This story was first published in KCUR's Adventure newsletter. You can sign up to receive stories like this in your inbox every Tuesday.
It's no wonder that Kansas City has a rich diner history: Diners got their name thanks to the railroad, and this city was a historical hub of the nation’s rails.
Many early diners were actually just rail carriages that were adapted as mobile food wagons. Walter Scott gets credit for creating these concepts and focusing the business on factories and after-hours workers in the late 1850s. By 1900, these wagons became fixed in location, creating an American classic with a language of their own.
Comfort food such as smash burgers, creamy milkshakes, and countertop seating are some of the hallmarks of diner food, along with hearty fare like meatloaf and mashed potatoes, homemade pies, and omelets. And, of course, a coffee maker that’s always on.
Each diner seems to have its own specific culture, so grab some friends and explore some of the diners of Kansas City.
City Diner
Located in the River Market, City Diner has been around since 1937 and is the quintessential restaurant of its kind. A long and thin white building with black checkered awnings welcomes you for a quick breakfast or lunch.
There’s not much of a waiting area, so the line may wrap outside, but don’t get scared off: It moves fast. Inside, you’ll see padded stools up to the counter, and a vintage black and white checkered floor.
KCUR’s Up To Date named City Diner one of its favorite breakfasts in the metro, and that’s most of what it does. From their menu, start with The Classic: bacon, sausage, or ham, eggs, toast, and hash browns so crisp that they give the perfect amount of crunch with every bite.
Or go with some of their gigantic pancakes. KC Parent crowned City Diner as having the largest pancakes in town with 13 diameters of buttermilk greatness.
- Location: 301 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64106
- Hours: Monday-Sunday, 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Dagwood's Café
Open since 1938 on Southwest Boulevard, Dagwood’s Café holds itself out as an “old school diner” and its mid-century atmosphere and large plates covered in sausage gravy have helped it amass a local following.
You can’t go wrong with that gravy over top their biscuits, the ultimate working man’s breakfast (it originated in southern Appalachia in the 1800s as a way to pack on the calories before a long day’s labor).
Or saddle up for the Irish Dagwood, their special take on the breakfast sandwich with grilled marble rye, an egg, two slices of Swiss, and good old-fashioned corned beef hash. Wash that down with a shake or malt, and you’re ready to face the rest of your day.
- Location: 1117 Southwest Blvd, Kansas City, KS 66103
- Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Town Topic Hamburgers
Asking who has the best hamburger in Kansas City is enough to start a fight, but you can be sure that Town Topic Hamburgers will be on that list (it was at the top of KCUR’s).
Started in 1937 by Claude Sparks — a former White Castle employee — each hamburger originally sold for five cents. Decades later, the price has gone up (like everything else) but it’s still a bargain for a mouth-watering burger. Town Topic smashes the onions directly into the burger patty on the griddle, and then cooks until the meat has crispy edges. Or try their novel take on a chili cheese coney, which puts a grilled hotdog and a load of bean chili onto a burger bun.
In a city mostly devoid of late-night eats, Town Topic’s Broadway location is still carrying the banner. It’s open 24 hours a day, although they convert to a take-out window for the evening crowds, which tend to fill the parking lot especially on weekends. During the morning and day, though, both locations offer an intimate diner-counter experience.
After you’ve finished that hamburger, it’s time to feed your piehole, literally. With a rotating selection fresh from Kansas City’s Golden Boy Pies, order your slice a la mode or leave off the ice cream and eat it as is. You won’t be disappointed.
- Location: 2021 Broadway Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64108
- Hours: Open 24 hours
- Location: 1900 W. Baltimore Ave, Kansas City, MO 64108
- Hours: Monday–Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Portia's Café
Portia’s Café on Truman Road has been running strong for 38 years. And even though the original owner, Portia Kilburn, retired last year, the food and atmosphere remain the same. The nondescript small limestone building hides its treasures inside, including meatloaf, served with mashed potatoes and brown gravy and a little bit of cabbage on the side.
Or maybe you want a little bit of breakfast, so go with what many diners are known for: an omelet. Omelets have been around since at least the Romans or even the Persians, and our current word for it comes from the French. There is a story about how Napoleon asked the town Bessières, France, to make one for his army. At Portia’s, their omelets could certainly feed an army, with big chunks of sausage folded in.
