Don’t worry families, I am not ignoring you!
I recently received a request to share my Kansas City favorites…when you leave the kids at home with a babysitter. As it happens, Kid Jupiter did not exist when we lived in the area, so I have only experienced KCMO without kids. So I did what I do best; which is to find interesting food and drinks for adults of legal drinking age.
Read on if you’re hiring a babysitter, or if kids aren’t in the mix right now.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links; I may earn a tiny commission from purchases.
In no particular order, here are my five favorites in Kansas City when it’s just the adults:
- Holladay Distillery
- Browne’s Irish Marketplace
- Boulevard Brewing Beer Hall
- Port Fonda Bloody Mary Brunch
- Drag show at Hamburger Mary’s
By the way, my first post about Kansas City favorites details City Market, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, The Roasterie, Port Fonda, and Alamo Draft House.
— HOLLADAY DISTILLERY
facebook.com/Holladay1856
Weston, Missouri
We just like distilleries and breweries. Mister Jupiter and I enjoy the tours, samples, and just learning a little more about processes and company history. Touring Holladay involves a fair amount of walking outdoors, so wear comfortable shoes and mind the weather.
The gift shop has a lot of fun things – including a mini charred barrel so you can make your own barrel-aged spirits at home! Bring cash to tip the bartender, and bring plenty of quarters.
— BROWNE’S IRISH MARKETPLACE
facebook.com/brownesirishmarketplace
Kansas City, Missouri – Valentine
Browne’s is the oldest Irish business outside of Ireland, they’ve been providing food, drink, and community support for 130 years – wow! I found them while searching for something new for my birthday. They were having an Irish Breakfast and it was an excellent meal.
If you can get a plate for Irish Breakfast, do it! It really was just like the traditional breakfasts I ate in Dublin. Note to self – get some baked beans and beautiful tomatoes soon.
Truly this is a kid-friendly place, but don’t expect spacious family seating. There is limited outdoor seating for having a pint in the sun, otherwise this is an excellent deli. Sure you’ll find everything green for Saint Patty’s but you’ll also have international options in the shop. Mister Jupiter bought me a mix-with-hot-water chip shop curry that I love and continue to buy on Amazon. After your meal, take a walk in the neighborhood – Valentine is charming.
— BOULEVARD BREWING BEER HALL
facebook.com/Boulevard
Kansas City, Missouri – Downtown
I’ve always enjoyed Boulevard, but after spending many afternoons in the beer hall, I specifically seek Boulevard brews in local shops -and request it by name!
Why? Because they make a lot of fun and delicious beverages. Because they have a spacious beer hall. Because they have quality merchandise in the gift shop. Everything they do is thoughtful, it has the customer in mind, and it’s fair prices for high quality everything.
The beer hall is a favorite because test beers are always on tap, so you can have a very diverse flight each visit. Not into beer? They have sodas too. Need a snack? They have excellent food – grab a Meat & Cheese Brewer’s Board, and think of me when you dip your chorizo in mustard, and wash it down with a Mexican-style lager. Mmm.
— PORT FONDA BLOODY MARY BRUNCH
facebook.com/portfondakc
Kansas City, Missouri – Old Westport
This brunch may be a COVID-19 casualty, or maybe it’s just paused – either way, Port Fonda is still open (but with limited hours and carry-out only) at the time of writing.
In the before-time, Port Fonda offered an impressive Sunday brunch, and the bloody mary bar was impressive – it had everything you want for a perfect bloody. Speaking of delicious drinks at Port Fonda, you’ll need to pay attention in August & September for their Hatch Chile Festival (if you’re into Hatch chiles). They have a full festival including a temporary menu and chile drinks. Their Hatch chile margarita is PERFECT.
— DRAG SHOW AT HAMBURGER MARY’S
facebook.com/hamburgermaryskc
Kansas City, Missouri – Valentine
When was the last time you went to a gay bar anyway? This gem takes us back to Valentine, and parking gets a little tight, so you’ll want to carpool or get dropped off.
This was my first experience with Hamburger Mary’s at all – they have more locations, I just haven’t been to any others. They have fish & chips (which means that I ordered it because I order food like an old lady), but the burgers really did look and smell delicious. Next time, I’m definitely getting a burger.
When you’re finished eating – eyes up for the drag show! Hamburger Mary’s attracts a wide range of talented performers and I love a good show. Bring plenty of singles to tip the queens (and your server, and the bartender) – and have fun. Leave any traces of homophobia at home, because everybody will be flirted with (especially if you’re a good lookin’ man). After the show Hamburger Mary’s definitely converts into a more typical gay bar. But unlike typical bars they sometimes have STD testing – I wish that more clubs offered this because it’s a fantastic public health outreach that I fully support.
That’s it for today’s favorites; Kansas City without the Kids! I’ll soon contrast this with a third list of Kansas City favorites – for the family. That list will have less experience, but that’s not always a bad thing.
If you have a special request too, just shoot me an email — Contact@LadyJupiter.com.
Lady Jupiter 