Looking for the best restaurants in Kansas City, Kansas? Maybe you should rethink your idea of a restaurant. There are tons of unique places to dine in KCK and they don’t all fit the traditional definition of a restaurant! What I can definitively say is that the food scene in Kansas City, Kansas is as diverse as the people!
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A Primer on Kansas City, Kansas
Let’s start real quick with a introduction to the Kansas City you know and the Kansas City you may not know. Kansas City is actually two cities divided by a river: Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas. Looking for the Kansas City Chiefs? That’s Missouri. Looking for a downtown metropolis? Also, Missouri. Looking for amazing Kansas City barbecue? You’ll find that in Missouri and Kansas. And on the Kansas side, you’ll also find ethnic neighborhoods full of food, which is why we’re here.
Let’s get started with what to eat, when to eat, and where to eat in Kansas City, Kansas!
Breakfast in Kansas City
I’m not a big breakfast eater but I do like to start the day with a little something. In this case, it was coffee. While some opted for fresh pastries with their coffee, I saved most of my appetite for lunch and dinner and the sausage tasting we had in the morning. Hey – sausage is a perfectly acceptable breakfast food!
Coffee in Strawberry Hill
I’m a relatively new coffee lover having spent many mornings earlier this year sipping a cappuccino with a cornetto in the cafes of Rome. Turns out I like any drink with enough milk and sugar! When I travel, I always try to find local coffee shops and there are plenty in Kansas City.
We started our mornings in Kansas City with a stop at Splitlog Coffee. Splitlog sources their coffee from multiple places and then locally roasts it. We were able to do a coffee cupping class one morning allowing us to taste beans from Colombia and Ethiopia. (Side note: coffee cupping involves submerging ground coffee into hot water and then giving it a quick taste with a spoon, much like wine tasting).
Both mornings, I kicked off the day with one of their seasonal specialities, the Spiced Pear Latte. 10/10! Highly recommend!
Locally Made Slavic Food
Located in downtown Kansas City, Strawberry Hill has a strong immigrant history. At the turn of the century, the area was flooded with immigrants from Germany, Ireland, and many parts of Eastern Europe. You can still see these influences all through Strawberry Hill. Most notable was Krizman’s Sausage, a local shop that’s been making sausage since 1939. And it’s still in the same family!
We did get to sample four different types of sausage including head cheese. I did try them all and let’s just say I won’t be having head cheese again anytime soon. After we sampled their homemade sausage, we literally got to see how the sausage is made! It’s honestly just a few hardworking guys with a great attitude making good product.
After visiting Krizman’s, we headed over to St. John the Baptist Catholic Church for a look at the Croatian Immigrant Memorial. As luck would have it, we ran into the manager of the St John’s Catholic Club, a small social club that meets in a building behind the church. While we didn’t eat there, we got a glimpse at their menu and Croatian beer selection as well as their completely vintage bowling alley!
Lunch in Kansas City
Lunch is my main meal. That’s when I usually break my fast and I like something delicious but not too heavy. The good news is there’s no shortage of variety when it comes to lunch (or dinner, for that matter!).
The Vietnamese Experience for Lunch
Immigrants are actually a big part of Kansas City’s history. Since World War I, large populations of Asian immigrants set up communities throughout KCK. As a result, you’ll find cuisine that reflects the Asian population of over 45,000 residents, including Chinese, Korean, Filipino, Indonesian, Indian, and Vietnamese.
We enjoyed an authentic Vietnamese lunch at Vietnam Cafe 39. While they have amazing pho and bun salads, I opted for stir fried noodles. And some of us even enjoyed an authentic Vietnamese coffee!
Jazz Lunch in Village West
If you’re looking for more American food, you can easily find that too. And if you like spice, you’ll want to check out the Cajun atmosphere at Jazz, a local chain restaurant located in Village West, an upscale shopping setting. Although I don’t like it too spicy, I was able to let the good times roll with an Oyster Po’boy and a side of fried okra. And you have to finish a Cajun meal with an order of beignets, which we did!