Then wash it all down with Portia’s truly Southern sweet tea that they brew themselves. Their waitstaff all comes from the same family that has been with Portia’s through it all. Aunts, mothers, and daughters have all spent time making each and every customer feel like they are joining a family meal.
- Location: 3840 E. Truman Rd, Kansas City, MO 64127
- Hours: Monday-Friday, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Johnny Ray's Drive-In
Johnny Ray’s Drive-In sits right off Highway 50 in Lee’s Summit, and the black, white, and red motif of the place reminds one of a pitstop for the speeding cars that fly by. They even host classic and vintage car meetups called cruise nights every third Saturday night. Johnny Ray’s has been in the same place and owned by the same family since 1956 (it used to be a Winstead’s location — we’ll talk about them below).
Inside, heavily padded stools sit around a U-shaped counter, and red booths line the walls. Johnny Ray’s Drive-In focuses on lunch and dinner more than breakfast. Their best seller is their steak burgers (get a single, double or triple), which you can get with a side of their seasoned “Suzy Q’s” aka curly fries.
And what goes better with a burger than a classic malt? Originally concocted in 1922 by Walgreens, the malts at Johnny Ray’s come in flavors like butterscotch and black raspberry.
- Location: 800 SW Blue Pkwy, Lee's Summit, MO 64063
- Hours: Monday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Nelle Belle's Diner
Walking into Nelle Belle’s Diner is like stepping back into the original diner heyday. This particular restaurant is a Valentine Diner, which was a premanufactured building that had everything you needed to start your very own breakfast joint. Arthur Valentine began the business in Hazelton, Kansas in the 1930s, and after World War II, his company manufactured these mail-order restaurants that ended up around the country.
The Barbie-pink Nelle Belle’s Diner (pronounced “nell-ee bells”) has been in place since 1965 and attracted a loyal following that includes Ford plant workers around Claycomo. Dixie Edwards has owned the site for its entire history, and took over as operations manager in 1992. Since then, she has been a fixture in the diner and is always up for a cup of coffee and some conversation.
For breakfast (which begins early at 6 a.m.) you can tackle their enormous ham steak and eggs, and for lunch their BLT is simply made but wonderful, especially next to a plate of crispy onion rings.
- Location: 150 US-69, Claycomo, MO 64118
- Hours: Monday–Friday, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Winstead's
Just outside the Country Club Plaza, Winstead’s iconic skyscraper building shape is recognizable to just about anyone in Kansas City. The neon green sign is a nostalgic landmark in its own right, and the restaurant makes their burgers the same way today as they did in 1940.
Winstead's used to be a chain with nine locations throughout Kansas City, with some of them branching off into their own restaurants (like Johnny Ray’s Drive-In). Although there are only two Winstead's left, you can still find the burgers that made them famous, with the perfect ratio of grease and a sear that locks in all the flavor.
Winstead’s also have a full-service, old-fashioned soda fountain menu. Finish your meal with a root beer float, a banana split, or a SkyScraper Shake, which is meant to be shared with up to four people.
- Location: 101 Emanuel Cleaver II Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64112
- Hours: Open 24 hours
- Location: 10711 Roe Ave, Overland Park, KS 66207
- Hours: Monday–Thursday, 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday–Saturday, 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Hayes Hamburger and Chili
The door almost touches the first stool when you open it to walk into Hayes Hamburger and Chili. The griddle is just a few feet away from that, and it’s like you are eating shoulder to shoulder. Instead of feeling tight, you end up with a sense of friendliness.
Hayes has been cooking since 1955, opened by another former White Castle operator, and still carries on some of that chain’s legacy. A single burger is about the size of a slider. A double doesn’t mean an extra patty on top, but rather they make the single burger bigger so that it expands horizontally.
And don’t skip out on their chili, which customers say is among the best in the city. The recipe is the same now as it was in 1904 when it was created (although don’t ask for the recipe). If you’re looking for something a little bit different, go with the chili spaghetti. Bring it all home with a homemade piece of pie and a fresh cup of coffee. But bring cash, because Hayes doesn’t take any cards.
- Location: 2502 NE Vivion Rd, Kansas City, MO 64118
- Hours: Monday–Friday, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
