Kansas City BBQ & Beyond: Your Local Guide to the Best About Renting in KC

Hey there! I’m Amber, your ApartmentHomeLiving.com local guide for Kansas City, and I’m back to show you how to have a great time in this town.

Current Rental Pricing for Apartments in Kansas City

Current Rental Pricing for Homes and Condos in Kansas City

Let’s kick things off by starting with an insider tip: If you really want to blend in with the locals who have lived here for years, you’ll dress like a tourist. We Kansas Citians are extraordinarily proud of our city, which is why you’ll see us decked out in KC t-shirts and ball caps plus Chiefs and Royals gear. FYI: We decorate our homes with pictures of shuttlecocks and the Kansas City skyline, too, and some of us (or maybe it’s just me) have small collections of KC coffee mugs.

However you decide to decorate your Kansas City apartment, the KC T-shirt is a must. It’ll make you feel like you fit in as you explore the destinations below.

Food and Drink in Kansas City — Especially the KC BBQ

Kansas City barbecue is the food this city is most famous for, so we’ll start there. I’m not going to list off top-rated barbecue joints in KC because, frankly, it’s a subject of endless debate. Seriously — we’ve turned arguing about barbecue into a sport. Instead, I’ll offer up some recommendations based on my personal favorites.

• I love Jack Stack for the burnt ends. Their sauce, which reads like a traditional rich, smoky, slightly sweet, and tart BBQ sauce, is tied for my all-time favorite BBQ sauce.
• Gates has my other tied-for-favorite sauce. It’s redder, spicier, thicker — to me, it’s like a BBQ sauce with a Cajun or Creole influence. When I go to Gates, I usually get their ribs.
• Joe’s KC BBQ has fabulous chicken — smoky, perfectly roasted, always juicy and satisfying. I’ve not tried it yet because I can’t resist the chicken, but people also rave about their Z-Man sandwiches.

Those are some of the more well-known BBQ joints, but don’t hesitate to branch out and explore the mom-and-pop joints. Frankly, it’s hard to go wrong at any KC BBQ joint, but here are a few that I’d personally recommend:

• Smokebox BBQ is located just north of The Coves neighborhood, and they’ve got great burnt ends and ribs. My favorite dish here, though, is their sausage, which is smoky, juicy, and heavy on the fennel.
• A Little BBQ Joint, which is located in Independence, has perhaps the best ribs I have ever eaten in my life. They were enormous, flavorful, and so incredibly juicy.
• Hawg Jaw Que & Brew, located in North KC, is unique in that it offers both traditional KC BBQ (including fantastic ribs), and a lot of unusual items, too. Ever had a Reuben with smoked meats instead of corned beef? That’s the kind of thing you’ll find at Hawg Jaw.

Kansas City is famous for its barbecue, but don’t let that fool you into thinking that’s all we have to eat around here. We also have an amazingly diverse culinary palette that will satisfy all comers. I couldn’t possibly name all the amazing restaurants that I’ve been to, but I will say that I’ve been particularly impressed with the Greek, Indian, and South American fare here.

In particular, we have a fantastic selection of tacquerias. If you love street tacos and other types of Mexican street food, you’ll find any number of great places centered around both Downtown KCMO and Downtown KCK.

Downtown KCMO also has a number of fantastic coffee shops featuring local brews. The Roasterie is perhaps the most famous, but there are many, like Oddly Correct and Thou Mayest, that have cult followings for a good reason.

Kansas City’s Artistic Side

People call this town “The Paris of the Plains,” and honestly, that’s not very far off the mark. We have an astoundingly good arts and culture scene here, especially if you know where to look.

For example, jazz is one of the big cultural draws here in KC — and you’ll find plenty of live shows playing at iconic clubs such as The Blue Room or The Green Lady Lounge. If you love evening strolls with music floating in the air, then I highly recommend wandering around Downtown KCMO’s Power & Light District on any given Friday or Saturday night when the weather is warm. There are usually a few bands playing on rooftop restaurants or in other outdoor venues, and with a plethora of restaurants and pubs, you can treat the evening like a jazz-filled pub crawl.

If you’re into the performing arts, keep an eye on the Kauffman Center, which is a gorgeous Downtown KCMO that nearly always has something interesting happening. On the opposite side of the Downtown area, there is also the T-Mobile Center, which hosts various sporting events plus concerts from big-name performers.

