The local food/drink scene was one of the big factors that drew my husband and me to Kansas City. While the city is best known for barbecue, there are plenty of other stellar options.

With so many barbecue restaurants, we wanted to visit as many as possible. We made it to five, splitting food at each place so we could experience more spots. We dined at Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que, LC’s Bar-B-Q, Jack Stack Barbecue, Char Bar and Q39. While each spot had highlights, I’d say my overall favorite would be Joe’s, with Q39 a close second.

We didn’t exclusively eat barbecue during our visit. We had a great breakfast at Rye. A dining highlight was dinner at Krokstrom Klubb. The Scandinavian restaurant was a nice change from the rich barbecue plates. Another night, we had a light dinner at Parlor KC, a food hall in the city’s Crossroads neighborhood.

Besides food venues, we visited some of the city’s many breweries. Brewery Emperial was our first visit. We also enjoyed stops at Border Brewing Company, Casual Animal Brewing and Stockyards Brewing Company.

Each place we visited had something unique to offer. I would recommend a stop at any place I mentioned if you find yourself in Kansas City.

— Katie Skrzek, vice president/digital director