Open for: Lunch, dinner

Price range: $$

While a bit of a drive from the city center, the Italian Sausage Company is a necessary pilgrimage for any lover of spicy sausages or carefully crafted Italian deli sandwiches (cold or hot). Try the No. 7 — a panoply of Italian meats and cheeses teetering dangerously on a plush, seeded loaf — or the No. 22, featuring pastrami, salami, burrata, red-wine-infused olives, and local chile oil made by J. Chang Kitchen. A spring 2024 expansion added dine-in space.

Know before you go: The No. 7 can be ordered as a “half loaf” or “whole loaf.” If you go with the latter, you can split it with a friend or save half for leftovers (it keeps well in the fridge). 

Open for: Lunch and dinner

Price range: $

Is In-A-Tub good? Locals have been passionately debating that question since 1957. But few could argue the intuitive appeal of the fast food restaurant’s riff on the Kansas City taco. The snack-sized tacos (beef, bean, or both) are deep-fried and powder-coated in Garfield-orange cheese dust, crying out for a dunk in the accompanying side of hot sauce. Along with a few tacos, try adding that cheese dust to a Pocket Burger (a moister, better-seasoned version of the Midwestern loose meat sandwich).

Must-try dish: For a substantial meal, order three of the beef, bean, and cheese. They’re small and not overstuffed.

Open for: Dinner

Price range: $$$

Few restaurants in the city have as many loyal fans as the Frog, where chef Mano Rafael has been cooking elegant French classics for special occasions for almost 40 years. The intimate dining room is a design time capsule, with gauzy red curtains, romantic candle lighting, and a chalkboard at each table with a list of specials longer than the menu itself.

Best for: A date. The Frog is one of the most romantic dining rooms in the city.

Open for: Dinner

Price range: $$$

Executive chef Johnny Leach and executive pastry chef Helen Jo Leach may be coastal transplants, but the husband-and-wife team are already local institutions. Tucked inside the Hotel Kansas City, the Town Company feels glamorous but warm, with easygoing cocktails and wood-fired dishes showcasing Midwestern ingredients. Even the dinner rolls are made with local Marion Milling flour produced from heirloom Kansas wheat. Request a seat at the chef’s counter and marvel at the staff’s calm and precise cooking over a wood-burning hearth. Save room for Helen Jo’s innovative and thoughtful desserts.

Know before you go: Every seat at the chef’s counter gets a warm bath from the hearth. In the summer, request the main dining room.

Open for: Dinner

Price range: $$$

Moody walls, lush landscapes, and a copper bar give the Campground’s dining room a rustic but stylish vibe (think: summer camp as envisioned by a Hollywood set dresser). Plenty of patio seating and a casual outdoor bar extend the campsite feeling beyond the dining room. Craft cocktails are the focus here, but the compact dinner menu can sometimes steal the show. Come for the city’s best martini (it comes with potato chips); stay for the fried catfish and vegetable-forward starters.

Best for: Atmospheric and super intimate, the Campground is an ideal spot for a first or 15th date.

Open for: Lunch

Price range: $$

This sunny retail store in Kansas City’s historically Latino Westside neighborhood was famous for its flavorful nixtamalized corn tortillas and supple Sonoran-style flour tortillas long before it won the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Bakery award in 2023. Sample a pork-fat flour tortilla hot off the press while you shop for bracing chiltepin salsas, tangy aguas frescas, and freezer-ready tamales made with Yoli’s signature masa.

Know before you go: Yoli serves a compact lonchería menu Thursdays through Saturdays, with a couple small tables for dine-in.

Open for: Dinner

Price range: $$

“Eclectic” might be the best descriptor for a restaurant that’s part Istanbul, part KC, part Long Island, and embedded in a quirky old home in a historically Latino neighborhood of Kansas City. The menu is a collaboration between Turkish restaurateur Orcan Yigit and KC local Adam Jones. Expect enough meze to make the table groan, basturma pide, and a bubbly, chewy grandma pizza.

Vibe check: Clay & Fire operates inside a century-old house; be prepared for tight corners and a couple flights of stairs.

Open for: Breakfast, lunch

Price range: $

Every morning, workers in the urban core flock to Mildred’s, a family-owned cafe, for specialty coffee and the Standard Sandwich: bacon and swiss with pillowy eggs (steamed in a dedicated espresso machine) and a bright pepper-dijon mayo. If you can’t beat the morning rush, you can still score biscuits and gravy or a vegan breakfast hash all day long. Although Mildred’s has three locations, the Wyandotte Street cafe is cozy and close to attractions in the Crossroads Arts District.

