Kansas City

Margarita’s is one of your best bets when it comes to tasty Mexican cuisine in Kansas City. A fixture in the local dining scene for around two decades now, this Kansas City restaurant has been widely recognized for its outstanding dishes as well as for its involvement in community development. Margarita’s has earned awards from Zagat, Pitch Weekly, and Squire. Among them are Kansas City Live Gold Award, Readers’ Choice Award, and the Menu Award. This Kansas City dining spot also received the Corner Stone Award from the Economic Development Corporation for extending its help to local high schools and supporting the Hispanic scholarship fund.

Margarita’s serves classic Mexican dishes such as enchiladas, burritos, quesadillas, tamales, and tacos. Meals are very affordable at only $9 to $10. Some of the bestsellers in this Kansas City restaurant are the Baja, two ground beef and cheese enchiladas and a ground beef taco served with rice and beans; the Cancun, a mixture of beef, pork, tomatoes, onions and cheese wrapped in flour tortilla and drizzled with a special sauce and served with rice and beans as well; and the house special which is a large flour tortilla stuffed with pork, ground beef and beans, garnished with chile con queso and also served with rice. This Mexican restaurant also features grilled sandwiches, fajitas, and churros.

This Kansas City restaurant also accommodates special events such as banquets, wedding receptions, rehearsal dinners, reunions, and other gatherings. Its restaurant in North Kansas City can accommodate up to 75 people with the branch in Southwest Boulevard, Kansas City can have up to 100 people. Margarita’s is also the long-time caterer of the Kansas City Chiefs fans at the Pavilion of Arrowhead Stadium. It also serves the dinners of the Kansas City Royals, the major league baseball team of Kansas City, Missouri.

The American Restaurant offers a breath-taking of downtown Kansas City as it sits atop Crown Center. Designed to be the crown jewel of the Hallmark-owned commercial complex, this Kansas City restaurant was a masterpiece of architect Warren Plattner whose body of work include Windows on the World in New York and Water Tower Place in Chicago. The American Restaurant underwent remodeling in 1990 and a year later, it garnered the Allied Arts and Craftsmanship Award from the American Institute if Architects.

This Kansas City dining spot doesn’t only have its impressive architectural design to boast, of course. It also holds the distinction of having the AAA Four Diamonds and the Mobil Travel Guide Four Stars ratings, a mark of excellence in its cuisine and service. The American Restaurant has also received the Wine Spectator Magazine’s Award of Excellence, the Chaine des Rotisseurs Dining and Service Award and Hall of Fame Award.

Executive Chef Celina Tio took over the helm of the American Restaurant in 2001 and since then has earned good reviews from food and wine connoisseurs. The menu if this Kansas City restaurant features a good variety of seafood and meat dishes as well as mouth-watering desserts. This upscale dining spot also offers more than 1,500 wines from its cellar that has been around for over three decades now. American Restaurant also has two professional sommeliers on its staff to ensure that dishes are paired with the right wines.

This Kansas City restaurant provides appropriate venues for such special events as business meetings, rehearsal dinners, wedding receptions, reunions, and family gatherings. The Upper Dining Room on the top floor of the restaurant can accommodate 96 people for seated dinners and up to 150 guests for cocktails. The area is separate from the main dining room and even has its own bar. It also offers a magnificent view of the city with its floor to ceiling windows.

A much smaller reception area is the Window Balcony. A large single table can accommodate up to 22 guests while two oval tables can have up to 24 people. As much as 32 people can also be accommodated in four round tables. For intimate gatherings, the Wine Room is the ideal venue. It can accommodate 16 people and is available for private or semi-private dinners. The staff of this Kansas City restaurant can also arrange for hotel reservations in the nearby Westin Crown Center or the Hyatt Regency. The American Restaurant is open for lunch and dinner Mondays to Saturdays.

Your search for the best strip steak in Kansas City ends here in City Tavern. In 2005, this restaurant earned the recognition for having the best Kansas City steak. When in first opened in 2002, City Tavern specialized in serving fresh seafood and oysters. This Kansas City restaurant is housed in the Freight House, a historic structure which was once used to store goods that were loaded off from the boxcars and transferred to horse-drawn carts. Today, City Tavern still retains the original interiors of the Freight House such as the brick walls, timber ceiling, terra cotta tiles, and hardwood floors. Although this Kansas City restaurant has only been around for six years, the setting gives diners a vintage atmosphere as they enjoy some of Kansas City’s finest cuisine.

Aside from its award-winning steaks, the City Tavern of Kansas City is also known for its generous servings of fresh cold-water oysters which are sourced from the North Atlantic and the Pacific Northwest. In the restaurant’s oyster menu, diners can choose from clams and oysters of varying salinity. If you happen to drop by during lunch, you can enjoy various offerings from their lunch menu such as pot pie, swordfish tacos, fish and chips, beef sandwich, and chicken fried steak. There is also a selection of sandwiches and shellfish dishes. For dinner, this Kansas City restaurant goes all out with a selection of seafood: tuna, salmon, sea bass, scallops, and king crab legs. Th fine steaks are available as well: filet mignon, porterhouse, ribeye, and Kansas City strip.

