Ingram's June 2022

BEST OF BUSINESS KANSAS CITY 2022

First Watch

Jack Stack Barbecue

WINING AND DINING

BEST BAKERY You can follow this list every year to know who registers high est with readers in the bakery category—or you can just follow the traffic, especially on Saturday mornings, to north Waldo and MCLAIN’S BAKERY . Indoor or sidewalk dining, the savory dishes, and succulent pastries are a great way to start your day (but take some home for later, too!) Again, a Gold winner. This year’s Silver goes to IBIS BAKERY , with a dazzling selection of bread and other baked goods available at a dozen coffee shops and bistros around town. CLOCK TOWER BAKERY in Overland Park cooks up Bronze for its popular treats (try the carrot cake!) and their heartier lineup of sandwiches and British-inspired fare. BEST BARBECUE In Kansas City, barbecue is king, and the competition for this throne each year is fierce. Only a handful of votes separated the three top vote-getters this year, with JOE’S KANSAS CITY taking the Gold by a whisker, thanks to its melt-in-your-mouth goodness available at locations in Leawood, Olathe, and the original location in Kan sas City, Kan. The unique Z-Man sandwich gets a lot of press nation wide, but there’s much more to the lineup of beef, pork, chicken, and turkey treats. Silver honors go to Q39 , masters of smoked goodness who helped make the burnt-end burger a thing. FIORELLA’S JACK STACK BARBECUE , now with six locations, bears the Bronze . BEST BREWERY Since the first keg rolled out in 1989, BOULEVARD BREWING CO. has been building a dedicated corps of true beer lovers throughout Kansas City, then the Midwest, and now almost nationwide—its sig nature pale ale and other varieties are available in 45 states, thanks to last year’s addition of West Virginia. Cheers, Mountaineers. Small wonder, then, that readers raise their glasses and toast Boulevard with this year’s Gold . The name is the clue that K.C. BIER CO. specializes in German-style brews, and in less than a decade, the name has be

come a specialty-brewing force to be reckoned with. Strong enough with readers, in fact, to earn Silver honors. Not to be outdone, Bronze winner MARTIN CITY BREWING CO. has developed a fan base of its own with the brewpub format combining eats and drinks. BEST BURGER There’s a reason the hamburger became an American icon. They’re so darn good and so very versatile. The burger interpretation blend ing chuck and short rib cuts at BRGR KITCHEN + BAR is the Gold winner here, serving up satisfaction at its Power & Light and Prairie Village locations. The apex of the selection pyramid at BRGR has to be the Steakhouse, fashioned from K.C. Cattle Co.’s wagyu beef. The modest façade at WALSH’S CORNER COCKTAIL belies the culinary craftsmanship that made its Bacon Cheddar Burger a fan favorite, and those fans declare Silver status for this iconic Waldo fixture of 44 years. FIVE GUYS , with more than a dozen area loca tions, wins Bronze for wowing not just with burgers, but with a signature recipe and Cajun-style fries that make a sandwich a meal. BEST BUSINESS BREAKFAST If there’s a category where the top winner seems pre-ordained, this is it. FIRST WATCH extends its remarkable run with a 28th con secutive Gold —the only establishment ever to finish No. 1 in this category. If you’ve sampled the breakfast bounty at any of its nine area locations, that will surprise you not. From chorizo sandwiches to crab-cake Benedict or shrimp and grits, this is worlds away frommilk and cereal to start your day. For Silver , EGGTC. steps up to the plate with its Italian bistro feel and a robust lineup of omelets, pancakes/ waffles, sandwiches, Tex-Mex, skillets, and more. CORNER CAFÉ , dishing it out in Riverside and Liberty, splits the Bronze with that iconic fixture on the Country Club Plaza, THE CLASSIC CUP . BEST BUSINESS LUNCH A business lunch isn’t just lunch: It’s an opportunity to build, to

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Best of Business Kansas City 2022