Day-by-day eating plans for Kansas City: weekend classics, family routes, vegan plans, on-a-budget editions.
Day-by-day plans
Kansas City BBQ crawl: the holy trinity in one day
- ★ 4.7
- 1 day
- First-time visitor focused on barbecue
A focused one-day route through the three canonical Kansas City BBQ counters: Arthur Bryant's for the original, Gates for the sauce, Joe's Kansas City for the Z-Man sandwich. Plus a stop at Char Bar for the patio.
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Day 1Saturday: four BBQ stops and a cocktail closer
- Morning
- Start at Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que in the working Shamrock gas station, 3002 West 47th Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas at 11:00 sharp. Order a Z-Man sandwich and a side of burnt ends.
- Afternoon
- Drive to Arthur Bryant's at 1727 Brooklyn Avenue. Burnt ends sandwich on Wonder Bread with the rust-coloured sauce. Skip the sides; conserve room.
- Evening
- Hit Gates Bar-B-Q at 1325 Emanuel Cleaver II Blvd. Beef on bun and a half slab of ribs to share. Finish at Char Bar's beer garden in Westport with a Boulevard draft.
StopsJoe's Kansas City Bar-B-QueArthur Bryant's BarbequeGates Bar-B-QChar Bar Smoked Meats and Amusements
Kansas City weekend: the classics, done right
- ★ 4.6
- 2 days
- First-time visitor, two days
A weekend built around Kansas City's defining places: BBQ canon Saturday, Crossroads coffee and Italian Sunday. Steak at Golden Ox, brunch at Westport Cafe, dinner at Lidia's.
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Day 1Saturday: market mornings, BBQ lunch, steakhouse dinner
- Morning
- City Market on Saturday at 09:00. Pick up a Romano sandwich from Carollo's Italian Deli or coffee at Thou Mayest River Quay.
- Afternoon
- Lunch at Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que. Z-Man sandwich, side of burnt ends, eat in the parking lot if the line is too long.
- Evening
- Dinner at Golden Ox in the West Bottoms. The Kansas City strip steak, shrimp cocktail, and a stop at Voltaire next door for a glass from the eclectic cellar.
StopsCity MarketCarollo's Italian Grocery and DeliThou Mayest River QuayJoe's Kansas City Bar-B-QueGolden OxVoltaire
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Day 2Sunday: brunch, coffee crawl, Italian dinner
- Morning
- Brunch at Westport Cafe on Westport Road at 11:00. Brioche French toast with the complimentary cocktail.
- Afternoon
- Walk the Crossroads coffee corridor: start at Messenger Coffee's three-story flagship on Grand, move to PT's Coffee on Southwest Boulevard, finish at Cafe Ca Phe on East 5th for a Vietnamese iced coffee.
- Evening
- Dinner at Lidia's Kansas City in the Crossroads. Sunday dinner runs 16:00-20:00 in the converted railroad-house dining room; the pasta tasting trio and grower-Italian wine list are the move.
StopsWestport CafeMessenger CoffeePT's Coffee at the CrossroadsCafe Ca PheLidia's Kansas City
Kansas City coffee and bakery day
- ★ 4.5
- 1 day
- Coffee and pastry-focused traveller
A walking and short-drive route through the city's third-wave coffee scene and best bakeries. Crossroads coffee, Westside bread, Brookside biscuits.
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Day 1Saturday: roasteries, bakeries, slow morning
- Morning
- Start at Messenger Coffee's flagship at 07:30 for a filter coffee and an Ibis Bakery sourdough. Move to PT's Coffee on Southwest Boulevard for a second espresso.
- Afternoon
- Drive to Banksia Bakehouse on Main Street downtown for a pork and fennel sausage roll and a Lamington. Stop at Cafe Ca Phe for a Vietnamese iced coffee on the way back.
- Evening
- Finish in Brookside at Heirloom Bakery and Hearth for a biscuit sandwich and Pop-Tart. Pick up a cake doughnut at McLain's Bakery on Gregory Boulevard to take home.
StopsMessenger CoffeeIbis BakeryPT's Coffee at the CrossroadsBanksia BakehouseCafe Ca PheHeirloom Bakery and HearthMcLain's Bakery
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