Kansas City Bar Guide
30+ bars across KC's drinking neighbourhoods, curated by editors who know the city.
KC's bar scene matches its barbecue. Manifesto has held a James Beard semi-finalist nomination most years since 2013. The Crossroads gallery district built the cocktail wave; the West Bottoms warehouse-speakeasy district followed. The drinks lean Kentucky-rye, smoke, and tomato. The bourbon list at most polished bars runs over 50 deep.
Five neighbourhoods cluster the action. Crossroads is the cocktail-and-gallery spine. West Bottoms holds the speakeasy-and-warehouse district. River Market is the loft-and-restaurant quarter. Westport is the heritage bar-crawl strip. Power & Light covers the after-game and convention crowd.
Cocktails run $11 to $14. Pints $5 to $7. Tipping is 20 percent. Most bars run to 3am. Reserve Manifesto and Drastic Measures on weekends.
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Cocktail Bars in Kansas City
World-class cocktail rooms
Rooftop Bars in Kansas City
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Date Night in Kansas City
Romantic spots
After Work in Kansas City
Apéro-hour bars
Live Music in Kansas City
Bands and DJs
Craft Beer in Kansas City
Microbreweries and taprooms
Hidden Gems in Kansas City
Unmarked doors
Sports Bars in Kansas City
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Top Picks This Week
Manifesto
KC's most awarded cocktail bar. James Beard semi-finalist multiple years. Speakeasy basement reached through a wallpaper hanging. Reservations only. Twenty-eight seats.
Tom's Town Distilling
Distillery-and-cocktail-bar with a Pendergast-era political theme. House-distilled gin, vodka, and bourbon. Long marble bar, art-deco interior.
Drastic Measures
Boutique cocktail bar 25 minutes south of downtown. Worth the trip. Tight rotating menu, twenty seats. Reservations recommended.
The Monarch Bar
Cocktail bar inside the Country Club Plaza. Long marble counter, classics-leaning menu, and a polished dressed-up crowd.
Julep
Cocktail bar with one of KC's longest bourbon lists. Long bar, leather banquettes, and a thirty-something professional crowd.
Howard's
Hidden speakeasy reached through an unmarked door. Sixteen seats. Cash only. The KC cocktail-industry's regular spot.
Neighbourhood Guide
Crossroads
The cocktail-and-gallery spine south of downtown. Speakeasies, awarded cocktail rooms, and the densest serious-bar concentration in Kansas City.
West Bottoms
The speakeasy-and-warehouse district. Converted nineteenth-century warehouses now hold cocktail rooms, antique markets, and the most atmospheric KC drinking.
River Market
The loft-and-restaurant quarter north of downtown. Wine bars, breweries, and a thirty-something residential crowd.
Westport
The heritage bar-crawl strip. Twenty bars in five blocks. Cheap drinks, college-town energy, and the loudest weekend nights.
Power & Light
The downtown entertainment-district. Sports bars, hotel cocktail rooms, and the post-Chiefs-game and convention crowd.
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