Downtown/Crossroads/Midtown

Columbus Park Ramen: The place in KC worth going for ramen. Have a cute alleyway outside you can eat in also. Plus, Mystery beers are totally worth it. (I’m also on the yelp page because some dude thought it’d be a great idea to take a picture of me)

Farina: New Italian spot from Michael Smith (chef/owner of Extra Virgin above). Incredible pastas that rotate frequently. They also have both a bar and a raw oyster bar which is really cool. Recommend going as a couple and splitting multiple pastas and apps.

Lazia: Another italian spot. In the Crossroads Hotel, not as good as Farina, but definitely not as pricey. As a plus that is not food related, if you are a Sporting Fan, Kristian Nemeth can often be found here after games.

Corvino: This place is absolutely crushing it right now. The fried chicken and the burger are both incredible (Sunday nights the chicken is half off!). The house fries made F&W magazine, for good reason. The real standout here are the seaweed donuts. yes, they sound weird, but trust me they're worth ordering. They are little pillows served with creme fraiche and caviar. Its savory, creamy, salty all in one bite. The cocktail menu is also one of my favorites. As a last note, be on the lookout for Ravenous to open this summer. It will be a more casual spot specializing in fried chicken sandwiches and burgers. 

Antler Room: The chef here trained at Noma, that is the sort of credibility this place carries. The menu changes often (seasonally, if not more often), but the hamachi tostada is one of the current standouts as well as the clams with XO sauce and dashi. There is honestly no way to go wrong here with anything on the menu. This is a place I tend to stick with wines over cocktails but you can't really go wrong either way.

Novel- Featured on Queer Eye during their time in KC. I genuinely wanted to love this place, especially since so many people I know love it. I just wasn't blown away. The food was good, but I'm not sure if this was a victim of too much hype to me or an off night. Worth checking out since the space is beautiful, but can't say I'd recommend this over some of the other nice spots in town.

Town Topic: This is an institution. Especially worth it after a night out drinking (although beware long waits if you go when bars close at 3). The burgers might just be the best in town (looking at the cheap burger category).

Grinders- A KC Classic. Apparently featured on food network. The bengal tiger pizza (inspired by Northwest India cuisine), Le Hog, are some great gourmet pizzas. Also has decent phillies, haven’t tried their death wings but I’m intrigued. 

The death wings are tasty. If you go for the death sauce be warned, it is hot. I personally will stick with the molten or near death if I'm trying to enjoy the meal.

The Peanut: A KC institution also, the best wings in town as well as a great BLT. They also do pretty good HH specials, but i can’t quite remember them off hand. (Multiple locations.)

Parlor: Newish spot that opened in the crossroads. Food hall with 9? Different stations. The standouts are the Korean, Japanese, and nashville hot chicken (not super authentic but still really good). Also have a killer bar program with a bar upstairs and downstairs and often have DJs playing the basement at night.

Rockhille Grill- Upscale American dining, haven’t been but have heard great things

I will second the first half, although I can’t say I’ve heard super good things about this place.

Savoy: Located in the 21C hotel (worth checking out for just how weird it is). This is a reboot of an upscale classic in KC. Food is good, but the highlight to me is the bar.

Cafe Gratitude: This is a completely vegan restaurant. They do a pretty great job! They have their own spin on dishes- I ordered the lasagna and was super pleased. I remember their tonics and elixirs were like heaven in a glass. 

Poi-O: The menu here is limited to chicken or pork ribs with Mexican street style sides (The Elotes are a must get). Must go.

The Half Chicken with Elotes. The house salsas make everything better!

The Majestic: like I mentioned above. It’s a steakhouse but a damn good one. The wagyu porterhouse for $88 with salad and two sides is totally worth it to split as a meal! Ask for a table downstairs!