Know before you go: Ask to swap the pepper-dijon mayo for chipotle to give the Standard Sandwich a welcome kick.

Open for: Dinner

Price range: $$$

Build a multicourse feast of small plates showcasing local produce in this sleek and stylish dining room in the east Crossroads Arts District. Don’t miss the house-made pastas (if ramen is on the menu, it’s mandatory) and elegant desserts. The menu changes with the seasons, but the duck agnolotti is a fixture for a reason.

Know before you go: In the morning, you can order top-notch baked goods, snacks, and drinks from the restaurant’s walk-up pastry counter, Penrose.

Open for: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Price range: $

High up on the list of iconic KC experiences is ending a bar crawl at Town Topic for a lacy-edged smashburger and Tots. The classic American diner has fueled the city’s night owls for 75 years, serving up diner breakfasts, chili dogs, and chocolate malts 24 hours a day. Tame a hangover with a Haystack: a classic bacon-and-egg sandwich gilded with a layer of cheesy hashbrowns.

Know before you go: Town Topic has two other locations in the metro; the menus are the same, but only the Broadway location is open 24 hours. 

Open for: Breakfast through dinner

Price range: $

Any trip down the Kansas City, Kansas, Taco Trail should feature a trip to Carniceria y Tortilleria San Antonio, a bustling neighborhood grocery with a first-rate lunch counter. Order tacos al pastor by the pair and dress them up to your heart’s content at the technicolor salsa bar.

Best for: A taco crawl through the metro’s top-notch taquerías.

Open for: Dinner

Price range: $$$

Unfussy but refined, this intimate Hospital Hill restaurant has a fun, well-curated wine list and an ever-changing menu of inventive small plates that combine local ingredients with international influences. Think: fairy tale eggplant agnolotti with corn-koji puree or a smoked maitake mushroom focaccia with pickled ramps and turmeric oil.

Know before you go: The wine list is among the best in the metro, with a notably large selection of orange wines.

Open for: Breakfast and lunch

Price range: $

This cramped diner on the east side has been famous since 1951 for its pork tenderloin sandwich, which has little in common with the thin, plate-sized cutlets popular in the Midwest. The tempura-breaded tenderloin here is modestly sized and piled into a three-ply stack for maximum crunch. Bring cash, and don’t let the line deter you; it moves fast. 

Must-try dish: For those who don’t eat pork, Kitty’s offers catfish and chicken versions of its iconic tenderloin.

Open for: Lunch

Price range: $$

Lovers of big, beautiful salads won’t do better than the Russell, where wood-fired meats and vegetables are arranged into painterly compositions. Order online for an easy carryout lunch, but don’t ignore the pastry case: The oatmeal cream pie is a local favorite.

Must-try dish: The Roasted Root is the salad to order, featuring sweet potatoes, beets, smoked almonds, and a molasses vinaigrette.

Open for: Lunch and dinner

Price range: $

Expect to hear “Hi, may I help you?” shouted like one compound word the second you step through the doors of one of the city’s oldest continuously operating barbecue spots. If you need a second to consider your order, just ask — but you can’t go wrong with the Nooner, a bun piled with both thin-sliced brisket and chopped burnt ends. Gates is a local chain with a few locations, but the one on Brooklyn Avenue turns out consistent barbecue in a dining room dripping with old-school cool.

Know before you go: The cashier will likely shout for your order long before you’ve gotten to the front of the line, so be prepared.

Open for: Dinner

Price range: $$$

Chef Cherven Desauguste and co-owner Mehret Tesfamariam marry Caribbean and Ethiopian flavors at this elegant spot with an extensive rum list. Try the pan-fried conch with cilantro-lime pesto or the doro tibs with berbere-spiced lentils on a generous canvas of injera. The cocktail list is stacked with punches, sangrias, and tropical-inspired sippers. Mesob opened a second location in KC’s Northland last year, but the original Midtown dining room feels more soulful.

Must-try dish: The red lentils are the side to beat here.

Open for: Dinner

Price range: $$

Chef Katie Liu-Sung blends dishes from her native Taiwan with Midwestern ingredients and influences in this energetic Midtown restaurant, where the dining room is colorful and the cocktail list creative (and illustrated). Start with the dressed eggs and pliant gua bao (pork belly buns), before moving onto Taiwanese beef noodle soup with beef shank, pickled mustard greens, and “chile bomb.”

