Happy Hour, and the food and drink specials that come with it, are not only a great reason to get together with friends, it is also a way to sample some of the fantastic food offered at some of our nicer restaurants for a steal. During Happy Hour, you can eat and drink like a king or queen for only a fraction of the regular menu price.
Check out these locally owned, chef driven places that place equal importance on food and drink on their Happy Hour menus.
River Market
Il Lazzarone
Happy Hour is 3 pm-6 pm daily, Monday-Sunday
Restaurateur, Erik Borger, offers a happy hour option for early birds and night owls alike at his Neapolitan-style pizza place in the River Market. Open seven days a week for happy hour, Il Lazzarone offers specials from 3:00 pm-6:00 pm and a reverse happy hour from 10 pm – Close. With $6 margherita and marinara pizzas along with 20% off all drinks --- beer, wine and cocktails, the quickest way to get happy is by coming through their back door that leads straight into their bar.
412, Delaware Street, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.541.3695, illazzarone.org
The Farmhouse
Happy Hour is 3 pm-6 pm, Wednesday-Friday, in the lounge or patio only
Carnivores and vegetarians alike flock to Chef/owner, Michael Foust, happy hour menu that appeals to both in equal measure. Items like carrot soup with chili oil or a vegan BLT-sandwich made with house tofu bacon are on special for $7, or on the meaty side try his juicy Royale burger with cheese for only $8. You could also compromise and get the side of fries to split for only $3. Drink specials are available, but change often, so be sure to ask the bartender where the deals are.
300 Delaware Street, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.569.6032, eatatthefarmhouse.com
Brown & Loe
Happy Hour is 3 pm – 6 pm, Monday-Friday
What else would you expect, from veteran barman, Harry Murphy and his daughter, Kate McGlaughlin, but a spot on happy hour with a solid food and drink menu? Located in the heart of the City Market, right on the streetcar line, Brown & Loe has select seasonal cocktails for $6, and all wine and beer are $2 off. Comforting appetizers to share include the farmers cheese arancini, grilled cheese and a smoked chicken arepa with pickled onion, queso fresco and red chili aioli along with a few others.
429 Walnut St, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.472.0622, brownandloe.com
Downtown
Charisse
Happy Hour is 4-6 pm, Monday – Friday
If you’ve had the kind of day where you just want to escape to a different place, or country, like France, for example, then Charisse is where you want to go. Sit at the bar or at one of the charming café tables and enjoy a selection of house wines by the glass, local beers, cocktails all for around $4-$6 a glass. Order pomme frites with truffle oil for $4, P.E.I. mussels in a saffron cream sauce for $12 or a Mini Monsieurs sandwiches for $6, and enjoy them well-below dinner menu prices. Once inside, you might enjoy the urban views and convivial French bistro atmosphere so much that your happy hour may turn into dinner. Don’t fight the urge when it hits.
1006 Walnut Street, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.474.0000, charissekc.com
West Bottoms
Voltaire
Happy Hour is 4-6 pm, Wednesday - Saturday
There is not one person who wouldn’t enjoy a little happy hour libation at the gorgeous bar tucked away inside of Voltaire located in the West Bottoms. The place is dark, and definitely romantic, so bring someone you want to get to know a little better. With a solid crew behind the bar do not hesitate to order a $4 glass of house wine or local beer or one of the excellent cocktail specials priced around $6-$7. The food menu changes each week, with a variety of globally inspired small plates with something for everyone.
1617 Genessee St., Kansas City, Missouri, 816.472.1200, voltairekc.com
Crossroads
Extra Virgin
Happy Hour is 4-6 pm, Monday-Friday, Dine-in only
With its warm and colorful décor, and large communal bar and outdoor patio the Happy Hour at Extra Virgin is usually packed with shiny, happy people ready to relax. Their happy hour keeps it simple, by offering a nice mix of half off tapas and $2 off all cocktails and wines by the glass, and select beers are just $2.50. Pick your poison, and let one of the terrific bartenders shake one up for you, while you choose from items like marinated olives, roasted marrow bones, Spanish meatballs and sea urchin pasta.
