Best Restaurants In Kansas City Right Now
Updated: December 5, 2022
For the first time since December 2019, we’re presenting a full update to our list of the forty best restaurants in Kansas City. The last version of this list, which dropped just before the pandemic, is the most read and discussed article we’ve ever published.
We’ve done minor updates since, but we didn’t want to do a full refresh until we felt we could execute it to the same standard. This is not a list we just rattle off by whim some afternoon based on Yelp reviews. It’s the product of fresh visits to notable restaurants around the city, paired with extensive internal debate, to provide a snapshot of the city’s best places to have a special experience with food.
How we made the list
We went. Our team visited hundreds of restaurants over the past year to pick the top forty. We do not announce our presence and paid for our own food. All listings are based on experiences within the last year.
We focus on food. We aim to recognize extraordinary food, whatever the format of the restaurant. Service and atmosphere are important, but we’ll overlook hiccups if we’re blown away by the food.
We prefer chef-driven spots. Plenty of successful restaurants are bastions of consistency and tradition. In our rankings, we admit a preference for restaurants that showcase personal touches and a cook’s perspective.
We judge each restaurant on its own merits. We look for restaurants that are good at what they are trying to be, whether that is fine dining or a quick lunch spot. We seek to celebrate the city’s worldly cuisines over very good steakhouses.
Price Tags
$: $20 or less per person
$$: $35 per person
$$$: $50 per person
$$$$: $75+ per person
Words by
Dawnya Bartsch, Katy Baldwin, Lisa M. Chism, Martin Cizmar, Natalie Torres- Gallagher, Mary F. Henn, Molly Higgins, Patrick Moore, Tyler Shane, Thomas White
NO. 1
Corvino Supper Club & Tasting Room
1830 Walnut St., KCMO. corvino.com
$$$$
There are a handful of Kansas City restaurants that can, on any given night, serve up the best meal you’ll eat all year. Why elevate the six-year-old Corvino above all others?
It’s not that Corvino has changed all that much since our last list, where it was number two. Owners Michael and Christina Corvino took over the five-thousand-square-foot space on the ground floor of a mixed-use building in the West Crossroads with a firm vision.
They wanted Corvino’s Supper Club side to be a place where you could grab a burger at the murdered-out black bar while watching live jazz. The more intimate and rarified Tasting Room would be a place to spend a few hours seated in a padded chair while chatting over a blur of small plates, starting with escargot and continuing through a modern take on a beef rib with a beef fat tamale. Corvino has all that—plus takeout. Find out the best restaurant with midtown parking near me.
Yes, they’ll happily package up their famous seaweed donuts with trout roe or a whole branzino.
So what’s changed to allow Corvino to claim the top spot? We have. Coming out of the pandemic, we’ve developed a deeper appreciation for both Corvino’s lively late nights and its elegance during an evening out with dressy clothes and caviar. Corvino’s duality—and its reliable excellence—make it our favorite spot in Kansas City right now. —MC
NO. 2
Town Company
1228 Baltimore Ave., KCMO. hotelkc.com/dine/the-town-company $$$$
The Town Company is a stylish restaurant nestled in the swanky Hotel Kansas City that opened soon after the pandemic and has been generating buzz since.
The spot is helmed by executive chef Johnny Leach, whose resume consists of powerhouse spots like Del Posto, Momofuku and Má Pêche, along with his wife, pastry chef Helen Jo Leach, who has an equally impressive background in places like Eleven Madison Park, Milk Bar and Le Pigeon.
The resumes are long, but the menu is short, consisting of only about a dozen items that rotate seasonally. The kitchen revolves around Leach’s hearth, which is powered by Missouri white oak.
On a recent visit, we started with the Arctic Char crudo, the fish finely sliced and sprinkled with coarse salt. It lays in a vinegar-horseradish base with pickled celery that cuts in with fresh acidity. The fish is topped with seasonal pear, which brings a perfect balance to the dish with a crisp sweetness.