Dinner in Kansas City
Dinner is where Kansas City shines. Although I should note that most of our dinner choices could also be lunch choices but all of these restaurants were fantastic places to eat and representative of some of the best restaurants in Kansas City.
The Bar-B-Que Loved by Anthony Bourdain
I’d like to think I could easily be a vegetarian but for this trip, I’m glad I’m not. This gas station / barbecue restaurant sounds like an iffy prospect but even Anthony Bourdain put it on his list of 13 places to eat before you die.
Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que was born in one man’s backyard and has grown to become a name that even my husband back home knew about. Not only did we get a personalized tour to see how much care (and work) goes into making consistently good barbecue, but they loaded us up on almost everything on the menu!
In no particular order, here’s what we sampled: Smoked Turkey, Pulled Pork, Burnt Ends, Beef Brisket, Ribs, BBQ Beans, Dirty Rice, French Fries, Onion Rings, Mac-N-Cheese, and a Seasonal Street Corn. And Texas Toast. And when we were just about finished, they insisted we try two of their signature sandwiches: The Rocket Pig and The Z-Man Sandwich.
Needless to say, we rolled on out of there. I did actually eat a little bit of everything and my favorites were the ribs (best I’ve ever had), corn, and the french fries, which come with a signature spice. The good news is that I got some of that spice along with one of their t-shirts so I can be reminded of Joe’s whenever I’m not in Kansas City.
Pizza at the Wyandotte County Line
Did I ever tell you I’m a pizza junkie? It’s one of those foods that I can’t ever resist and once I start, I have a hard time stopping. But I am also a pizza snob. It’s got to be good pizza and in my book, that means crisp and chewy dough baked in a wood fired oven. Having spent time earlier this year in Italy, I was ready to be judgy.
The only judgment I made on 1889 Pizza Napoletana is that it’s exactly the light and delicious pizza I love with high quality ingredients. In fact, we had high quality appetizers and high quality wine.
As for the Wyandotte County Line? I would have never known but the locals like to point out that West 47th Street is the dividing line between Wyandotte County and Johnson County. You can easily have dinner in one county and dessert in the next!
The Best Four Carne Asada Tacos
If all of this talk of eating is making you feel overwhelmed, you can leave the planning and the transportation to someone else! You can join in the KCK Taco Trail for a night of tacos across the city from the comfort of a party bus. If you like authentic tacos, let them drive you to the best restaurants in Kansas City!
By the way, it’s really just a shuttle but depending on the crowd on your shuttle, it can definitely be a party bus! We were traveling with a large group of nurses who made the entire trip so much fun. But the star of the show really was tacos.
We were on the Carne Asada tour which meant four stops at four restaurants to sample four different carne asada tacos. After each jaunt, we would review and rate the tacos before heading to our next destination. Each time, we thought it couldn’t get better. But it did!
After Dinner in Kansas City
Although they did have some Mexican beers available on the Taco Trail, we wanted to experience a little of the nightlife in Kansas City, Kansas. So we hit a few after dinner spots to drink like the locals.
Drinks in Bonner Springs
We technically hit the Range 23 Taproom in Bonner Springs before hitting the Taco Trail. But we just couldn’t resist sampling some local beverages from this woman-owned brewery. We loved the vibe and the drinks (especially the amazing Apple Bourbon Chai) and all took pictures of the cutest bathroom ever!
Nightlife in Strawberry Hill
I don’t frequent cocktail bars often but when I do, I want there to be a good theme and some creative cocktails. That’s exactly what we got at Blue Palm Tiki, a new bar in the Strawberry Hill neighborhood. Straight out of a 1960s beach movie, the blue-tinged tiki bar had the most delicious drinks that looked almost too pretty to drink. Almost.
Kansas City, Kansas has much more to offer than just food but for me, food is what sets the stage for a city. In KCK, I found a cuisine that reflected the community and its people: diverse, ethnic, and fun. As you can see, the best restaurants in Kansas City are the ones that provide food and fun and great time for all. Can’t wait to eat more on my next trip!
