Great music-focused nanobrewery in the reborn downtown Shawnee corridor! The craft beer, industry…read morehas mushrooms across many areas of the country, and western Johnson County is no different. The space is friendly with its seating and there are plenty of games to keep you engaged while you enjoy your brew. The music theme lines the decor, with cassettes (remember those?) from all genres featured. Friction always has some of their own makings on tap as well as guest taps that can range from regional to national. The board will list the ABV for each beer, as well as the pour prices, and you can choose from anything between lighter ales to heavier stouts. I prefer the darker stuff and really love their 'Train in Vain', a brown ale with fabulous body. Don't miss their fresh-hopped varietals, such as the recent 'Earth & Sky', which gives you that right-off-the-trellis hoppiness. If you're not sure what you want, then the makers will always give you friendly suggestions. They're proud of their offerings and that pride comes through in the beer. Making unique craft beer is always a labor of love and Friction really shows you how they get it done.

Lovely place. And it's family friendly. There are so many babies here. If I lived here when my…read morechild was small she would have been a regular baby too. The workers are so helpful when dealing with my crazy "food" allergies and sensitivities. I do recommend visiting this place. Let's give them our business.

Decided to visit Brewbakers because I wanted a good lunch and a solid drink on this Saturday…read moreafternoon. I saw they had $4 vodka Red Bulls, and that solidified my want to come here even more. I didn't order an appetizer because I wanted to get straight to the food. I went with the Fried Clucker and a side of waffle fries. This sandwich was unbelievable huge..smothered in their house sauce, which tasted like a milder version of buffalo sauce. I thought the flavor was good, but the fried skin was falling off the chicken. Every time I cut a piece, the breading would just slide right off. Maybe they need to brine the chicken better to help it stick more but it was no biggie, it still had a good flavor. My boyfriend ordered the chicken-fried chicken, and honestly... nothing too special about it. The mashed potatoes that came with it were flavorless at first, but once we added salt and pepper, they were tasty. Now, I get that this is a bar and grill, so I'm not trying to be overly critical or nit-picky but in that category, Brewbakers definitely ranks on the higher end. This is hands down the best bar and grill I've tried when it comes to food. They even serve Jambalaya here.. what kind of bar and grill do you ever see serving this?? Would I come back? Of course! It is out of the way where i usually am, but im excited to come back and try other things off their menu.

No more Dunkel on tap :( chicken tortilla soup was lukewarm warm at best. The brew salad was…read moreamazing though and the bartender was attentive and friendly.

My friends and I went to Barley's for lunch Saturday, April 18th, 11:30am…read more Our waiter was very personable and got us our drinks right away. He was also quite patient as we gabbed awhile before we even ordered. One friend got chesse quesadillas and liked them. The other friend got margarita pizza and enjoyed that. I ordered the Rustic vegetables and goat cheese salad. This is the description: "Veggies grilled until tender, served warm over mixed greens." When the salad was served it looked like a bowl of very wilted greens, nothing else was visible. Ingredients: mixed greens-wilted and tasted old grilled vegetables- had to REALLY search to find any! There were no red onions, no asparagus, mushy zucchini, sweet peppers cut into the smallest cubes I've ever seen, a few mushrooms, some goat cheese but, no pistachios. Tomato vinaigrette was ok I was extremely disappointed and upset! Ridiculous! The price wasn't overwhelming but, for $14.00, I should have gotten what was described. I won't be going back to Barley's!

We went there tonite with a group. Everyone was pleased with his/her meal…read more I ordered the sandwich with roasted vegetables. It was delicious but a small portion.

Brew lab had a great happy hour! We went on Sunday and got a HH nacho and pretzel! The pretzel…read morebites came with a ton we had so many leftover definitely a great deal!

All good things…read more.. We were invited to an impromptu event to taste the new additions to for the Menu when they reopen. They also were 'blowing the taps' which meant we get to try many of the beers that they were saying good-bye to. So, a little story. I was one of the first to wander into a place called Brew Lab years ago. I actually found the place because of looking for brewing supplies. There were a good amount of tools here but also these folks were serving their beer! So, what a great idea. I bought some grain... and had a few beers! I visited this place a few more times on the regular. Suddenly one day there was appetizers. And had the most divine pretzel bites that have ever existed. Next time was an amazing club sandwiches. And some pulled pork. All of the food has always been great bar food. And then there was the beer. So many delicious beers each time. Too many to try at once. But, that is all memory lane... Now... here is the news! Brew Lab is changing. The ownership remains the same however they have given up the brewing. They will have a few of their specialty beers that they keep on tap but they will have a lot more taps of beer from other breweries. On this visit they brought out a large amount of samples of the food that they will be adding/altering in the menu going forward. There were a lot of really delicious items and I am excited for when they have the full menu and I can order some of them. Most notably I am excited for the Catfish Po'boy sandwich. We will be back soon to try the all new... Tall Boys. Look for that review coming soonish!

