Latest reviews from Kansas City
| 70 /100 316 OAK STREET “Visited with friends on a late afternoon Friday for a few beers. Located in the River Market neighborhood, just east of the actual River Market. Decent amount of street parking on a Friday afternoon, though I am sure less available when the market is crowded. Half of the parking lot has been converted to patio seating, so plenty of outdoor space. Inside is an open room with high tops in front and tables around the edges, plenty of seats at the bar. Beer is ordered at the bar, and the selection was 9 house beers, in a variety of styles. I had a Pils, Smoked Helles and a Dry Hopped Saison - all were solid. Food is a couple of bar snacks, or you can bring food in. Service was friendly, the overall vibe was laid back and happy. I’ll certainly be back. (Locals should check it out, visitors with extended time) I only use the total score, not the component parts.“ |
| 82 /100 BeerSauce Shop (Kansas City) (Beer Store) 1219 W. 103RD STREET “Visited on a Wednesday evening to shop and have a beer. Located in the Watts Mill Shopping center, just east of State Line Road and 103rd Street. Store concept is craft beer, whiskey and barbecue and hot sauce. The right hand side of the shot is all craft beer, all sold as singles. Right hand side is the barbeque and hot sauces, and then the whiskeys. In the back of the shop, there is a bar with 8 seats or so, as well as three high top tables. Draft selection was 22 well chosen beers, available as tasters, full pour or crowlers to go. In addition to the beer, they also have a large selection of whiskeys, available neat. Food available, barbeque focused. Service was friendly, both at the register when I shopped and back at the bar later that night when I returned for a beer. I really liked this place, only two quibbles I had were that the vast majority of beers are sold room temp and the lights are quite bright at night, killing the vibe a bit. Otherwise highly recommended. 82 = ***½ (Solid place, near the top of the list for locals and visitors) I only use the total score, not the component parts.“ |
| 88 /100 633 E. 63RD ST., SUITE 120 “Visited early evening on a Friday. Located east of the Brookside area of south Kansas City. Parking is in a dedicated lot on the back side of the building, I’d imagine this fills up, street parking in the neighborhood is also an option. The inside of the building is mostly the brewery, though seating at tables in the room to the right, and the ordering station with the to-go beer area to the left. Highlight is the large patio that runs along the entire front side of the building. Plenty of tables and areas to stand. Beer selection was 12 house beers, with a focus on hoppy beers. Pours available as both full and half pours, and each Thursday evening they release canned beers for sale. Both the service and the crowd were very friendly, and the overall vibe of the place was exactly what I am looking for in a neighborhood brewery. All 3 beers I had were excellent, while I was there, BKS won a silver at GABF! I’m not real sure why it took me so long to get to this place, but it immediately goes very close to the top of my local list. (best in area, a must for locals and visitors) I only use the total score, not the component parts.“ |
| 74 /100 633 E. 63RD ST., SUITE 120 “Stopped in on a Friday afternoon. Nice building, plenty of seating in or outdoors. They had a few of their beers on tap, some to go, so we tried three while we were there. All were very good. Bought a four pack of beers not on tap for later. Well worth the stop. Staff was very friendly and knowledgeable, worth the stop.“ |
| 70 /100 Flying Horse Taproom (Bar) 600 E 63RD ST SUITE 100 “Visited early evening on a Saturday. Small taproom with a bar with seating, a few indoor tables and a nice patio outside. Food and beer are ordered at the bar. Food menu is a mix of bar snacks, appetizers and flatbreads. It also appears you are good with bringing in your own food. Beer selection is ~20 beers on draft, with an interesting mix of local beers, a couple of breweries you normally don’t see on draft, and more common local selections. Wine, drinks and macro bottles and cans also available. Service was very friendly, laid back place, I really liked hanging out. Locals should check it out, visitors with extended time. I only use the total score, not the component parts.“ |
| 88 /100 2635 SOUTHWEST BLVD. “Visited early afternoon on a Friday. Easy to find right on Southwest Boulevard, around the corner from Boulevard Brewing. Parking is in a smaller lot in front of the building, or on the street. The tasting room is clean and brightly and naturally lit. Seating at the bar, or tables around the room. The brewery itself is through a window on the back wall. Beer selection is 10 house beers available as half pours, full pours, crowlers (9 beers) and bottle (1 beer). The quality of all the beers I had was super high. All very fresh and clean. Service was super knowledgeable and welcoming. A couple of bar snacks available, or you can bring food in. Dog friendly. I really enjoyed my visit and will be back soon. (best in area, a must for locals and visitors) I only use the total score, not the component parts.“ |