City Tavern of Kansas City also has an impressive wine list which includes various brands of champagne, white wines, zinfandel, pinot noir, cabernet, merlot chardonnay, and sauvignon blanc. Martinis, cocktails, bourbons, and single malt scotch are also offered. This Kansas City restaurant also provides a suitable venue for private dining. The Fireside Room can accommodate 50 people for dinner and up to 70 for cocktails.

Harry’s Country Club is perfect for a fun, no-frills dinner. Located along Missouri Avenue in Kansas City, this 1940s roadhouse-inspired diner serves classic all-American favorites that will definitely leave you fully satisfied. This Kansas City restaurant was opened in October 2003 and was nicknamed the Crown Jewel of the River Market by the Kansas City Star. To complete the honky tonk atmosphere, this Kansas City restaurant also features a jukebox that plays classic country music for a few quarters. The dining area also displays fascinating memorabilia and artifacts which have their own quirky stories.

Entrees in this Kansas City restaurant include the KC strip steak, classic fried chicken, pan fried catfish, burrito, grilled salmon, and blackened shrimp and pasta. A variety of sandwiches served with good ol’ fries are available as well. This Kansas City restaurant also features all-time favorite appetizers such as onion rings, chicken wings, crab fritters, and tortilla chips. What better way to enjoy these treats than with cold beer so Harry’s Country Club also offers yard beers. Red and white wines are available as well.

Happy hour at Harry’s Country Club is at 3pm to 6:30pm on weekdays and 11am to 4pm on Saturdays. You can enjoy discounted drinks together with your favorite treats.

Grand St. Cafe is an all-American restaurant located east of Country Club Plaza in Kansas City. Since it opened in 1991, this Kansas City restaurant has been one of the chic dining spots in the metropolis with its stylish interior décor, well-prepared dishes, and professional staff. In the past years, Grand St. Cafe has garnered bronze and silver awards from Ingram’s Magazine in the following categories: Best Overall Restaurant, Best Business Lunch, Best Sunday Brunch, Best Service, Best Martini, and Best Outdoor Dining. This Kansas City restaurant has also gained recognition from the Kansas Beef Council and Pitch Weekly.

For its dinner entrees, this Kansas City restaurant offers the signature Kansas City strip, filet mignon, roasted chicken, charred duck, rack of lamb, and a variety of seafood dishes. Appetizers include crab cakes, gnocchi, fondue, spring rolls, and Thai barbecue shrimp. Cold antipasti are available as well such as crab and avocado parfait, jumbo shrimp, and tuna tartare. Grand St. Cafe’s lunch menu features a selection of salads and sandwiches. Brunch is also available in this Kansas City restaurant where classic breakfast delights such as french toast, benedicts, and waffles are served. Grand St. Cafe also offers a selection of sparkling, white, and red wines which can be ordered by the glass and by half a bottle.

Grand St. Cafe is open Mondays through Thursdays 11am to 10pm. On Fridays through Saturdays, closing time is at 11pm while on Sundays, the restaurant closes at 9pm. Happy hour is 3pm to 6pm and 9pm until closing on weekdays. On Saturday, it’s 11am to 3pm and 9pm until closing. Sunday happy hour is from 3pm until closing time.

Blue Bird Bistro is a locally owned Kansas City restaurant that serves only organic, all-natural food. It also supports local food producers by sourcing its supplies from local organic farmers and does its share in caring for the environment by implementing a recycling program. To complete the anti-thesis-of-corporate-business image, Blue Bird Bistro is housed in a historic building that dates back to the 1890s located on the west side neighborhood of downtown Kansas City.

The diverse menu of this Kansas City restaurant offers meats, seafood, and chicken dishes. The bistro also serves vegetarian and vegan entrees. This Kansas City restaurant takes pride in its natural meat cuts from grass-fed livestock, free range chicken, wild salmon and shrimp, local cheese, and locally grown vegetables. Some of the house specialties are the bison tournedos, house filled ravioli, roasted chicken with white wine butter sauce, and the house made Blue Bird pizza. The breakfast menu features omelets, pancakes, organic oatmeal, yogurt, and the Blue Bird Bistro graola. For lunch, this Kansas City restaurant offers burgers, sandwiches, spring rolls, and sauteed vegetables among others. Blue Bird Bistro also serves organic fruit juices, organic coffee and milk, and a selection of red and white wines as well as beers and sake. Vodka, gin, scotch, bourbon, tequila, and light rum are also available.

Blue Bird Bistro serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner from Mondays to Saturdays. On Sundays, the restaurant is open from 10am to 2pm. This Kansas City restaurant also has private dining rooms for parties, business meetings, and special events.

Piropos is an Argentinean restaurant in Kansas City that serves classic Argentinean cuisine with strong European influences. The name of this Kansas City restaurant is a Spanish word that denotes an amorous compliment or an artful expression of admiration towards a woman. Piropos are especially common in Buenos Aires, capital city of Argentina. This Kansas City restaurant has received good reviews from a lot of local and regional publications and has been voted the Best New Restaurant and Best Restaurant View by readers of Pitch Weekly.

