KC Sipps: Free coffee, a new McLain’s location, and more restaurant news

Art by Cassondra Jones

Looking for delicious plans? Whether you want to impress a date, show your fam the best of KC, or just get out of the house, we’ve got you covered… all while supporting (mostly) local. 

Here is your weekly roundup of the best food and drink offerings around Kansas City. Cheers!

Something New

Vintage ‘78 Wine Bar: Overland Park’s Vintage ‘78 Wine Bar was just awarded “Best Wine by the Glass List (without Coravin) in the World for 2024” by the World of Fine Wine Magazine. Vintage ‘78 features a large selection of cheeses, charcuterie, and other accompaniments to complement the award-winning wine menu.

The Primrose: The Primrose is celebrating two years of serving craft cocktails on Johnson Drive in Mission. The celebratory menu features a variety of fan-favorite cocktails from the past two years–even a Valentine-y chocolate one and a Christmas-themed cocktail! From this menu, I suggest Cuffing Season which is good with or without alcohol.

Pour Coffeehouse: Pour Coffeehouse in Olathe is celebrating ten years of business! In honor of the milestone, they have released a light-roast coffee that can be purchased in-store or shipped. The blend is called 10/10. I ate a strictly gluten-free diet for a few years due to health issues, and Pour was a reliable source for fabulous gluten-free goodies, despite not being a gluten-free specific establishment. 

Opening

McLain’s Market: At 7 a.m. on Monday, September 30, North KC will officially have a McLain’s. The newest location of McLain’s Market is at 1720 Swift St. They may be most well-known for their cupcookie, but I think that their peanut butter cookie and chicken salad sandwich make for a fantastsic lunch. 

Closing

OMBRA: As of October 1, OMBRA in Briarcliff will undergo a temporary closure to rework the menu and service style. The small plates restaurant will transition into a more entree-based restaurant and wine bar. The planned reopening is January 2025. OMBRA will still be available for events, and the sister store from the same owners, Carne Diem Fine Meats and Pantry, is still open a few doors down.

Blu Hwy: Blu Hwy, an American-meets-global-influences restaurant located in South Plaza, has closed. The reason has not been shared by ownership.

September 26

Char Bar: Char Bar’s Westport location is also celebrating ten years! Congratulations! Tonight, starting at 7 p.m., they’re inviting past and present Char Bar fans to a free concert on the patio featuring Shakedown Strings, a Grateful Dead strings tribute band.  

September 27

Vignettes: The Sanderson sisters are back, but this time at North KC’s rotating theme bar, Vignettes. Creative cocktails are always flowing, but I suggest popping-in for one of their activities such as trivia or music bingo. Reservations are encouraged, especially the first week or so of each new theme.

September 28

Marcell Coffee: This Crossroads private-label coffee roaster isn’t usually open to the public, but the team behind Take Care Coffee and Marcell Coffee is throwing a Marcellabration in honor of five years in business. The free and family-friendly event runs from 3 – 8 p.m. and features sips and activities. The roaster’s address is 1815 Charlotte Street, KCMO.

Casual Animal: Casual Animal supports local causes each month, but from 12 – 4 p.m., they are hosting their first-ever non-profit festival. The free event features live entertainment by Flare tha Rebel, Kadesh Flow, and DJ LeoNightus, and food available from The Brick, Pan Caliente, Disco Burger, Orange by Devoured, and Fairway Creamery. All ages are welcome, with products and services available for purchase to benefit a variety of local organizations.

September 29

Café Cà Phê: To celebrate National Coffee Day, Café Cà Phê is pulling out all the stops! All drinks will be 50% off all day–even The Alchemy set–a Chiefs gameday special. PLUS, the first 150 customers at Café Cà Phê will receive a free carton of Chiobani Oat Milk, can of Vietnamese cold brew, and a bottle of longan-flavored syrup. I have the longan syrup by Torani from the AANHPI Festival and it’s a unique treat–especially for teas and mocktails. 

Whataburger: (We don’t usually talk about fast food, but hey–free is free!) In honor of National Coffee Day, Whataburger is giving away a free 16-ounce iced coffee or 12-ounce hot coffee from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. No purchase is necessary. I’m not suggesting this as a recommended combo, but I recently tried their spicy chicken sandwich, and while I’ll need to try it a couple more times to solidify this stance, it may take over as my favorite fast-food chicken sammie.

Drastic Measures: James Beard nominated cocktail bar, meet the Best New Restaurant of 2023 as voted by both Pitch readers and the sweeping staff pick. Barbacoa will be at Drastic Measures in Shawnee for a barbeque and mezcal cocktail hangout. Seatings are available at 3 p.m. or 6 p.m., and tickets are going fast. The $100 tickets include food and four cocktails. 

Plan Ahead

Zero Zero Pasta: I’m shocked that this hasn’t sold out yet, but tickets are still available for one of the seating options at the Zero Zero x Barham Family Farm Dinner. This five-course dinner includes wine pairings from Cellar Rat, and focuses on hyper-local, handmade dishes from both hosts. Tickets are $125 and the dinner is held on October 6 at Barham Family Farm in Kearney, MO.

Conroy’s Public House: A unique collab between Duvel and KC artist JT Daniels is landing at Conroy’s Westwood location on October 3. Starting at 4 p.m., patrons who order a pour of Duvel will get a limited-edition JT Daniels-designed tulip Duvel beer glass. No reservations or tickets are required. You may or may not know it, but you’ve likely seen Daniel’s work on murals around the city, at the new airport, and more.