| 80 /100 2129 WASHINGTON ST. “Early afternoon visit. This 4 month old brewery has a lot going for it. Nice interior. Roasts coffee also. 11 of their brews on tap. Tasters available for a reasonable price. Quality of beer was well above average. Parking may be an issue. Excellent addition to the local beer scene.“ |
| 84 /100 2635 SOUTHWEST BLVD. “New brewery in Kansas City. Nice interior, not a lot of seating. Parking somewhat limited. About 10 of their beers on tap, crowlers available for most. 2 beers bottled to go. Serves half pours and full pours only. Thought the quality of their beers was outstanding. An up and coming brewery.“ |
| 84 /100 2534 MADISON AVE “Pretty impressive facility - especially compared to the somewhat cramped space that they used to use for the same purpose at the brewery. I really like the layout with the levels and large tasting area and gift shop. Impressive.“ |
| 80 /100 1600 GENESSEE ST, SUITE #100 “Nice little brewpub by the Hy-Vee Arena a lot of wood in this place. A decent amount of people in here a lot of hipsters it seemed like, The bartender was nice and polite very friendly, decent amount of beers on tap, not bad pricing on growlers or flights will go back“ |
| 88 /100 2534 MADISON AVE “If you're in the KC area, this is obviously a must-visit. They have a nice variety of experimental, standard and seasonal beer on tap. The taproom is massive with lots of wood and beer memorabilia. Food is average. Service is very friendly.“ |
| 70 /100 412 E 18TH STREET “This is in an old stand alone brick building. Inside it is basically one big room with a high ceiling. There are plenty of tables and the atmosphere is chill. Servers were friendly and attentive. They had quite a few strange beers (which I like) and the ones I tried were tasty. Prices were average. If I lived downtown, I'd probably visit this place irregularly to check out any new beer they have. Recommended“ |
| 72 /100 Up-Down - Kansas City (Bar) 101 SOUTHWEST BLVD “Up-Down is on a 6-way intersection in the Crossroads neighborhood of KC. It's a two-level bar with arcade games (no free play; need tokens) and a lot of screens with 80s/90s movies, and a surprisingly good beer list. I got one local and one Funkwerks that came in a nice stemmed glass. Another pleasant surprise. I don't think they have food. Service was good for the crowd. We were there late night on a Saturday so it was wall-to-wall crowded and definitely a drunker, louder environment than I now seek out as a middle aged man, but it's not bad.“ |
| 80 /100 412 E 18TH STREET “Double Shift is in a stand-alone building back a little from the street, next to Border and across from iTap in the brewery-heavy Crossroads neighborhood of KC. It's a nice space, inviting and well appointed if not super unique for a brewery, with a bar and some tables in front and the operation in back, under a high ceiling. There were 10 beers on tap when I visited and they're pretty good, much better than Border's beer next door. Prices are slightly higher than there, but worth it. Service was friendly and attentive. There were 4 bottles available to go, but all were on tap at the time. No food available, but plenty of options nearby. Recommended while you're making the rounds in Crossroads or the broader KC area.“ |
| 70 /100 406 E 18 STREET “Border occupies a small storefront between Double Shift and a Latin restaurant, across the street from iTap. The place is cozy and inviting, and two bartenders were holding down the fort when I went shortly before closing on a Saturday. There are 10 taps, about half IPAs when I went. The beers were below average, but inexpensive. There was at least one bottle available to go, along with growlers and merch. It's okay, but if you don't have time to hit more than a few, I would make this your lowest priority of the cluster of breweries in the Crossroads.“ |
| 84 /100 403 E 18TH ST. “iTap - Kansas City is in the Crossroads neighborhood, just south of downtown and in walking distance from 5 breweries, 2 of which are directly across the street. The place is in the corner of a rehabbed building, with much the same vibe as the other locations (I've been to all except Columbia). There are 60 taps and behind the bar are also coolers with hundreds of bottles. The selection is excellent, and the glassware is proper. The service was good, too; it was a crowded Saturday night and I still managed to avoid waiting more than like 30 seconds before getting service. Prices are in line with other area bars/breweries. No food, but oddly enough, it has the same setup as iTap-Soulard, which is also linked to Mission Taco Joint via the bathroom hallway. Can't beat MTJ. If you've been to any iTap, you know what you're getting. If not, this is similar to a Brass Tap or World of Beer in its concept and execution. It might be a chain but it's a damn good one.“ |