1900 Main St., Kansas City, MO, 816.842.2205, extravirginkc.com
The Jacobson Happy Hour
Happy Hour is 3-6 pm, Monday-Friday
When The Jacobson opened its doors in 2012, the first thing people talked about was their unique urban space and welcoming outdoor patio, complete with a fire can enjoy a glass of hour wine or select craft cocktails for $5, with select beers and wells for $3. Pair it with items from their “mingle menu” like stuffed meatballs, boneless “pig wings”, street tacos, fig crostini and more, all between $4-$6. Enjoy this menu inside or outside, or wherever you feel like mingling. 2050 Central St., Kansas City, Missouri, 816.423.2888, thejacobsonkc.com
Howard’s Grocery Café & Catering
Happy Hour is 5-7 pm, Tuesday-Friday
Howard's Grocery, Café & Catering has moved beyond chef/owner, Craig Howard’s initial lunch hours to create a unique happy hour offering with a special small plates menu. Now open 11 am – 7 pm daily, happy hour from 5-7 pm, serving a new small plates menu, in addition to the regular menu, featuring locally sourced dishes with ingredients that come straight from local farms. Look for the Midwest Egg Hopper, a corn crepe topped with a fried farm egg, preserved tomatoes and microgreens, along with a KC Shrimp dish, and possibly a slider version of his famous cheeseburger. To drink, you’ll find local Boulevard beers on tap, a couple of ciders and wines by the glass. Look for the latest small plates offered on their Facebook page.
1708 Oak Street, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.721.7835, howardskc.com
The Rieger
Happy Hour is 3-6 pm, Monday-Friday
Craft cocktail culture is alive and well at The Rieger. Here in this refurbished historic hotel, you will find talented bartenders working upstairs at the restaurant, and another team working downstairs at Manifesto, the speakeasy located in the basement. Hosting one of the earliest Happy Hours, which starts at 3 pm, The Rieger offers a nice mix of appetizers and entrees at a marvelous value. Consider starting your happy hour with a bowl that is the signature dish of the restaurant, The Rieger pork soup, then perhaps a salad or the braunschweiger mousse plate or even the mini pork tenderloin sandwiches all cost between $5 and $10. There are beer and wine specials, but this is a place where ordering a cocktail is the best idea. At happy hour, they always have a small selection of craft cocktails available between $5 and $8. Choose from a French 75, the Old Fashioned, the Horsefeather and a handful of others. Wine and beer specials are offered between $2-$6.
1924 Main St., Kansas City, Missouri, 816.471.2177, theriegerkc.com
Hospital Hill
Antler Room
Happy Hour is 5-7 pm, Sunday, Monday, Wednesday & Thursday
Chef Nick and Leslie Goellner opened their new hotspot in October 2016, in the Longfellow neighborhood near Hospital Hill. The highly anticipated restaurant is a casual, cool spot that feels uniquely grounded and personal with a Scandinavian flare. Saddle up to their bar for drink discounts only during happy hour, but look for the couple to introduce food to the happy hour menu this Spring. In the meantime, you are encouraged to order anything from their full price dinner menu to enjoy with your discounted drinks at the bar. Select beers are $3, and certain wine and cocktails are only $6 a glass. Cheers!
2506 Holmes St, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.605.1967, theantlerroomkc.com
Westport
Bluestem
Happy Hour is 4-6 pm, Tuesday-Friday
The newly redesigned lounge area at Bluestem features a large communal table in the window, additional seats around the pastry station and more tables and chairs for more people to enjoy their casual and comforting Happy Hour specials. Although, the restaurant side of Bluestem is some of the finest dining you will ever enjoy, the lounge keeps it more casual and everyday feeling in decor and prices. Drink a 9 oz glass of wine for a 6 oz price or get $3 beers, in addition to some spectacular craft cocktails for $6-$7. Try the hand cut beef tartare, soup of the day, shrimp and grits or the hanger steak with chimichurri and frites. There is also a dessert menu that you must not pass up.
900 Westport Rd., Kansas City, Missouri, 816.561.1101, bluestemkc.com
Julep
Happy hour is 3-6 pm Monday-Friday
It is hard not to love a happy hour menu that begins with 25% off ALL whiskey in the house, but at Julep in Westport that is the deal of the day. Additional drink specials include $6 Manhattans, Old Fashioneds, Sazeracs & Whiskey Sours. There are $6 glasses of Granacha, Sauvignon Blanc and Secco Italian bubbles, plus $2 off any Boulevard beers. To eat, take $1 off anything ordered from the Bites menu, which includes southern favorites like the pimento cheese balls, smoked ham dip and house chips with charred leek and black pepper.
