Food & Drink

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Shakespeare’s Pizza, the beloved restaurant in Columbia, Missouri, with an almost mythical status among residents, Mizzou students and alumni. To celebrate, Shakespeare’s threw a birthday party complete with free slices, live music and a big announcement.

When it launched in 2016, KC Cattle Company made it a priority to hire veterans like founder Patrick Montgomery. With a retail store in Parkville and a ranch in Weston, they were put on the map with an all-beef wagyu hot dog named the best in the nation by Food & Wine.

Kansas City bartenders have started offering new and enticing cocktails that combine interesting flavors with no alcohol content. Here are some great restaurants and bars where you'll find drinks for the mocktail-enthusiastic and sober-curious.

Drawing on his Alabama roots, Thomas “TC” Clark started selling loaded baked potatoes out of his apartment four years ago. His popular food truck is one of 30 businesses taking part in Kansas City's Black Restaurant Week — and after the birth of his first child, Clark is dreaming even bigger.

Wienermobile driver Mary Clare "Chili Cheese MC" Kammer, just like the Oscar Mayer hot dogs themselves, hails from Missouri. She and her fellow driver Sam "Hammy Sammy" Dlott rolled through the Kansas City metro this week handing out whistles, stickers and postcards to frankfurter fans.

The cattle trade brought big business to Kansas City, and a history of barbecue shaped our culture. Now, local butchers are carving out a niche for high quality meats and specialty items, whether you're putting together a charcuterie board or preparing for a neighborhood cook-off.

Kitty’s iconic dish recently earned recognition from The New York Times, which called it “possibly the most delicious fried pork sandwich in the United States.” The Midtown restaurant was originally opened in 1951 by a Japanese-American couple who settled in Kansas City.

Arrowhead Stadium will be rocking tonight with a sellout crowd for the Kansas City Chiefs’ season opener against the Detroit Lions. Some fans remember what it was like before the team became perennial Super Bowl favorites. Plus: If you were planning a party a century ago in Columbia, Missouri, Annie Fisher was the caterer you’d do almost anything to book.

Justin Easterwood, aka "Chef J," opened his current location in the West Bottoms in 2020, just weeks before the world shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now he's "slangin" barbecue on the main concourse of Arrowhead Stadium, and will open another location inside the Pennway Point entertainment district.

Up To Date’s food panelists and barbecue enthusiasts from around Kansas City recommend their favorite places to get ribs, brisket, pork, chicken and sides in the metro.

At the turn of the 20th century, a self-taught caterer in Columbia gained national acclaim with her sought-after biscuit recipe. Fisher’s famous beaten biscuits made it onto the plates of presidents and Hollywood stars alike — making her one of the wealthiest Black women around. But her story may have been lost if not for a few determined Missouri women.

Janna and Pete Linde opened Meshuggah Bagels’ first retail location on 39th Street in March 2016, and it was an instant hit. Now they're pursuing a location in Lawrence.