National website lists Kansas City’s ‘essential’ restaurants, from BBQ to burgers

Eater, a national food and dining website, has picked “The 26 Essential Restaurants in Kansas City.”

“To many, Kansas City will always be a cow town. The city’s culinary scene has in large part been defined by the Black pitmasters who established its barbecue traditions, along with the cattle ranchers who thronged the Kansas City Stockyards. ...But immigrant chefs have been expanding the city’s palette (and palate) for decades, and today, you’re as likely to stumble across a pho shop or a vegan lunch counter as a brisket sandwich.”

The list includes such favorites as Corvino Supper Club & Tasting Room and Novel in the Crossroads, Ça Va in Westport, Cafe Sebastienne in the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, The Peanut just south of the Country Club Plaza, and Garozzo’s Ristorante in Columbus Park.

Also barbecues: Gates Bar-B-Q, Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que and Harp Barbecue.

Here’s a sampling of other Eater “essentials,” from decades-old Kansas City favorites to some newcomers:

▪ Carniceria y Tortilleria San Antonio, Kansas City, Kansas: ”A bustling neighborhood grocery with a first-rate lunch counter.”

▪ Happy Gillis Cafe + Hangout, Columbus Park: “Feels like eating in a good friend’s kitchen … with a compact menu with universal appeal to fans of both greasy-spoon classics and blue-corn avocado tostadas alike.”

▪ M&M Bakery & Deli, East Side: “Workers have flocked here for decades for generously stacked cold sandwiches and oversized baked goods. The mandatory order here is the Hook ’Em Up, a soft onion bun loaded with pepper beef, turkey ham, and both hot pepper and American cheese.”

▪ Mesob Restaurant & Rhum Bar, midtown: “Try the flash-fried conch or a plate of doro tibs with collards, yellow lentils, and a generous canvas of injera.”

▪ Pigwich/Local Pig, City Market: “The burgers here are unilaterally excellent, but so are the spicy pork meatballs that top the sandwich shop’s banh mi.”

▪ The Restaurant at 1900, Mission Woods: “‘Upscale but playful’ is the vibe in this light-filled modern restaurant with a quirky decor and a wide-ranging menu.”

▪ Urban Cafe, 5500 Troost Ave.: “Dishing up smoked pork belly sandwiches and grain bowls in a historic building in the urban core.”

▪ Waldo Thai, south Kansas City: “Unique in the metro for its focus on Northern Thai, or Lanna cuisine, and hip date-night atmosphere.”

This story was originally published June 16, 2021 at 12:11 PM.