Know before you go: Look out for pop-up Stray Kat dinners with special themes and dishes, including hot pot.

Open for: Lunch, dinner

Price range: $ 

Anthony Bourdain famously named Kansas City’s iconic gas station barbecue spot as one of his “13 places to eat before you die.” Order a slab of ribs or the Z-Man: a pile of lean, thin-sliced brisket topped with smoked provolone, fried onion rings, and the sweet-hot sauce that typifies KC barbecue. 

Best for: To-go orders. Dine-in space is limited and lines run out the door at peak times, so most locals just call in their orders to skip the wait.

Open for: Lunch, dinner

Price range: $ 

The king-sized whole Buffalo wings are the main draw here, but Kansas City’s oldest continuously operating bar and grill also scores points with cheap beer, iconic dive bar ambience, and a comforting cheddar BLT.

Know before you go: Good wings take time. Order them upfront while you decide on the rest of your meal.

Open for: Afternoons and evenings

Price range: $

Local ingredients, creative flavors, and the silkiest ice cream in the city keep dessert lovers lining up outside High Hopes’ walk-up window year-round. Flavor highlights include toasted rice, mango chamoy, and Joy of Almonds, a vegan ice cream with an intense coconut cream base.

Best for: A walk around the neighborhood with dessert. There’s no outdoor seating at the shop.

Open for: Afternoons until late, Wednesday to Saturday; open and closed earlier on Sundays

Price range: $$

Sip an ube daiquiri or spoon through feather-light “street corn kakigori” in this buoyant bar with caramel-colored booths, sunny floral accents, and loads of natural light. The cocktails are some of the most playful in the metro, right down to the bar’s creative glassware and intentionally overwrought garnishes. But the bar pays just as much attention to its wines by the glass and no-ABV drinks (try the Negroni, which a blind taster wouldn’t guess was alcohol-free). Wild Child doesn’t have a back bar, so the options are strictly limited to the menu.

Know before you go: For a wider selection, visit next door sister bar Drastic Measures, which was nominated for the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Bar award in 2023.

Open for: Lunch, dinner

Price range: $$$

Although Earl’s opened in 2022, it’s already become a neighborhood fixture in East Brookside. Part of that has to do with the restaurant’s casual vibes and lived-in design, which lands somewhere between Maine oyster bar and Revolutionary War museum. Post up at the charming zinc bar to try a gargantuan shrimp cocktail, sip a frozen gin and tonic, and chat with the shuckers while they pile up the freshest oysters in town.

Vibe check: Earl’s is tiny and perpetually booked. Reserve well in advance or arrive early to nab a seat at the bar.

Open for: Lunch, dinner

Price range: $$

Harp Barbecue is a relative newcomer to the local barbecue scene, but that hasn’t kept founder Tyler Harp from topping local best-of lists and earning national praise for his thick-sliced, fatty brisket and creative homemade sausages. A move to a new location at the end of 2024 added plenty of seating for dine-in customers. 

Know before you go: Fans of Texas-style brisket won’t find any better than the brisket at Harp, since Kansas City tends toward lean, thin-sliced brisket.

Open for: Lunch and dinner

Price range: $$

Kansas City barbecue meets Thai flavors and techniques in this casual Overland Park dining room. Pitmaster Teddy Liberda spent much of his early career in his family’s Thai restaurants, including Thai Diner in Lawrence, Kansas. (His wife, Pam Liberda, helms the kitchen at Waldo Thai.) At Buck Tui, the butterscotch wings with fish sauce are a local favorite, but leave room for burnt ends draped in a velvety red curry or the vegetal Isaan Thai sausage perfumed with lemongrass and makrut lime.

Must-try dish: Try the X Man for a Thai barbecue version of one of KC’s most iconic sandwiches: the Z-Man at Joe’s Kansas City.

Open for: Lunch Friday and Saturday, dinner Monday to Saturday

Price range: $$$

Waldo Thai is unique in the metro for its focus on Northern Thai, or Lanna cuisine, and date-night atmosphere. The restaurant’s expansive menu of small plates, which changes every other week, is an ideal way to sample as many of chef Pam Liberda’s dishes as possible. If you’re ordering off of the regular menu, start with the nam prik ong, a richly spiced chile dip with fried pork rinds, or the gaeng hung lei, braised pork belly curry with ginger and tamarind.

Best for: Dining in. The rotating small plates aren’t always offered for carryout.