Tasting menus, Michelin stars, and the kitchens redefining what fine dining means in Kansas City.

Top tables

The Antler Room ★ 4.8

MediterraneanChef Nick Goellner$$$$$95longfellowBook 3 to 4 weeks ahead

Nick and Leslie Goellner's Longfellow room in Kansas City is the chef's-counter pick of the city: Persian, Mediterranean and East Asian small plates.

Tip: Nick Goellner is a three-time James Beard Best Chef Midwest semifinalist. Book the chef's counter for a tasting; the dining room runs a la carte.

2506 Holmes St, Kansas City, MO 64108 Book →

Novel ★ 4.6

Tasting menuChef Ryan Brazeal$$$$$85crossroadsBook 2 to 3 weeks ahead

Ryan Brazeal and Jessica Armstrong's East Crossroads tasting menu in Kansas City pairs chef-driven small plates with Jessica Armstrong's pastry.

Tip: Tock reservations open 30 days out at noon. The bar takes walk-ins for a short menu and the same wine list.

1927 McGee Street, Kansas City, MO 64108 Book →

The Restaurant at 1900 ★ 4.5

New AmericanChef Linda Duerr$$$$$90mission-woodsMon 11:00-15:00, Tue-Thu 11:00-21:00, Fri 11:00-23:00, Sat 17:00-23:00Book 1 to 2 weeks ahead

The Restaurant at 1900 in Mission Woods, on the Kansas side of Kansas City, runs a tasting-menu programme inside a renovated 1967 Modernist building.

Tip: Sister to the casual Cafe Sebastienne. Quieter midweek; the bar takes walk-ins.

1900 Shawnee Mission Pkwy, Mission Woods, KS 66205 Book →

The Capital Grille ★ 4.4

SteakhouseChef House chef team$$$$$120plazaBook 1 week ahead

The Capital Grille on Kansas City's Country Club Plaza dry-ages its beef in-house for 18 to 24 days and hand-cuts to order, paired with a 3,500-bottle wine.

Tip: The Generous Pour Sunday wine programme is the value. Lunch service runs business-friendly weekdays.

4760 Broadway Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64112

Rye Plaza ★ 4.5

Fried chickenChef Colby and Megan Garrelts$$$$$70 to $90plazaBook 2 weeks ahead

Colby and Megan Garrelts' Rye Plaza on the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City refined the Midwestern restaurant template. Fried chicken, biscuits.

Tip: Megan Garrelts is a multi-year James Beard Outstanding Pastry Chef semifinalist for her Rye work. Brunch on weekends; Tock for evening reservations.

4646 Mill Creek Pkwy, Kansas City, MO 64112 Book →

Le Fou Frog ★ 4.5

French fine diningChef Mano Rafael$$$$$80 to $110river-marketBook 2 weeks ahead

Mano and Barbara Rafael's French bistro in Kansas City's River Market has run Provencal classics on the corner of 5th and Oak since 1996. Book 2 weeks ahead.

Tip: Tue to Sun dinner only. Mano works the room nightly; tip the line cooks in cash.

400 E 5th St, Kansas City, MO 64106 Book →

Anton's Taproom ★ 4.4

SteakhouseChef Anton Kotar$$$$$60 to $120crossroadsThu 11:00-00:00, Sat 11:00-01:30Book 1 week ahead

Anton's Taproom in the Kansas City Crossroads is a butcher shop plus steakhouse with grass-fed regional beef, in-house aging and a natural-wine programme.

Tip: Buy a cut from the case to cook at home and have the kitchen plate it for dinner first.

1610 Main St, Kansas City, MO 64108

Lidia's Kansas City ★ 4.4

Tasting menuChef Lidia Bastianich$$$$$55 pasta tastingcrossroadsBook 2 weeks ahead

Lidia Bastianich's Kansas City room opened in 1998 with son Joe, set in a converted railroad house. Located in Crossroads. Tasting menu $55 pasta tasting.

Tip: The pasta tasting trio is the move: three handmade pastas family-style with unlimited refills.

101 W 22nd Street, Kansas City, MO 64108 Book →

Golden Ox ★ 4.2

Wine barChef Wes Gartner$$$$$70 to $100west-bottomsBook 1 to 2 weeks ahead

Golden Ox in Kansas City's West Bottoms opened in 1949 inside the Live Stock Exchange as the birthplace of the KC strip. Led by chef Wes Gartner.

Tip: The stockyards-era dining room is the destination; reservations on Tock. Voltaire is the sister wine bar.

1600 Genessee Street, Kansas City, MO 64102 Book →

Extra Virgin ★ 4.3

MediterraneanChef Michael Smith$$$$$60crossroadsBook 1 week ahead

Michael Smith won a James Beard Award before Extra Virgin and runs a Mediterranean tapas concept in the Kansas City Crossroads with wood-fired plates.

Tip: Big Night Italian Thursdays are family-style. The wine list goes deeper than the menu suggests.

1900 Main St, Kansas City, MO 64108

Fine Dining in Kansas City, FAQ

Where should I eat fine dining in Kansas City?

Editor picks in Kansas City include The Antler Room, Novel, The Restaurant at 1900, plus the full fine dining chapter on TableJourney.

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