The Most Delicious Southern in Kansas City

Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen

★★★☆☆ 2.5 (249) • $$

"Maybe I just haven't been to this location in awhile but man this place gotten better over the years! First of all nothing can beat the honey butter croissants, they were sooooo good and always served hot!I ordered a sirloin medium rare and it did come out more on the rare side, however that being said its not a steakhouse so overall if you lower your expectations before coming here the food will be outstanding!I will be back in the near future!"

Barn-B-Que Smokehouse

★★★★☆ 4.2 (90)

"Quick 5-Star shout out to Barn-B-Que!!We were in town visiting and met family here for breakfast, it was fantastic!! Everything from the service to the food to the ambiance. Can't wait to come back and try some more of the delicious items on the menu.Definitely want to try it in warmer weather when we can take full advantage of that wonderful outdoor seating area!The brisket was so moist and juicy, packed full of flavor. Try the brisket tacos if you are there for breakfast, we're still dreaming of those! Just a quick 5-star drop... I will definitely update this review after our next visit, because we know we'll be back!Thank you!!"

Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen

★★★☆☆ 2.6 (345) • $$

"Our waiter, Kayla was awesome! Funny, responsive and very attentive! I have to give to anyone who keeps my Coke Zero full! We love the fish tank! The restaurant was busy, but we had great seating! The cheddar bites were rather oily/greasy, so I skipped that. The rest of our crew enjoyed them.The complementary croissants are always a hit!"

Lula Southern Cookhouse

★★★★☆ 4.1 (500) • $$

"We were in the mood for Southern Comfort Food and found Lulu Southern Cookhouse to satisfy our appetite. Lulu's had a beautiful comforting environment with soft music, low lighting in the evening, a patio, large windows, brick walls, wooden ceilings and flooring. Although the tables are next to each other, we felt that we had enough space and was not crammed. I reserved through their portal on their website and when we showed up, our table was ready and we were quickly seated.Our waiter was polite and we had a good discussion about the city and activities. The menu had a good variety of Southern Food and our food started arriving 10-15 minutes after ordering. Our favorite was the Okra, Cheese Curds & Spam because of its tangy sweetness and how well combined the ingredients just felt like fireworks in our mouth. Their Gumbo was good but I've had homemade gumbo and it doesn't compare. Their Chicken Fried Steak was probably my least favorite of the dishes we ordered because I've just had better elsewhere.THE BEE KEEPERlavender & peach tea, Tom's Town gin, smoked hot honey, lemon, lavender sugarOKRA, CHEESE CURDS & SPAM crispy fried medley of okra, cheese curds, & chicken fried spam, toasted garlic, sweet & smokey ham jamSMOTHERED CHICKEN FRIED STEAK fried beef tenderloin, crawfish etouffee, trinity salsa, mashed potatoes, bacon braised collard greensAWARD WINNING GUMBOcreole chicken, andouille sausage, shrimp, crawfish, holy trinity, gumbo roux, white rice, crispy okra, crawfish salsa, chilled marinated crab claws"

Chicken Mary's

★★★★☆ 3.8 (98) • $$

"If I could give more than five stars I would. Highly recommend Chicken Mary's. Cannot recommend enough! Hands-down, one of the best places/service I have ever received at a restaurant.From the moment I walked in, I was met with great hospitality from the hostess who immediately seated me and told me about my server. The place has original location charm written all over it! Within a matter of minutes, my server, Keesha, came over with a trainee server, Natasa. I asked for recommendations and was given them with thoroughness and kindness. Per Keesha's recommendations, I ended up ordering a sweet tea, small onion rings, two dark meat chicken thighs, one dark meat chicken leg, the German potato salad, German slaw, and mashed potatoes and gravy. Now if you're thinking, this is a lot of food you are correct. I obviously took some home (and it reheated well in the air fryer). Hands-down, the chicken thighs were the best chicken I've had in my life. Wonderful mix of flavor and crunch, so tender it was nearly falling off the bone. Masterful flavor. The German potato salad was a different consistency than I've seen, but the flavor was out of this world and so was the German slaw. It's nice and refreshing to see something like that on the menu that you don't see just anywhere. The ranch is homemade too! I was too full for dessert, but I would've stuck around and had some of that if not. Keesha and Natasa were so kind throughout the whole meal. We had conversation, they comforted me when I was having a moment, and I received a big hug. They are truly people with big hearts who care.I cannot stress enough to try chicken Mary's. If you have not, add it to your list and make the trip. It is worth it and you will not regret it. Please go see Keesha and Natasa and give kudos to the young chef in the kitchen as well!"

