Restaurants in McPherson

Boasting 29-inch pies, two types of crust (New York thin and Chicago pan), and a long list of delicious toppings, Air Capital Pizza seduces slice snobs and encourages creative connoisseurs to dig into food circles prepared just to their liking. If your epicurean decision-making skills were exhausted on selecting the next flavor from a roll of Now and Laters, opt for a preconceived specialty pie such as the cheeseburger pizza ($19.35 for a 16-inch), which tops fresh-made dough with beef, onions, sliced pickles, mustard, and cheddar cheese. Closed-face fiends, meanwhile, can cultivate their inward grins with 6-inch classic sandwiches such as the protein-packed Italian sub and hearty meatball sub ($4.95 each), or a custom cheese calzone ($5.95 with your choice of one topping). Round out your repast with a tray of 10 wings ($5.49), or keep your belly balanced by adding a fresh-tossed house salad ($3.79) and 24-ounce fountain drink ($1.39) to your order.

The scents of lemongrass, garlic, chili peppers, and other spices waft from the kitchen at Sit @ Thai Bistro, where chefs prepare traditional and modern Thai dishes. As guests sip sweet glasses of Thai iced tea in the dimly lit, warm-colored dining room, classic panang curry simmers with meat or tofu and assorted veggies in spiced coconut milk, and tender pork ribs marinate in lemongrass and spices before dipping into a special barbecue sauce. The kitchen also riffs on tom-yum soup with a fried-rice interpretation, and whips up entrees such as the Dancing Shrimp with pineapple, bell peppers, onions, and chili-lime sauce, which is sautéed to the beat of a waltz.

Il Ponte Cafe’s chefs bake a bridge between Italian classics and the flavors of the greater Mediterranean. Herb-crusted salmon basks in rich lobster sauce, seared atop a grill until patterned with perfect lines or a cross-hatched portrait of the chef. The spears of kebabs thrust through both land and sea meats, accompanied to the table by freshly made hummus, and a lively fattoush salad casts off parsley, tomatoes, onions, pickles, olives, pita crisps, and feta cheese into a leafy lagoon of romaine and iceberg lettuce.

A colorful mural of Kansas State sports legends beams down on fresh sandwiches and drinks within the locally owned Mr. K's Cafe & Bar. Chefs bake signature barbecue-pulled-pork flatbreads with asiago and mozzarella cheese, and stack the fixings of Reuben paninis and bacon-cheddar Angus-beef burgers. Seven types of freshly stewed soups pair with gourmet salads and half sandwiches, which settle atop tables between orange walls or stationed on the sun-drenched outdoor patio. Flat-screen TVs flash sports action across the eatery, and live music performances offer guests an evening alternative to sitting quietly in the dark.

The kitchen staff at Bann Thai Restaurant has nary a can opener. This is because they craft each dish from scratch using the owner’s family recipes—brought straight from Thailand—rather than using bottled ingredients procured on internet auction sites. Thai-style curry dishes smother chicken, beef, and pork with brightly colored sauces, while the flavors of thai basil, ginger, and chili peppers energize plates of duck and seafood.

Under Jacob’s Well’s high ceilings, the clattering of coffee cups and the fresh-baked aroma of pizza crust crisping in a brick oven sails through the space. Natural light spills over a checkered floor, and old maps and framed prints dot the walls as staff members artfully decorate lattes, topping cups off with flowers, perky-eared bunnies, or fire-breathing dragons. Sometimes their “latte art” veers into the abstract, leaving guests to interpret whether their java resembles a rocky mountain crag or the Greek symbol for caffeinate. Frequently, local musicians provide a soundtrack for patrons decoding their cups, mingling music with the coffeehouse’s usual upbeat banter.