29 upscale places in Kansas City, editor-picked. occasion restaurants in Kansas City: destination kitchens for celebrations and visits. All Kansas City food.
Voltaire ★ 4.8
west-bottoms · 1617 Genessee St, Kansas City, MO 64102
Voltaire in the Kansas City West Bottoms is the Moxie Industries wine bar and globally-inspired bistro, next to the sister Golden Ox in the Live Stock.
Tip: Weekend brunch Sat 10:00-14:00 and Sun 10:00-15:00; the bar takes walk-ins. Sister to Golden Ox on the same block.
The Antler Room ★ 4.7
longfellow · 2506 Holmes St, Kansas City, MO 64108
The Antler Room in Kansas City's Longfellow is Nick and Leslie Goellner's husband-and-wife room. Kitchen leans new american. At 2506 Holmes St.
Tip: Chef Nick Goellner has been a James Beard Best Chef Midwest semifinalist three times. Reservations open online and fill weeks out.
Underdog Wine Co. ★ 4.7
crestwood · 327 E 55th St, Kansas City, MO 64113
Underdog Wine Co. on 55th Street in Kansas City's Crestwood Shops sells natural and small-importer bottles by the glass and the bottle, with a tasting bar.
Tip: Wine retail by day, glass programme by night. The Union Hill sister shop closed; Crestwood is the active spot.
Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue Freight House ★ 4.6
crossroads · 101 W 22nd St, Kansas City, MO 64108
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.
Tip: Reservations on OpenTable; the bar takes walk-ins from 17:00. Five metro locations including the Plaza and Martin City original.
Novel ★ 4.6
crossroads · 1927 McGee Street, Kansas City, MO 64108
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.
Tip: Reservations via Tock open 30 days out; the bar serves a shorter menu without booking. Pastry is Jessica's domain.
Swordfish Tom's ★ 4.6
crossroads · 210 W 19th Ter, Kansas City, MO 64108
Swordfish Tom's in Kansas City's Crossroads is an intimate, speakeasy-inspired cocktail bar with no beer, no wine, no food, just premium spirits and crafted.
Tip: Reservations recommended; the door is unmarked. The Wise Sage is the bar's signature pour.
Le Fou Frog ★ 4.5
river-market · 400 E 5th St, Kansas City, MO 64106
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.
Tip: Open Tue to Sun for dinner; reservations recommended. Bring cash for the tip cup. Mano makes the rounds nightly.
Rye Plaza ★ 4.5
plaza · 4646 Mill Creek Pkwy, Kansas City, MO 64112
Colby and Megan Garrelts opened Rye Plaza in 2017 as the Country Club Plaza outpost of their Midwestern cooking; fried chicken and biscuits headline.
Tip: The Plaza room takes Tock reservations and runs a busy weekend brunch. Sister room in Leawood is the original.
KC Bier Co. Bierhalle and Biergarten ★ 4.5
waldo · 310 W 79th St, Kansas City, MO 64114
KC Bier Co. on 79th and Wornall in Kansas City's Waldo has run authentic German lagers since 2014. Order the german lagers, helles, dunkel. At 310 W 79th St.
Tip: The Biergarten runs in warm weather only. New Lenexa location opens late 2026.
Novel Wine Bar ★ 4.5
crossroads · 1927 McGee Street, Kansas City, MO 64108
Novel's bar in the Kansas City East Crossroads runs a parallel wine programme to Brazeal and Armstrong's tasting room, with grower-focused bottles.
Tip: Walk-in seat at the bar without a Tock reservation; the wine list is the draw.
Lidia's Kansas City ★ 4.4
crossroads · 101 W 22nd Street, Kansas City, MO 64108
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.
Tip: Reservations on OpenTable open weeks out. Sunday Suppers and a holiday menu calendar are the moves.
The Restaurant at 1900 ★ 4.4
mission-woods · 1900 Shawnee Mission Pkwy, Mission Woods, KS 66205
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.
Tip: Reservations via Tock; the bar takes walk-ins. Quietest fine-dining seat in the metro on a weeknight.
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 beef from regional farms and a long natural-wine list.
Tip: The butcher case sells cuts to take home. Reservations via OpenTable; the bar takes walk-ins.
Tom's Town Distilling Co. ★ 4.4
crossroads · 1701 Main St, Kansas City, MO 64108
Tom's Town Distilling on Main in Kansas City's Crossroads is downtown's first legal distillery since Prohibition, founded 2015. At 1701 Main St.
Tip: Mon 16:00-20:00, Tue to Thu 16:00-22:00, Fri 16:00-24:00, Sat 12:00-24:00. Tours by appointment.
P.S. Kansas City ★ 4.4
power-and-light · 106 W 12th St, Kansas City, MO 64105
P.S. Kansas City on 12th Street downtown is a modern speakeasy hidden in the heart of the historic district, with a compiled cocktail menu. At 106 W 12th St.
