You Say Tomato is a cafe restaurant in Brookside, Kansas City.
Editorially verified May 20, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Why locals love it: Tiny neighborhood cafe near Brookside, open Wed to Sat mornings only. The daily specials change constantly, the room seats 25, the wait list is the experience.
Tip: Closed Mon, Tue, Sun. Arrive at 08:00 to skip the wait Word-of-mouth is the only marketing.
Address: 2801 Holmes St, Kansas City, MO 64109
Oddly Correct Coffee on Troost Avenue in midtown Kansas City is a small-batch roastery with precise espresso and house-made buttermilk biscuits, daily.
Why locals love it: Small-batch roastery on Troost, the city's lesser-traveled corridor. Some of the most precise espresso in Kansas City, paired with house-made buttermilk biscuits.
Tip: Mon-Fri 7:00-17:00, Sat-Sun 8:00-15:00. Bourbon vanilla latte is the move.
Niecie's Restaurant in Kansas City: soul food room. On Troost Avenue, Kansas City's historical Black main street. Soul food from Denise and Perry Ward.
Why locals love it: On Troost Avenue, Kansas City's historical Black main street. Soul food from Denise and Perry Ward since 1985 (current Troost address since 2009), deeply local.
Tip: Sunday gospel brunch is the event; the lunch buffet is the value.
L.C.'s Bar-B-Q on Blue Parkway in East Kansas City is an East Side dive that pitmasters quietly cite as the city's best smoke for the dollar, cash only.
Why locals love it: Tourist routes flow through Arthur Bryant's and Joe's KC; L.C.'s is the East Side dive that Kansas City pitmasters quietly cite as the city's best smoke for the dollar.
Tip: Cash and the time to wait; meat sells out by late afternoon.
The Antler Room on Holmes Street in Kansas City Longfellow runs Persian, Mediterranean and East Asian small plates from Nick Goellner, Beard semifinalist.
Why locals love it: Sits in the residential Longfellow streets between Crossroads and the Plaza, not on any tourist route. Three-time James Beard semifinalist quietly serving Kansas City.
Tip: Reservations open online weeks out; book the chef's counter for the tasting.
Banksia Bakehouse in Kansas City: modern australian room. Kansas City's only Australian-style bakehouse, tucked into a downtown Main Street storefront..
Why locals love it: Kansas City's only Australian-style bakehouse, tucked into a downtown Main Street storefront.
Tip: Order the pork and fennel sausage roll plus a Lamington. Wed to Sat the kitchen runs to 21:00, longer than most KC bakeries.
Vietnam Cafe in Kansas City: a pint-size pho counter on a quiet columbus park block, with the city's most-praised broth and a steady local lunch crowd.
Why locals love it: A pint-size pho counter on a quiet Columbus Park block, with the city's most-praised broth and a steady local lunch crowd. Easy to miss on a tourist itinerary.
Tip: Closed Tuesdays. The pho is the move; the room seats maybe 30.