We've been to other Barley's first time at this one…read more Parking is not the greatest as there are lots of businesses there so you may have to park in the back. Staff was great. Got in and seated immediately. Ordered our standard which is the fish and chips. Place was busy but not packed. We will continue to eat there.

My friend and I came here for the Twinkle experience. There was a cute photo op walking up to the…read moredoor. As soon as we walked in I was overwhelmed. It was beautiful! So festive! Whoever did the decorating did an awesome job! We were greeted right away, and since they just opened, there were only a couple tables taken. I ordered the twinkle-tini espresso martini. This was the first martini I've ever had and it was delicious. My friend ordered the cotton-headed noggy muggins. Hers was very good as well. We started out with the Grinchy hot chicken bites. Very tasty. Crunchy on the outside with a little heat and we asked for blue cheese to dip it in. Yum She ordered the lock, shock, and wrap. I ordered the Halloween town birria pork sandwich. They were both excellent. We ended up splitting it so we could try both. I liked them both, not sure which one I liked better. I liked that they made the wrap a little crispy on the outside. The waitress was very attentive and came by multiple times to make sure we were good and if we needed anything. I wish I wasn't so full because I would've ordered dessert. Next time. Great place to come for the Christmas spirit. This place isn't very close to my house, but if I'm ever in the area again, I will come and try something else.

Came to Kansas City over the recent holidays to visit some friends, and Beer Kitchen came as a…read morelocal recommended place. Good food, good vibes, good beer selection, I was sold. So we loaded up and showed up one day around Noon. Ambiance was really cool. It's in the middle of some sort of progressive looking shanty-esque suburb. The kind of place that does drag queen bingo. I was right at home. Inside was college sport bar, but with a nice, huge board on the wall of all their beer selection. It Was quite expansive. Service was top notch, too. Nice server took care of us, made sure our glasses were never empty. The food came out at a good clips, and we got an unexpected bonus of free little beignet-like donuts with some delicious dipping sauces. As for food, we started off with a jumbo order of the Truffle Parmesan Hand-Cut Fries for the table. We got to choose two from their extensive list of aioli dipping sauces. Fries were good. Dusted with the perfect amounts of truffle and parmesan. And the sauces were my oh my. I recommend paying the upcharge to just try them all. I mentioned the time earlier, because we had no idea we were stumbling upon their brunch menu. Even more options to choose from! I got the Crispy Waffle Smash Burger (smashed hertzog beef patties, fried egg, smoked bacon, merkt's cheddar, caramelized onion, maple aioli, crispy buttermilk waffle). This thing was really nice. Perfect waffle, not too small, not too big, and no oily or anything obtrusive. A nice bun option. Eggs and bacon sometime get lost against giant burger patties, but with these smash patties, the extra accoutrements really stand out and make this burger really stand out in my mind. I also for the try the Smokestack Burger (smoked burnt ends, smoked gouda, whiskey bbq glaze, pickle relish, chipotle aioli & crispy jalapeño straws). Uhhh, as you can read, this thing was loaded with goodness. Fatty burger, smokey burnt ends, sweet boozy glaze, acidic pickles, and texture from that jalapeno. This was the perfect burger. I insist you order this. Overall, my research did not reveal Beer Kitchen to me, locals recommendation did. Shows that you gotta use your street smarts instead of your book smarts sometimes. Best meal I had in Kansas City.

We dropped into Beer Kitchen on Mother's Day for a brunch after learning that the Westport Cafe had…read moreits reservation book slammed for a month and was searching for an alternative. The service manager saw us eyeballing the menu on the board and answered out questions, then invited us in. My family of four was sat in a booth in the middle of the restaurant with good visibility around the entire establishment. Ambiance was good, considering that its not inherently a family place. Old tap pulls adorn the ceiling and the light is just bright enough to not strain your eyes, but not so bright that there is glare off every surface. I ordered a cowboy coffee (espresso with tequila, very interesting) and a waffle smash burger sandwich. The table got fries as an appetizer and some kind of fried donut thing that I could have sworn was a Zeppole. As always, let's start with what was good... The appetizers were very good. The dips on the fries were both amazingly good. So much so that I used them on my side of fries after the kids ate all the ones in the basket. The waffle smash burger had a good flavor considering I had never paired a waffle with beef. Prices were agreeable for Westport, but its Westport so there is a slight premium. Servers were pretty much everywhere, so it was never too long for any request we had to be taken care of. On the flip side of that, there was a server doing side work dead center of the restaurant which was kind of awkward. I am used to seeing side work done in somewhere inconspicuous so it was just a little odd, but not off putting. Now let's look at the things that could be better... The dipping sauces for the Zeppole were not thick enough to actually stick to the delicious treat. The berry sauce really needed to be reduced further because it was too thin by far. Delicious, but thin. My waffle for the smashburger sandwich was too oily by far. I think this may have been an intentional choice considering that the waffle serves as the "bun" for the sandwich and maybe the oil was an attempt to keep the juice from the burger and the sauces from turning the waffle into mush. It worked... but it did take away from the flavor by obscuring the taste of the waffle itself. My egg was cooked to specification, so that's a win, but my partner's egg was overcooked. Consistency! Very important and yet not guaranteed, I think. The biggest problem I have with the brunch at Beer Kitchen though isn't the food, but the menu itself. There is not any way to construct a decently priced "simple breakfast." If you're not that hungry, or adventurous, you may find the menu difficult to contend with. I would consider adding something like "the Oldtimer" and have it be two eggs, a meat, toast, and fruit. Price it at 13.99 and leave it alone. Overall, the Beer Kitchen is a nice little brunch spot. So much so that we intend on making it a semi-frequent stop for us on days when the kids want to venture down towards the Plaza. 4 stars. Has room for improvement but is a solid experience for what you pay.

