KC's Top Ten Dive Bars

[chrizow]

yeah i've been to the gladstone, the jigger at belmont, and i think i've been to the calico cat.

[chingon]

What's Happening Lounge at the old trolley turnaround at 85th and Prospect is a stellar dive exemplar.

There's also a string of bars in west Rosedale along SW Boulevard that rival south Waldo and Northeast for divulation density.

I've never been, but Percys on Oldham looks sweet. Its basically in the woods in Swope Park. Like a fucking roadhouse. Anybody know that joint?

Shit, I'm a half to go daydranking today.

[taxi]

The Calico Cat is great. I went there one Sat. and it was a birthday party. They apparently have a birthday party one day a month for all the customers born on that day, free pot luck food in the back room. Had a great time.

[rxlexi]

This thread is great. I had no idea Percy's existed, but WOW I have to check that place out. What's the deal with it? History? An old roadhouse looking bar essentially in Swope Park, perhaps my favorite urban outdoor experience in the region? Awesome!

I agree that Bobby Baker's doesn't really count as a true dive anymore, the scene definitely skews young and somewhat with-it on weekends especially, but it is still a damn cozy bar, long and narrow.

Dave' Stagecoach and Chez Charlie both remain dives, IMO, though they also see a healthy influx of the hipster contingent, and are all the better for it. Great midtown stops. Used to love the Lava Room, have not yet been to Gusto.

What about all of the little places along Swift in NKC - they seem to represent a pretty nice dive-bar density. Anyone hit those up with any frequency?

This makes me realize I need to do some intense bar hopping soon...

[bahua]

Tom's Bigger Jigger has been Teri's Bigger Jigger for a couple of years, and I wholeheartedly endorse it as one of KC's best dives.

Even higher though I would place Karen's Kozy Cabin, just down the street. I was once threatened by a meth-head there. Chrizow saw. I drank a can of bud that literally tasted like shit there on my 30th birthday. I go back as often as possible.

PR's Place in the Westside is a dive for sure, but it's a Mexican dive. Some people might feel a little uncomfortable about that, but I love it, and I go whenever I can.

The Zoo's time is past, in my opinion. The word is out, and now the clientele is more P&L overflow than a dive crowd. Their most noticeable divey characters have literally died.

The Stables on the 800 block of Walnut is still a fantastic dive, though it's transitioned also into a bigtime gay bar. I always have a great time when I go and feel bad when it's time to leave, but the fact that it is quite overtly a gay bar might scare some people off. That's a shame too, because it's frequented by some of the friendliest bar-goers I've ever seen.

Tommy Farha's in Waldo(sort of) is a great divey start to a south Wornall crawl. Rickety off-balance tall tables, cheap-as-free pitchers of terrible grey beer, and the weird counterpoint of crappy contemporary hit radio being played on their surprisingly expensive jukebox all combine to form a great dive experience.

Grandma's in the West Bottoms is the best dive in Kansas City.

[bahua]

I would think these bars would rank among the best dives in the city. Has anyone been inside any of them?
Green Duck Tavern, 26th and Prospect.

No, but I will soon.

Golden Bar, E. 9th and Spruce.

Yep, and they were pulling beers out of a cooler on the floor. A vietnamese family appeared to be living there. My friend Jenny sent me outside to get her phone out of the car, because she was afraid to walk outside in that neighborhood.

Gladstone Bar, E. 9th and Bellefontaine

Yep. Here I am playing with their stun gun.

AJ's Bar, Independence Avenue near Prospect

Nope. I'll have to go

Jay's Bigger Jigger, E. 12th and Bellefontaine

We were trying to find this, and instead found the Gladstone Inn, and wanted for nothing more.

Tom's Bigger Jigger, St. John and Belmont

Changed to terri's or teri's in 2009. I always go when I'm in the neighborhood.

The Shady Lady, E. 12th and Chestnut

Nope, and don't think I will.

