The fun doesn’t stop once the clock strikes midnight in this town.
By Steve Brisendine and Seánan Forbes
Photography by Roy Inman
People may think of Kansas City as a sleepy Midwestern city where the streets get rolled up at sundown. For the night owl, that would be a problem: There it is, 3 a.m., and you’re restless—and there you are, in a place where nothing’s ticking after 9 p.m.
Fortunately, Kansas City is a place where preconceptions and reality don’t always meet. When it comes to late nights, this town isn’t sleepy at all–and whether your craving is for a flight of wine at midnight, a cup of coffee at 2 a.m. or cool jazz at 4 a.m., this Midwestern city can see you sated.
Got a burning desire for a midnight hamburger? Head to Town Topic in the Crossroads District. This old-fashioned greasy spoon was established in 1939. Perch on one of 11 stools at the battered Formica counter and read an over-the-counter menu packed with hearty options. If you’re running on utterly empty or just feeling brave, order the “Truck Stop” (a mound of hash browns scrambled with four eggs, onions, cheese and your choice of meat). The cheese comes in one variety—“regular”— which means American. Pay options at this place don’t include plastic, so leave your credit cards at the hotel.
On the weekends, there’s another all-night breakfast option: YJ’s Snack Bar, in the arty Crossroads area. During most of the week, YJ’s is open from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., but on Thursdays, YJ’s opens at the usual time and then doesn’t close again until midnight on Sunday. Stop in Sunday for live jazz at 8 p.m. As for decor, eclectic’s the word: Be sure to check out the old barstools and school desks.
There’s more jazz to be had at the Mutual Musicians Foundation, in the 18th & Vine Historic Jazz District. The Foundation swings all night on weekends with live jazz from 1:30 to 5 a.m. Musicians and music students get in free; everyone else pays an $8 cover. There’s food and a full bar.
LOUNGING LATE-NIGHT
Night owls at JP Wine Bar and Coffee House; local apparel designer Peggy Noland and friends—Alex Penny (left), Cody Critcheloe and David Ludwig (right)—at Town Topic. |
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Check the Web site to see who’s playing when.
If you’d rather rock out in a place that’s been around for a while, Davey’s Uptown Ramblers Club—on the same Main Street corner since 1950—has live music Wednesday through Saturday, sometimes on Tuesday, and a DJ on Monday. Woody, the chain-smoking doorman, is a trove of information about the club’s history, which runs all the way back to the Jazz Age. Davey’s boasts that it has been “serving alcohol since 1925, legally since 1934.” The venue hosts a variety of genres, including country and jazz.
To catch a late-night wine flight, check out JP Wine Bar and Coffee House in the Crossroads, or Boozefish Wine Bar on Westport Road. JP is open until 1:30 a.m. and offers cheese flights—including one of local cheeses—to match the wines. Booze-fish, which closes at 12:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday and 1:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, has an extensive appetizer menu.
If your thirst is still hanging around after the sun rises, DB Cooper’s, just east of the state line, opens at 6 a.m. (after closing at 1:30 a.m.). You’re likely to see a lot of scrubs in the place after 7 a.m.: DB Cooper’s is a popular winding-down hangout for nurses from the nearby University of Kansas Medical Center.
The Micah Herman Trio
on a Sunday at YJ’s
Snack Bar. Fancy a little Irish? O’Dowd’s Little Dublin on Country Club Plaza is a composition of warm wood and a warmer welcome. There are mismatched chairs, battered tables and random tiles in a floor worn by the feet of countless customers. Empty Guinness and Jameson barrels are set in the ceiling as sound baffles for the stage, where there is often live music. Cruise the vintage photos framed on the walls—and do try the Tyrconnell, an excellent Irish single malt. The draft selection is outstanding and can be bought by the pint or the half. While the kitchen closes at 10 p.m., bar food (nachos and the like) can be had until closing time, 3 a.m. Clear your calendar on a Wednesday or Sunday evening and go listen to Eddie Delahunt, who’s been playing at the venue for years. He is an institution unto himself—but an institution you can take home on CD.
So, when the sun comes up over the unrolled streets of Kansas City, it might find you enjoying live jazz, a cup of coffee or a meal the size of Missouri. Whatever the mood or the hour, there’s a place for you. Just don’t forget to sleep.
WHAT’S WHERE
BOOZEFISH
1511 Westport Road
816-561-5995
www.boozefish.com
DAVEY’S UPTOWN RAMBLERS CLUB
3402 Main St.
816-753-1909
www.daveysuptown.com
DB COOPER’S
1804 W. 39th St.
816-753-9800
JP WINE BAR AND COFFEE HOUSE
1526 Walnut St.
816-842-2660
www.jpwinebar.com
MUTUAL MUSICIANS FOUNDATION
1823 Highland Ave.
816-471-5212
www.thefoundationjamson.org
TOWN TOPIC
2121 Broadway St.
816-842-2298
YJ’S SNACK BAR
128 W. 18th St.
816-472-5533.
OTHER CRAVINGS, OTHER HOURS
CHUBBY’S ON BROADWAY
This is the last surviving 24-hour diner in midtown, and the grateful after-bar crowd starts flooding in around 1 a.m.
3756 Broadway
816-931-2482
QUAFF BAR & GRILL
The kitchen’s open until 2 a.m., making appetizers and homemade pizza, and there are games (pool, darts and more) to entertain the brain.
1010 Broadway
816-471-1918
PANCHO’S MEXICAN FOOD
Simple, authentic Mexican food 24 hours a day. No need to get out of your car between midnight and 6 a.m.; just head to the drive-through window.
3540 Main St.
816-531-8070
