Where To Drink Before (and After) Dinner
Whether you want to set the tone or keep it going, these bars, restaurants and cocktail lounges offer the ideal pre- and post-dinner drink.
Nighthawk at Kansas City Hotel
If you are going downtown for dinner and a show—perhaps something at the Kauffman Center, the KC Rep’s Copaken stage or even Kansas City Hotel’s restaurant The Town Co.—nothing feels more classy than drinking at a hotel bar in your own town. Snag a martini at the hotel lobby bar or head downstairs for some live music and a beer at Nighthawk, the basement bar that feels a bit more grunge.
Lucky Boys
There is something sublime in the transition from fine dining to the best dive bar in Kansas City. If you are having a nice dinner in the West Bottoms at The Campground, Voltaire or the Golden Ox, there is no finer epilogue than the velvet painting-lined walls of Lucky Boys. It’s divey, meaning the drinks are drinks and nothing is pretentious. You can have a beer and a shot or a cocktail while listening to a thoughtful selection of crowd-pleasing tunes, and the bartenders are ebulliently kind. It’s also open until 1:30 am every day except Sundays.
Green Lady Lounge
Located just blocks from great restaurants like Baramee Thai Bistro, Extra Virgin and Farina, Green Lady Lounge is a perfect spot to gather or regroup. The jazz lounge sits on Grand Avenue, dark and intimately cozy, like it has resided there for millennia (instead of opening in 2012). Come here after oysters at Farina or Pad Thai at Baramee and you can squint and see the thread of a Kansas City that once was. Compared to the more storied establishments of 18th and Vine, the places that actually have the lineage, Green Lady lounge feels like an earnest homage to a different time.
Rye
(4646 Mill Creek Parkway, KCMO)
You need no excuse to enjoy a cocktail at the Rye bar on the Plaza, but in the colder months, bathed in the ambient glow of the holiday lights, it’s hard to beat. If you are getting a meal at Gram & Dun, Jack Stack, or Cafe Trio, make a detour to Rye for its long windows, vintage records and expertly prepared cocktails. We would be remiss to not mention how good the food at Rye is as well, but don’t overlook it as a spot to pop in for a drink on your way somewhere else.
Mitch E Amaro
If you are in North Kansas City for Tay’s or District Biskuits, swing over to Mitch e Amaro for a cocktail. Browse through their impressive offering of specialty liquors, amaros and bitters while they prepare your drink. There’s even local stand-up comedy on Monday evenings. The space feels less like a bar and more like your friend’s living room. The staff is always very excited to show off the newest bottle they’ve found.
18th Street in the Crossroads
No matter where you’re planning dinner in the Crossroads—Anjin, The Wise Guy, 1587 Prime or Triune—18th Street is home to some of Kansas City’s best cocktail lounges. Le Lounge, No Vacancy’s chic hotel bar (130 W. 18th St., KCMO) plays live music later in the week and serves one of the coldest martinis in town. Slightly east sits Jade Jaguar, a Mexico City-inspired bar offering a vibrant space for salsa, cocktails crafted with tequila and mezcal, and elite bar bites.
The post Where To Drink Before (and After) Dinner appeared first on Kansas City Magazine.
Categories
Recent Posts
GET MORE INFORMATION
