50 Best Bars near Raytown

“Was welcomed as soon as I walked in. Unfortunately couldn't stay long but will 100 percent be back! Google asked me to edit this. So here I am a year later. Still my go to bar. If you're looking to make friends or just solid acquaintances. This is your new favorite place.“

“Small crowd for a Saturday night, but it made for the perfect neighborhood pub experience. The bartender was waiting on the few tables with patrons away from the bar. She was very pleasant and attentive. They did have a perfect Guinness pour, as advertised. This is a smoking bar. Small menu of typical bar food, which I think is perfectly appropriate for the atmosphere.“

“Le’ah was an outstanding server from start to finish. She was warm, attentive, and genuinely made the experience feel special. Her timing was perfect, her recommendations were spot-on, and she checked in often without ever feeling intrusive. It’s rare to find someone who balances professionalism with such a friendly, welcoming energy.

Highly recommend asking for Le’ah! She truly elevates the entire dining experience!“

“I have met so many people here. I made new ftiends. it is a family here. I feel safe here.“

“Love to go there good food and employees but to many tournaments“

“The food is great. Bartenders are attentive and friendly“

“Very fun and friendly atmosphere. Their staff takes great care of us every time we are there, and the food is really good too!“

“Went to a show at The Garage. Not a bad seat in the house, clean bathrooms, easy access to the bar, and CHEAP DRINKS! Got a shot of Jack and a Hamms for $7...AT A SHOW! Love love love this venue! Thanks again Chris for the hospitality. Beau Nasty's In The Pit Radio Show 💪🫠🤘“

“I love this spot! the drinks are made with so much thought behind them. lovely atmosphere. great music.“

“Thank you Mano and Barbara for making Gene and Jeffrey’s marriage celebration a wonderful night. We appreciate you and your incredible restaurant.“

“First time here and definitely worth the quick streetcar from crossroads. An amazing espresso martini. Wife had “plot device” and said it was delicious. Vibes are great weather your starting or ending an evening. Small, intimate, good specialty menu. Will say, the part of town is still being redone so give them a little grace on location.“

“F325 BBQ catered my high school's 50th year anniversary pinic and the food was amazing! Welcome to our family!“

“Best trivia night ever! Go on Wednesdays“

“Have an absolutely lovely time every time we come here. Seriously impressive drinks and very friendly staff in an absolutely beautiful space.“

“We did the 4:30 distillery tour and it was really fun! There is not much walking and an elevator available for those that need it. Our tour guide was very interesting and he did a great job of teaching us about Tom Pendergast and also about the liquors that they distill. You can start with a drink in their bar and carry it with you throughout the tour if you like!“

“Only been there once but had a great experience. Went on a Friday night. Staff was friendly and professional. Lots of open space that quickly filled with tons of happy, interesting people. Bathrooms were clean. Drinks were just as ordered and made quickly. Will visit again!“

“Love this place, the food is sooooo good, simply can't pick a favorite, but that Tenderloin, Chicken Fried Steak, and the Pork special on Wed. are my top choices. I've never had anything bad there. Drinks are poured perfectly.“

“Sk8bar is awesome! Its great place to just be yourself, and the shows are awesome!“

“Absolutely one of the best SOCCER ( futbol) venues in the country as they have hosted the EPL's supporters club of Newcastle United. Great TV's, great food, great drinks, great service and a loyal following. TOON ARMY !!!“

“As someone who was born in and has lived in Bavaria, and as someone who hasn’t had authentic experiences with German cuisine in America in over 10 years, it is safe to say I had a ratatouille moment. Food and atmosphere so amazing it had me reminiscing in a healthy way. I would recommend this to you 17 times if you’d let me. Thank you for the amazing service, food, and time.“

“Had a great time at Up-Down! CJ and Brian have been our bartenders a few times and are always fun to see! Super friendly, quick with drinks, and made sure we were taken care of even when the bar got busy. Definitely ask for these two if you stop in!“

“Everyone at this establishment is amazing and so incredibly helpful.“

“By far my favorite little lounge in KC. It’s just a short 5 minute walk from my apartment so the convenience is there. I love the retro aesthetic mixed with modern design, and when there’s a DJ it adds even more to the experience. My drinks are always great and the customer service is attentive and friendly. The little burger truck outside, Disco Burger, is sic a fun and amazing addition on those tipsy nights you’re craving a good burger. My friends and I LOVE Varisty Club, and our favorite bartender is Caleb. He’s always so nice and efficient with us. Such a vibe. I would give 10 stars if I could.“

