One of the best ways to experience a city is through its food and drink, and in Kansas City, that means seeking out the perfect combination of craft cocktails and exceptional dining. This town is a haven for those who appreciate a well-balanced drink made with house-infused spirits, fresh ingredients, and a touch of creativity—paired with a meal that’s just as thoughtfully prepared.
Kansas City may have gotten its name “Paris of the Plains” from newspaper reporters who were describing the loose rules around liquor that gave rise to illicit saloons and speakeasies operating in Kansas City during Prohibition, but the name has stuck, and it’s reflective of the cocktail scene that exists in this town today.
This city’s cocktail culture has evolved beyond the basics, with bartenders crafting drinks that showcase both classic techniques and bold innovations. Whether you’re sipping a smoked old fashioned in a cozy speakeasy, enjoying a seasonal gin cocktail on a sunny patio, or indulging in a perfectly executed Negroni at a chef-driven restaurant, Kansas City’s bar scene delivers.
But the best part? You don’t have to choose between great drinks and great food. Some of the most exciting places to eat in Kansas City also happen to have standout cocktail programs. From intimate neighborhood spots serving inventive small plates to upscale dining rooms where mixologists work alongside chefs to create perfectly paired menus, these places prove that a thoughtfully crafted drink can be just as essential to the dining experience as the food itself.
So, whether you’re a cocktail connoisseur or simply someone who loves a good meal with an equally good drink in hand, Kansas City is the place to be. The only question is: What are you ordering first?
Bacaro Primo
This Italian American restaurant from Todd Schulte and Cory Dannehl, the same owners of the sea-faring restaurant and tiny bar, Earl’s Premier, is located in the Crestwood Shops. There’s a satisfying menu of Sunday supper favorites, including pizza, pasta, and some meatier entrées for both lunch and dinner. The handsome bar offers Italian wines, beers, and cocktails that will have you celebrating aperitivo like the Italians do.
EAT: Paccheri pasta with Bolognese sauce, ricotta cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and basil
DRINK: Moderna Spritz with seasonal fruit, aperitivo, and sparkling Lambrusco red wine
The Campground
As patio season is upon us, owners of The Campground, Christopher Ciesiel and Cristin Llewellyn, have doubled their seating by reimaging their parking lot as a campsite. Take that and pair it with a clever craft-cocktail program and the culinary stylings of their new chef, Donovan Stabler, (who has cooked at both Novel and Corvino) and you have the right kind of “roughing it.”
EAT: Salmon crudo served with parsnip, gooseberries, and shiso
DRINK: New Home made with Midori, Basque “Chartreuse,” yuzu vodka, unaged apple brandy, Licor 43, and lime
Cheval
This tiny Main Street bar is located across the street from Tailleur, the French bistro, and one door down from the bakery and lunch spot, Enchanté, all owned and operated by Heather White. Whether stopping in for a before-dinner drink or for happy hour with friends, this quaint spot offers excellent cocktails, wine, and enough food to take the edge off.
EAT: Charcuterie plate comprised of a fine mix of meat, cheese, and colorful condiments along with French macarons for dessert
DRINK: The Baked Manhattan made with Enchante almond croissant-infused cognac, rye whiskey, amaro, and bitters
Chewology
With chef Katie Liu-Sung receiving her second James Beard nomination this year, all eyes are on her cool, contemporary Taiwanese restaurant located on Westport Road. Using local, seasonal ingredients, she’s creating dishes enjoyed around her own family table with a menu full of dumplings, noodles, and bao dishes paired with a full cocktail bar.
EAT: Xiao Long Bao or pork soup dumplings
DRINK: Sake-Wrench cocktail made with Lucky Dog Maneki Wanko sake, Bronson’s milk punch, salted plum-lemon bitters, and soda water
Extra Virgin
Something about Extra Virgin always feels like you’ve just walked into the best party. The crafted cocktails and wine are flowing, and the kitchen is putting out a wide variety of Mediterranean small plates for you to have a little taste of it all. Michael and Nancy Smith are hosting this party nightly in Kansas City’s Crossroads, and you’re invited to join them on the covered patio or inside the buzzy bar and dining room.
EAT: Cucumber Salad with cucumber, peanuts, onions, cilantro-scallions and cumin dressing along with chicken spiedini with herbed breadcrumbs, garlic, and nine-spiced Lebanese tomato sauce
DRINK: A classic Negroni
Fern Bar
Bryan Arri’s year old sugarcane- and agave-focused cocktail bar features drinks made with alcohol from small, artisan rum, tequila and mezcal producers. The Latin-inspired food menu matches that energy, featuring tacos, a crunchwrap, ribs, and quesadillas. This is the perfect spot to stop in for just one drink or for the rest of the evening.
