By Dawnya Bartsch, Daniela Barzallo, Molly Higgins and Arial Whaley
There are plenty of lively places to spend your evening around the metro, from swanky cocktail lounges serving champagne and charcuterie to hole-in-the-wall dive bars handing out baskets of peanuts and spicy wings with a side of ranch. Here are the best spots to down a beer or dance the night away.
Editor's Choice: Best Speakeasy
P.S.
Tucked away in the heart of Kansas City, P.S. is a modern speakeasy that pays tribute to the Prohibition era while offering a contemporary twist. Originally established in the 1920s as a hidden haven for jazz lovers and bootleggers, P.S. has transformed into a chic spot where history and modernity collide.
Hidden behind an unmarked door in a long-forgotten mail sorting room basement, this low-key gem can be a bit of a challenge to find. Inside, visitors discover a cozy, dimly lit space embellished with vintage decor and an extensive selection of craft cocktails. Regular live jazz performances set an ambient and nostalgic mood.
Editor's Choice: Best Movie Theater
Nearly 100 years since it first opened in 1928, this North Kansas City movie theater is still providing viewers with quality movies and a community-oriented atmosphere. Originally a silent movie venue known as the Armour Theatre, the building was designed in the Spanish Revival style by local architects Keene & Simpson.
The space later became the Centre Theatre in 1963, then the Paradise in 1984, providing live entertainment and video rentals. Finally, in 2007, Butch Rigby, the founder of Screenland, purchased the building. By 2018, he’d expanded the theater into the neighboring Power and Light building. It now has 300 seats, additional lobby seating, an outdoor patio and food and drinks.
Beyond its regular screenings, the movie house also holds special events like Friday Night Frights, which feature a classic horror film every Friday; an anime club that shows films in their original language once a month; and backyard movies after sunset. In 2022, the theater also opened Rewind Video and Dive, a video store and dive bar modeled in a ’90s throwback style.
Reader's Choice
Best Wine Shop
Cellar Rat Wine Merchants
Best LGBTQ+ Bar
Missie B’s
Best Brewery
Best IPA
Rad AF, City Barrel Brewing Company
Best Sports Bar
The Peanut
Best Date Bar
The Campground
Best Cocktail Program
Drastic Measures
Best KCK/Wyandotte County Bar
Chicago’s
Best Happy Hour
Extra Virgin
Best Trivia Night
Intelligence Check Trivia at Tin Roof
Best Bloody Mary
The Farmhouse
Best Girls Night Out Bar
Fern Bar
Best Special-Release Beer
Raspberry Rocket Pop, Boulevard Brewing Company
Best Speakeasy
Green Lady Lounge
Best Casino
Hollywood Casino
Best Sommelier
Christina Corvino
Best Missouri Suburbs Bar
Hand in Glove
Best Johnson County Bar
Drastic Measures
Best Locally Owned Kansas Brewery
Sandhills Brewing
Best Distillery
J. Rieger & Co.
Best Northland Bar
Rewind Video and Dive
Best Downtown KCMO Bar
King G
Best Winery
Amigoni Urban Winery
Best New Bar
Fern Bar
Best Mixologist
Darcy Barnett
Best Plaza/South KC Bar
The Peanut
Best Limo/Party Bus Company
KC Night Train
Best Karaoke
OffKey
Best Bar Staff
Chicago’s
Best Drag Show
Hamburger Mary’s
Best Bottle Shop
Cellar Rat Wine Merchants
Best Bar with Live Music
Knuckleheads
Best Liquor Store
Gomer’s
Best Margarita
Ponak’s
Best Hotel Bar
Crossroads Hotel
Best Cocktail
Mean Mule Distilling Co.
Best Locally Owned Missouri Brewery
Boulevard Brewing Company
Best Dance Party
The Ship
Best Pop-Up Bar
Miracle Kansas City
Best Westport/Midtown Bar
Kelly’s Westport Inn
Best Dive Bar
Chicago’s