“Kudos to you for your courageous stand during the pandemic. I know that cowardly Corey Owens, whose business is PaintingSolutionsSKC, a painting company with what he and his wife think is a “clever” logo featuring two intertwined Nazi swastikas, left you a bad review for requiring vaccination for your customers during that dangerous time and I just want to commend you and thank you for doing your part to protect fellow Americans. Stubby little Nazi coward Corey can’t even spell “riffraff” but I’m glad you made sure he knew he was a piece of it. You are not alone; crappy Corey is coming after my community too, focusing weirdly and troublingly on victimizing our children. Nazi Corey is both pathetic and dangerous and needs to be kept out of places where decent people go. Good luck and thank you again for your courage and strength.“

“Super cool place that looks like a 80-90’s basement with separate living room areas with Nintendo/sega/N64 respectively to play on. Great drinks too.“

“Cheap beer, good music, and authentically immaculate vibes in the weirdest grunge aesthetic.“

“I could eat 178 of the Chorizo ragoons. 😮‍💨“

“Well priced, amazing tasting, craft cocktails!! I popped in on 10/4/2025, just before last call. So it was loud in there, but only because everyone seemed to be having a great time! The server and the bartender were very kind and gave fantastic service!“

“We have had Earl’s Premier on our radar for a while. Decided it would be the perfect place to go explore for our 19th wedding anniversary. It felt like we were on vacation the moment we walked in the door. John and Nico showed us great hospitality.“

“This is, no joke, one of my favorite places in the whole city.“

“I worked here. The owner moved me to a new apartment and gave me 100 dollars just because. I still wear my PPT shirt around town and have some pressed pennies. Great food. Great family owners. The most cozy hidden gem in Kansas City!“

“Great place to just chill!“

“We had the most amazing Father’s Day family dinner there today 6/21/26. And the service—the best in town!!! We had the family dinner which is about $20 per person (there were 9 of us) and we brought lots of leftovers home. Welcoming environment, generous portion, and incredible service all around. 100% recommended.“

“My husband and I with a few family members went to see our son’s debut as an edm guest dj. We are not your typical clientele for the KC edm scene. With that said, we were very pleasantly surprised at Aura! What a fun atmosphere. The staff were very kind and fun. The music was loud yet you could carry on conversations. Drinks were very reasonably priced. And as a woman, I was very appreciative of the restrooms cleanliness, size and number of stalls. Such a cool vibe with the graphics, lighting and diverse crowd. Aura has a very inviting atmosphere.“

“The Tool Shed is the best place for camaraderie and good people Kimmy is the manager all of her bartenders are always respectful and amazing as Toby Keith would say I Love This Bar“

“This was a nice venue, food was presented well and tasted fine. The bar had a good variety and specials for the event. It was a great space. They had a selfie station, my only complaint was the table and chairs setup was very tight and difficult to get around.“

“It had been a while since we ventured into downtown KCMO, and we genuinely enjoyed the atmosphere. Overall, the food was good, though not quite at the level we expected for the price. One clear takeaway: avoid the fried items. We wish we had read the negative reviews beforehand, because the wings were unfortunately the worst we’ve ever had overly oily and lacking flavor. As a big wings fan, the execution was especially frustrating: the batter wasn’t right, the texture was greasy, and the seasoning simply missed the mark. The shrimp toasts were also disappointing—very soggy bread to the point that I felt it wasn't cooked in the middle.

That said, the “Japanese‑style” dishes featuring raw fish were much better. The sushi taco was a standout, and my friends really enjoyed the bone marrow beef tartare. For the main course, the scallop pasta had great potential, but the salt was heavy—particularly on the scallops and toward the bottom of the bowl, even after mixing.

