tl;dr Kansas City: If you want to jump to our Complete List of US Speakeasies, Click here

But as we found out on our first trip, Kansas City has deep prohibition roots.

During the prohibition era, Kansas City was quite the party town.  Partly because of the heavy mob rule as the government turned a blind eye. And partly because of its river access, making it a mini distribution hub.  There are actual secret tunnels built into some of the buildings. These would lead to the river for easily sneaking in and out of booze and other taboo items.  Y’all think it’s all about Chicago, but apparently not!

The Purpose of the Trip

If you recall how much fun we had on our first trip to Kansas City, MO, you will understand why we were excited for a reason to go back.

Go read that blog first and refresh your memory. The purpose of this trip was to attend the annual Repeal Day party thrown by our friends at Til Death.  We met them on our first trip to Kansas City at The Mercury Room and found instant besties. 

And as long as we were hitting their speakeasy, we decided we really needed to explore the rest of KCMO Speakeasy scene.

*Our Speakeasy Rating System

Throughout this post you will see references to our shaker rating system. We have an “objective” rating system of 1 to 5 shakers. One (or 1/2 in some cases) shaker can be earned in each of the following categories. A full list of speakeasies and their ratings will be published in the near future.

• Hidden Entrance
• Entry task/Password
• Theme
• Cocktails
• Service

So here we go with some of the top places in Kansas City for the Speakeasy loving crowd. 

Swordfish Tom’s

We had Swordfish Tom’s on our list for our first trip, but they were not open on the day we were free to visit.  This time we made it a priority.

The Entrance

We are only scoring this entrance a half shaker. If you are standing on the street it looks like an empty alley.  However, if you stroll down about two doorways, there it is, and the door is marked. So half a shaker deduction.  BUT once you enter the door you head down a cool octopus staircase to a door. You have to knock on the door. We would recommend that you knock loudly (not pounding, that would be rude). But it is a bar, and they must hear you to let you in.  It might take a few minutes if they are busy, just wait, it’s worth it.

The Experience

Right up front, let’s be clear, we loved this place!!!

We were greeted at the door by Tim, who was funny and cool.  Turns out the bar is named after the owner’s favorite musician (Tom Waite) and his favorite album by that artist (Swordfishtrombone).  We completely expected it to be a tropical, Tiki bar feel with a name like Swordfish Tom’s. But no, it is actually a brick, dark, industrial feeling bar.  Although there is something about it that hints of old/naval touches. There is a sign on the door letting you know they are LGBTQ friendly and Black Lives Matter and if you don’t agree, don’t be there.  They have a bathroom sign that reads “all genders or gender expressions”, which I loved the phrasing of.

The cocktails were flat out amazing.  We love creative names on the menu, and they nailed them!  My drink was The Banana Stand (because, you know, there’s always money in the banana stand – if you know this reference, we can be friends), Peggy went with The Pharmacist.  They were so good we changed our “one and done” to another one and done.  Round two:  My choice was Violet, You’re Turning Violet, Violet!  Peggy had Good Omens.  Creative, tasty, not too weird, well thought out and balanced flavors.

It was impressive.  But we had other reservations to get to.

PS Speakeasy

As an intro, let me just spoil it by saying we didn’t love it. . . but we should have.  I blame the huge party of golfing buddies and brunch blondes who were waiting in line behind us. They were so busy trying to impress each other that it made us sneer just a little and roll our eyes.   Quite sure we walked in with a bad attitude. And, yes, we were judgey.

The Entrance

So, again with the half shaker score.  I get it, businesses want people to know they are there. But the whole point of a speakeasy is to be hidden.  First off, it is found in the basement of one of the prettiest hotels in Kansas City.  The Hotel Phillips is gorgeous, wood carved staircases, very art deco. Very us, very eclectic, very much I can’t wait to go back and stay here.  Located in the Power and Light district, it is in a great neighborhood if you are looking for somewhere to stay.

You get in the elevator, and yep, there is a sign for PS Lounge.  You step off the elevator and there is another sign pointing down a staircase.  Descend the short staircase and there is an actual cool, big metal slider door that is not marked. Therefore, they are staying in this race for a half shaker mark.  We arrived at opening time, second in line for our reservation. That group behind us was still throwing off our groove (it was a birthday party for one of them, or so we heard multiple times).