Calico Cat, E. Independence Avenue/24 Highway and S. Hardy

Yep, and had a great time. I was unemployed and it was 70 degrees and sunny outside. Though I don't think this is in KC.

[KCMax]

To me Chez isn't a dive. I think a dive bar has to basically have the same clientelle at on a weekend night as a weekday afternoon, which rules out places like Baker's and Chez, which transform into scene and be seen spots on the weekends.

Huh, I've never been to almost any of the places on a weekend night. I get what you're saying, but it's hard for me to classify bars based on their clientele when I'm not there. Not trying to be snarky, an interesting question.

AJoD, would you recommend any of Mission's dive bars? I think JJ's, at least under the old management, was a decent enough dive bar.

I've also heard Court of Appeals out in Shawnee is a decent dive bar for JoCo.

Any good ones out in like east Jax?

[chrizow]

someone needs to page scooterj. he has literally been to every dive bar within a 100-mile radius of KC.

maybe more "biker" than "dive," but this dude i grew up with's mom was a bartender at THE HANGOUT in raytown. it was (is?) in a boxcar-shaped shack near 63rd and raytown rd, kind of underneath the "rickety old bridge." (actual name) i hung out there a couple of times when i was like 15. seemed like a friendly enough place, but also the kind of place where one could get knifed.

[aknowledgeableperson]

There was a place just outside Swope Park by the horse stables that was a strange place. Varied customer base and if memory is correct a few pool tables. A dive bar is not a true dive bar unless it has at least two pool tables. A smaller place that only men go to, but not a gay bar, to get away from the women in one's life qualifies as honorable mentioned.

[town cow]

Not to forget the Hickory Inn, where we were sitting at the bar one night, and a guy stumbled in and went straight to the kitchen, yelling, "Where's my Kitchen Bitch?"

He found her.

[brewcrew1000]

Any good ones out in like east Jax?

There is this one in downtown Blue Springs that is a nice dive, don't remember the name though.
Ranch House between Blue Springs and Grain Valley is another good dive
DA's Bar in Grain Valley

I would bet there are some good dives in the Sugar Creek area, never been up that way though

[FangKC]

I'm really surprised that there aren't more dive bars in Kansas City--especially on the East Side along Prospect, Truman Road, and in the Northeast along Independence Avenue.

I remember reading that at one time there were 200 bars, taverns, lounges, and saloons in the West Bottoms alone. West 9th Street from State Line to Genesee Street in the West Bottoms was called "the wettest block in the world." By 1909, 25 saloons filled all but two storefronts in this area. Union Avenue across from the old Union Depot was another stretch.

In fact, I read that one of the reasons Penn Valley Park and the Liberty Memorial were placed south of Union Station is to keep it from being filled with a stretch of taverns and flop hotels like had occurred in the West Bottoms.

However, I don't know if that would have happened or not. The West Bottoms, Fairfax District, Argentine, and Armourdale, were different in that it had all the blue collar workers/customers from the area industries: the stockyards, meat-packing plants, rendering plants, leather-making plants, North American Aviation plant, Phillips refinery, Darby plant, farming equipment distributors, grain and seed companies, bakeries, breweries and beer distribution warehouses, metal shops, paint supply places, ore smelters, and railroads. This was prime territory for bars and taverns.

[scooterj]

Where is ScooterJ?

He was born for this thread.

Here I am! Sad that I missed this thread until now!

I still hold Zoo Bar in high regard but it's lost some of the fun due to the loss of one of its greatest regulars to a stroke earlier this year (found when he didn't show up to drink so someone drove out to his house to check on him), a couple of other regulars to AA, and two of the most popular bartenders to grown-up jobs. It's still fun but not as fun as it used to be. I only come in about once a week or so now and try to leave before it fills up with twentysomethings and P&L overflow.

Percy's is great. I haven't officially added it to my "list" yet since I've only been there for a steak and not for drinking, but it's a classic close-knit dive bar crowd. And What's Happenin' is just fantastic.

