KC Sipps: Top food and drink stories of 2023, plus a look ahead

Art by Cassondra Jones

The final installment of KC Sipps for 2023 is a bit different: I’m taking a break! But to be honest, that just means that I worked twice as much last week so I could rest this week. 

Thank you for turning to The Pitch for food and drink news–your readership and trust is everything. Feel free to email me with your feedback or stories of how local restaurants, cafes, or bars have had a positive impact on your year!

Please savor this look back at our delicious year in Kansas City.

With hope,
Sarah Sipple, Food & Drink Editor

By the Numbers

KC Sipps articles: 52

Total food stories: 294

Most-liked food post on Instagram: Chingu is the most exciting restaurant to open in KC in months.

The meal I returned for most often in 2023: A tie between the Nashville Fried Chicken Sammie at The Fix and the Tofu Pad Key Maw at Baramee Thai Bistro.

Food Editor’s Picks

Kinship Cafe is creating transparency and community within the KC coffee space and we’re here for it. Barbacoa was an instant staff pick for KC’s best new restaurant of 2023. From Barbie to Bob’s Burgers, Vignettes never runs out of energy. There was A LOT of James Beard Award chatter this year, which was exciting. Lauren Textor wrote a primer on the Iron District shipping containers that feed North Kansas City. Last but not least, our Cheap Eats series for our March issue was enticing and had stellar photography.

Editor-in-Chief Brock’s Pick: SipSteady’s Dry Vibes Weekend marks the start of a sober sensation in KC.

Lauren Textor’s Favorite Authored Piece: Dish & Drink KC: Jazz brunch at The Phoenix and more sustainable sips at Sway Coffee Roasters.

Jordan Baranowski’s Favorite Authored Piece: Roman’s Holiday: Barbacoa brings backyard BBQ to center stage. (See, I told you this place was an easy pick for staff favorite.)

Food-adjacent

THIS fabulous backyard bbq photoshoot is well worth sharing again (photos are at the bottom of the article.) Overland Park Farmers Market bans Nazi pepper vendor after antisemitic social media rant. Our Kelce Jam coverage now feels like a fever dream. Checking in on turmoil and turnover with Kansas City’s restaurant workers at the annual industry conference. Joe Ellett kept tabs on the drama surrounding the American Royal BBQ competition.

Ringing in 2024

Two tickets to Paradise: The Blue Palm is opening soon in Strawberry Hill. Bryan Arri’s sugarcane and agave-forward Fern Bar lands in the Crossroads.

Getting Deep Now…

While our main goal is to showcase the best of Kansas City’s food and drink scene–representing a wide variety of neighborhoods, cuisines, makers, and more–we have a secondary goal for 2024. 

We are encouraging readers to “Try more in 2024.” 

For you that may mean trying new dishes outside of your comfort zone, eating at local restaurants more often, or even just honing a new home recipe. You could revisit a food that turned you off as a child, or try your hand at a local cooking or wine-tasting class. Try tipping 5% more than you did last year. Try making happy-hour plans to keep in touch with friends more regularly. Try non-alcoholic cocktails and wines. Try dining in a new-to-you neighborhood.

The goal is completely customizable and relative, but it’s one small area where we can feel a sense of control combined with hopefulness, adventure, and curiosity. See you in 2024 <3

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