4141 Pennsylvania Ave, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.216.7000, julepkc.com
Ça Va
Happy Hour is 4-6 pm, Tuesday-Saturday
For anyone who might be intimidated by the prices associated with champagne, Ça Va's happy hour is a great place to start. Co-owner and general manager, Caitlin Corcoran, makes sure her happy hour bar features $5 glasses of Rosé, Prosecco, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, $5 Lillet blanc, rose, or rouge spritz, $5 J. Rieger whiskey shots and $1 off all beer. Sparkling wine bottle prices are also a steal should you want to split a bottle with a friend. All happy hour snacks are between $4-$7 and include not-miss items like duck fat kettle corn, a seasonal tartine, omelette de fromage and always a slice of something sweet to eat.
4149 Pennsylvania Ave, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.255.3934, cavakc.com
Westport Café & Bar
Happy Hour is 4-6 pm and 10 pm to close daily, Monday-Sunday
This darling French bistro in the heart of Westport is the place to land if you need a meal before or after a show or concert, as Westport Café & Bar does not usually close until 1:30 am, and the kitchen stays open late. Order anything from Spring pea ravioli with brown butter for $5 to steak and frites for $10, and you’ll enjoy a full meal at discount prices. Pair a bowl of mussels with bleu cheese and bacon with any of their $5 wine selections or $3-$6 beers. Bon Appetit!
419 Westport Road, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.931.4740, westportcafeandbar.com
West Plaza
Jax’s Fish House & Oyster Bar
Happy Hour is all night on Mondays and 4-6 pm Tuesday-Saturday, 3 pm-6 pm Sundays
With such a generous happy hour schedule, you can tell the folks at Jax’s Fish House know how to party. Get there early and grab the first barstool you see, then settle in for a marvelous cocktail like the Cucumber Lemon Press, Gin Rickey or Bangkok Fizz, and many more for only $6-$7. Well drinks are $5, select glasses of wine, including rose on tap are $6-$7 and beer is $1 off. Get oysters on the half shell for $1.50 or pick and choose from a cheap and cheerful Happy Hour menu full of delicious items like the gumbo fries, peel and eat shrimp, spicy tuna and a bison slider.
4814 Roanoke Pkwy, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.437.7940, jaxfishhouse.com/kansas-city
Journeyman Cafe
Happy Hour is 4-6 pm Tuesday-Saturday
This West Plaza gem is a great spot to land if you are looking for a place with a low-key, neighborhood vibe where you can really have a meaningful conversation along with a drink and a snack. Less of a scene, and more intimate pub, Journeyman Café has recently expanded their seating options into their former coffee café, but at happy hour the action is all at their handsome bar. Order one of their featured seasonal cocktails like the pumpkin spice martini for $7 or a Manhattan for $5, then dive into their list of snacks and salads to fuel your small talk. Try the roasted eggplant and sunflower seed puree served with crostini for $6, honey bread served with basil honey butter for $3.50 or the polenta with ricotta cheese, applewood smoked bacon, tomato and basil for $5.50.
1121 W 47th St, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.844.9177, journeymankc.com
South of the Plaza
Stock Hill
Happy Hour is 4 pm – 6:30 pm, daily, Monday-Sunday
For those times when you tastes are fancy, but your wallet is slim, happy hour, or social hour, as they call it at Stock Hill, is the perfect time to sample a delicious crafted cocktail and enjoy something from their rotating list of gourmet bites made by Executive chef Joe West, and his team. Enjoy seafood, vegetarian and meaty options from their happy hour menu, with items like wood fired grilled oysters with garlic butter, $2 each, hearts of palm calamari served with cocktail sauce and lemon aioli for $8 and a duo of sliders made with smoked house pastrami and beef short ribs are also $8. Sip on selected craft cocktails for $8 or wines by the glass for $7. The lush emerald green couches and handsome bar in the round will transport you from Kansas City, straight to Oz.
4800 Main Street, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.895.8400, stockhillkc.com