403 Club

403 N 5th St, Kansas City, KS 66101; 913-499-8392; 403club.com

"403 is one of the best bars in the city. It stocks a lot of really good beers and it’s a straight-up neighborhood KCK [Kansas City, Kansas] joint. Artie Scholes (the owner) is really into pinball and they’ve got a handful of new, great pinball machines."

Baldwin Men’s Shop.

This Bean’s For You

Oddly Correct

3940 Main St.; oddlycorrect.com

"Greg Kolsto, the owner, used to home-roast beans and deliver them on his bike in KC’s Crossroads neighborhood before he got his brick-and-mortar. We’re full-on Oddly Correct at Port Fonda, and I couldn’t be happier about that."

Best Tats

Mercy Seat

210 E 16th St; 816-421-4833; mercyseattattoo.com

People always ask me where I get my tattoos done, and Mercy Seat is where I go. All of their artists are extremely talented, but make sure you plan ahead as most of them have waiting lists.

The Speakeasy

The Manifesto at the Rieger Hotel Grill and Exchange

1924 Main St; 816-536-1325; theriegerkc.com/manifesto/

"Manifesto bar is the basement of an old hotel that was really popular during Prohibition. It does craft cocktails to the fullest, and it’s real dark and intimate—a real speakeasy kind of place. All the old KC mobsters went there. Upstairs, my friend Howard Hana is the chef at the Rieger, which is one of the best restaurants in Kansas City."

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

Bluestem Lounge

902 Westport Rd; 816-561-4321; bluestemkc.com

"I love to go sit at the bar at Bluestem and talk to the bartenders. It’s a really inventive bar with great drinks, and the food is done nicely—it’s homey, but withy killer charcuterie."

Late Night Champ

Town Topic

2021 Broadway St.; 816-842-2298

"If you’re looking for something that’s cheap, open late, and perfect every time, Town Topic is your spot for a double cheeseburger with onion rings and a great chocolate shake."

Breakfast Sandwiches

Happy Gillis

549 Gillis St.; 816-471-3663; happygillis.com

"Tod Schulte is a great friend of mine, and he just opened Happy Gillis, where you can find great breakfast sandwich specials and sandwiches and soups. It’s all simple and made with top-notch ingredients, and very satisfying."

Best Steak Place in the Best City for Steaks

Golden Ox

1600 Genessee St. #100; 816-842-2866; goldenox.com

"The Golden Ox is a KC institution that specializes in steaks of every kind, where the servers have been doing their thing forever. It’s a big, expensive night out, but it’s the place for a martini and steak."

Local pig.

The Butcher Shop

The Local Pig

2618 Guinotte Ave.; 816-200-1639; thelocalpig.com

"We buy stuff from Alex Pope, the owner, to sell at Port Fonda: Mexican sausages, longaniza, moranga. It’s a really good product. This summer he opened up Pigwich, a sandwich truck attached to the shop."

The Place to Browse

Mickey’s Surplus

2601 Strong Ave., Kansas City, KS 66106; 913-831-1493; mickeyssurplus.com

"Mickey’s has everything from weapons to Carhartt gear. They’ve got lots of really cool pins and patches, camping gear, shirts—you can spend a lot of time in there."