of the others as well.

d.      Jack Stack

Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue is where you should take your biggest appetite. Known not only for their delectable barbequed chicken, ribs, sausage, ribs, turkey, brisket and burnt ends, Jack Stack is also known for their legendary Hickory Pit Beans other sides like Cheesy Corn Bake and Old Fashioned Potato Salad. They also offer a wide array of desserts including many cheesecakes.

2.      Everything Else

There is cuisine outside of barbeque in Kansas City, and some of it is just as good. Along with your everyday franchises, you can find some unique restaurants of every food type all throughout the greater Kansas City area.

Located in the Historic 18th & Vine Jazz District, Peach Tree brings upscale elegance along with a casual feel to this African-American themed restaurant matched by few dining establishments anywhere. Ambiance and atmosphere is created by live music and private, curtained booths.

With the subtitle, “A Beatnik Bistro,” you know you’re in for something different at re:Verse. This bistro at the Plaza claims to combine the “incredible coolness of the beat generation with the bold flavors of Spanish and Mediterranean cuisine.” Come here for live music – including soul/funk DJs – on some weeknights and on the weekend and a daily dinner specials list self-described as, “Reminiscent of Jack Kerouac, Alan Ginsberg, Neil Cassidy, & William Burroughs' Late Night Dinners in famous New York Bistros & Coffee Houses of old.”

c.                 Californos

Tucked away within a picturesque cul-de-sac in the heart of Kansas City's entertainment district, Californos recreates the feel of a French bistro, complete with a dark wooden bar and interior and intimate tables covered with white tablecloths. In addition to a breezy deck out back, where friends and family dine and socialize, a wrought-iron railing encloses street-side seating out front, reminiscent of a romantic Parisian eatery. The menu offers an intriguing blend of contemporary American cuisine and European fare.