One great dive I never see mentioned (probably because nobody knows it's there) is Eddie's Bar & Grill. It's in South KC off Bannister. http://www.scootersbars.com/2010/06/eddies-bar-grill/

That place in downtown Blue Springs used to be called the Gridiron Lounge. It changed hands about a year ago and has a more generic sounding name now, but I forget what it's now called. http://www.scootersbars.com/2007/12/gridiron-lounge/

Ranch House is the oldest bar in East Jack: http://www.scootersbars.com/2007/12/ranch-house/

DA's Bar is one of the few dives around KC where I felt genuinely uncomfortable, though only slightly. My companions, however, were terrified. http://www.scootersbars.com/2009/12/das-bar/


Someone mentioned Sugar Creek. Most people drink at the VFW, which I haven't been to yet. However Cuzzy's isn't too bad though a little pricey. http://www.scootersbars.com/2008/03/tonahill-sugar-inn/ And the Verona Room is a tiny little dive off 24 Hwy attached to a bowling alley. I need to go back and revisit it, I don't remember much about it. http://www.scootersbars.com/2008/03/verona-room/


On the Kansas side, JJ's Cool Change is a great dive right in the middle of Overland Park off 87th. http://www.scootersbars.com/2010/10/jjs-cool-change/



In KCMO proper, there's still a few dives I have not been to. The Green Duck, Golden Bar, Country's (may have just gone out of business unfortunately), Old Folks Lounge (also may have gone under), Eagle Buffet Tavern, Davey's Uptown, the News Room, and the VFW that's at Wilson & Ewing (which looks AMAZING). One of those I need to save for #1,000 next year.

[FangKC]

Here is the VFW 9997 at Wilson Avenue and Ewing in the Historic Northeast.

[scooterj]

Here is the VFW 9997 at Wilson Avenue and Ewing in the Historic Northeast.

I came so very close to visiting it a few weeks ago. I was right there, it was open, and there were old people sitting out front smoking. But I was driving someone who was taking photos of properties around town for work, and we were losing daylight fast. No time to stop.

[FangKC]

I've always been curious about what used to be in this place on Blue Ridge Boulevard and E. 27th Street--south of Truman Road. It appears to be an old roadhouse. Does anyone remember the name of this place when it was open?

[FangKC]

The other place I am curious about is the former Bamboo Hut Steakhouse (which I think is closed) on E. 40 Highway and Pittman Road in Independence. Did anyone ever go there?

[scooterj]

Haha, that picture looks familiar. http://www.scootersbars.com/2007/12/bamboo-hut/

The night I went it was dead, while Harvey's next door was hopping. It was dark, 70s-ish decor if I remember right, fireplace in the corner. The bartender was a little grumpy.

[FangKC]

I think it's time to revisit one of the best stretches of dive bars in downtown Kansas City on W. 12th from Wyandotte to Central.

Among the taverns were The Other Room, Can-Can, Pink Door, Peyton Place, Bonnie & Clyde's Lounge, The Gay Nineties, The It Club, Pal Joey, and Two Twenty Two lounge.

Any old timers on this forum ever go into any of these places?

You can click on the photos in these links to zoom in on parts of the image.

http://kchistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.p ... OX=1&REC=3

http://kchistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.p ... OX=1&REC=2

http://kchistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.p ... OX=1&REC=4

And the Folly Burlesque.

http://kchistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.p ... OX=1&REC=3

[town cow]

Among the taverns were The Other Room, Can-Can, Pink Door, Peyton Place, Bonnie & Clyde's Lounge, The Gay Nineties, The It Club, Pal Joey, and Two Twenty Two lounge.

Any old timers on this forum ever go into any of these places?

Old timer? I guess, because I've been all of those dives, and the Rasbach Hotel, before they closed. They were just what you would expect! You can see evidence from one or two of them in the Jazz Museum.

Loftguy, I searched my jacked-up memory, and the Rainbow was 10th and McGee, west of the Ship and north of the Y. The El Sereno was Home of the Hot Tomato Chaser, and was at 8th and Walnut.