Tin Kitchen

★★★★☆ 4.4 (277) • $$

"What do you do when you work all day on a snowy night, (blizzard week) you walk to Tin Kitchen. This place is the best, serving everything from salads, to burgers to BBQ. Everything is made in house from salad dressings, desserts, BBQ sauce to their sides. They have a great staff, always ready to please. It can get quite busy on the weekends, but it is worth the wait. Believe me when I say, there is nothing bad on the menu."

Smith's Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.8 (126) • $$

"If you love a place that brings a small bowl of ranch dressing to your table when you order an appetizer and has sweet table this is the place. You can leave your diet restrictions attached the door or order a salad.The restaurant itself is large, open and very clean. The decor adds to experience of a family owned place. You could over hear the staff calling the regulars by first names. The famous tenderloin lived up to expectations and the Chicken Fried Chicken sandwich was fresh, juicy with the perfect batter. I would definitely go back and recommend you give it a try."

Kansas City Blues & Jazz Juke House

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (48) • $$

"Good food, good drinks and a nice atmosphere. They have different events from two-stepping class to open mic night on Mondays. Coming here is always a good time."

Golden Corral Buffet & Grill

★★☆☆☆ 1.9 (102) • $$

"Great service Lisa Brenda Pedro Leo Suzy and ensecto and staff and great crab salad and great location"

Brookside Sushi

★★★★☆ 4.4 (58)

"Service was lovely, but the food was just so-so. We were greeted with a sample of the spicy crab salad, I did not try, but my friends both really enjoyed it.Ordered the edamame, rainbow roll, and ikura nigiri. If you need gf soy sauce, just ask and they will bring you a small bowl of it.The sushi rolls were a little smaller than what I am used to, rice was a little harder as well. The ikura (fish roe) nigiri was brought out at the very end after the meal was finished. Unfortunately, I wasn't highly impressed with my meal. It seems like a consistent place for sushi, and would come back if I were in the area.Our server was super attentive and checked on us throughout. While he made it known that he hasn't tried all of the menu items, he still tried his best to make recommendations and was happy to bring more ginger, water, drinks."

Stewart's Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.4 (179) • $

"A traditional greasy spoon diner I don't know what sort of black magic they used in the pancakes, but they are totally worth the calories. The rest is what you would expect, but done well. :-)"

Ozark Mountain Biscuit & Bar

★★★★☆ 4.2 (155) • $$

"I love Ozark Mountain for brunch! The staff is always friendly and has good recommendations. There is usually a wait, but it's not too long. I've also enjoyed sitting at the bar too!"

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store

★★☆☆☆ 2.2 (58)

"Nice merch store. Food and beverages were reasonably hot and good. They did fail to bring out part of my breakfast order, had to ask again. At Cracker Barrel it's best to stick to the basics like breakfast or their daily specials for best execution and quality. The flush toilets lack flush power, they need to replace them."

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store

★★★☆☆ 2.9 (129) • $

"I ordered carryout from this location at 4:30 on a Wednesday afternoon, and while the food was ready when I got there, it left much to be desired. I was trying to watch calories, so I ordered the grilled chicken tenders, which came with two sides and two corn muffins. The tenders were scanty and sparse, a far cry from the online picture. While they were not dry, they were completely bland and tasteless. The steam from the meal had condensed inside the carryout container, so they were sitting in a couple of teaspoons of water, which didn't help. I ordered the vegetable soup as my first side, which tasted like reddish water with a small amount of finely chopped veggies in the bottom. Completely unappetizing. It didn't come with crackers. My second side was the fried okra, which wasn't too bad, but my corn muffins were nothing to write home about. I also received a free order of hash brown casserole tots. While they were plentiful, they were also completely bland and tasteless. They also looked nothing like the online picture. The ranch dressing they came with helped a little, but after eating a few I set the others aside. I should also mention that when I got home with my meal everything was room temperature, which I'm sure didn't add to the flavor profile. I've ordered from this Cracker Barrel before, and the food was much better. Perhaps it was my choice of a lower calorie entree and side that made everything so bland. But the hash brown tots weren't low calorie, and they were also bland. When I finished my meal I felt so starved of flavor that I wanted to eat anything sweet to cleanse my palate. Not a sensational eating experience by any means."

Zydeco’s Southern Soul and Cajun Cuisine

★★★★☆ 4 (39)

"I've had Zydecos a decent amount over a 6 month period and I felt it was time to just call it, this place is incredible. I love Cajun food so tbh I was a bit skeptical here in Warrensburg but damn I love to be proven wrong. Everything I've tried has always been incredible. The gumbo, fried green tomatoes, shrimp po boy, the muffuletta, the chicken fried steak, even the cheeseburger is probably my favorite in town. Service is always great and i can't think of a single complaint. Don't miss this place."