Tip: Look for the unmarked door; the bar holds about 30 seats and runs Wed to Sat.
Boulevard Brewing Tours and Rec ★ 4.4
westside · 2501 Southwest Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64108
Boulevard's Tours and Rec Center on Southwest Boulevard in Kansas City is the visitor centre of the city's biggest brewery, with 60-minute free tours.
Tip: Tours run daily; the Tasting Room runs longer hours than the production tour.
Brewery Emperial Taproom ★ 4.4
crossroads · 1829 Oak St, Kansas City, MO 64108
Brewery Emperial in Kansas City's East Crossroads runs the city's largest brewery patio: 20-plus picnic tables, cornhole, kids' sandbox, plus a wood-fired.
Tip: Patio runs warm-weather seven days a week. Sun to Thu open 11:00-22:00.
Le Fou Frog Wine Bar ★ 4.4
river-market · 400 E 5th St, Kansas City, MO 64106
Le Fou Frog's wine programme in Kansas City is the city's deepest French selection, with Mano Rafael's three-decade cellar focused on Provence.
Tip: Sit at the bar for the wine pours; tip Mano in cash if he comes round.
Extra Virgin ★ 4.3
crossroads · 1900 Main St, Kansas City, MO 64108
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.
Tip: Big Night Italian Thursdays run family-style. Mon to Thu until 22:00, Fri until 23:00, Sat 17:00-23:00.
Garozzo's Ristorante ★ 4.3
columbus-park · 526 Harrison Street, Kansas City, MO 64106
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.
Tip: Reservations recommended on weekends. The Overland Park outpost serves the same menu in the suburbs.
Westport Cafe and Bar ★ 4.3
westport · 419 Westport Rd, Kansas City, MO 64111
Westport Cafe and Bar on Westport Road runs a craft cocktail programme out of a French-owned bistro, with the Copper Rabbit gin signature and scratch bistro.
Tip: Tuesday through Saturday after 9pm the bar side eases off the dinner rush; sit at the bar for the cocktail list.
Char Bar Beer Garden ★ 4.3
westport · 4050 Pennsylvania Ave, Kansas City, MO 64111
Char Bar's beer garden in Kansas City's Westport is the largest dog-friendly patio in town, with cornhole, ping-pong, bocce, a fire pit and Boulevard.
Tip: Weekend brunch 10:00-14:00; the garden opens earlier than the kitchen on warm days.
Extra Virgin Bar ★ 4.3
crossroads · 1900 Main St, Kansas City, MO 64108
Extra Virgin's bar in the Kansas City Crossroads is a wine destination unto itself, with a European list that runs deeper than the menu and bottle nights.
Tip: Big Night Italian Thursdays are family-style with bottle service. The bar takes walk-ins.
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 steak, reopened in 2018.
Tip: Reservations via Tock. The stockyards-era room is a destination unto itself.
Strange Days Brewing Taproom ★ 4.2
river-market · 316 Oak St, Kansas City, MO 64106
Strange Days Brewing on Oak Street in Kansas City's River Market has served globally-inspired beer since 2018, just north of the City Market with a casual.
Tip: Mon 16:00-21:00, closed Tue, Wed to Sun varied. Food trucks rotate; check the calendar.
Anton's Taproom Wine Bar ★ 4.1
crossroads · 1610 Main St, Kansas City, MO 64108
Anton's Taproom on Main in Kansas City's Crossroads runs a natural-wine programme alongside the butcher steakhouse, with growers-only Champagne and Old World.
Tip: Sit at the bar to taste through the by-the-glass list before committing to a steak.
Harry's Country Club ★ 4.0
river-market · 112 Missouri Ave, Kansas City, MO 64106
Harry's Country Club on Missouri Avenue in Kansas City's River Market is the neighborhood bar with a long bourbon selection and Boulevard beer on draft.
Tip: Live music nights are the draw; the back patio fills first Standing room when busy.
Lidia's Wine Bar ★ 4.0
crossroads · 101 W 22nd Street, Kansas City, MO 64108
Lidia's Kansas City bar in the Crossroads pours the Bastianich-family Friulian wines plus a wider Italian list. The bar takes walk-ins for salumi and a glass.
Tip: Order a Friulian white with the pasta-tasting trio; the staff pours Bastianich Vespa Bianco by the glass.
Kelly's Westport Inn ★ 3.8
westport · 500 Westport Rd, Kansas City, MO 64111
Kelly's Westport Inn occupies one of Kansas City's oldest buildings, dated 1850 and run as an outfitting store by Albert Gallatin Boone (grandson of Daniel.
Tip: Cash works fastest; the back patio is the survival seat on busy Saturdays.