Lounges in Kansas City

Char Bar is Kansas City's most beloved barbecue and cocktail lounge — a Westport backyard venue presenting smoked meats alongside exceptional cocktails in an outdoor gathering space that captures the very essence of Kansas City outdoor entertainment culture. Its celebration of Kansas City's most important cultural tradition (barbecue) alongside craft cocktails creates a lounge experience authentically and distinctively Kansan City.

The bar and lounge at The Crossroads Hotel in Kansas City's celebrated arts district serves the vibrant creative community that has made Crossroads one of the Midwest's most exciting neighborhood entertainment zones. The hotel's rooftop bar and ground-floor lounge anchor the arts district corridor that includes First Fridays gallery events, restaurant week celebrations, and the seasonal entertainment programming that draws both local residents and gaming visitors from the Kansas City metropolitan casino market.

Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway's lounge is part of the Wyandotte County entertainment hub on the Kansas side of the Kansas City metro. Co-located with Kansas Speedway (NASCAR) and Village West entertainment district, the Hollywood Casino lounge serves a large cross-state gaming market from the broader Kansas City area, including Missouri and Kansas residents.

Kansas City's lounge scene spans from the sophisticated cocktail bars of the Crossroads Arts District to the upscale venues serving Chiefs and Royals game-day crowds near the stadiums. Kansas City's extraordinary sports culture — anchored by the Chiefs' multiple Super Bowl championships under Patrick Mahomes — creates a sports entertainment lounge market of unusual enthusiasm and spending power.

J. Rieger & Co. is Kansas City's most important craft distillery — a beautifully restored East Bottoms facility producing outstanding Kansas City-style whiskeys in a historic industrial building. Rieger's extraordinary revival of Kansas City's pre-Prohibition distilling heritage (the original J. Rieger & Co. was one of America's largest whiskey companies before Prohibition) and its consistent production of outstanding spirits create a distillery lounge of genuine Kansas City spirits historical significance.

Manifesto is Kansas City's most acclaimed cocktail bar — a beautifully designed underground KC speakeasy consistently ranked among America's finest craft cocktail destinations. Kansas City's remarkable cocktail culture (the city produces world-class bartenders in numbers that rival Chicago and New York) and Manifesto's extraordinary cocktail innovation create a lounge of genuine American craft cocktail significance.

Kansas City's cocktail lounge scene serves one of the most remarkable food cities in America — a metro area where the extraordinary barbecue tradition, the outstanding craft cocktail movement, and the remarkable local spirits industry create a cocktail culture of genuine American heartland food and drink significance. The Kansas City cocktail scene's extraordinary depth (it regularly produces nationally recognized bartenders) reflects the metro's remarkable culinary ambitions.

The Rieger is Kansas City's most acclaimed restaurant and cocktail bar — a Crossroads destination consistently praised by national food media for its extraordinary cocktail program and its celebration of Kansas City's culinary heritage with contemporary craft. James Beard Foundation recognition and consistent placement on best cocktail bar lists have made The Rieger the benchmark for contemporary Kansas City hospitality.