The ‘best’ champagne bars in the country? One is in Kansas City’s Westport
To celebrate the upcoming 13th annual global Champagne Day, the Champagne Bureau USA has picked the top 10 bars and restaurants in the country to enjoy Champagne.
One is in Kansas City.
It said Westport’s Ça Va “specializes in grower Champagne, has rustic-chic décor and delicious French cuisine.” Grower Champagne features grapes grown by the same producer who bottles the Champagne wines, unlike Champagne houses, which can feature grapes from various growers.
In a statement, Jennifer Hall, director of the Champagne Bureau USA in Washington, D.C., said the top 10 offer “excellent lists, unique pairings and an overall wonderful experience for enjoying Champagne.”
Ça Va, at 4149 Pennsylvania St., has 75 to 100 different bottles of Champagne and sparkling wine, as well as a couple of different by-the-glass Champagnes, rotating every couple of weeks. It specializes in small farms and growers.
“We were part of a wave that made this happen in Kansas City. A lot of people say that even though it is a small market it is one of the coolest in the Midwest,” said Jim Coley, a partner in Ça Va with chef Howard Hanna. You can do things like that here and people love it. It is one of the great things about the city.”
ÇaVa also has pommes frites, deviled eggs with caviar, duck fat kettle corn, cheese boards and other menu items, along with a Sunday brunch.
The owners said “ca va” (sah-vah) is an informal greeting that loosely translates to “Hello” or “What’s up?” or “It’s going!” in French.
Ça Va opened in 2014. Hours are currently 4 p.m. to midnight Wednesdays through Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays.
Other restaurants and bars on the Top 10 list included Apéro in Washington, D.C., and Pops for Champagne in Chicago.
A California blogger and wine tutor started #ChampagneDay in 2009. It is celebrated on the fourth Friday of October. This year Champagne Day is Oct. 28.
This story was originally published September 9, 2022 at 11:27 AM.