And what about the visual arts, you ask? Hit up the Crossroads District or West Bottoms. The Crossroads is close to the Kauffman Center, the Nelson-Atkins Museum, and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. Both areas host First Friday events, and both are filled with unique boutiques and other interesting stops. Whereas the Crossroads is more focused on traditional art, West Bottoms has an eclectic, Bohemian feel that mixes graffiti, indie art, antiques, and more.

Outdoor Adventures and Green Spaces

Kansas City isn’t all food and nightlife. We’ve also got some of the best parks and outdoor spaces in the Midwest. Loose Park is a local favorite, especially in spring when the rose garden blooms. You’ll find families picnicking, couples strolling, and joggers looping the trails.

If you prefer a mix of history and greenery, head over to Liberty Memorial and the National WWI Museum. The memorial tower has one of the most striking panoramic views of Downtown KC. On a sunny day, it’s the perfect place to spread out on the lawn, soak up the skyline, and watch the fountain shows at Union Station just across the way.

Speaking of fountains, Kansas City is also known as the City of Fountains because we have more than 200 of them scattered around town. Here’s a fun fact: While Rome has the highest number of fountains in the world, Kansas City has the highest number of functioning fountains in the world.

If you want a classic KC photo op, the J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain near the Country Club Plaza is the one to hit. However, you can also walk around Downtown KCMO to find many more beautiful fountains.

Shopping Like a Local

If you’re looking to shop, check out either the Country Club Plaza or Zona Rosa in the Northland. Both offer a modern shopping experience with many major brands — and both feature beautiful Spanish architecture, which makes it worthwhile just to stroll around, even if you’re not in the mood for shopping.

For a more offbeat shopping experience, check out Westport or Brookside. Westport is quirky, youthful, and full of vintage shops and record stores, while Brookside offers a more charming, neighborhood feel with independent boutiques and cozy cafés.

Sports, Tailgates, and Local Pride

Kansas City is one of the most passionate sports towns you’ll ever visit. If you’re a Chiefs fan, then let me personally welcome you to the Chiefs Kingdom! And if you’re not into football, then be sure to schedule your shopping trips on gameday because this city becomes a ghost town as everyone heads to Arrowhead Stadium for tailgating or home for watch parties.

And if you are into football? You should know that Arrowhead Stadium is officially the loudest in the NFL. Oh, and tailgating is an art form here. Remember that delicious Kansas City BBQ we talked about earlier? Tailgaters bring everything from small grills to huge smokers to Arrowhead, and they tend to welcome all comers. You can get some of the world’s best barbecue for free simply by walking around the Arrowhead parking lot.

In the spring and summer, Royals fans pack Kauffman Stadium for baseball season. Even if you’re not into baseball, the fountains and outfield views make “The K” worth a visit. Soccer fans also have Sporting KC at Children’s Mercy Park, which is consistently ranked as one of the best soccer atmospheres in the country.

The City Under Kansas City

Not many cities can say they’ve got a whole other city beneath the surface, but Kansas City can. Our limestone bluffs made quarrying a major industry, and over the decades, those excavations became a vast network of underground caves and tunnels. The largest of them, SubTropolis, is enormous, spanning more than 55 million square feet, which makes it the world’s biggest underground business complex.

While most of SubTropolis is used for commercial storage and business operations (think movie film archives, cold storage, and even postal services), you can still get a taste of KC’s underground in a few ways. Some companies occasionally host tours, and the neighboring Kansas City Underground has opened up portions of the space for live music events, art shows, and other cultural gatherings. The temperature stays at a steady 68 degrees year-round, which makes it an oddly cozy escape during hot KC summers.

It’s not a tourist attraction in the traditional sense, but just knowing that a good chunk of Kansas City operates underground is part of the city’s unique charm. If you get the chance to attend an event in those caves, definitely go — it’s unforgettable.

So Much KC to Explore, So Little Time

Kansas City is a city that loves itself — its food, its art, its sports, and its history. If you want to explore it like a native, lean into that local pride. Wear your KC shirt, grab some barbecue, and don’t be afraid to strike up conversations with the people you meet. Kansas Citians are some of the friendliest folks around, and more often than not, they’ll happily give you even more tips on where to go next.