| 86 /100 2534 MADISON AVE “Boulevard's new-ish Beer Hall is on the same general campus as its production facility and the tours now launch from the first floor here. The first floor has a mini museum near the tour launch site, plus a huge shop and a back bar (which is usually used for private events). Upstairs is a large bar with queues to handle the crowds and a secondary bar with Test stuff. Prices are fair, lower than most other bars in the area, and it's a good selection. Basically their whole regular lineup plus seasonals and some one-offs. I think there were 39 different beers available when I visited, not including the bottles and cans in the store. Service is fine, but it was so crowded the bartenders can only do so much. Another 1-2 wouldn't have hurt, though. Overall, you've gotta visit this place if you're in town. They're the original, the biggest, the standard for what's going on beer-wise in KC.“ |
| 80 /100 1829 OAK ST “Brewery Emperial is another Crossroads brewery, within a few blocks of several others. It's got a curved silver side if you're coming from the north and huge covered patio if you're on the south end. Between the two is a cozy brewpub, funky and eclectic, with about 10-12 taps and a huge wall of liquor bottles behind the bar. I didn't eat here but I hear the food is good. The IPA I had was good but I didn't care for the wheat wine. Service was good, a little weird because we just wanted to come in and have a beer but the bartender told us to wait for the server, who had the whole room. It's a cool place and I probably need to try more of their beers before passing too much judgment there but I'd definitely swing by if I'm in the area again.“ |
| 82 /100 1708 CAMPBELL STREET “Torn Label is at the northeastern edge of the Crossroads neighborhood, just south of downtown KC. It's tucked along Campbell Street, kind of out of the way and off the road a bit, enough to make it hard to find at night. The tasting room is small and cozy, but inviting. The patio is a covered wooden deck, larger than the tasting room. There were probably about 10 beers on tap when I visited, with several bottles and cans available. The quality of the beer is quite good, and prices are in line with the area. Flights and small pours are available. No food is made here, but food trucks are here from time to time. Overall, a great little brewery and worth a stop when you're in town. Plus, it's within walking distance to several other breweries.“ |
| 72 /100 1708 CAMPBELL STREET “Intentional hole in the wall ambiance. Server was too important to answer questions. Beer was very good and unique. Prices were not that great. Based on the quality of the beer I would recommend.“ |
| 80 /100 1600 GENESSEE ST, SUITE #100 “Very cool hipstery joint in KC. Very friendly service. Pretty good selection, a little expensive but this place is worth a try.“ |
| 82 /100 406 E 18 STREET “Fun little place surrounded by other breweries. Worth checking out if you are in the neighborhood!!“ |
| 76 /100 1725 MCGEE ST “Whoever is behind their graphic design is a genius. I love the vibe and atmosphere they have created. I’m not sure their beer stacks up - at least not the five I sampled, but it was a lot of fun to visit.“ |
| 84 /100 1708 CAMPBELL STREET “An industrial location for this hole in the wall. An incredible find - great beer and a good vibe.“ |
| 94 /100 Bier Station (Bar) 120 E GREGORY BLVD “Located out of the way, nearly in Kansas, Bier Station is a comprehensive beer store/bar. The tap list is full of regional, local, and import beers. Much of the packaged beer is available for on premise as well as off premise consumption. We're talking a well curated list of hundreds of beers so I hope any beer drinker can find something. The balcony overlooking the quiet neighborhood is where it's at. Highly recommended.“ |
| 96 /100 2534 MADISON AVE “Not that it's a fair comparison by any stretch, but this was my favorite brewery I visited on my trip to KC. Boulevard has an expansive, cozy, and informative tap room. The giant patio overlooking the skyline is a nice touch. We all know Boulevard makes amazing beer across the board and the tap list here fully reflected that. Tons of the more readily available beers were on the list along with smaller batch and tap room only offerings. Everything I had was excellent per usual. Prices are good. I think there's a restaurant of some kind tucked in the back, but I never made it over there. A bunch of cool swag is in the gift shop downstairs. I'd consider this a must stop.“ |