The Experience

Once we were in, the room was beautiful.  Velvet chairs, art deco sconces and archways, mirrors, going for the old Hollywood feel – you can almost see Sinatra at the back booth.  A little dark, a little cold, but table candles and wall lights that they came around to turn on.  The service was great. The server and the bartender were both nice, friendly, and checked in to make sure everything was good.

One Goddess of Dawn (how do you not get the Goddess drink) and one Only Fronds. We enjoyed them both. They also do the classic cocktails with little twists of their own.  There was really nothing to not like about it, except our bad attitudes coming in the door.  It definitely feels a little upscale and would be a great date night option.

The Drum Room

The Experience

The Drum Room came highly recommended.  Inside the Hotel President Kansas City, this historic landmark claims that it used to be more speakeasy-ish. The rumor goes that it was uncovered during excavation and had been previously unknown. Today, it is just a hotel corner bar packed with the after-work crowd.  There was nothing not to like, but we wouldn’t hype it up.  My note from the stop reads “What is this supposed to be?  Feels like a non-chain Capital Grill, local afterwork crowd but highly recommended by the hotel staff” – Interpret that as you will.  A big whiskey selection, presidential themed cocktails. We had the Jackie O and the Café Liberation (espresso martini), standard bar choices.

The Hey Hey Club

The Hey Hey Club hides in the J. Reiger & Co Distillery. We arrived during a Christmas Market and found out that the Hey Hey Club was also done up as a Christmas Pop Up – so yay for a theme!!!

The Entrance

While not exactly hidden (yes, again), and no secret way to enter, all you need is possibly a reservation (and a keen observation skill of seeing the sign on the wall pointing down the stairs).

The Experience

It is hard for us to judge this accurately and fairly because it was a themed set up.  But given how much we loved it, and how well the theme was executed, we have rather good sense that it’s probably always fantastic – and it did come highly recommended by several locals and other service workers. 

This year’s holiday theme was a Christmas Tiki Bar (no, it’s not typically a Tiki bar).  The cocktail list featured standard Tiki drinks with a holiday twist. These fun drinks were served in cool tropical Christmas style glasses (shark tiki glass, Santa Surfing, Reindeer, etc.).  They also offered a short list of snacks, and we absolutely loved the Sweet Chili crab wonton nachos.

Our server (dangit forgot to write down her name), was awesome, friendly, almost perky, without being barbie level perky.  We loved her, she should go drinking with us! 

We would say, get in an afternoon at J. Rieger’s Distillery. J. Rieger has a unique Kansas City pre- and post-prohibition history and is well worth the visit. They have a tasting room, tours, and a café.  So multiple stops to drink, and a great, upbeat atmosphere.

The Mercury Room

We are revisiting this to share with you, because although we hit it 2 years ago, it has some speakeasy qualities, and we did love it.

The Entrance

It’s pretty hidden, not completely, but one of the better KCMO secret entrances.  It is on the top floor of a building.  There is a sign outside that simply has the Greek symbol for Mercury on it.  If you don’t know, you don’t know.  You can see it from the street, but it’s just pretty lights from the street level.  When you go into the building, there is a security desk where you must check in.  Reservations are appreciated, but if they can fit you in, they will.  You need to have them grant you elevator access to the top floor.  So, pretty close to a full shaker rating.

The Experience

This is a beautiful lounge.  The room is dark velvety blue with white lights strung up all over the ceiling like a sky lit up with stars.  There were low lounge style tables, naturally we sat at the bar where we met our besties, Andrew and Liz (it was their 30th anniversary, and they were celebrating it up).

The bartenders were amazing, the drinks were amazing, and they will create cocktails for you based on your likes and dislikes.  They are true expert mixologists (hint, go read our updated KCMO day drinking blog, as one of the bartenders who served us that night now owns his own fantastic bar).

We highly recommend this for a romantic date night, or a fun night out with friends, it is slightly upscale without being snooty.

And the grand Finale of our Kansas City Experience:  TIL DEATH!!!

So as the story’s been told, our friends bought a mortuary.  Liz’s family is in the mortuary business.  This is just outside Kansas City in Raytown, MO.  They take over ownership, and multiple times people come to services there and ask where the bar is (or if it was still there, little fuzzy on specifics).  They have no idea what people are talking about until they go to renovate the basement, and you guessed it, bar in the basement.

So now, they have a speakeasy.  But do not get your hopes up, this is a special event venue only, and the Repeal party is invite only – but also a fantastic fundraiser for homeless veterans.  You should make friends with them and get on the invite list.

