Kansas City
You're flying out of Kansas City Airport, you have 90 minutes to kill, and you'd like to do better than a Pret. Good news: airport drinking has improved more in the last five years than the previous fifty. Pre-flight drinks at Kansas City Airport range from chain reliability to surprisingly polished hotel-style bars in the airport hotels. This is barsforKings's editor-curated guide to drinking better at Kansas City's airports.
Crossroads · $$$
KC's most awarded cocktail bar.
Crossroads · $$
Distillery-and-cocktail-bar with a Pendergast-era political theme.
Shawnee · $$$
Boutique cocktail bar 25 minutes south of downtown.
Country Club Plaza · $$$
Cocktail bar inside the Country Club Plaza.
Want a real drink before flying? The fastest play is to get to airport hotels next door — most run polished bars that beat anything post-security. We list them at the bottom. If you've got 60 spare minutes pre-airport, see our shortlist of bars in Kansas City proper at the end.
Plays for Kansas City Airport: post-security, pre-security, lounges, and the airport-hotel cheat code.
Pre-flight drinks, hotel-bar reviews, and the openings we're watching across 200+ cities. Friday mornings, no filler.
Looking beyond Kansas City? See our guide to the best airport bars worldwide, or compare airport bars city by city.