Open Thursday-Saturday but subject to restricted hours due to private events. Photo by Rebecca Norden & Caleb Condit The Parlour at Monarch BarĤ808 Roanoke Parkway, KCMO. But the vibe warrants it a place on this list, and the polished cocktail menu doesn’t pull any punches. Distillery complex, is not trying to stay under the radar. Other than its basement location and rich furnishings – think tufted leather and a glowing fireplace – this bar, located within the new J. There’s nothing terribly secret about the Hey Hey Club. Photo courtesy of Charlie Burt The Hey Hey Club There’s a two-drink maximum per person, in case you were wondering how serious they are about The Zombie cocktail.
This basement-level bar casts itself as a tropical oasis with veritable chill powers – just look to the cocktail menu. Westport’s HopCat is devoted to beer, but its sister concept TikiCat is all about rum (and classic tiki cocktails, of course). Photo courtesy of TikiCat TikiCat – CLOSED Panther’s Place is open most Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays spring through fall, but they also set their own schedule, so there are no guarantees. The drink of choice here is Miller High Life. The open-air backyard unfolds like a hidden oasis: Plants and succulents are everywhere, string lights zigzag overhead and a spiral staircase leads to a second-story lounge overlooking the dreamy scene below. You can find Panther’s Place in the Westside neighborhood, in the courtyard by Poi-o, with an entrance covertly hidden behind an airstream. Follow on Instagram for hours and updates. If you’re looking for a lively time, this is the place – there’s a dance floor for you to show off your hottest moves.ġ000 W. Located in the basement of the Garment House, Hush hosts live jazz or DJ music three nights a week. Photo courtesy of The Garment House Hush Speakeasyġ000 Broadway Blvd., KCMO,
Hotel Phillips opened in 1931 – just two years before Prohibition ended – and you’ll find plenty of historical nods in the bar’s décor. Speakeasy feels like being let in on a secret – in large part because to enter the clubby underground bar, you’ll have to get a Hotel Phillips employee to open a secret door behind reception. Photo courtesy of Arbor Lodging Management P.S. In 2015, after finishing a sold-out concert at the Sprint Center, Stevie Wonder’s band filtered in and jammed out. After other gigs, jazz artists come here to let loose. Pay the cover and gain access to an after-hours party where drinks are cheap and the music is hot. Since the thirties, it’s hosted late-night jazz jam sessions-a tradition that continues every weekend. This historic landmark building in the 18th and Vine District started as a union hall for African-American musicians in 1917. Photo courtesy of Dante’ Mutual Musicians Foundationġ823 Highland Ave., KCMO. Cockson’s menu emphasizes pre-Prohibition era cocktails, but there’s no end to the creativity of her bar staff. This means that on busy nights, overflow guests may stand by in a small chamber outside the bar, waiting for the light over the thick iron door to switch from red – meaning the bar is at capacity – to green, signifying that seats have opened up. Swordfish Tom’s could cram fifty or so people into the sub-level Crossroads space (you’ll find the unmarked entrance down an alley), but owner and head bartender Jill Cockson sets capacity at thirty. On weekends, when thirsty crowds clamor for one of the bar’s craft cocktails, you’d be wise to make one. There’s no marked entrance – you have to be buzzed in through the Rieger’s backdoor in an alleyway – but Manifesto does accept reservations. Located in the basement of the Rieger, Manifesto’s stone walls, candle lighting and hushed vibe evokes the secretive nature of a throwback speakeasy. When it opened in 2009, Manifesto heralded the return of speakeasy culture to modern times.
You don’t need a password to get in, but you do need the intel. Here are a list of bars that tend to fly under the radar. There are a few places well-known for recreating the spirit of the era: Manifesto, which opened in 2009, was among the first to pick up on the speakeasy revival, and Swordfish Tom’s and PS Speakeasy (secret wall panel in the Hotel Phillips lobby) followed in 2017. Kansas City thrived under Prohibition, with dozens of speakeasies serving booze behind hidden doors and through tucked-away tunnels.