The Experience

So, Andrew and his bestie, Phil, worked as the bartenders.  They created their own upscale cocktails, and they were honestly amazing.  Like professional level, mixed with love and appreciation for the craft.  One of the best espresso martinis I’ve ever had, top 3 at least.  They also served a drunk rabbit punch, that I loved! 

Peggy and I walk in, we are greeted by Lori at the door, we introduce ourselves as Peggy and Patti, and we hear the shriek from across the room from Liz “OMG, the sisters are here”, to which Lori replied “OMG, you’re the sisters!!!”  For future reference, I always want to be greeted this way, always. 

The speakeasy has grown and expanded over the past few years (not that we knew, but they walked us through the history). Their kids worked the door and served, and it was a whole fun family affair.  We loved meeting their kids, and Phil and Lori, and all their friends.

There may have have been too many prohibition style cocktails drunk, and all the fun we could squeeze out of this event we did. This included staying too long after hours to catch up with our friends. We love these people, and their families. There are plans at some point in 2025 to do a “Til Behaving” event in a new city, stay tuned for that.

Other Speakeasy Guides

• Ultimate List & Ratings of US Speakeasies
• Las Vegas
• Austin
• Chicago
• Denver
• Seattle

Peggy is in the home stretch of getting to all 50 states, and this trip to Kansas City covered two of her remaining eight:  Kansas and Missouri.

We had a tough time in our Google search for interesting things to do, and experiences to be had, we also had a limited amount of time. 

Don’t get us wrong. KCMO (that’s the cute acronym for Kansas City Missouri, if you didn’t know) is a fantastic little big city, with gorgeous architecture and a history ripe with mobster and prohibition stories. And we had a wonderful time.  But you do not come to Kansas City with high hopes of fun and magical escapades. 

Kansas City is nicknamed The Heart of America due to its location about 250 miles from the geographical and population center of the United States. It is known for BBQ, Jazz and the Chiefs. It’s not necessarily an adventurer’s paradise, or a hub of activity. So we might as well see what this place has to offer in the drinking category. Who would we be if we didn’t?

Sister Side Note (ssn) – while we had a fantastic time enjoying this list of Kansas City bars, we were there on Sunday & Monday nights and there were a few at the top of our must-visit list that were not open until Tuesday. Very disappointing but I think we made the most of it.

And off we go to begin with breakfast

We started our day at Tribe Street Kitchen.

It was in walking distance to our hotel, and a TikTok mentioned breakfast shots.  Seems like where you should begin a day drinking excursion: solid food and breakfast shots.

The Topless Chicken Sandwich with chorizo gravy was amazing. The biscuit was light, buttery, and fluffy.  They gave me the KC hot sauce on the side, and I loved it. The bar was comfortable and warm, the staff was super friendly. And yes, the breakfast shots (Jameson and Butterscotch served with an OJ back, in case you were wondering) were worthy of the hype. Plus mimosas are available by the carafe in orange, pineapple, cranberry, or grapefruit.

ssn – I had the “Morning After Bowl” – breakfast potatoes with KC hot gravy, chorizo and eggs. So good! The staff was so friendly and even put the Seahawks game on tv for us.

Little walking does a body good

The server at Tribe recommended we hit up City Market, an outdoor shopping area more like a farmer’s market combined with a craft show.

However, it was cold, as it tends to get in Kansas City in November, so we kept walking.  Not much was open at the market this time of year. 

And that led us to Harry’s Country Club.  A fantastic dive bar, playing old Waylon and Willie, offering an amazing selection of whiskeys.

We opted for a one and done breakfast shot. And we are off to explore with a little warmth in our bellies to combat the cold air.

A little cold, but a beautiful walk

We headed back to the hotel for a little freshening up before hitting up our neighbors to the south, John’s Big Deck. The city is mostly brick buildings, with fantastic architectural features and old style charm, so the walk was interesting with a lot of looking up and thankfulness for not a lot of hills.  They’ve done an amazing job of keeping the older buildings repurposed for a truly charming downtown.

But on to The Big Deck

How do you not get excited about a big deck? 

John’s is three floors, with a huge deck up top, which is enclosed for the winter.  Turns out the deck didn’t even open until 4. So after a little peach vodka we decided it was best is we moseyed along as the next Dive bar was opening at 3:00 and was less than a mile away so we could walk.

