39th Street Restaurants

Of all the blossoming entertainment districts in Kansas City, West 39^th Street may be one of the most fun, unique locations to spend an evening.

It’s got a couple things going for it. First, it is one street. Start at Southwest Trafficway, and walk west toward State Line Road. Pretty simple, which is appealing. Second, on that walk you will pass an eclectic, creative mix of businesses unlike any other street in KC. And if you’re looking for 39^th Street restaurants, you will quickly realize you have too many to choose from.

Restaurants on 39^th Street in Kansas City, Mo., include one of KC’s best barbecue joints and a snow cone shop. There’s pizza, burgers, tacos, New York bagels and Asian cuisine. There are cocktails and coffee drinks. There’s a Chipotle. You can find almost any type of food somewhere on this unique street.

Let’s take a walk down the block together. Starting at Southwest Trafficway, we’re going to work our way west and introduce you to the West 39^th Street restaurants you don’t want to miss.

39^th Street Kansas City Restaurants

Our first stop is Artego Pizza, a local pizza joint with an original crust recipe that sets their pies apart. A big bonus: Artego is open until 3 am every day, and they deliver. You can stop in for dinner or fulfill your late-night cravings.

Just across the parking lot from Artego, you’ll find Q39 Midtown. At the risk of sending some barbecue experts into a frenzy: Q39 might be the best barbecue in Kansas City. Order whatever you want — it’s going to be great. If it’s a Friday or Saturday night, or if you have a group larger than four, reservations are a good idea.

On our next stop of the 39^th Street restaurants tour, we’ll take a break from food and fuel up with some coffee at Downbeat Coffee + Tea. This relaxed shop is known for its almond milk mocha and chai tea latte.

Next to Downbeat you’ll find Meshuggah Bagels, a purveyor of authentic New-York-style bagels and a favorite among the restaurants on 39^th Street in KCMO. A young couple founded and runs Meshuggah, which serves bagels with a variety of spreads as well as fish-based bagel sandwiches. This shop is “bringing New York to Kansas City, one bagel at a time.”

Walk another block toward State Line Road and you’ll pass Drunken Worm¸ a Mexican eatery that is especially known for its seafood dishes like shrimp tacos and tilapia. Grab a margarita while you are there, whether its lunch or a late-night snack.

The Hi-Dive Lounge is directly next door. This is a laid back neighborhood bar — the perfect place for a beer after work and a quick bite to eat. And if you’re looking for a place to go with friends, come to Hi-Dive at 8 p.m. on Tuesdays for trivia night. 39^th Street bars in Kansas City like this are part of what makes local communities so great.

Moving right along, our second pizza stop on the trail of 39^th Street restaurants is Jersey Shore Pizza. As the name suggests, this is an east coast pizza joint serving slices along with calzones and desserts. Jersey Shore Pizza prides itself on quick service (take out available) and delicious food.

For geographical context, we’ve now worked our way about halfway down West 39^th Street. We still have plenty of 39^th Street restaurants to cover, so let’s keep on walking.

KC Smoke Burger is up next. On the north side of 39^th Street, one building down from Jersey Shore Pizza, KC Smoke Burger has one of the best burgers in Kansas City. Their cooking style infuses an inordinate amount of flavor into the meat, and the buns are toasted to perfection before being branded with a “KC” and served up.

If you maintain a vegan or vegetarian diet, you’ll want to step across the street to Mud Pie Vegan Bakery and Coffeehouse. Mud Pie, anyone would agree, is delicious. Order from a menu of coffee, tea, baked items, sandwiches and snacks. Grab a seat and open your book while you’re here, it’s a great place to sit and relax.

If you’re feeling something sweet, Miami Ice is just a little ways further down the street, on the corner of 39^th and Genesee. The shop stands out from the other 39^th Street restaurants in KC with its bright blue and pink paint job. The color of the paint matches the sweetness of the frozen ice dessert being served inside. Add ice cream to the bottom of your snow cone for the best result.

We’ve got two blocks left until we hit the state line, and this last stretch is home to several restaurants you don’t want to miss.

Taj Palace is an Indian restaurant with a lunch buffet. Like Mud Pie, TaJ Palace is great choice for vegans and vegetarians. The menu is loaded with authentic cuisine with delicacies from Bombay and class Mughal cooking.

Next door to Taj Palace is TikiTaco, a can’t-miss KC taco joint and one of the best 39^th Street restaurants in KCMO. Choose from eight different specialty tacos, plus burritos, enchiladas, nachos and gorditas. You might want to start with TikiTaco’s calling card: the 39^th Street Taco.

If tacos aren’t your thing, you can keep walking across the parking lot to Bob Wasabi Kitchen, the only sushi spot among the restaurants on 39^th Street. They have rolls on the menu for sushi veterans and beginners alike. There’s plenty of diversity in Bob Wasabi’s offerings.

Across the street, you can grab a pint at Gilhouly’s, the premiere Irish pub and local favorite of all the 39^th Street bars in Kansas City. Gilhouly’s serves classic bar food alongside a selection of taps and cocktail options.

Jumping to the final block of West 39^th Street, there’s Blue Koi Noodles & Dumplings, a good place to try traditional dumplings for a reasonable price. Think of Blue Koi as Chinese comfort food — perfect after a long day of work or a lazy Saturday lunch.

Nomad’s Coffee and Cocktails is right across the street. If you work outside of the office often, you can go to Nomad’s for a drink and get some work done. They’re open late, too. Bring a book, laptop or your friends and enjoy.

For the lunch crowd, Black Sheep is a local sandwich shop and one of the 39^th Street restaurants that is perfect for anyone working in the area. Stop in, get a fresh, healthy sandwich and make it back to the office to get started on the afternoon’s work. Black Sheep serves breakfast and dinner as well.

And now friends, we reach the end. We have walked all the way down the street and seen the many 39^th Street restaurants that make this stretch of road such a good time. If you venture just a couple blocks onto the many cross streets, you can find even more bars, shops and restaurants. We hope you can make it down to West 39^th Street and enjoy several of these great spots.