KC Sipps: Grand openings, two closures, & Lawrence Cocktail Trail

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

TAKAO Tea: New to Olathe [13784 S Black Bob Rd] is TAKAO Tea. This new bubble tea shop is currently in a soft opening phase but is throwing a Grand Opening Sept 29 – Oct 1 with buy one get one half-off drinks.

9th & State: Let’s do the time warp again. Back by popular demand, Vignettes & Apparition bring (Rocky) Horror to the bar scene at 9th and State in West Bottoms through October 31. Reservations are encouraged, and themed dress is not necessary but always fun. I enjoyed the Rocky Horror Pumpkin Show cocktail so much that I ordered it twice. 

French Custard: Brookside’s handcrafted custard shop will launch a new fall menu October 1. I can only tease one flavor from the new menu, and it happens to be a perfect taste of fall transition: Campfire S’More Brownie. This decadent flavor has a chocolate custard base with fudge brownies, torched marshmallows, and a graham cracker gravel. 

Beyoncé pop-ups: Queen B’s Renaissance Tour stops in Kansas City this Sunday. Local eateries and more are giving fans more to celebrate with specials, parties, photo ops, and more. I compiled a full list to keep you as hyped as I am. And while we’re here, if you’re attending the show I hope you’re practicing the mute moment in Energy. 

Closing

Taste Island Grill: Near The Pitch offices in Midtown, Taste Island Grill announced that October 2 would be the last day open. The reason noted is the expansion of Mesob Restaurant for Mesob Mini Mart.

Post Coffee Company: The North Kansas City location of Post Coffee [312 Armour Rd.] is closing. In a social media post they cited the reason being that their rent has recently doubled. The last day the North KC location will be open is October 29, and the other four locations will remain open. 

September 28 

Cinder Block Brewery: Congrats on ten years! To celebrate their tenth anniversary, Cinder Block in North Kansas City is throwing five days of live music, local vendors, food trucks, and more. Follow along with their Facebook event as they add specifics for each day. 

September 29

Betty Rae’s Ice Cream: A third Betty Rae’s is opening in Olathe [10470 South Ridgeview Road] at noon. Each hour will feature a unique special offer or discount, and visitors on opening day can be entered to win a year of free ice cream!

September 30

Café Cà Phê: From 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Café Cà Phê is hosting an Autumn Moon Festival at 12th Street Post in West Bottoms. Celebrate one of the biggest holidays in Vietnamese culture with moon cakes, story time, crafts, vendors, and more. 

Young Family Farm: Nestled in KCMO near 39th Street and 71 Highway, Young Family Farm is an urban oasis. Get tickets now for their second annual Harvest Dinner to benefit the local growers. At 5:30 p.m., a farm to table experience begins with a cocktail hour, farm tour, then dinner with live music. 

KC Crew: Round up your survival crew and register for the End of the World Pub Crawl put on by KC Crew. For $35 each, you receive two drinks, a lanyard with the bar crawl route, and flag football belt for the gameplay. The crawl runs from 12 – 4 p.m. and if you’re feeling a little spooky, you could instead volunteer to play a zombie.

Warehouse on Broadway: New to Westport is Warehouse on Broadway, a night club with a jukebox-hits house band and pub-style food. The grand opening party starts at 7 p.m. and they’re welcoming guests with free appetizers.

October 1

Casual Animal: Puppies, yoga, beer, and a vegan comfort-food brunch. Need I say more? I will, just in case. Cauldron Collective is popping up at Casual Animal to serve brunch at noon after a yoga sesh with puppies! The yoga portion starts at 11 a.m. and requires a reservation, plus a suggested minimum $5 donation to benefit Shep’s Place.

Hillsiders: Celebrate one year of the neighborhood bar in Strawberry Hill. From 5 p.m. – 1:30 a.m. Hillsiders invites you to celebrate with live music and food from Disco Burger and Hey Sugar. If you’re seeking a recommendation there, I covered their batched negroni for the September magazine.

Plan Ahead

Restless Spirits Distilling Company: On October 9, North KC’s Restless Spirits is putting on a Hands-On Distilling Class. The class is designed to take attendees deeper into the production of fine spirits. The cost is $75, and to learn more, click the “Book Now” button at the bottom right of the site linked here.

Lawrence Cocktail Trail: From October 19-22, Lawrence restaurants and bars invite you to their Cocktail Trail. Grab a drink from one of the many participating establishments, and $1 of every cocktail will go to the Hospitality Workers Relief Fund. Some of my favorite spots included are 715, Merchants Pub and Plate, Zen Zero, and Red Lyon Tavern.

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