Restaurants in Gladstone

For more than 30 years, Quiznos has toasted its submarine sandwiches to bring out the hidden flavors found in butcher-quality meats, cheese, and artisan breads. Its classic and signature subs take on a variety of shapes, sizes, and styles ranging from the prime rib mushroom and swiss to the classic italian donning black olives, mozzarella, red-wine vinaigrette, and plentiful sliced meats. Those closely monitoring their waistlines can take unabashed bites of sandwiches that have fewer than 500 calories, such as the pork-cuban, Baja-chicken, and veggie-caprese subs. Quiznos' Sub Sliders offer slimmer versions of sub fare and flaunt supreme aerodynamics when shot out of T-shirt cannons and into mouths. A selection of Flatbreads, soups, and salads round out Quiznos' varied menu.

Smokehouse Bar-B-Que’s dinner and lunch menus satisfy cravings across the protein spectrum with a selection of hickory-smoked beef, pork, chicken, and seafood. High-quality cuts mingle between the Junior Smokehouse’s sesame-seed buns ($8.45), which grant diners a choice of two savories such as beef brisket, polish sausage, or time-traveling triceratops shank. The Monterey chicken's 8-ounce grilled breast nestles in a corn-dust bun alongside its eponymous cheese, ham, bacon, and dijon-mustard bedmates ($9.25), and chefs catapult a 16-ounce whole catfish through a Cajun-sauce and lemon-butter waterfall before bringing it in to land gently next to a house salad and choice of side ($14.95). Also flanked by a patron-preferred side dish, the Kansas City Strip rolls a 12-ounce certified Angus beef steak down sizzling hickory logs and into eagerly awaiting mouths ($23.95).

Woodsweather II manages to live two lives, with each celebrating Americana. The family-friendly restaurant on one side of the building lures guests with its menu of classic diner cuisine. Chicken-fried steak and homemade meatloaf appear alongside other hefty comfort foods, including cornmeal-crusted catfish filets. Meanwhile, over by the tile-covered bar, spirits pick up a bit as patrons sway, drink in hand, to the sounds of karaoke or live bands. The revelry often continues late into the evening since the restaurant doesn't shut its doors until 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

Dark wooden tables, tan and slate-gray walls, and high-top tables surrounded by bar stools all contribute to the restaurant's cozy and inviting ambiance. A handful of flat-screen televisions adorn the walls throughout, though they are joined by eclectic pieces of artwork made from twisted metal, sparkling glass, and really good ideas.

Diners get their fill of Mediterranean fare at Couscous Gyro Kebab's weekend buffet. You can pile plates with house-made baked chicken as well as the eatery's specialty hummus and couscous made with organic vegetables. Lamb dishes and tasty cubes of turkish delight might tempt you to return for seconds, thirds, or sixteenths. During the week, the a la carte menu includes offerings such as falafel wraps and kebab platters.

Born in Mexico City and raised in Yucatán, Chef Tito has led a more-than 30-year culinary career that's taken him through every position, from bartender to executive chef to tableside magician. He has cooked for celebrities as varied as Hilary Clinton, Sean Connery, and Norway’s King Olaf. With his bold mustache and even bolder personality, some of his dinner guests, such as The Pitch's Charles Feruzza, have claimed he could be a movie star. At his flagship restaurant Latin Bistro, he very nearly is.

In Latin Bistro's dining room, patrons are serenaded by Latin music as well as a symphony of shouts, bellows, and laughter. At the center of the room stands Chef Tito's open exhibition kitchen, where he and his chefs dash to and fro in a complicated dance, fashioning vibrant meals that draw from the regional recipes of Mexico, the Mayans, and more than 60 Latin countries in South America and Europe. With each dish, Tito balances three properties—texture, color, and flavor—and his most prized recipes come with extra flourish. He grills and braises pescado a la Veracruzana in white-wine rum sauce and Spanish spices, and tosses in green olives, onions, capers, and raisins. He conjures Mayan cochinita pibil after slow-roasting banana-leaf-wrapped pork in a pit with spices for up to eight hours. His crew drapes chile rellenos en nogada—ground beef-stuffed poblano peppers—in dried fruits, pine nuts, and creamy pecan sauce.

Before the owners of Pie Zano’s Pizzeria opened their restaurant, they knew that their toughest critics would be their own relatives. That’s because they planned for their menu to include the time-tested recipes that were passed down for generations. After receiving high marks in a family taste test, they flung open the doors of the neighborhood eatery to share their creations with the community. For an added touch of freshness, their specialty pizzas, meatball subs, and pastas boast ingredients culled from local sources. The family-owned establishment also shows its dedication to the community by supporting area youth sports programs.

Kitchen Thyme's cookery experts stock stylish kitchen accessories, top-of-the-line cooking tools and bakeware, and gourmet foods. A range of extra-virgin olive oils ($12–$20) are available on tap for visitors to sample or rub into their ears, and zesty pepper jellies ($8–$9) delight taste buds in flavors including cherry, blackberry, and mango. The clear glass salt box with lid ($10) and Nielsen-Massey pure vanilla extract ($22.50) both make thoughtful gifts for epicurean pals, and budget-conscious food fans can opt to apply the deal's value toward larger purchases, such as the Epicurean cutting board ($69.50), the Viking professional coffeemaker ($299), or the Vita Craft 13" chef's pan with lid ($135). Kitchen Thyme also stocks a sweeping selection of cookbooks and other artisanal foodstuffs.