Bars in Kansas City

Hurricane Allie’s Bar and Grill satisfies customers’ cravings for smoked meats and bountiful sandwich varieties. The restaurant’s menu of bread-wrapped bites includes the pork-tenderloin sandwich, the grilled-chicken sandwich, hamburgers, and the slow-smoked-brisket sandwich, all paired with crispy, golden fries. On certain evenings, hosted events open up the floor to group events, from poker tournaments to karaoke nights that enable guests to live out their singing dreams in front of an audience of people they’re not related to.

Each plate of Moxie's barbecue is two days in the making—cooks must first ornament meat with a spicy rub, marinate it overnight, and smoke it for 12–16 hours. Though the restaurant's homemade salsa and hand-formed half-pound burgers don't spend as much time in the studio as Moxie's ribs, they supply equally potent flavors, as do the four secret-recipe barbecue sauces hailed by Jessica Huska of nightlifekc.com as "nothing short of exceptional."

The restaurant's lively setting won The Pitch’s Best Place to Dance in Kansas City award in 2011, and even those without dancing shoes can don their drinking masks and sip cocktails at the full bar or goggle at 12 televisions, including a giant HDTV with a Nintendo Wii. Moxie's frequent special events include karaoke on Wednesday nights as well as pool tournaments played out on the bar and grill's high-quality Diamond billiard tables and played back in the stories second-place finishers tell their housekeeping robots in 2028.

The Blue Line celebrates all things sports with a menu of pub grub and a draft-beer lineup worthy of hoisting toward the eatery’s flat-screen televisions, which sit above its namesake—a bar emblazoned with a thick, blue line “that shines like new ice,” according to The Pitch. As build-your-own burgers and zesty wings sate hunger, bartenders pour drafts from craft brewers that include Schlafly, Boulevard, and New Belgium until 3 a.m. every night. The menu also contains—albeit barely—the Hat Trick, a burger composed of 1.5 pounds of Angus beef, a fried egg, three kinds of cheese, bacon, veggies, and an onion ring stacked irresponsibly near the top. Each day, the bar’s TVs stream footage of sports games, which are interrupted from time to time by live bands and anti-sports legislation.

At two locations, The Other Place’s staff fires up ovens to bake pizzas, italian subs, and sandwiches to a golden brown—the color of Pharaoh’s mask after he eats a chocolate bar. Atop hand-made pizza crusts made from a 40-year-old recipe, the kitchen team layers toppings such as italian sausage, salami, and sun-dried tomatoes, lubricated by tomato, alfredo, and barbecue sauce. Submarine-shaped bread holds italian meats, veggies, and toppings. In both eateries’ dining areas, more than 50 TVs stream sports games. The Other Place also often entertains guests with karaoke—America’s most underappreciated sport, and the one with the least funding in most school districts.

At Cork & Brew, a dark wooden wine bar pops against the backdrop of white walls and heavy red drapes. It’s a fitting centerpiece for a restaurant that focuses on libations—bartenders pour more than 40 wines and recruit beers from local brewers such as Boulevard Brewing Company, Weston Brewing Company, and Doodle Brewing Company. They also add shots of house-infused vodka to martinis, which dining companions can sip on the restaurant’s private outdoor patio. Despite a focus on spirits, Cork & Brew doesn’t shirk cuisine. Chefs recruit local produce and meats from providers such as Bichelmeyer Meats, Fabulous Fish, and Farm to Market Bread Company and incorporate them into thick burgers, grilled fish, and still-life paintings.

As soon as guests enter Sorano's Sports Bar, they’re surrounded by 12 televisions, all tuned to premium sports channels. While fans cheer and whoop in the background, servers shuttle plates of pub-style finger foods, hamburgers, hot dogs, and Mexican fare to eager diners. Nearby, bartenders siphon drafts and crack open bottles of domestic and imported beers, and pool tables beckon guests to illustrate their favorite geometry proofs. In addition to brews and bites, the sports bar keeps spirits high by hosting free poker tournaments, karaoke nights, and DJ performances throughout the week.