Locals say World Cup visitors should eat at these Kansas City restaurants
Restaurant reservation and review website OpenTable recently made its list of restaurants and bars should be on visitors’ radars when they come to Kansas City for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. But Star readers had quite to say about their picks.
OpenTable’s recommendations included 11 spots, including local favorites like Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue and neighborhood spots The Westside Local. Readers noticed that the restaurants were near expected hot spots for tourists, like the Country Club Plaza, the Power & Light District, and Union Station.
“The Open Table list is a group of what I would call ‘destination’ or ‘special occasion’ restaurants,” reader Paul Schenk emailed to The Star.
Schenk and others shared their own restaurant recommendations for the predicted 600,000 travelers visiting Kansas City this summer, emphasizing different parts of the metropolitan area. Here’s where KC residents suggest fans of the global sport go eat while they’re in town.
Where FIFA World Cup visitors should eat at, according to KC residents
One reader called the restaurants included basic, while another, Arthur Benson, said most of those on the list aren’t special and are common to what could be found in most major cities. The 82-year-old Benson said to get a real taste of the food in Kansas City, visitors should check out places like:
- Farina, 1901 Baltimore Ave.
- La Bodega, 703 Southwest Blvd.
- Le Fou Frog, 400 E. Ffith St.
- Pot Pie, 904 Westport Road
- Q39 (multiple locations)
“And there are many more wonderful places, unique to Kansas City, and thus giving Kansas City its own culinary signature,” Benson said.
Other readers suggested more restaurants around Kansas City, including:
- Cliff’s Taphouse, 3044 Gillham Road
- The Peanut (locations downtown, in the Northland, on the South Plaza, on State Line, in Belton, in Mission, in Overland Park and in Olathe)
- Barley’s Kitchen + Tap (locations in Overland Park and Shawnee)
- Brew Top (locations in Zona Rosa and Overland Park
Where do you think global visitors should go? Let us know at kcq@kcstar.com.
