Ingram's June 2026

Boulevard

Minsky’s

Jack Stack Barbecue

The Capital Grille

WINING AND DINING

BEST BAKERY McCLAIN’S earns Gold as the Kansas City-area bakery institu tion that has held this top position on the Ingram’s ballot across multiple years, building its reputation on consistent scratch-baked goods across multiple metro locations. HY-VEE earns Silver — the scale and quality of its in-store bakery departments giving it gen uine competitive standing. BLACKHOLE BAKERY takes Bronze as an independent option with its own enthusiastic following. BEST BARBECUE It began with a used smoker, a few competition-circuit friends, and a gas station. Jeff and Joy Stehney turned their team—Slaugh terhouse Five, winners of eight Grand Championship titles on the competition circuit including the American Royal BBQ—into one of the most celebrated barbecue operations in the country. The original Kansas City, Kan., location has fielded orders from Air Force One staff, earned a USA Today recognition for the city’s best ribs, and logged appearances on Anthony Bourdain’s “A Cook’s Tour” and “No Reservations” and the Travel Channel’s “Man vs. Food.” Three locations and a legendary Z-Man sandwich later—smoked brisket, provolone, onion rings, sauce on a Kaiser roll— JOE’S KANSAS CITY remains the Gold standard other pit masters chase. JACK STACK BARBECUE earns Silver as the metro’s most recognized name in smoke and sauce. Q39 and SLAP’S BBQ tie for Bronze —the former for its wood-fired con temporary approach, the latter for earning a devoted following through a stripped-down, smoke-forward style that has landed it on national best-of lists.

BEST BREWERY BOULEVARD earns Gold —the Kansas City original that founder John McDonald launched in 1989, converting a historic building near Southwest Boulevard into a brewery that has grown into the largest specialty brewer in the Midwest. Its Unfiltered Wheat Beer remains one of the most-consumed craft beers in the region. CITY BARREL earns Silver for its Crossroads location and distinctive small-batch approach. KC BIER CO. takes Bronze , the south brewery’s authen tic lagers, hefeweizens, and biers earning a devoted following. BEST CATERER The Brancato family has built what the corporate site describes as Kansas City’s largest off-premises catering company—now in its third generation and the metro’s only member of Leading Caterers of America, a by-invitation group comprising the nation’s top op erations. BRANCATO’S CATERING handles everything from in timate corporate dinners to large-scale productions from its Kansas City, Kansas commissary. INSPIRED OCCASIONS —the boutique catering and event-planning firm operating since 1991—earns Sil ver with the kind of execution that has made its staff recognizable by name to repeat clients. KANSAS CITY CATERING takes Bronze . BEST BURGER At 1019 Armour Road in North Kansas City, TAY’S BURGER SHACK has built a devoted following on a deceptively straightfor ward premise: 100 percent grass-fed, grass-finished smash burgers, served alongside hand-cut fries fried in beef tallow and seasoned with the house “Tay’s 13 blend.” Open 24 hours, the counter-serve

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I ngr am ’ s

Ingrams.com

June 2026