11 splurge places in Kansas City, editor-picked. tasting menus and the full big-night-out treatment in Kansas City. All Kansas City food.
The Antler Room ★ 4.8
longfellow · 2506 Holmes St, Kansas City, MO 64108
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.
Novel ★ 4.6
crossroads · 1927 McGee Street, Kansas City, MO 64108
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.
The Restaurant at 1900 ★ 4.5
mission-woods · 1900 Shawnee Mission Pkwy, Mission Woods, KS 66205
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.
Rye Plaza ★ 4.5
plaza · 4646 Mill Creek Pkwy, Kansas City, MO 64112
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.
Le Fou Frog ★ 4.5
river-market · 400 E 5th St, Kansas City, MO 64106
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.
The Capital Grille ★ 4.4
plaza · 4760 Broadway Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64112
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.
Tip: Mon to Fri from 11:00, Sat from 11:30, Sun 16:00-21:00. Bar lunch is the easier seat at noon.
The Capital Grille ★ 4.4
plaza · 4760 Broadway Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64112
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.
Anton's Taproom ★ 4.4
crossroads · 1610 Main St, Kansas City, MO 64108
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.
Lidia's Kansas City ★ 4.4
crossroads · 101 W 22nd Street, Kansas City, MO 64108
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.
Extra Virgin ★ 4.3
crossroads · 1900 Main St, Kansas City, MO 64108
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.
Golden Ox ★ 4.2
west-bottoms · 1600 Genessee Street, Kansas City, MO 64102
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.