Dance clubs, live music, rooftop bars, speakeasies, LGBTQ+ venues, listening bars and late-night dives in Kansas City.
Dance clubs, live music, rooftop bars, speakeasies, LGBTQ+ nightlife, listening bars and late-night dives across Kansas City, with where to go and what is worth the late night.
Mosaic Ultra Lounge in Kansas City's Power and Light District is the city's primary dance club, recently expanded with a $2.5 million upgrade including LED wall, new sound system and DJ booth.
Tip: Open Thu through Sat 21:00 to 03:00. 21+ after dark; dress code in effect.
Howl at the Moon in Kansas City's Power and Light District is a high-energy dueling-piano bar and dance venue, with live music, party atmosphere and rotating performers nightly.
Tip: Most popular for bachelor and bachelorette parties; reservation booths recommended.
No Other Pub in Kansas City's Power and Light District is the sports-bar dance hybrid with multiple floors, a rooftop, food service and DJ nights running until 02:00.
Tip: Game days are busiest; the rooftop is the move on warm evenings.
Besos y Abrazos in Kansas City's Power and Light District opened spring 2025 from the Cordish Companies, offering Latin-inspired cuisine with DJ nights and Latin music.
Tip: Latin nights run Thu-Sat with reggaeton and salsa; the cocktail list is the move.
The Phoenix on 8th Street in downtown Kansas City is one of the city's oldest jazz and blues clubs, with live music nightly Tue through Sun and full food service from lunch.
Tip: Live music every night except Mon; brunch Saturday 10:00 to 14:00 with bloody mary bar.
Green Lady Lounge on Grand Boulevard in Kansas City's Crossroads District is an exclusively jazz lounge with live Kansas City jazz seven nights a week. No televisions, 2 stages, 2 levels.
Tip: Downstairs Orion Room runs trios led by Danny Embry; upstairs the Hammond organs anchor the late sets.
The Blue Room at the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City's 18th and Vine Jazz District runs live jazz four nights a week, anchoring the historic neighbourhood.
Tip: Open Mon, Thu, Fri, Sat with sets running through the evening. Walk to the Negro Leagues Museum across the courtyard.
Knuckleheads Saloon on Rochester Avenue in Kansas City's East Bottoms is the city's main mid-size live-music venue, with country, blues and rock acts on rotating stages.
Tip: Multiple stages run nights with different acts; the outdoor stage is the largest. Tickets through the website.
Kelly's Westport Inn on Westport Road in Kansas City runs live music on weekends, anchoring one of Kansas City's oldest buildings (1850, later run by Albert Gallatin Boone as a trail outfitter from 1854) and the Westport bar strip.
Tip: Live music Fri-Sat evenings, no cover; cash works fastest.
Record Bar in Kansas City's Crossroads is the indie-music venue holding 300 standing, with rotating touring acts running Wed through Sat and local openers on the lineup.
Tip: Tickets through the Record Bar website; the back patio runs warm-weather only.
Messenger Coffee's rooftop terrace on Grand Boulevard in Kansas City's Crossroads is the city's daytime rooftop hangout, with skyline views and an Ibis Bakery snack programme.
Tip: Daytime rooftop only; the cafe closes at 17:00. Sunset is the best time on warm days.
Tower Tavern on 31st Street in Kansas City's Martini Corner has run a gastropub bar with 20-plus screens, a covered patio and a long beer selection since 2007.
Tip: Patio runs warm-weather; trivia and game nights anchor the calendar.
Boulevard Brewing's Beer Hall on Madison in Kansas City has a second-floor patio with skyline views of downtown, plus rotating Boulevard pours and a curated food menu.
Tip: The Beer Hall opens earlier than the Tours and Rec; rooftop is the move on warm evenings.
Char Bar's roof patio in Kansas City's Westport is the city's largest dog-friendly outdoor space, with cornhole, ping-pong, bocce, a fire pit and Boulevard drafts.
Tip: The fire pit is the survival seat on cold nights; the patio runs later than the kitchen.
P.S. Speakeasy in Kansas City's Hotel Phillips basement is a 1930s-inspired speakeasy in a former mail sorting room, with an unmarked door entry and crafted cocktails since 2017.
Tip: Reservations recommended; the door is unmarked off the alley off 12th Street.
Swordfish Tom's in Kansas City's Crossroads is an intimate speakeasy-inspired cocktail bar, with no beer, no wine, no food, premium spirits and crafted cocktails for 30 seats.
Tip: Reservations recommended. The door is unmarked; the Wise Sage is the bar's signature.
Tom's Town Distilling Company in Kansas City's Crossroads is the city's first legal distillery since Prohibition (2015), with a tasting room that reimagines 1920s speakeasy cocktails.
Tip: Mon 16:00 to 20:00, Tue to Thu 16:00 to 22:00, Fri 16:00 to 24:00, Sat 12:00 to 24:00. Tours by appointment.
Missie B's on Broadway in Kansas City's Midtown has been the city's longest-running gay bar since 1994, with three bar areas, a patio, drag shows and dance nights.
Tip: Drag shows nightly; the patio is the warm-weather move.
Hamburger Mary's on Broadway in Kansas City's Midtown pairs burgers, bingo and drag entertainment for nightly events. The downstairs Mary's Bar opens earlier than the dining room.
Tip: Drag bingo Wed nights; Saturday drag brunch is the move. Reservations recommended.
Buddy's Hideout on 39th Street in Kansas City's Midtown is a small, casual gay bar with a strong neighbourhood crowd, karaoke nights and a low-key vibe.
Tip: Karaoke Wednesdays; the bar fills up after the larger Missie B's lets out.
SideKicks Saloon on Main Street in Kansas City's Midtown is the country-and-western LGBTQ bar, with line-dancing nights, karaoke and a long-running drag programme.
Tip: Line-dance lessons Tuesday nights; drag shows weekends.
Green Lady Lounge's downstairs Orion Room in the Kansas City Crossroads runs trios led by Danny Embry, Ken Lovern, Jeff Shirley and Tyrone Clark. No televisions, conversation-friendly.
Tip: The downstairs Orion is the quieter, more intimate room; bookings preferred Fri-Sat.
The Phoenix on 8th Street in downtown Kansas City is the city's oldest jazz and blues listening room, with food service and live music nightly Tue through Sun since 1990.
Tip: Saturday brunch 10:00 to 14:00 with the bloody mary bar. Sunday closes at 14:00.
Kelly's Westport Inn on Westport Road in Kansas City is one of the city's longest-running dive bars, set in an 1850 building (later run by Albert Gallatin Boone as a trail outfitter) and the Westport bar strip's late-night anchor.
Tip: Cash works fastest; the back patio is the survival seat on busy Saturdays.
Buzzard Beach on Pennsylvania in Kansas City's Westport is the dive bar with a sand-floored patio, pool tables and cheap drinks until 03:00 nightly.
Tip: Cash works fastest; the patio sand stays around even in winter.
The Brick on McGee Street in Kansas City's East Crossroads is a long-running dive with live music nightly, a pool table and cheap drinks until 03:00.
Tip: Live music starts late; the back patio runs warm-weather only. Cash works fastest.