A Mom’s Guide to Kansas City Restaurant Week

This January, I already have 200 reasons to ditch the diet. Or at least hit ‘pause’ as the 10th annual Kansas City Restaurant Week returns January 11-20, offering 10 days of multi-course lunch and dinner menus at over 200 participating restaurants in the KC metro area.

Prix fixe lunches are priced at $15 and dinners at $33, offering the perfect chance to explore different menus at special offers compared to regular menu pricing. Just the encouragement we all need to schedule that long-overdue lunch date with girlfriends or a dinner date where we finally sit down and eat (warm!) food.

And we can dine out knowing that treating ourselves is also giving back. Ten percent of the proceeds from all KCRW meals will benefit three local charitable organizations, including the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City. Us having date night is really for the kids. See how I did that, mamas?

Plotting your course is simple. You can browse menus and make reservations online at KCRestaurantWeek.com or by downloading the app for iPhone and Android. And despite what I said about ditching the diet, it’s also very easy to sort by special dietary needs such as gluten-free, nut-free, vegan and vegetarian, if need be.

I’ve spent some time (OK, way too much time) scouring the menus, and I wanted to share some picks. First up, the casual lunch with kids.

While I now have the luxury of school-age kids and part time job(s), I remember what it was like to dine out with toddlers. Yes, it can be a coin flip on terrific or traumatic, but I’ve emerged from that era with the conclusion that food and friends are good for the soul. Grab a girlfriend who also has littles, make a reservation, get out there and delight your taste buds with some good food. Let the kids watch Daniel Tiger while you dine, I won’t judge.

Casual Lunch Spots with Kids

• Michael Forbes Bar & Grille

• Blue Moose (all metro locations)

• Houlihan’s (all metro locations)

• Waldo Pizza (Waldo and Lee’s Summit locations)

• Yard House (downtown location)

• PF Chang’s

• O’Neill’s Restaurant and Bar

• Nick and Jake’s (all metro locations)

• Manny’s Mexican Restaurant

  
  Now, on to date night. You know, the places that sound amazing and you always want to go but then lack the will to put on something besides yoga pants on a Friday night? Yes, these. Make a reservation. Put it on your calendar. Find a sitter. Get a little fancy. It’s Restaurant Week, after all.

  Date Night 

  • Silo Modern Kitchen 

  • Novel

  • Fox and Pearl

  • Tavernonna

  • Café Verona

  • Cascone’s Italian Restaurant

  • Corvino Supper Club

  • Black Dirt

  • Pressed Penny Tavern

  • Kauffman Center Dining Experience

  • Lazia

  • Three Points (A rooftop event space overlooking downtown KC offering a popup during KC Restaurant Week only)

  Silo Modern Farmhouse in Lenexa offers farmhouse fresh fare with a touch of modern elegance. The Pressed Penny Tavern in Westport pays homage to Ernest Hemingway.

  I hope that this helps narrow down the immense KCRW options for you! Now tell me where you’ll go! Will you try to go with kids or does date night sound like a better idea?

Blue Moose Bar and Grill locations in Lenexa, Prairie Village and Red Bridge offer an upscale casual dining experience.

Michael Forbes Bar and Grille in Brookside is a neighborhood restaurant with a casual feel.  

Silo Modern Farmhouse in Lenexa offers farmhouse fresh fare with a touch of modern elegance.

The Pressed Penny Tavern in Westport pays homage to Ernest Hemingway.