Big Daddy's BBQ

★★★★☆ 4.4 (97) • $

"I've wanted to try Big Daddy's BBQ for years. It's supposed to be one of the best BBQ restaurants in Missouri When we travel cross country, we always stop at the Garth Nature Area - there's great walking trails and a dog park, and Big Daddys is just a few blocks away. Somehow, I'm always in Columbia on Sunday or Monday when Big Daddys is closed, but this time, I made sure to be there on a Wednesday. I'm so glad we stopped in. I had chicken, which was good. Hubby had brisket, which was amazing. As soon as I saw the smoke-ring on the brisket, I knew he had won the day. For sides, we had baked beans and greens beans. Given the way the green beans were handled, slightly spicy, I would definitely try the collard greens next time.The staff was so friendly and one of the girls was singing songs as she was cleaning. It was a fun atmosphere."

Fontenot's Po'boys

★★★★★ 4.5 (50)

"Plan a little extra time to enjoy great food w family & friends. It takes a little time but completely worth it for well prepared Louisiana cookin', best Andouille Sausage Po Boy I've had outside of NOLA. It's just how I like it, well seared while still tender & juicy. Fried green tomatoes & Gator Bites were a hit too. Bluesy Zydeco background music that my friends Bauer & Ed will be sure to enjoy! I-70 Travelers & Ozarks goers PRO-TIP: stop here for lunch, it's only 75 minutes away! Keep in mind they close at 2pm & reopen at 4pm for dinner."

Jumpin Catfish Restaurant

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (140) • $$

"The crab and fried catfish here are truly the best in the area! The service and staff are outstanding! I absolutely adore this place and the atmosphere it offers."

Southern Girlz Eatery

★★★★☆ 4.4 (8)

"Limited menu but the food is tasty! The seasoning on the burger, I quite enjoyed. And the Nashville hot wings were crisp and tender. Great place to order some takeaway wings! Didn't try the daiquiris but we most definitely will next visit! Very friendly lady at the grill that made us feel most welcome! Check it out"

Gebhardt's Chicken Dinners

★★★★☆ 3.9 (21) • $

"We Have heard they cannot be beat!We have landed at the ANNIE's Over there and will not be going back..,lolBlaaaaThey were closed!!!So we didn't get to eat there yet!!"

Julitas

★★★★☆ 3.5 (2)

"My expectations for breakfast from a food truck weren't that high, but Julitas far exceeded my expectations. The pancakes were fluffy, which always pairs well with good ol' syrup. The savory sausages balanced out the sweetness of the meal, and the fruit was the perfect addition! Highly recommend :)"

Char Bar

★★★★☆ 4.2 • $$

"I fell in love with this food! From L to R, the Sunday Fried Chicken (available Sundays only), mac n cheese, and Hot Chicken Waffle Sandwich. Every bite was so flavorful and exquisite. The chicken was juicy and the combinations of food were just right. Can't wait to return!"

Wings Cafe

★★★★☆ 4.4 (336) • $

"This place is literally 10/10. I went to the Northland location. had every type of wing from boneless, bone in, dry rub & wet wings. I also got macaroni & cheese, fries & sweet potato fries with caramel. I wish I got more pictures. The service was good and quick! Literally don't think, just go! The Westport location is getting renovated."

Chicken Annie's

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (61) • $

"I have fond memories of eating here when I was a kid. It hasn't changed a bit. The service was great and the food delicious. I was a bit surprised by how small the legs and thighs were, but then maybe CA chickens take steroids!"

Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken - Lee's Summit

★★★★☆ 3.7 (88) • $$

"I was kid free for the night and wanted something delicious and easy. Gus's had been in town for a little bit and so I decided to try it. I am not usually one who wants spicy chicken and had been told it was really hot. The night I went they had a special of two thighs, two legs, bread, coleslaw and beans. For 50 cents more I switched the beans to the potato salad the waitress recommended. The iced tea here is brewed which is always a win for me. For dessert I took home the sweet potato pie!Chicken was hot and super fresh. It was spicy but not kick you in the face, just I am gonna give you the sniffles for an hour. Lol. It was so juicy and tender and crunch on the outside was top notch. The potato salad had just a slight sweet kick but I liked it because it didn't have a bunch of crud in it. No chucks of celery or onion. The coleslaw was light and refreshing. It was a cream sauce but it was not under or over sauced. It was delicious and I am super picky about coleslaw. I ate the sweet potato pie at home. It was good but a little to sweet for me. Which is ok cause sweet souther pies are supposed to be that way. The texture was spot on and I would recommend it to others. I would not take my parents here and it's to spicy for them, but I will be back."