We came to Kansas City from Illinois. It took a little convincing but I was convinced that if we learned our way around a little bit we would love it. Four years later we are true Kansas City fans and love being in the area. Doing so, we also amassed a list of the restaurants and bars that wooed us in have been itching to share.
It’s Breakfast Time
It is breakfast time so many of our management staff will occasionally meet at Happy Gillis. It is located in the Columbus Park neighborhood on Kansas City at 549 Gillis Street. The restaurant is only open until 3:00 pm so don’t try going there for dinner. Also don’t expect to go there and be faced with high society or a lavish menu. It is just a great place for getting fresh food and many seasonal dishes. Unless you are one of the locals you probably won’t find this place as it flies under most of the radars. Like many others that we know, they have a smoked salmon sandwich that is to die for! This masterpiece is started with a generous sized chunk of sour dough bread and then in addition to the salmon has cilantro, some red onions that are pickled, an egg that is kind of prepared over medium with the yolk still running out, cilantro and then salted and peppered to taste. Give it a try like many locals do!
When It Is Java Time
So once in a while we need a pick-me-up. And there is nothing like a fresh cup of coffee from a local establishment. Now don’t get us wrong, we still will do our Starbucks thing, but as a local business we do like dealing with other local businesses. Second Best Coffee is our local choice for a great cup of Joe. It is located in the Waldo neighborhood at 328 W 85th Street – more towards the southern part of town. Once again this is not for the high society as the place is built around a cycling theme. It is in a small kind of ugly strip mall, but still our staff loves to spend some time there. The espresso is wonderful and will certainly give you the extra boost needed to get you through the day. It seems like they always have something a bit different to offer as they experiment with roasting their own beans and even bring in roasting experts from out of state to present their products to local customers. All in all it is a very cool place that our staff really likes and that we support.
After Work Meal Time – KC is the Barbecue Capital Of The Country
Most of the time though, neither our staff or us have enough time to do the breakfast thing or even the expresso thing during the middle of the day, but all of us have the time to grab a bite to eat after normal work hours. Boy Oh Boy, there are SO MANY options available for all sorts of deliciousness. Of course Kansas City is Famous for Barbeque! There are so many choices here in town and also so many different opinions on which is the best that we will just give a list of places that we like and please try them all! They are each a bit different and whatever suits your fancy is the best way to go. Here is a partial list for you.
- LC’s Bar-B-Q 5800 Blue Pkwy, Kansas City, MO 64129 It is no frills but yummy none the less
- Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que (formerly known as Oklahoma Joes) It is in Kansas City Kansas but still arguably the best in the metroplex
- Q-39 Midtown – Another of our favorites located at 1000 W 39th St, Kansas City, MO 64111
There are too many BBQ places that are outstanding in KC to list here. But at least give these a try. Expect a long wait time at Joes as people will wait for more than an hour to eat there.
Time For Brewskies!
We have to admit that after a long week, we do enjoy an alcoholic beverage! There are even a few breweries in town that we have taken the chance to visit including:
- Boulevard Brewing Company at 2501 Southwest Blvd and the
- Stockyards Brewing Co located at 1600 Genessee St #100
Once again, there are too many others to go into, but everyone: please support your local family owned businesses in Kansas City!