BBQ$$18th-and-vine
Arthur Bryant's on Brooklyn Avenue in Kansas City is the canonical BBQ address, with roots back to Henry Perry's 1908 pit and the Bryant family's takeover at the Brooklyn Avenue location in 1958.
Signature: Burnt ends, Beef brisket sandwich, Pork ribs
Order: Burnt ends sandwich on Wonder Bread with the rust-coloured original sauce.
Tip: Open Monday through Friday 10:00 to 20:00, Saturday 11:00 to 20:00, Sunday 11:00 to 19:00. Cash and card; sauce sold by the bottle.
BBQ$$18th-and-vine
Gates Bar-B-Q's Emanuel Cleaver II flagship in Kansas City has run the city's tomato-sweet sauce style since 1946, with the famous greeting at the door.
Signature: Burnt ends, Beef on bun, Mixed plate
Order: Beef on bun with extra sauce and a side of beans, plus burnt ends if you can get them.
Tip: Open Sun to Thu 11:00 to 23:00, Fri and Sat 11:00 to 24:00. Five metro locations; sauce sold retail.
BBQ$$kck
Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que runs out of a working Shamrock gas station at 47th and Mission in Kansas City, Kansas, where the Stehneys opened in 1996 and invented the Z-Man sandwich.
Signature: Z-Man sandwich, Burnt ends, Carolina pulled pork
Order: The Z-Man sandwich, slow-smoked brisket with provolone, onion rings and barbecue sauce on a kaiser roll.
Tip: Open Monday through Saturday, closed Sunday. Walk-in only and the line moves; lunch sells out by 14:00 on weekends.
BBQ$$midtown
Rob Magee's Q39 on 39th Street in Kansas City applies a competition-circuit pitmaster's discipline to weeknight barbecue, with a full bar and table service.
Signature: Burnt ends, Pit Master Brisket sandwich, Mr. Burns sandwich
Order: Pit Master Brisket sandwich on a brioche bun and the burnt-ends plate to share.
Tip: Sun to Thu 11:00 to 21:00, Fri and Sat 11:00 to 23:00. Walk-ins and reservations both accepted; the brisket plate sells out late.
BBQ$$$crossroads
Jack Stack's Freight House in Kansas City's Crossroads serves Russ Fiorella's family barbecue under 25-foot ceilings inside a converted railroad warehouse.
Signature: Burnt ends, Hickory pit beans, Lamb ribs
Order: Burnt ends, lamb ribs and the famous hickory pit beans baked with sausage.
Tip: Reservations on OpenTable; the bar takes walk-ins from 17:00. Five metro locations including the Plaza and Martin City original.
BBQ$$kck
Slap's BBQ on Central Avenue in Kansas City Kansas runs a competition-pitmaster operation since 2014 and sells out daily by mid-afternoon, ribs first.
Signature: Burnt ends, Pork ribs, Brisket
Order: Burnt ends and pork ribs at the counter; grab them before the kitchen sells out.
Tip: Open Tue to Sat 11:00 to 19:00, often closed earlier if meat runs out. Walk-in only.
BBQ$east-kc
L.C.'s Bar-B-Q on Blue Parkway in Kansas City is the East Side dive that pitmasters cite quietly, with heavy smoke and heavier sauce since 1986.
Signature: Burnt ends, Beef sandwich, Ribs
Order: Beef sandwich piled high, sauce on the side, with fries.
Tip: Open Monday through Saturday lunch through dinner. Cash works best, line and decor are part of the experience.
BBQ$$westport
Char Bar in Westport, Kansas City pairs Mitch Benjamin's award-winning smoke programme with the city's largest dog-friendly patio plus games and a fire pit.
Signature: Burnt ends, Hot chicken and waffles, Charred cauliflower
Order: Burnt ends platter and the charred cauliflower, on the patio with a Boulevard draft.
Tip: Brunch on weekends from 10:00 to 14:00. Kitchen runs until 22:00 most nights; the beer garden stays open later.
BBQ$$overland-park
Harp Barbecue in Overland Park runs central-Texas-style brisket at a Kansas City pace. Pitmaster Tyler Harp went brick-and-mortar after a hyped pop-up run.
Signature: Brisket, Burnt ends, Pulled pork
Order: Brisket sliced fat and lean, plus the burnt ends if they have not sold out.
Tip: Tue to Sat 11:00 to 20:30; meat runs out earlier on Saturdays. Walk-in only; arrive before noon to be safe.
New American$$$longfellow
The Antler Room in Kansas City's Longfellow is Nick and Leslie Goellner's husband-and-wife room. Persian, Mediterranean and East Asian flavours sit side by side.
Signature: Persian-influenced grilled meats, Hand-rolled pastas, Mediterranean small plates
Order: Whatever pasta is on, plus a glass from Leslie's growers-only list.
Tip: Chef Nick Goellner has been a James Beard Best Chef Midwest semifinalist three times. Reservations open online and fill weeks out.
French$$$river-market
Le Fou Frog in Kansas City's River Market is Mano and Barbara Rafael's French bistro on the corner of 5th and Oak, with Provencal classics since 1996.
Signature: Steak au poivre, Sole meunière, Crème brûlée
Order: Steak au poivre with frites and a Pinot Noir from the list.
Tip: Open Tue to Sun for dinner; reservations recommended. Bring cash for the tip cup. Mano makes the rounds nightly.
New American$$$crossroads
Novel in Kansas City's East Crossroads is Ryan Brazeal and Jessica Armstrong's tasting-menu room, opened on the Westside in 2013 and relocated to McGee in 2018.
