#15 – Char Bar
4050 Pennsylvania Ave #150, Kansas City, MO 64111
Cost: $$
Features: Beer garden with outdoor bar and yard games.
Cuisine: BBQ
Good for: Families, locals, tourists, meat lovers and vegetarians.
Tip: No matter how much food your table gets, order the mac and cheese.
Along with jazz and fountains, Kansas City is known for their BBQ. Throughout my 100 Days of Kansas City, I have a handful of BBQ restaurants to go to – new and old. There are the classics, like Kansas City Joe’s, Gates and Arthur Bryant’s. And there’s the new favorites like Q39 and Char Bar.
First up: Char Bar. The restaurant is in a family of three other local Kansas City restaurants: McCoy’s, The Foundry and Beer Kitchen. The group of restaurants are all located in Wesport, a thriving bar and restaurant district.
Westport started as a town in 1833 when the California, Oregon and Santa Fe trails all passed through the area. In the 1860s, there was a major Civil War battle in Wesport, which is known as the Gettysburg of the West. Monuments commemorating the battle can be found in Loose Park.
Char Bar BBQ
My favorite part of Char Bar is their 10,000-square foot outdoor beer garden. It features a large bar and plenty of picnic tables, making it the perfect spot to grab drinks and food. It is a dog-friendly patio, so it’s a great spot for dog people.
The Beer Garden also has yard games, including croquet, bocce ball, Ping-Pong and bags. Bags is free, but the other games can be rented by the hour or half hour. Sometimes during the week, they’ll let you play for free, but expect to pay on the weekends.
Char Bar is usually busy. Unfortunately, they do not take reservations unless you have a party of 8 or more. If you’re stuck with a long wait time, grab a drink and hang out in the Beer Garden until your table is ready.
Char Bar BBQ Favorites
I’ve been to Char Bar a handful of times, and everything has always been wonderful. My personal favorites:
- BURNT HEAVEN (smoked burnt ends, smoked sausage, fried jalapeños, chipotle bbq mayo and creamy slaw on an egg bun)
- PICKLED PIG (pulled pork butt, creamy slaw and deep-fried hot pickles on a farm-to-market egg bun)
- PIG-TAIL” MAC N’ CHEESE
- JALAPEÑO CHEESY-CORN BAKE
Brunch is easily my favorite meal, so I’m picky about where I go. Char Bar brunch is 👌. My favorite brunch dishes:
- THE ICKY STICKY (cinnamon loaf, burnt rum caramel, salted pecans)
- FRIED GREEN TOMATO BENNY (poached eggs, fried green tomatoes, beefsteak tomato, spinach, tomato chow chow, smoky hollandaise with a side of potatoes)
- PORK BELLY HOECAKES (stack of cornmeal pancakes covered with maple-braised pork belly, crumbled smoked bacon and bourbon maple syrup)
- FRIED CHICKEN & WAFFLE (tabasco-honey chicken wings and a smoked chicken tender atop a bacon-cheddar waffle covered with bourbon syrup and smoky hollandaise)
Next time you’re craving BBQ (or need to spend time with some dogs), stop by Char Bar. xx, Libbie.