| 94 /100 1708 CAMPBELL STREET “We tried to visit here on a Saturday, but it was closed for a private event. I'm glad we could make it back the next day. The inside space is really small and really dim. I enjoy dark, cozy drinking spots. The patio helps the seating capacity. Torn Label does a fair amount of packaging and plenty of beer to go is available at the taproom. This came in handy later on in the evening. Prices are good and the product is very well made and modern. I think this is near the top of the list for must visit breweries in KC.“ |
| 82 /100 316 OAK STREET “Strange Days is in a cool, little warehouse space. The odd, nonfunctional television sets with eyeballs in them set the tone. Service was good. The beer list has some fairly experimental stuff sprinkled in with a few more classic styles. I thought what we had tasted a little less dialed in than some of their counterparts in Kansas City. They are still new, after all. Prices are on the high end of the median around town. Neat little spot and conveniently located on the journey across the river if you're headed that way.“ |
| 86 /100 Anton’s Taproom (Restaurant) 1610 MAIN ST “We arrived early enough to grab a beer and enjoy the backyard before any other patrons spilled outside. We were waiting for dinner at The Rieger, otherwise I would have insisted to eat some of this amazing looking food. They've got a vast beer list but not with anything super rare or geeky. Still, it's a solid array of imports, regionals, micros, etc. You'll find something good to drink. Prices aren't too bad. If I'm ever back in town I'll insist on having a meal here and washing it down with a quality beer.“ |
| 76 /100 Rieger Hotel Grill & Exchange (Restaurant) 1924 MAIN ST “This is a fantastic stop for food and cocktails. It was super busy on a Saturday night and reservations were necessary. It may be a little less busy on weeknights. The interior retains the old-school hotel feel with great attention to detail. It's a fine dining place but not to the extent of having a dress code. The food on the brief menu is top notch. It's a great place for spirits and dinner, I just can't recommend The Rieger as a beer destination. You'll be able to find Boulevard and Bells on the short list if you choose to forgo excellent and interesting cocktails such as a smoky, sweet pea drink.“ |
| 92 /100 412 E 18TH STREET “From the outside Double Shift looks likes it's in a pretty small building, but it feels comfortable and not overly cramped once inside. This ended up being one of the stand outs during my trip to KC. The quality was certainly at least on par with the other very good breweries we visited, but Double Shift had a few stranger beers that still tasted cohesive and were a pleasure to drink. Given its proximity to other worthy beer establishments, this should be visited if doing a beer tour in the city.“ |
| 88 /100 1725 MCGEE ST “This is becoming the area to easily visit a few breweries in KC. Casual Animal is worth a stop. The interior is funky and welcoming. The small plants are a nice touch on all the tables, that is until the patrons kill them. A small patio is right out front which also let in some very pleasant spring weather. The beer list here covers a good amount of ground. I wouldn't call it extreme, but plenty of different styles were on. I thought the beer was well made. Service was friendly and efficient. Definitely a good stop.“ |
| 88 /100 1829 OAK ST “Brewery Emperial is a brewpub well located in the Crossroads. They boast a spacious outdoor area which we really enjoyed on the fine spring day. The beer is pretty solid and spans a decent array of styles. I did not eat on this visit, but the food looks tantalizing. Service was great. I'd recommend putting this on a Kansas City beer tour list.“ |
| 82 /100 1725 MCGEE ST “Visited early afternoon on a Sunday. Located in the Crossroads, close to many of the new breweries in Kansas City. Parking is on the street. Interior is a beautiful renovation, with a lot of light wood, bar seating, long tables in front and high top tables that feature succulent plants in the cetner. Shuffleboard lines the long wall. Beer selection is 10 house beers available as tasters, half nonic pint, full nonic pint and crowlers to go. Style selection is straightforward, and all the beers I tasted were clean - which is not always the case with brand new breweries. Service was super friendly and helpful. No foo, though there are some light snacks available, and free peanuts in the corner. I really liked the vibe of this place. 82 = ***½ (Solid place, near the top of the list for locals and visitors) I only use the total score, not the component parts.“ |
