Sammy's Pizza and Pub, Leawood

Fresh ingredients play a starring role in the kitchen at Sammy’s Pizza and Pub, where chefs craft each neo-Neapolitan pizza crust by hand. From there, diners take meal matters into their own figurative hands, customizing each golden-brown circle with a choice of premium red, alfredo, olive-oil, or pesto sauce, and toppings such as meatballs, spinach, capers, and shrimp. Cheese options include a cheddar-mozzarella blend and a vegan-friendly version milked from fresh ears of corn. Those forgoing sliced sustenance altogether can opt for one of the menu's savory sandwiches, such as a house-made meatball grinder, featuring meatballs made from a blend of ground beef and pork and seared in red wine.

The choices don't end there, however, as the eatery's dining room has been cleverly split into two sections. Couples and sophisticated singles can admire the carefully erected towers of glasses filled with Boulevard beer and top-shelf liquor on the restaurant and bar side, and families find suitable midmeal entertainment in a game room that keeps bored tykes from playing with their dinner or sculpting it into a new imaginary friend.