In Kansas City, quaint coffee shops exist on seemingly every corner of town, keeping us on our toes when it comes to tracking down the perfect latte or cold brew.
David Landsel, senior editor at Food & Wine magazine, embarked on a twelve-month caffeine-fueled hunt for the best coffee shops in America, and a few Kansas City roasters made the list.
To compile the best in the country, Landsel first flagged the best coffee shops in every state. A few things he looks for in the perfect coffee shop: “spectacular coffees, great retail operations, and passions for hospitality, community, and, better still, complete sustainability.” Of that list, Monarch Coffee in KCMO is his Missouri pick and PT’s Coffee in Topeka reigns in Kansas.
Landsel released his roundup of the best coffee shops in America on November 1. Landing in the top ten was Leslie Coffee Co. in Wichita, a chic coffee shop nestled on Douglas Ave. and owned by longtime coffee artisan Sarah Leslie, recent chair of the Barista Guild of America. Clearly, she knows her way around an espresso machine.
Two Kansas City coffee shops are honorably mentioned in the national list. Landsel calls Kansas City a “big time coffee town with plenty of high-profile players” and christens Monarch as “indispensable, a calm, civilized, and inclusive presence in the city’s Midtown neighborhood.” We couldn’t agree more, which is why we recognized them in our Best of Kansas City issue in August as “Best Ultra Zen Coffee Shop.”
Another KC nod is West Bottoms’ Blip Roasters, a biker supply shop and espresso bar. Landsel says that this coffeehouse is “one of the most memorable coffee experiences” one can have.
