Restaurants in Belton

To the Japanese, the words “sama zama” mean “variety.” But to a food critic from the Pitch, the unfamiliar phrase has become synonymous with “serious snacks.” That’s how she described the fare at Sama Zama, an eatery run by One Bite Japanese Grill's owner, Erika Koike. Perhaps the most intriguing of Erika's family recipes and culinary experiments is the okonomi yaki, a savory pancake often dubbed Japanese-style pizza. It consists of grilled dough crowned with the meat or veggies of your choice, a fried egg, sweet sauces, and crunchy noodles.

Exposed brick juts out from an orange accent wall in Sama Zama's Tokyo-inspired interior, which is splashed with circles and triangles that appear to move of their own volition under the light cast by bare bulbs and the baby suns tethered to the ceiling.

The Roman mythological canon is so expansive that many scholars gloss over more specialized deities such as Minervatune, god of TV shows you know are good but never get around to watching, and Pepperarcus, the god of pizza. Today's Groupon goes where historians won't with $15 worth of Italian cuisine at Johnny Brusco's New York Style Pizza in Overland Park or Olathe for $7. This Groupon is not valid toward alcohol.

Despite the daunting zoning-permit hurdles and giant helicopter fees, the folks at Chartroose Caboose have managed to relocate a chunk of Philadelphia real estate to Kansas City with their delightfully authentic cheesesteakery. Each Chartroose Philly boasts 6 ounces of lean beef flavored in the restaurant’s exclusive mixture of spices. If that’s a little too much red meat for you, Chartroose is happy to retrofit your cheesesteak with chicken, turkey, ham, or even salmon. These sandwiches come with a Rocky-style training montage as each cheesesteak is grilled fresh to order with onion, mushrooms, and peppers sizzled up right before your eyes, nose, and impatient mouth.

With its dark wood-paneled walls, antique road signs, and murals of Mexican pueblos, Kokopelli Mexican Cantina’s dining room resembles the fusion of a southern roadhouse and taqueria. It’s a fitting backdrop for a menu of homemade tamales, burritos, and enchiladas sprinkled with southwestern flourishes, like the pepper jack cheese layered on spinach enchiladas or the crab and white-wine sauce stuffed in the tucumcari's flour tortillas. Fajitas—Kokopelli Mexican Cantina’s specialty—feature strips of shrimp, steak, and chicken seasoned with a piquant blend of spices and scoops of homemade guacamole.

Kokopelli Mexican Cantina is a member of the Kansas City Originals, an alliance of independent eateries and chefs dedicated to nurturing, growing, and regularly basting the local culinary scene.

Founded in 1964 by a tile maker as an edible canvas on which to practice his square-cutting, Imo’s original St. Louis–style pizza features a thin, cracker-crisp crust topped with homemade sauce and Provel cheese, then sliced into squares. The love child of a culinary fromage a trois between cheddar, Swiss, and provolone cheeses, Provel melts into a soft, creamy pool reminiscent of the delicious dairy lagoons tucked away high in the Swiss Alps, and can be enjoyed on Imo’s pizza for its minimalistic beauty or as a blank canvas for a DIY pizza experience ($12.38–$14.76 base price for a large). Pile on any of Imo’s 14 fresh toppings—including pepperoncini, hamburger, Canadian bacon, and jalapeno—or indulge in one of its popular specialty pies (less than $20 at either location). The all-meat pizza combines sausage, hamburger, bacon, Canadian bacon, and pepperoni, while the veggie deluxe (mushroom, onion, green pepper, and tomato) hosts a stately garden party in one’s mouth.

Dos Hombres' menu takes your tongue on a journey through Mexico without subjecting it to long debates on the current state of international free-trade agreements or pressuring it to buy a time-share. Start with an order of Dos Hombres' original espinaca con queso dip, a cheesy blend of spinach and jalapeños ($7.99), or the nachos supreme ($7.99) smothered in refried beans, melted cheese, jalapeños, and your choice of meat. Dos Hombres' hearty combination dinners manifest themselves in traditional and creative configurations, such as the puffy tacos ($10.99), which swaddle traditional taco meat in three tortillas before taking a dip in the deep fryer and getting sprinkled with taco toppings. The monster 30th-anniversary burrito ($10.99)—filled with spicy pork, refried beans, rice, and sour cream, then topped with enchilada and queso sauce and even more pork—lets you defy the laws of physics by eating something larger than your own head. Additional à la carte offerings let you add a little color to your dining experience with soft tacos ($3.29), jalapeño slices (79¢), and pico de gallo ($1.49).