Eat: Meat and cheese board with cured chorizo, four-month aged Manchego cheese, and Marcona almonds
DRINK: Fern Bar Margarita made with Libelula Joven, Tapatio Blanco, house curacao, agave, lime
Ground Control
Celina Tio’s tiny basement bar inside The Belfry, Ground Control, serves as the tasting room and cocktail laboratory for her own spirits line, Annx Spirits Co. A few delicious “cheffy” dishes are also on the menu. Tio hosts monthly coursed dinners that highlight Tio’s culinary skills.
EAT: Tio’s famous crab cakes or her wagyu smash burger
DRINK: Black Star Boulevardier made with Moon Age bourbon, Amaro di Angostura, Poire Williams brandy, walnut liqueur, walnut bitters
Hey! Hey! Club
Located in the basement of the J. Rieger & Co. distillery in the East Bottoms, the Hey! Hey! Club name was adapted from the iconic club that existed during Kansas City’s infamous jazz age, and as a nod to Robert Altman’s movie, Kansas City, from which the sign in their entry was once a prop. This local connection to film is the inspiration for the cocktails being shaken within. Both the beverage director, Derek Branham, and the culinary director, Charles d’Abling, and their collective teams shoot for the stars and reach them.
EAT: Fried green tomatoes with spinach cream, tomato jam, and Parmesan cheese
DRINK: Beverly Bane made with Cupreata mezcal, Manzanilla sherry, tomato, strawberry, lime, and saline
Lucky Boys
Justin Norcross, Dan Myers, and Keenan Nichols are the luckiest. The three partners opened Lucky Boys in Kansas City’s West Bottoms almost a decade ago, with Norcross opening Fortunati Pizza next door a few years ago. The bartenders here will happily pour you a beer, a well drink, or a shot or any combination of the three.
EAT: Sandwiches, including the Louisville Hot Chicken, Fillet-o-Fish, and cheeseburger with fries, or a pie from Fortunati Pizza
DRINK: Gin and tonic or an ice-cold beer
The Mercury Room
Mercury is the only common metal that’s liquid at room temperature, which makes it the perfect name for the starry, rooftop cocktail bar in the Kansas City Crossroads with a breathtaking view of downtown. The owners of Exit Strategy, David and Noelle Manica and Christian Moscoso, are known for building beautiful bars with food and drink to match.
EAT: Crab Rangoon filled with snow crab, scallions, Thai curry aioli, and chili oil, and a half-dozen raw oysters with mignonette and lemon
DRINK: Dharma made with Thai rum, reposado tequila, purple basil, soursop, kumquat, calamansi, and cilantro
Mesob Restaurant & Rhum Bar
Although chef-owner, Cherven Desauguste, and his business partner, Mehret Tesfamariam, have closed the short-lived Northland location of their Caribbean meets Ethiopian restaurant Mesob, the Midtown location at 3601 Broadway is still open and serving up the bold flavors of the two cultures the two owners love to cook the most. Pair that food with the sophisticated characteristics of premium aged rhums, and you will feel transported.
EAT: Coconut Curry Shrimp made with black tiger shrimp, coconut curry sauce, sweet peas, cabbage, baby carrots, and potatoes served with Jasmine rice, or get the Ethiopian vegetarian platter that comes with a combination of red lentils, yellow lentils, collard greens, potato, cabbage and comes with a salad and injera.
DRINK: Enjoy a rhum flight and get three one-ounce pours from a single maker in a Rhum making part of the world
Mineral Lounge
This intimate bar is run by the management team from Tannin Wine Bar & Kitchen led by Barry Tunnell, the general manager and wine director. Located on Broadway, steps from the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts, the lounge is serving food, wine, and cocktails inspired by the Mediterranean. The meaningful small plates menu from the chef Brian Aaron includes duck confit rillette, whipped Hemme Brothers’ quark cheese plate with honey, and a carrot salad.
EAT: Ahi Tuna Crudo with an arugula, caper, and olive salad and the Moroccan Carrot Salad
DRINK: Mandarin Spritz made with Il Gusto di Amalfi Mandarino, cava, Mineragua sparkling water, and thyme
Of Course Kitchen & Company
Harnessing the flavors of owner and executive chef Swetha Newcomb’s southern India heritage and using them to season American ingredients continues to be her superpower, because people are still buzzing about her restaurant located in the southernmost reaches of Overland Park.
EAT: Aloo Kulcha, a potato-and-cheese-stuffed naan, with curry leaf gremolata, Szechuan peppercorns, and golden saffron crab butter
DRINK: Pear Of Hearts made with pear-infused bourbon, rye whiskey, yuzu caramel, pimentos, and cardamom bitters
Rye in Leawood
Rye in Leawood was the first location for Colby and Megan Garrelts, and from the moment it opened, the long bar that runs the length of the restaurant has been a popular hub for happy-hour hangs that turn into dinner discussions. Rye has the full package, complete with crafted cocktails and a menu filled with home-cooking goodness by the executive chef, Ryan Williams, and ending with a slice of pie made by pastry chef Keara Masson.
