West 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.

West 39^th Street Kansas City Restaurants

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

Just across the parking lot from Artègo, 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, you’ll find Meshuggah Bagels, a purveyor of authentic New-York-style bagels and a favorite among the restaurants on West 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 with 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, the 39^th Street bars in Kansas City like this are part of what makes local communities so great.

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, 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’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 West 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 walk across the street and 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 OurHouseKC for the brunch and lunch crowd. Serving as a restaurant, café and bar all rolled into one, OurHouseKC opens its café at 7 a.m. and closes the restaurant as late as 10 p.m. on weekends. The menu has anything from brunch favorites like skillets and egg bowls to lunch sandwich galore that’ll leave you feeling full.

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.