In an effort to showcase the best of Argentinean cuisine, Piropos of Kansas City serves a variety of grilled steaks, fresh seafood, and salads. Some of the premium dishes in this Kansas City restaurant are the grilled filet mignon, Kansas City strip steak, rib-eye, peppercorn-encrusted filet, and braised short ribs. Piropos also serves tilapia, mahi-mahi, salmon, and lobster. A selection of pasta and empanadas are available as well.

The impressive wine list of this Kansas City restaurant features a wide variety of red, white, and sparkling wines from Argentina. Piropos also offers a lot of wine varieties from Napa Valley, California as well as a number of wines from Italy, France, Germany, New Zealand, and Canada. Moderately priced wines range from $20 to $40 while premium ones go from $100 to more than $300.

Piropos of Kansas City also hosts private dinners, parties, wedding receptions, corporate affairs, and other events in another venue in Parkville. A separate banquet menu is available for such gatherings.

If you want to get a taste of the signature Kansas City steak and listen to local jazz music at the same time, then a dinner at Majestic Steakhouse will definitely by a great night out for you. The Majestic Steakhouse of Kansas City is housed in the Old Fitzpatrick Building, a saloon and bordello that dates back to the early 1900s. The structure underwent renovations in the 1980s and is now listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In 1993, the Majestic Steakhouse was opened in this historic Broadway venue.

This Kansas City restaurant boasts of its Prime grade, 21-day dry-aged steaks best served rare or medium rare. Diners can choose from the array of filet mignon, Kansas City strip sirloin, prime rib, top sirloin, rib-eye, and beef tenderloin. Majestic Steakhouse also serves a variety of seafood and pasta dishes. The extensive wine list is another plus at this Kansas City restaurant. There are over 100brands of cabernet sauvignon alone and more than 700 wines with prices as low as $12 per bottle. Some high grade wines can also be ordered by the glass. As if the wine selection isn’t enough, Majestic Steakhouse also offers varieties of cognac, single malt scotch, port, and armagnoc.

The Majestic Steakhouse is open for lunch Mondays to Fridays and serves dinner all week. There are also live jazz performances every night. Private dining rooms are available for business meetings and other intimate gatherings. Diners can also enjoy cigars and pipes in certain dining areas; this Kansas City restaurant features a number of premium cigars.

La Bodega is purported to be the best place in Kansas City serving authentic Spanish tapas. It was even recognized as Kansas City’s Best Tapas by Pitch Weekly. First opened in 1998, La Bodega has consistently gotten good reviews for its delicious Spanish food and great-tasting sangria. Another great plus for this locally owned Kansas City restaurant is the affordable prices, with most dishes costing less than $10. The atmosphere is laid-back and unassuming, perfect for casual dinners and fun night outs.

The wide array of tapas served by La Bodega will certainly keep you coming back since there are so many variations to sample. There are tapas which are served hot and some which are best served cold. For cold tapas, selections include marinated olives and fresh herbs, mixed seafood, Spanish omelet, mixed vegetables, and chicken breast salads. Some warm tapa selections include meatballs in garlic cream sauce, scallops with artichokes and roasted peppers, grilled beef tenderloin with bleu cheese, goat cheese with tomato sauce and garlic bread, and skewered pork and apple with red onion relish.

Although best known for its tapas, La Bodega also serves paella, steaks, and salads. Another favorite feature of this Kansas City restaurant is its extensive wine list which offers a wide variety of sparkling wines, white wines, red wines, and cocktails. Most are New World wines from California but there are also a number of Old World ones from Spain and France. Diners have the option of ordering wines by the bottle or by the glass. Happy Hour is on weekdays from 2pm to 6pm where tapas, sangrias, wines, and beers are all 50 percent off.

Cafe Trio is an upscale restaurant in Midtown Kansas City which is ideal for dates and intimate gatherings. The interiors of this cozy Kansas City restaurant is designed in chic and stylish tones with paintings by local and regional artists adorning the walls. Large windows offer a great view of the city. Cafe Trio was recognized as the Best Midtown Restaurant by KC Magazine. The following year, this Kansas City restaurant earned five accolades including Best Overall Restaurant, Best Casual Dining, Best Midtown, Best Bar, and Best Martini.

The menu of Cafe Trio features contemporary American cuisine that highlights a diverse array of seafood, chicken, pork, and beef dishes. Appetizers include grilled asparagus, spinach and artichoke dip, ravioli, and shrimp. This Kansas City restaurant also serves small plates of scallops, mussels, crab cakes, spring rolls, and olives and cheese. Among the entrees are pan-seared tilapia, roasted rack of lamb, ribeye steak, filet mignon, chicken fontina, grilled seafood, and a selection of pasta dishes.

Cafe Trio of Kansas City has a private dining room which can be used for business meetings and other events. It can accommodate up to 20 people. The restaurant is open Mondays to Saturdays 5pm to 11pm but private lunches and special events can also be accommodated from 11am to 4pm. This Kansas City restaurant supports art exhibits of local artists as well as various fun-raising events for charitable causes. This month of April for instance is Autism month at Cafe Trio and when you order the Puzzler martini, all $7 goes to the KC Autism Training Center.