Updated at: 13-11-2023 - By: John Lau

The Crossroads area in Kansas City is a vibrant and artistic district that features unique shops, delicious restaurants, and some of the top entertainment venues in the city.

The area is home to some of the best bars in Kansas City, ranging from upscale cocktail lounges to laidback breweries.

Whether you’re a tourist or a local, the Crossroads area is a must-visit destination for anyone who enjoys the hustle and bustle of city life and being where the action is.

In this article, we will explore the best bars in Crossroads KC, providing you with a comprehensive guide to the top spots to grab a drink in the area.

Top 16 Best Bars In Crossroads KC

The Mercury Room

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The Mercury Room is a bar located in the Crossroads Arts District of Kansas City, Missouri. It is owned by the same creators of the Monarch Bar and Verdigris.

The bar is located on the top floor of REVERB, a fourteen-story apartment complex, and features plush seating areas, a sleek cocktail bar, and expansive views of the Kansas City skyline.

The space is designed to be upscale and sophisticated, with a strict dress code that requires jackets for men and prohibits hats. The Mercury Room is available for private event bookings.

The bar is known for its world-class cocktails, with a starting price of $30 per cocktail, which includes tax, tip, and an amuse-bouche in the form of a non-alcoholic “elixir”.

The bar has a dozen specialty cocktails, each with an outlandish list of ingredients. The Mercury Room has 28 seats and is an intimate space.

Green Lady Lounge

The Green Lady Lounge is an iconic jazz club located in the Crossroads Arts District of Kansas City, Missouri.

The lounge features live music every night, with Kansas City jazz musicians playing only their original compositions in the rich Kansas City tradition.

The lounge has a retro vibe, with scarlet walls and a marble bar. There is a $5 cover charge, and seating is always open with no reservations required.

The lounge is only open to those 21 and over. The Green Lady Lounge is a great place to hear jazz in Kansas City, and it is a perfect spot to top off an evening out in the area.

Black Dolphin

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The Black Dolphin is a jazz club located at 1813 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, MO.

It is situated in the Crossroads Arts District and is known for its live music performances and impressive cocktails.

The club has a hip, industrial, and urban vibe, with comfortable couches by the wall and exposed brick walls. The Black Dolphin is owned by John Scott and boasts great acoustics.

The musicians who play and perform at the club only play their original Kansas City Jazz compositions. The club is open on Fridays and Saturdays from 6 pm to 1:30 am.

Swordfish Tom’s

Swordfish Tom’s is a pre-prohibition, premium spirits and cocktail bar located in the Crossroads Arts District of Kansas City.

The bar is hospitality and inclusivity-driven, and they serve cocktails and premium spirits, but not beer, wine, or food.

Swordfish Tom’s does not take reservations, and the maximum capacity is 30 persons. The bar is known for its great cocktails and amazing atmosphere.

Up-Down

Up-Down is an arcade bar located in the Crossroads Arts District of Kansas City.

It features more than 50 arcade games from the 1980s and 1990s, pinball machines, classic skeeball alleys, Nintendo 64 console gaming, life-size Jenga and Connect Four.

All games cost just 25 cents. The drink menu includes an extensive craft beer selection with over 50 beers on tap and even more bottles and cans, as well as a full bar.

Up-Down is open Monday-Friday from 3:00 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. and Saturday & Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. . The arcade bar is for adults only and patrons must be 21 or older to enter.

Up-Down also offers weekly specials such as $1 off all draft beers on Mondays, 10 cent tokens on Thursdays, and 2 for 1 tokens until 9pm on Saturdays.

Percheron Rooftop Bar

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Percheron Rooftop Bar is located inside the Crossroads Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri.

It is a seasonal rooftop bar that is open from 4 PM to 11 PM on Sunday to Thursday and from 4 PM to 12 AM on Friday and Saturday.

The bar is named after the famed horses of the once Pabst brewery, a breed known for its intelligence and liveliness.

Percheron is Kansas City’s first rooftop beer garden. The rooftop offers great views of the Kansas City skyline and is a great spot for photo ops.

The bar serves creative cocktails and has a great outdoor dining area. Percheron welcomes guests of all ages from 4 PM to 8 PM nightly, and from 8 PM to close, the rooftop is 21+ .

The rooftop is open nightly to walk-ins as most of the space is first come, first served. Larger parties of 6 – 16 are encouraged to make a booking on OpenTable.

Seating/table requests are welcome but are not guaranteed.

The Monarch

The Monarch Room is an event venue located in the historic Crossroads district of Kansas City, Missouri.

It is a 6,000 square foot ground level space with 20-foot ceilings. The venue is available for weddings, corporate events, and other special occasions.

The Hey! Hey! Club

The Hey! Hey! Club is a basement hideaway located in Kansas City, Missouri, owned by J. Rieger & Co. .

It is a tribute to Kansas City’s rebellious past and was inspired by the historic Hey Hay Club.

The original Hey Hay Club was located in downtown Kansas City at 4th and Cherry and only lasted for a few years, from 1931 to 1938, but in that time it played host to jazz musicians such as Count Basie and Lester Young.