On a positive note, the drinks, desserts and service were excellent, easily deserving five stars.“

“Staying at the Hilton Presidents Hotel in downtown Kansas City we stopped by the Drum Room located on property and accessed via hotel lobby or its side entrance. Good and atmosphere were so good we ate there 2 times. Started with Fried Goat Cheese and Beet Salad and finished with the KC Beach Burger with garlic fries and Meatball Farfalle pasta dish. All were amazing and didn’t venture far on our second visit and skipped the salad as the 3 items were way too much on the first evening. Second evening we shared a bottle of Sav Blanc from N.Z. Amazing.“

“One of my favorite Hidden bar in the West side. Check IG for when they are open. Somewhat weather dependent hours/days. Usually Thursday- Saturday.
No food unless a pop up vendor. Super unique, very plant focused, smallish service bar but all the necessities!
Just the coolest place around!!“

“It was my first time going to this bar. I went for the 8 ball tournament that is held on Saturday's. I really enjoyed myself. It was a great atmosphere, the bartender was amazing and everyone was really down to earth. I will definitely be returning! Thanks Time Out!“

“as someone who's worked in westport for so long it's important to me for westport and midtown to stay local and family owned. the quality of customer service here is amazing, but not only that it's the "where everyone knows your name" type of bar that keeps customers coming back“

“Dodson’s is a great spot all around. The service is consistently excellent, the drinks are good, and the vibe is relaxed yet lively. There’s always a nice mix of people, which adds to the welcoming atmosphere. A huge bonus is being able to order a Cosmos Burger through the window—such a great touch and the perfect late-night pairing with a drink. Definitely a place we enjoy coming back to.“

“We LOVE Milwaukee Deli to the point where we knew we had to have it as a late night snack at our wedding! We worked out a catering order with Jon who was so great at assisting us and making sure what we ordered showed up at our venue at the requested time! We didn't have to worry about a thing on the day and just got the glorious news from our venue coordinator that the pizza had arrived! Our guests DEVOURED this pizza. Thanks again to Jon and Milwaukee Deli for helping to make our special day even better!“

“Fun local dive bar. No food but they have a few snacks for purchase, sometimes coffee cake next to the free coffee station and a popcorn machine (not always in use). Couple dart boards in the back. a gold game and a gambling card game too on the bar. Covered deck in the back. Not a lot of options for beers, but good specials and fair prices in general. They make their own moonshine, and it is DELICIOUS. Apple Pie and Peach are king (to be fair I didn't try the other 2), peach tastes like fresh peach nectar. Highly recommend.“

“Loved this little hidden gem! Has a 70s vibe to it. Darker decor. I love places that have secret hidden doors. Drinks were cheap and strong. Food good too. We will definitely be back.“

“SHOUT OUT TO JENNY!!!!! Came in for the first time last night. Jenny was our waitress and she was a whole vibe!!!!!! The food was great and Jenny made the experience even better with her humor and providing us with a great experience. Tell Jenny I will be back for my boot 😂😂😂😂.“

“My husband and I drive from Omaha at least twice a year for date weekend and we always dine at Stock Hill. We love love love the ambience, service, food, all of it. It hits the mark for that dreamy, darkish, amber glow ambience, especially in the later months. This past weekend we went to KC on a whim and knew they were booked and decided we would be fine with a seat at the bar. When we inquired about a table for 2, the hostess explained that they were booked and could sit at the bar. We were totally great with that! But the “head honcho” came out of nowhere and told us he actually had a table for 2. The cherry on top? He proceeded to seat us at the table we first sat at when we went there for date weekend years ago. Thank you! 🥰“

“My favorite Pop Up Bar! Maxwell & Thomas are Great“

“Backstage Bar was easily one of the best spots I’ve been to in a while. The vibe is laid-back but still lively, the drinks are excellent, and the whole place has that kind of atmosphere where you end up staying way longer than you planned.

A big shoutout to Tristan behind the bar. He was friendly, quick, and clearly knows what he’s doing. Even when it got busy, he kept the energy up and made sure everyone was taken care of. It’s rare to find a bartender who can make great drinks and make the experience feel personal, but Tristan nailed it.“

“I've been to Big John's a few times, and have always been treated well, with very reasonably priced drinks. The reason for the review though was because of my most recent experience. My family and I got caught in the storm that everyone did during Santacaligon days. The bartender that evening told me to bring my family inside to be safe. She was worried about our kids. Not only did she give us a safe place to hang out, she also offered my kids some soda's and lots of kindness. She could tell they were worried. I left to go help people with their booths, but my wife, kids and friends stayed until it was safe to leave. They felt welcomed, treated very well. I didn't get the bartenders name that night, but I wish to Thank her for her kindness!“