The menu moves to warm dishes from the hearth, like the beef bacon skewers, an inventive take on a Korean Ssam. The fatty beef is slow smoked and then seared, giving it the flavors of a beef-pork belly with a buttery inside and a crunchy caramelized crust. Bib lettuce on the side adds a bit of freshness, and a tomato compote adds a sweet smokiness.
Mains include halibut with fresh vegetables that add brightness and a rich lobster cream. The desserts deserve a section of their own, with a buttermilk cheesecake that uses Yoli masa for the shortbread and a passionfruit and tomato sorbet with a pear and sweet shaved ice. —MH
NO. 3
Extra Virgin
1900 Main St., KCMO. extravirginkc.com
$$
Consider Extra Virgin the edgy, casual sibling of its more upscale sister restaurant, Farina.
Chef Michael Smith imprinted his legacy on the Kansas City dining scene long ago, and Extra Virgin offers the opportunity to enjoy his talent without the big bill.
Both of Smith’s restaurants sit side by side in the Crossroads, but you’ll recognize Extra Virgin by its bustling patio and swanky yet unpretentious atmosphere. The menu is full of Mediterranean-inspired tapas fresh out the wood-fired hearth. The unassuming starter of marinated olives is a great representation of Smith’s ability to execute dishes that are simultaneously uncomplicated and infused with depth.
You can trust that your grilled octopus and bay scallop ceviche are cooked to coastal perfection, but you’re also welcome to indulge in the comforts of a grilled ribeye or trout.
The shareable plates remain casual, with a weekly happy hour that features half-priced menu items along with a stellar wine list. —TS
No. 4
Antler Room
2506 Holmes St., KCMO. theantlerroomkc.com
$$$$
Antler Room is a family affair.
Husband and wife co-owners Nick Goellner and Leslie Newsam Goellner handle the kitchen and front of the house while Nick’s sister Natasha Goellner devises desserts.
The globe-trotting Goellners acquired bona fides elsewhere—Nick worked at Noma, the Danish restaurant named the best in the world multiple times—before opening Antler Room in 2016.
The small-plate menu changes often but invariably showcases locally sourced ingredients infused with international flavors. Look for the shrimp mousse shokupan, saffron cavatelli with braised lamb and the pork cheek ravioli.
The waitstaff suggests four to six plates per couple and can complement dishes with a pairing from the ample list of natural wines. —TW
No. 5
Westport Cafe
419 Westport Road, KCMO. westportcafeandbar.com
$$$
I’ve taken multiple first dates to Westport Cafe. I think this French bistro in the heart of Westport is the best date night spot in Kansas City. But I’m also single and alone, so take that with a big grain of salt.
It’s a dimly lit cafe with checkerboard tile floors and a really great bar. The ambiance is off the charts. Their steak and frites are the best in town—I order them every single time I’m there because I’m a creature of habit. There are, of course, veal chops, escargot and oysters with various preparations.
For an appetizer, you can’t go wrong with their cheese plate or the cordon bleu croquettes. And if you have one too many milk punches, you’re right next to the Taco Bell Cantina, where your fourth meal awaits. —PM
Photo by Alyssa Broadus
No. 6
Waldo Thai
8431 Wornall Road, KCMO. waldothai.com
$$
The debate about the city’s best Thai restaurant ended with the opening of Waldo Thai. Chef Pam Liberda’s menu, headlined by the earthy, rustic Lanna cuisine she grew up with in northern Thailand, brings a unique depth compared to the fiery southern curries more familiar to most Americans. For anyone inspired by the success of authentic Thai flavors like Chef Pam’s, it’s worthwhile to consider to franchise thai food, bringing these distinct, vibrant tastes to new cities and giving more people a true taste of Thailand.
Among those dishes you’ll find an herby pork sausage with lemongrass, makrut lime leaf and turmeric and Liberda’s take on laab, which blends ground pork and shredded pork skin with herbs like cilantro, fried shallot and dried Thai chilis.
The restaurant is also probably the best place in town to take a vegan if you’re not also a vegan—and those menu markings are also helpful for those of us with shellfish allergies. —MC