We just recently visited here for the first time. It's so awesome!…read more The beer is great. Staff awesome. The pretzels with cheese and sausage SO good. Made us feel like we were back at a beer garden in Amsterdam.

If you're a fan of German beer, KC Bier company is for you! They offer great German beers and food…read morein a family friendly atmosphere in Waldo. They have a great patio space that is both dog and kid friendly. Portions are covered and it's great to sit and chill with a brew on a nice day. The interior isn't the largest but they do have bar seating and large picnic tables for community seating. Service has always been good. They offer a variety of food-sausages, sandwiches, soup, and pretzels. I haven't tried a ton of the food but I've had a pretzel and a sausage and both were good. The beer is German style which isn't my favorite but I do like the black ipa and the grand cru. Both are good and I can always find something to drink here. I highly recommend going on a tour because it's highly informative and will give you an appreciation of the beer style. If you're in Waldo, definitely check them out.

Stockyards Brewing is a unique place to enjoy a beer. Located in a portion of the former Golden Ox…read moreRestaurant in the Kansas City Livestock Exchange Building, the brewery carries on the history of the building by keeping the original bar and much of the interior decor. There is plenty of space to hang out at, and there is also live music on Sundays. I first came to this brewery years ago and had not been back because their beers, though good, were not my favorite. However, I stopped by on a Sunday in December in my quest to find local beers to gift to a friend and discovered that Stockyards had added sour beers to their menu. I am so glad that I came back here because the sour that I tried was amazing, and I had such a fun time hanging out with some cool Packers fans who shared their table with me and watching the game with them. As long as Stockyards Brewing keep making sours, I will be back. If you are a Packers fan, I was told that Stockyards Brewing is your haven.

Two separate points to be included in this review. First: The Bar. The location is awesome- the…read morehistoric west bottoms of KC. The bar holds very original to the old stockyards- original wood, ceiling, very old time western feel. It's a treat to have a beer at the bar. The beer...!!! The beer is sooo good. Cereveza Royale is easily my favorite beer. They also have live music frequently. A very nice, chill, cool place to hang out. Second point: Private Events. Ugh. They have a beautiful private room (still very historic) for events. However, good luck getting in touch with anyone to schedule your event there. There is no working phone number available, I submitted two online inquiries with no response, and no response to their email address. I gave up. I feel disappointed about this but ultimately would come back for the delicious beer.

BKS seems to have a nationwide following as I often see license plates from other states in their…read moreparking lot. I think BKS does everything exceptionally well: from barrel aged stouts to hop-loaded IPAs. I often order pizza from Plate across the street to eat alongside my beer. It's a convenient aspect where food's usually a void for most breweries. The employees are very knowledgeable and friendly. Whatever brew style you prefer, BKS will have top tier version for you to try - lagers, IPAs, Stouts, English ales, Barleywines. They usually have one beer on a nitro tap too.

Best artisanal brewing outfit in the Kansas City area. That's the review…read more The beer is sensational. The brewers are ridiculously cool. The flavor profiles are surgically precise. The loyal following will be always be, well, loyal. Do they need better parking? Yes Would I go if parking stinks? Also yes. Micro-brewing is entering its fifth decade in the Kansas City area. Sure, beermaking has been around since the monks were cooking up something to drink to go along with their pretzels. But because of changes in federal legislation, Americans brewing their own has taken on so many different regional and local forms. Do you like lagers and old German-style darker beer? The original colonial Americas might have your thing. Oh, you like hoppy, with piney IPAs and freshly-hopped brew? The Pacific Northwest is your jam. And so forth. And then there are outfits like BKS. There are hops on hops, with double and triple IPAs, hazy and juicy. There are the deeply boozy Belgian-style trippels, or Japanese style rice lagers, or English ales where the glass of bier has to settle before drinking. BKS is doing a little of everything and doing almost any beer really, really well. The staff is very friendly and extremely knowledgeable about beer, making suggestions even to the seasoned or the complete amateur when it comes to beer profiles. I love me some malty beer, so darker or maybe a touch bitter resonates for me. My lovely wife goes lighter, not too hoppy, and with a little more pizzazz, so something bubbly works for her. Point is, there is something for anyone. It's dog-friendly, kid-friendly, and in good weather, open air plus a patio. You're there for the beer and you're in the right spot, so relax and enjoy.