EAT: Pork Milanese served with linguine, oyster mushrooms, broccolini, brown-butter caper sauce, charred lemon, and chili oil
DRINK: Barrel-Aged Old Square made with Union Horse rye whiskey, Union Horse Rolling Standard four-grain whiskey, Rastignac VS Cognac, Dolin vermouth Rouge, Benedictine, Angostura, and Peychaud’s Bitters with a flamed orange
Songbird
Songbird, the cool and casual cocktail lounge by Michael and Christina Corvino, is located inside Corvino Supper Club. It’s a good time, offering a wide range of exceptional cocktails, low-to-no-alcohol beverages, and a delicious food menu to complement it all. Table reservations are available, but most of the seating is for walk-ins.
EAT: Chicken-fried snails with black garlic and parsley and their now famous caramel chocolate bar for dessert
DRINK: Golden Hour, a low-alcohol cocktail made with the saffron-hued French liqueur, Suze, molasses, pomegranate, and bubbles
Triune
Triune is a stylish but casual, come-as-you-are spot that’s priced right for everyday dining but feels special enough for almost any occasion. Owner Steven Blakey and the executive chef, Rodolfo Rodriguez, along with the bar manager, Evelyn Brock, are making their own mark on the Westside with their international selection of small plates and craveable cocktails.
EAT: Satay made with peanut-butter marinated chicken, seven-chile mole sauce, and cilantro, or the Cubano Sliders with mojo-roasted pork and quick pickles on a house brioche roll
DRINK: Cloud Nine, a zero-alcohol cocktail made with Seedlip spice, hibiscus syrup, coconut, and mint
Union on the Hill
It’s hard to argue with experience, and that’s something chef-owner George Atsangbe has accumulated over his 40-year career as a corporate chef at Houlihan’s and Bread and Butter Concepts restaurants before finally opening up his own place. The central location and food and beverage program here make this a natural spot to hit up for dinner on your way home from work.
EAT: Hanger Steak with rosemary steak butter and bacon jam, served with truffle Parmesan fries and garlic aioli
DRINK: Union old-fashioned made with Jefferson’s bourbon, Lapsang Souchong syrup, and old-fashioned bitters
Verdigris
One of Leawood’s prettiest craft cocktail bars, Verdigris, located in the Park Place shopping center, has rolled out a thoughtfully developed food menu that’s almost as popular as its creative cocktail menu. This is a place where you can drink and dine inside at the luxurious bar or outside on the covered patio.
EAT: Arancini filled with carbonara risotto and topped with a cured egg, Parmesan cheese, and lemon pepper aioli
DRINK: Kantu cocktail made with Peruvian agave, pisco, dragon fruit, acidified blood orange, and salt
Vita’s Place
Ryan and Jenny Sciara’s cozy wine bar in the Crestwood Shops is the perfect bookend for their wine shop, Underdog Wine Co. This convivial neighborhood spot is the place to settle in for a fantastic glass of wine or a wine-inspired cocktail and some meaningful small plates and dessert.
EAT: Serrano ham, Piparra peppers, Espelette peppers, and pistachios served with focaccia and a slice of Burnt Basque cheesecake for dessert
DRINK: La Dolce Vita made with Licor 43, Combier orange liqueur, apricot nectar, Prosecco float, and Luxardo cherry
Waldo Thai
When Teddy and Pam Liberda’s restaurant empire grew to three different concepts—Muni, Buck Tui BBQ, and Waldo Thai—they used it as an opportunity to turn Waldo Thai into a small-plates hot spot. All of your favorite dishes are now served in smaller, easily sharable plates and combination platters, along with fun, flavorful cocktails. Look for the Lanna section of the menu, showcasing the cuisine of northern Thailand, where Pam grew up.
EAT: Thum Kanoon made with jackfruit, pork, curry paste, cherry tomatoes, makrut lime leaf, fried garlic, and fried pork skin
DRINK: Sake Sai Moo cocktail with brandy, Makrut lime and lemongrass syrup, white wine, and sparkling sake
Westport Cafe
This modern Parisian bistro located in the heart of Westport has continued to evolve in the most interesting ways since Kevin Mouhot, Romain Monnoyeur, and Nicolas Mermet put their stamp on the place, expanding the food and drink menu beyond just the usual French bistro classics.
EAT: Lamb kefta with tahini sauce, pickled onions, olives, and dates
DRINK: Missing Link made with Old Tom gin, Salers, Lillet, and pickled blackberries