| 84 /100 Tapcade (Bar) 1701 MCGEE ST, STE 200 “Visited on a Friday afternoon. Only had a short time, but I will return. Around 100 beers available on tap or in bottles. Service was very friendly. The vintage (?) pinball machines and video games were $7 an hour to play. Will try the food next time. There will be a next time!“ |
| 90 /100 Bier Station (Bar) 120 E GREGORY BLVD “Located in some kind of mixed use neighborhood, they had a smallish parking lot but at night their's more parking open in the area. It's part bottle shop and part tap room. They have a very large selection of local and national craft and you can drink any single in the bar or take it home for a greatly reduced price. They also had an adventurous tap list with anything available as a 5 ounce poor. You can see from the picture they also have a nice balcony and outdoor porch area for hanging out. I really enjoyed this place and I think it works both as a bottle shop and a neighborhood bar.“ |
| 88 /100 2534 MADISON AVE “I think Boulevard is one of the most underappreciated breweries in the US, so I was really looking forward to this one. Lovely old industrial space with plenty of parking. It's located in the shadow of their production brewery. The tours and gift shop are on the ground floor. The beer hall is on the second floor and it's a big room with a nice sized patio that offers a nice view of the city. They had everything available in a 5 ounce pour and pretty efficient ordering system. For a corporate space, it was pretty compelling.“ |
| 82 /100 410 E 135TH ST “Nice to visit since I’ve always thought their saisons are under-rated. Nice tap list, but several were out and no indication on the board. Solid IPAs. Pizza is ok, if not stellar.“ |
| 70 /100 BRGR Kitchen + Bar (Power & Light District) (Restaurant) 11 E. 14TH STREET “Downtown Kansas City location of BRGR. Located in Power & Light District development. Parking is limited on street parking, or the various parking garages in the area. Smaller bar area, restaurant seating throughout the building. Beer selection is focused on locals and national craft, with a solid amount of rotating seasonals and a house beer that is made by Free State. This location seemed to have a smaller selection than the other two locations, though that may have just been on the day of my visit. Food is fancy burgers which are quite tasty. The service is always friendly and prompt, and knowledgeable on their beer selection. 70 = ★★½ (Locals should check it out, visitors with extended time) I only use the total score, not the component parts.“ |
| 84 /100 Plaza Liquor (Beer Store) 4500 BELLEVIEW AVENUE “I recently stayed at an Airbnb just a few blocks away. We bought all our beer here for an entire weekend. A nice selection and good service, definitely worth checking out. I can’t really compare to other area stores as I haven’t been to many of them, but hard to imagine it could be much better than this place.“ |
| 70 /100 Mike’s Wine and Spirits (Westport) (Beer Store) 1106 WESTPORT ROAD “Visited early afternoon on a Wednesday. Kinda grungy store in a kinda grungy part of Westport. As with other Mike locations, the main feature is the Growler station which features a nicely chosen list of 8 beers available as 32 or 64 oz. growlers. In addition to the draft selection, there is also a mix a six cooler with decent options, a long rack and a half of warm import and large format bottles and several cooler doors of craft six packs. Smaller store, smaller selection, though I did see a few beers you don’t see on the shelves at most places. The beer guy was really knowledgeable, very friendly and helpful. Well worth having in your rotation. 70 = ★★½ (Locals should check it out, visitors with extended time) I only use the total score, not the component parts.“ |
| 80 /100 1600 GENESSEE ST, SUITE #100 “Nice visit on a Saturday afternoon. Fairly busy thanks to a tour bus stopping by. Great interior. Felt at ease the entire visit. 10 of their beers on tap and a couple of guest taps. Beer quality was well above average. Stop by, you won’t be sorry.“ |
| 74 /100 Bier Station (Bar) 120 E GREGORY BLVD “Nice place way out of downtown in what feels like a residential neighborhood. Atmosphere is bright and clean, but lacks character. It’s really half bar and half bottle shop, and the bottle shop takes over a bit. No personality. The tap list is a good size and all craft. However, as an out-of-towner, I was hoping for more of a local focus. Instead there’s a lot of national craft brands like Ballast Point, Stone, Southern Tier, Oskar Blues, Bell’s, etc. They also seemed to have a high number of novelty-type beers with strange additions and treatments. I found myself quickly heading to the cooler to find something I wanted to try. Once I got there, though, there was more than enough. Tons of locals, some rarer imports. Lots to enjoy with very good prices, either for in house or to go. Food was pretty good but not impressive. Vegetarian options seemed like an afterthought, but that’s par for the course in KC. Staff was very young and laid back, but friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Overall this is definitely worth a stop, at least to grab bottles to go. But it didn’t feel like it would be my favorite neighborhood bar.“ |