The Zoo

The place that made Harry’s look downright fancy in dive bar comparison.  This is old school, sharpie-covered graffiti walls, amazing stickers and pictures, and ugly ripped up bar stools. One side has pool tables, the other side just a bar and a lot of stools, maybe a few tables along the wall.  Nothing fancy, or looking to be themed, just a good old fashion dive bar.

Behind the bar is Mama Bear. You know this from a sign that informs you Mama Bear Makes the Rules.  Just an amazingly lovely little lady, who happily shared with us the 40 year history of The Zoo, and made sure we found some sharpies.  The only rule is to not mark up the bar top or any of the rented equipment.

We made sure a #sisbehaving sticker made it onto the index box by the cash register. 

Yes, I said Cash Register.

The Zoo is a cash only facility, with an ATM at the back.

A couple regulars stumbled in got a roll of quarters and two cans of Budweiser without having to ask. Another regular came in and stood at the end of the bar, clearly a friend of Mama Bear.

And this is where the Pocket Ribs happen!!!

I GOT POCKET RIBS!

On the way out, I ask the guy at the end of the bar where the best BBQ in KC was, he listed off a couple of “people say you should go to. . .” and as Peggy is getting in the Lyft I say “ok, but where do YOU go for BBQ?” He says he doesn’t eat any but his own, “do you want to try some?”

Well, fuck yeah, I want to try some.

And this is where I get into the Lyft with my own aluminum foil pack of ribs from his little bag sitting on the table next to the bar. (I think he brought Mama a little afternoon snack or something, because he had a couple of bags full of food.) I absolutely just walked out of a Dive Bar with some strangers homemade KC-style ribs in a foil packed wrapped in a grocery bag.

And I now have a pocket snack to take with us on our journey.

I AM DYING OVER THIS. ALL NIGHT LONG.

POCKET RIBS

IN KANSAS CITY

But we are on our way to The Monarch, so let’s go there

The Monarch came recommended by our hotel staff (super cute, I put a comment in the notes section when I made a reservation that we needed good bar recommendations this was on their list).

The Monarch was just gorgeous.  A themed butterfly bar, gorgeous white and cream and elegant.

And we burst in to this lovely place, giggling madly about my pocket ribs.

We created a bit of a scene, but the bar was almost empty, so it’s all good.

Migratory Butterfly Pattern Menu

The cocktail menu is divided up into regional cocktails based on the migratory patterns of butterflies.

And our first stop that actually has themed craft cocktails.

First round was very successful. My choice was beautiful and sweet, Peggy’s was elegant and warming.

But the second round, ohhhhh the second round was a full triumph.  The Steak and Shake, where our bartender, Stephen (who insists that we know he is actually the General Manager) says it is “hands-down” the best drink on the menu.  A5 Wagyu Tallow Washed Talisker Scotch Whisky…they infuse their own scotch with the best beef tallow on the planet (so stays Stephen).  Umami bitters and black garlic foam, who knew this was even a thing?  But IT IS!

Peggy has a beautiful cocktail, which is purply and creamy and was soulfully delicious.

But we’ve been here for two, and we are dying for the Mercury Room.  Stephen confirms that this is a don’t miss spot, and is a sister bar to the Monarch, so we should drop his name at the door.

The Mercury Room, and our new best friends

Luckily it’s a Monday night, because we don’t have reservations.

But we also have the ability to name drop “Stephen sent us”, ok, well in honesty, I inform them that Jonathon has sent us, and Peggy very loudly exclaims “who the fuck is Jonathon” and we erupt with laughter. Not exactly the classy first impression, and we are slightly dying over the cheesiness we are feeling at this anyway.  Jonathon…Stephen…whatever, both formal and end in an “n” sound 

The door guy clears us with the upstairs people, and we are granted elevator access feeling a cross between should we be fist bumping at our status or are they just really putting us on that they weren’t going to let us in. We can’t tell.  But we are in.

The Mercury Room is at the top of the building, all lit up with white lights and blue velvet. This is astonishing level of beautiful and we are here for it all, soaking it all in.

ssn – sorry for the language, mom. The Mercury Room was seriously impressive – this would be a standout in any city!

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And then we meet Til Death

Never one to pass up conversations with strangers, the couple next to us are fun loving drinkers celebrating their 30^th wedding anniversary. And clearly know the bartender.  So hey, we got regulars, who drink and know things.

