Cityscape

Hand-brewed coffee drinks and pastries: Take a look inside this new Kansas City cafe

A garage door and house plants adorn the inside of The Slow Bar in the Crossroads.
A garage door and house plants adorn the inside of The Slow Bar in the Crossroads. ecuriel@kcstar.com

The Slow Bar, a hand-brew and espresso cafe, is now open in the Crossroads.

It took a space on the first floor of the Jones Gallery, at 1717 Walnut St., and will offer hand-brewed coffee drinks and pastries by Kansas City’s Blackhole Bakery.

Owner Josh Bella said the setup is designed to “provoke conversation with our coffee professionals behind the bar.”

Josh Bella, owner of The Slow Bar, tests an espresso shot before opening in the Crossroads on Friday.
Josh Bella, owner of The Slow Bar, tests an espresso shot before opening in the Crossroads on Friday. Emily Curiel ecuriel@kcstar.com

“Customers will be able to watch the process from grind to cup,” he said.

It softly opened for April’s First Friday art gallery event and then planned to officially open Monday. The remodeled space used to be the gallery’s lobby.

The Slow Bar opened in the former lobby of the Jones Gallery.
The Slow Bar opened in the former lobby of the Jones Gallery. Emily Curiel ecuriel@kcstar.com

Hours will be 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays for now as Bella gauges foot traffic and demand. It also will be open First Friday evenings and may later offer a weekend brunch.

Josh Bella, owner of The Slow Bar in the Crossroads.
Josh Bella, owner of The Slow Bar in the Crossroads. Emily Curiel ecuriel@kcstar.com

Bella had been a partner in an Independence co-working space that offered coffee, The Common House. But he relocated to concentrate on the coffee portion of the business.

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This story was originally published April 1, 2022 at 5:30 PM.

JS
Joyce Smith
The Kansas City Star
Joyce Smith covered restaurant and retail news for The Star from 1989 to 2023.
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