| 76 /100 Beer Kitchen (Restaurant) 435 WESTPORT RD. “Pretty decent beer list. Didn’t overwhelm me with local options, but they were there. I did get the wrong beer the first time, but I think it was a reasonable case of being misheard. Lots of vegetarian food options, which is a big selling point for me in KC. The house made whiskey BBQ ketchup was the highlight of the visit and worth the trip for me. The atmosphere is bright but edgy enough to be hip. Definitely the kind of place I would like to frequent if I was local, but not a mecca that can’t be missed for out-of-towners. Service was attentive and friendly.“ |
| 82 /100 1829 OAK ST “Visited for lunch on a Friday. Easy to find in the Crossroads district of Kansas City, quite close to the other newer breweries in the area. The building has a very cool design, both outside and in. Large outdoor patio that looks like it will be great in the summer, and an interior that is both shiny new and very inviting. Bright open room, with a long concrete and wood bar, high tops and tables through the room. There is also a chef’s table facing the open kitchen, which is a real feature of the place. Beer selection is 6 house beers available as either half or full pours. I saw one sample type tray go out, though it was not advertised. Prompt, professional very friendly service. The food I had was amazing, worth a visit just by itself. The fact that they had only been open 2 weeks was astounding, they are already hitting their marks. Very excited for this place. 82 = ★★★½ (Solid place, near the top of the list for locals and visitors) I only use the total score, not the component parts.“ |
| 82 /100 2534 MADISON AVE “21 Dec 2016. this place is huge! tour guide was very friendly and nice but his spiel was definitely memorized. huge store and nice bar upstairs. Definitely a must do item if you are in KC.“ |
| 84 /100 Harry’s Tavern (Bar) 13657 WASHINGTON STREET “Great new bar located in Martin City. If you can find Lukas Liquors you have arrived at Harry’s. Impressive tap selection of over 80 on draft and around 40 more bottles and cans. Prices seemed fair and service was excellent. The manager knows his beers. Nice interior (used to be the special event room at Lukas). Well worth a visit.“ |
| 82 /100 Harry’s Tavern (Bar) 13657 WASHINGTON STREET “Visited on a Wednesday afternoon. This is located in the same building as Lukas Liquors and has common ownership. However, they are two separate entities with differing hours and you can not take drinks in between the two locations. The setup is a long bar room, with a bunch of bar seating along the wall and high tops next to the windows. There is a fireplace in the center of the room, and evidently they are planning on turning the back room into a room with bar games. Beer selection is vast with ~85 beers on draft as well as 33 more in cans / bottles. Most beers are available as 4 oz taster, full pour (10-14 oz) and 32 oz crowler to go. The selection was gearing up for a big black Friday event and there were a lot of interesting beers from local and national craft brewers. Small food menu available with snack, burgers and tacos. Service was attentive and knowledgeable. Great addition to the beer scene on this side of town. 82 = ★★★½ (Solid place, near the top of the list for locals and visitors) I only use the total score, not the component parts.“ |
| 64 /100 7122 WORNALL RD “Visited for dinner on a Saturday with friends. Lively neighborhood restaurant, with a long bar, and mostly restaurant seating. Beer selection isn’t huge, though they did have a nice selection of locals. I drank Cinder Block all night and was happy. Service at the bar was phenomenal. Great food, worthy visiting for the food alone. Rating is for this as a beer destination - which this place has some nice options, but isn’t a beer only destination. 64 = ★★ (Just ok) I only use the total score, not the component parts.“ |
| 80 /100 2534 MADISON AVE “A great place to visit. Closes early. The shop has really nice variety of merchandise and beers to buy to-go. Merchandise is not that cheap but the beers are (starting from $1.50 a bottle). The taproom in second floor has nice selection of brews with some test beers that are only available there. Flights available. No food. A bit touristic though.“ |