Signature: Tasting menu, House-made charcuterie, Seasonal pastas
Order: The chef's tasting menu, with the wine pairing built around small-importer bottles.
Tip: Reservations via Tock open 30 days out; the bar serves a shorter menu without booking. Pastry is Jessica's domain.
Italian$$$crossroads
Lidia Bastianich's Kansas City room sits in a former railroad house just north of Union Station, opened in 1998 with the famous pasta trio service.
Signature: Pasta tasting trio, Handmade ravioli, Tiramisu
Order: The pasta tasting trio, three handmade pastas served family-style with unlimited refills.
Tip: Reservations on OpenTable open weeks out. Sunday Suppers and a holiday menu calendar are the moves.
Midwestern$$$plaza
Colby and Megan Garrelts opened Rye Plaza in 2017 as the Country Club Plaza outpost of their Midwestern cooking; fried chicken and biscuits headline.
Signature: Fried chicken, Cast-iron skillet biscuits, Butterscotch pie
Order: Fried chicken plate with mashed potatoes and biscuits; finish with the butterscotch pie.
Tip: The Plaza room takes Tock reservations and runs a busy weekend brunch. Sister room in Leawood is the original.
Mediterranean$$$crossroads
James Beard winner Michael Smith's Extra Virgin in the Crossroads opened in 2007 as Kansas City's Mediterranean tapas room, with a wood grill and a deep wine list.
Signature: Mediterranean tapas, Wood-grilled small plates, House-cured charcuterie
Order: A spread of small plates, the wood-grilled meats and a bottle of natural red from the European list.
Tip: Big Night Italian Thursdays run family-style. Mon to Thu until 22:00, Fri until 23:00, Sat 17:00 to 23:00.
Italian$$$columbus-park
Garozzo's in Columbus Park has run the historically Italian North End of Kansas City since 1989. Mike Garozzo invented chicken spiedini in this room.
Signature: Chicken spiedini, Veal parmigiana, Pasta marinara
Order: Chicken spiedini, the city's defining red-sauce Italian dish, with a side of pasta.
Tip: Reservations recommended on weekends. The Overland Park outpost serves the same menu in the suburbs.
New American$$$mission-woods
The Restaurant at 1900 in Mission Woods runs out of a renovated 1967 Modernist building on the Kansas side, with chef-led seasonal menus and a quiet polished room.
Signature: Seasonal tasting menu, Wood-fired plates, House charcuterie
Order: Whatever the chef's tasting menu of the night is; the wine list leans Old World.
Tip: Reservations via Tock; the bar takes walk-ins. Quietest fine-dining seat in the metro on a weeknight.
Steakhouse$$$crossroads
Anton's Taproom in the Kansas City Crossroads is a butcher shop plus steakhouse with grass-fed beef from regional farms and a long natural-wine list.
Signature: Dry-aged ribeye, Bone marrow, House charcuterie
Order: The dry-aged ribeye with bone marrow, plus the charcuterie board to start.
Tip: The butcher case sells cuts to take home. Reservations via OpenTable; the bar takes walk-ins.
Steakhouse$$$$plaza
The Capital Grille on Kansas City's Country Club Plaza dry-ages its beef in-house for 18 to 24 days and hand-cuts to order, with a 3,500-bottle wine cellar.
Signature: Dry-aged porterhouse, Lobster mac and cheese, Crab cakes
Order: Dry-aged porterhouse for two with lobster mac and cheese, and a bottle from the cellar.
Tip: Mon to Fri from 11:00, Sat from 11:30, Sun 16:00 to 21:00. Bar lunch is the easier seat at noon.
Steakhouse$$$west-bottoms
Golden Ox in Kansas City's West Bottoms opened in 1949 inside the Live Stock Exchange as the birthplace of the KC strip steak, reopened in 2018.
Signature: Kansas City strip, Bone-in ribeye, Shrimp cocktail
Order: The Kansas City strip, with the shrimp cocktail starter and old-school sides.
Tip: Reservations via Tock. The stockyards-era room is a destination unto itself.
Fried chicken$$north-kansas-city
Stroud's Oak Ridge Manor is the Kansas City pan-fried chicken anchor, set inside a restored 1840s log-cabin homestead that became the second Stroud's in 1983 after the original 85th and Troost room opened in 1933.
Signature: Pan-fried chicken, Cinnamon rolls, Mashed potatoes and gravy
Order: Pan-fried chicken with mashed potatoes, pan gravy and the legendary cinnamon rolls.
Tip: Mon to Sat dinner only, Sun lunch. Walk-in or call ahead; the line wraps the porch on Friday nights.
Chinese$$plaza
Bo Lings on the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City has run dim sum and pan-regional Chinese cooking since 1981, with weekend cart service citywide.
Signature: Dim sum, Mongolian beef, General Tso's chicken
Order: Dim sum on a Sunday morning from the rolling carts; cheung fun and shumai are anchors.
Tip: Dim sum runs weekends 10:30 to 14:30. The Zona Rosa outpost runs the same menu without the lines.
New American$$midtown
The Russell on Main Street in Kansas City's Midtown is Amanda Lopez's all-day cafe and lunch counter, with house-baked biscuits and a strong veg programme.
Signature: Breakfast biscuits, Quiche, Sandwiches
Order: Egg-and-biscuit sandwich for breakfast, or the daily quiche with salad.
Tip: Open Tue to Sat 7:00 to 14:00, Sun 8:00 to 14:00, closed Mondays. Strong gluten-free and vegan options.