If you want to see your city or even your circumstances in a new way, sometimes all it takes is a move to higher ground. Maybe take your morning coffee out on your second-floor balcony, hike up to the top of a hill, or even better, call friends to meet up for a cocktail at a rooftop restaurant or bar. It’s bound to lift your spirits.
June marks the beginning of summer and the midway point in the year, which makes it the perfect time to take stock of where you are and where you are going. Even if you looked at the same view from the ground floor, it wouldn’t compare to what you see when you look at something from a new and unique angle—like an artist who has stepped back from his canvas and can suddenly see all the brushstrokes coming into focus to reveal a beautiful painting.
Kansas Citian Doug Frost once commented to me about the incredible things he learned about his own palate and others simply by drinking in the air. As both a Master of Wine and a Master Sommelier, Frost has the education, experience, and palate to pair wine with almost anything. For the last decade, he has used his extraordinary skills as the global wine and spirits consultant for United Airlines.
For this job, he must taste and select from tens of thousands of cases of wine and spirits each year to be poured on board one of the world’s largest carriers. His main challenge is that wine tastes much differently at 35,000 feet in the air than it does sitting in a café or restaurant on terra firma. Red wines taste more tannic and white wines more acidic. When making his wine selections, Frost compensates for this by seeking out juicy wines that are fruit forward to balance the effects.
That same logic could be applied to drinking experiences at open-air rooftops. New spaces are opening every year, and their menus are jam-packed with juicy, summer-inspired, small plates and fruity cocktails.
So get out there! It’s time to not only drink and dine outside, but to elevate that experience by doing so on some of the most interesting rooftop restaurants and bars in the city. Enjoy the view as much as the food and drink.
Green Dirt on Oak
It is cool and casual on the roof of the new restaurant and event space, Green Dirt on Oak. Guests are welcome to take their drink or plate of locally made sheep’s milk cheeses up to the rooftop to enjoy with views of downtown Kansas City. Just know that there is no cocktail service on the roof. For a refill, you need to return to the second-floor bar and place your order. But with cheese this good and views this tempting, it’s well worth putting in those steps.
Percheron at the Crossroads Hotel
With live music on weekends, Percheron, the rooftop patio at the Crossroads Hotel, offers a chill spot to land for tantalizing view of both downtown and the Crossroads. Make reservations now to sit back and enjoy a list of breezy summer-inspired cocktails, wine, and beers paired with satisfying and shareable small plates and bar snacks. This hotel continues to be a hot spot for locals and visitors alike to socialize in style.
Messenger Coffee on Grand
Sister businesses Messenger Coffee and Ibis Bakery share a beautiful three-story building that has been completely renovated. In addition to serving in-house roasted coffee and a large selection of amazing breads, pastries, along with breakfast and lunch plates. Messenger and Ibis have created plenty of spots to enjoy them. Check out the amazing rooftop deck, complete with a cozy outdoor fireplace and plenty of seating. Grab a cappuccino and chocolate croissant and head for the roof for a morning or midday pick-me-up.
Bamboo Penny’s
Everyone knows the delicious Thai food and tropical drinks that Penny and Doug Mufaka, along with Michael Werner, brought to the Park Place shopping center in Leawood when they opened Bamboo Penny’s. But the best-kept secret here is the rooftop patio with retractable roof. With views of the Park Place grassy lawn below, on summer nights it’s the perfect spot to meet for ice-cold cocktails and a table full of small plates to enjoy with a side of starlight.
Horsefeather Social at Loews Hotel
Located on the seventh floor of the Loews Hotel is Horsefeather Social, the seasonal rooftop bar and patio where locals and tourists gather for their first or last drink of the night with a spectacular view of the iconic Kauffman Performing Arts building. It offers a handful of shareable snacks and small plates, such as whipped goat cheese with lemon zest, honey, and lavosh crackers, along with craft cocktails, wine, and beer. The bar is open Wednesday through Sunday from 5:30 p.m. until 11 p.m. Order the namesake horsefeather cocktail, sit back, and enjoy live music Thursday, Friday, and Sunday from 6:00 p.m. until 9 p.m.
Coach’s Bar & Grill on 135th Street
Few restaurants in southern Johnson County offer outdoor rooftop patios, setting locally owned Coach’s Bar & Grill apart from the chains that dominate the suburban landscape. Head to the roof to enjoy a breeze and an ice-cold beer or cocktail, along with some comforting bar and grill favorites, such as buffalo wings, burgers, and baskets of appetizers to share.
Strang Chef Collective at Cascade Hotel
Strang Chef Collective is the newest food hall now open in the sleek Cascade Hotel, part of the Marriott Bonvoy collection located just north of the Country Club Plaza. Four chef-driven restaurant concepts occupy an 11,000-square-foot space that spans two floors. Guests will find four restaurants, one bar, and a practically perfect second-floor patio with outdoor seating and interesting views of a colorful mural. Enjoy food from Southeast Asia at Khai-Noy, German cuisine from Gasthaus, Latin American food from Verde, and Italian dishes at Parma.
Chicken N Pickle
The rooftop patio at Chicken N Pickle is the perfect catbird seat to observe all the whizzing action on the pickleball courts below. With two locations in Kansas City and indoor and outdoor pickleball courts, along with a patio full of yard games like bags, washers and a human-sized game of Battleship, the only thing you need to enjoy the scene at Chicken N Pickle is a pretty day and a drink in your hand. Hungry? Try Chicken N Pickle’s spicy fried chicken sandwich and pair it with a local beer or the Knotty Cherry cocktail, a boozy take on a limeade.
Teocali
Located in the Longfellow neighborhood, Teocali is a homegrown Mexican restaurant with a lot of heart. Its location offers three distinct floors to enjoy tacos, sopes, enchiladas, and platters of sizzling fajitas, in addition to a truly impressive selection of tequila. On a sunny day, take off early and enjoy the spacious third-floor rooftop patio with views of the whole neighborhood and a margarita in hand.
The Combine
Kansas City native Alan Kneeland opened The Combine, a pizza shop located inside The Wonder Shops and Flats on Troost, in the fall of 2020. He had to hustle to get the word out, but now it’s enjoying a regular clientele that comes for pizza, deli sandwiches, chopped salads, cocktails, beer, and wine. In addition to his duties as owner of The Combine and the current president of the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association, Kneeland also manages the sizable Skyline Rooftop patio and lounge atop the building. The Skyline Rooftop can be reserved with bar and catering services from The Combine, which would allow you to throw one heck of a private pizza party with amazing sunset views.
Coming Soon: Blanc Champagne Bar
An existing rooftop will soon be back in your regular orbit. Blanc Champagne Bar, owned by local Kansas City marketer Jordin Johnson, will open sometime in August in the former Canary space at 3835 Main Street after a facelift that will bring a lively floral vibe and rosy blush color to the space. The name comes from the French wine term “blanc de blanc,” which means “white on white,” and refers to champagnes made with all white grapes. The chef Chad Tillman is serving as the culinary consultant for the full-service restaurant on the first floor and rooftop garden patio. Expect charcuterie and cheese plates, along with a variety of small plates made for sharing, and a full cocktail bar and champagne menu boasting one of the most extensive bubble lists in the city. There will be a smaller snack menu served on the roof, which will be available to rent for private parties and open public happy hours.