Andrew and Liz are super sweet and own a funeral home in nearby Raytown.

And he starts telling us this incredible story of buying this funeral home when they were just 23, coming from a family of funeral directors, etc.  And after they take ownership, they find that people keep showing up and asking them where the bar is.

They discover there is a secret bar in the basement, they now have their very own speakeasy in the basement of the funeral home, they only open once a year on Prohibition Repeal Day for a big party.

And we are now sad we won’t be back in KCMO on December 5, as it’s right around the corner and we need absolutely see these people again!

They are our new besties

We start sharing drinks, with the “oh, you gotta try this”, and then swapping bar and travel stories. 

Andrew talks to dead people, I read tarot, Peggy’s not white, someone is lying about our parentage (uh, mom, should we talk?).

We swap Instagram follows and swear we will come back and see them again and plan a night out.

ssn – you should go follow them on IG @tildeathkc

ssn – I guess I will have to ssn the drinks because they are sooooo worthy of mention! The drinks were incredible and the bartender, Levi, was a genius. We each had one from the menu then Levi created our second ones based on our likes and a bit of magic. Sorry, we were totally distracted and didn’t get pics of all.

They leave for dinner, we leave to make it to John’s Big Deck, for the big deck and music bingo. . . until we are sidetracked by The Green Lady Jazz Bar.

It’s Iconic

The Green Lady is Iconic. Everyone has told us this. Peggy doesn’t give a rip, but the hotel, the uber driver, Stephen (not Jonathon), all say “it’s an icon”.

And its just up on the next block from the Mercury Room.

So, we cave and go. Because we are here for you, to help you make informed drinking decisions, its the sacrifices we make for our readers.

And it’s Jazzy

There’s a trio playing jazz when we get there, the usual bass, drum, and guitar.

And despite being called The Green Lady, it’s very red.  Red and Velvety.  Kind of what you would expect from an Iconic jazz bar, I suppose.

Ask me what you drink at an iconic jazz bar. . .

I have no idea.  We were many drinks in over about 6 hours, and neither remember nor took photographic proof of a menu.

Our livers have been trained for this, but our phones have not.

One and Done, we gotta get to music bingo by 9.

And the Big Deck is in fact Big

But enclosed with plastic weather insulation, not classy, not good to look at, and you can’t see through it.

But that’s ok, the action is downstairs.

Where we force our new bar neighbors to play bingo with us.

And we suck.

A lot.

It’s a Funk themed first round.

(and now, I’m stuck singing Funky Town, sigh, the things I sacrifice for this blog)

And it’s seriously about halfway through that the bartender informs us that we are allowed to cheat and use Shazam.

Game changes in our direction, but it’s a little too late for round one.

Cheating feels dirty

But by round two, Peggy scores a double bingo and a gift card. So we are ok with being dirty, dirty girls.

I should throw out as a side note, that we realize about this time that we haven’t eaten since a late breakfast, so we split a burger and tots. And the burger was fantastic.

We opted for another round of drinks, probably a mistake, but we are cheaters not quitters.

Mistakes were made.

And after belting out Roam and Oops I did it again, (and I am now completely wondering why we weren’t kicked out and cut off), we decide it is time to call it a night.

ssn – the videos of this unofficial karaoke sesh are not pretty and will not be shared. But we did have a great time as we tip-toed along that border of entertaining and obnoxious. At least in our mind.

Lucky for the Close Stumble Home to the Hotel

I am thankful that I still have those pocket ribs, because it’s now started snowing.

We took a quick cut through the parking lot, and decide we should definitely end our night at The Savoy (our hotel bar) with a night cap.

And this is where you know God is looking out for ya girls, because it’s miraculously closed at midnight.

So, we head for some comfy beds, warm covers, blaring a/c, and some white noise to sleep it off.

ssn – Pocket Ribs are still the source of such hilarity that one of us may have laughed so hard we peed a little in the elevator (for clarity, not actually ON the elevator floor)

What did we miss? 

Well, not much in KC, we gave it a good go round, but ended up hitting a few spots in the following days.  We also managed an almost sober nightcap at The Savoy at a much early hour. More on that and other fun things we found in our next installation. Stay tuned for that, I’m writing as fast as a hungover girl can.

More in the Day Drinking series:

• Las Vegas
• Dallas
• Seattle – part 1
• Seattle – part 2
• Savannah
• Boise