The Hey! Hey! Club features live music on Thursdays from 7 PM to 10 PM. The club serves craft cocktails and spirits from around the world.

It is open from Wednesday to Saturday, from 5 PM to 11 PM on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and from 5 PM to 1 AM on Fridays and Saturdays. Reservations are recommended.

P.R.’s Place

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P.R.’s Place is a bar located at 1741 Washington St, Kansas City, Missouri. It is situated in the Westside neighborhood, which is part of the larger Crossroads Arts District.

The bar is known for its friendly atmosphere, good music, and pool tables. It also serves margaritas and tacos on Thursdays.

P.R.’s Place was included in the list of the 87 best bars in Kansas City by Kansas City Magazine.

The bar is accessible by bus, with the closest stations being On SW Blvd at Central Westbound and Crossroads on Main at 19th St Sb.

The Ship

The Ship is a neighborhood restaurant, cocktail bar, and live music venue located in the West Bottoms of Kansas City.

The restaurant offers classic cocktails and live entertainment. The original Ship bar is open for lunch or dinner, drinks with friends, or a secret rendezvous.

The Ship has a private speakeasy feel and is a classic intimate room.

The restaurant serves lunch, dinner, and local live music in their original restored 1935 vintage barroom and their spacious “All Else The Sea” expansion.

The Ship is closed on Sundays and Mondays, and open from 11 am to 11 pm on Tuesdays, 11 am to 12 am on Wednesdays, and 11 am to 1 am on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

The Ship was originally located at 411 East 10th Street in downtown Kansas City and was a grand lounge opened shortly after the repeal of Prohibition in 1935.

In 2004, Josh Mobley and Bob Asher recovered the treasures from the basement of a West Bottoms warehouse and began carefully reconstructing The Ship as close to the original details as possible in her new location in the heart of the West Bottoms.

By 2014, The Ship was finally recommissioned and launched to the public.

Missie B’s

Missie B’s is a kitschy nightclub in Kansas City that attracts a diverse crowd for adult-themed entertainment like drag performers.

It is also known as Kansas City’s premier gay bar, serving clientele 21 years of age and over with affordable drinks from noon until 3:00 a.m. every day of the year.

According to TripAdvisor, Missie B’s is the best entertainment place in KC, with a great bar and accessibility. It is also one of the most popular gay bars in town, offering drag shows, dancing, and drinks.

The nightclub has three bars and is located on West 39th St in Kansas City, MO. According to a Reddit post, Missie B’s is the quintessential KC gay club, with two stories, three bars, and a leather shop inside.

The Levee

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The Levee is a bar located at 16 W 43rd St, Kansas City, Missouri.

It has been a Kansas City institution since 1965 and is known for its unique atmosphere, live music, and outdoor areas.

The bar has a stage for live music, an EDM room, and an upstairs bar area where food can be ordered.

The Levee is located in the East Plaza area of Kansas City, which is known for its history as a crossroads of America.

The area was a gateway to the northwest, southwest, and far west, as well as the east, and was instrumental in the growth of Kansas City.

Lew’s

Lew’s Grill & Bar is a restaurant and bar located at 7539 Wornall Rd, Kansas City, MO 64114.

It is known for its low-key bar food, trivia nights, karaoke nights, and late-night hours.

Lew’s is also known for its signature drink, Das Boot®, which is a large boot-shaped beer glass.

While Lew’s is not specifically mentioned as a sports bar, it is listed as a place to catch a game in Kansas City by Visit KC.

The Rieger

The Rieger is a restaurant located in the historic Crossroads Art District of downtown Kansas City.

It serves lunch and dinner with a focus on locally sourced, farm fresh seasonal ingredients.

The restaurant is located in the Rieger Hotel building, which was erected in 1915 and is one of the most recognizable buildings in the Crossroads Art District.

The hotel was originally utilized for traveling businessmen, but was also known to host Al Capone when he would stay in Kansas City due to the building’s close proximity to Kansas City’s Union Station which made for quick escapes.

Today, the original lobby plays host to the restaurant, The Rieger Hotel Grill & Exchange, and the basement is utilized by a speakeasy styled bar.

However, according to a news article from October 2020, The Rieger announced that it would close on November 1, 2020, citing the pandemic’s challenges.

Manifesto

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Manifesto is a speakeasy-style drinking establishment located in the Crossroads district of Kansas City, Missouri.

It opened in 2009 and was among the first to pick up on the speakeasy revival.

The bar is located in the basement of the Rieger, and its stone walls, candle lighting, and hushed vibe evoke the secretive nature of a throwback speakeasy.

There is no marked entrance, and patrons have to be buzzed in through the Rieger’s backdoor in an alleyway.

Manifesto’s menu emphasizes pre-Prohibition era cocktails, and the bar staff is known for their creativity in crafting cocktails.

The establishment accepts reservations, and on weekends, it can get crowded, so it is wise to make a reservation. As of November 2023, Manifesto is closed.

Julep

Julep is a restaurant and cocktail bar located in Kansas City, Missouri. It has been reviewed on Yelp and TripAdvisor, and has an Instagram account.

However, according to a post on Reddit, Julep closed permanently on May 6th, 2023. Therefore, it is no longer open for business.