United States

15 Best Restaurants in the Plaza Area, Kansas City

Blake Walsh

Aug 16, 2022 • 13 min read

Wallace Weeks / shutterstock.com

Country Club Plaza, also called the Plaza, is a well-known shopping center in Kansas City’s Country Club district.

Opening in 1923, it’s the first privately-owned and planned regional shopping center.

It has also become the preferred shopping destination in the city.

You’ll also encounter many dining options in the Plaza where you can try different world-famous cuisines.

Whether you go to Country Club Plaza for shopping or exploring the city, visit the best restaurants in Plaza, Kansas City for an exquisite dining experience.

Brio Italian Grille

Brio Italian Grille is a chain of Italian restaurants specializing in Tuscan-inspired grill fare.

Located on the first floor of Country Club Plaza, the restaurant offers authentic Northern Italian food with luxury cocktails and wines.

If you’re in the mood to eat Italian food with authentic taste, then Brio Italian Grille is the best spot in the Plaza.

The restaurant’s specialties include top-quality and made-to-order seafood, steaks, flatbreads, and pasta made with fresh ingredients in Italian-style wood-fired ovens.

You’ll enjoy dining in this restaurant that features professional service, a chic atmosphere, comfortable seating, and a chef-inspired menu.

The best menu items include pasta Brio, pasta alla vodka, grilled salmon Fresca, and strawberry balsamic chicken salad.

You’ll also find an extensive drink list on the menu covering handcrafted cocktails, beers, wines, spritzers, water, and more.

Chaz on the Plaza

Chaz on the Plaza is a posh, upscale eatery in Country Club Plaza.

It specializes in French-inspired American food and offers a clubby and intimate atmosphere for a comfortable and relaxing experience.

The menu features a playful mixture of different cuisines and styles.

It also offers a unique and impressive drink list that has won Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence nine times.

If you like to listen to live music while enjoying your meal, then go to Chaz on the Plaza and listen to the best jazz musicians in the city.

The restaurant uses fresh, high-quality ingredients sourced locally, with ethnic and regional influences.

You’ll also find unique food options on the menu that change regularly with the seasons.

The best items are prime hanger steak, grilled chicken breast, sundried tomato risotto, and filet beef steak.

Add your favorite wine, cocktail, or beer to your order to enjoy a satisfying meal.

True Food Kitchen

If you’re health-conscious and like to eat healthy and delicious food, then True Food Kitchen will become your new favorite.

It’s a popular food chain of eco-chic and relaxed restaurants offering healthy food (including vegetarian options) and a variety of cocktails.

Established in 2008, the restaurant follows the guidelines of local health officials and the CDC.

Dr. Andrew Weil founded True Food Kitchen.

He is an American celebrity doctor who created an anti-inflammatory diet of nutrient-rich ingredients.

The restaurant sources all the ingredients locally from top-of-the-line farmers.

You’ll find meaty dishes on the menu made of hormone-free meat from grass-fed animals and sustainable, biodynamic, and organic wines.

You'll find everything on the restaurant's menu, from salads, burgers, sandwiches, and pizzas to desserts, cocktails, and beers.

Zócalo

Established in 2011, Zócalo is the best restaurant in Country Club Plaza that serves Mexican cuisines and a vast selection of cocktails and tequilas.

It’s a locally-owned restaurant with unique and modern takes on traditional Mexican food.

If you are looking for a restaurant in the Plaza that offers Mexican food for brunch, dinner, and happy hour, Zócalo is the best place.

The best options on the menu include bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers, jalapeno crab cakes, portabella & goat cheese, and tequila shrimp skewers.

Explore the drink menu featuring more than 60 tequilas, cocktails, and handcrafted signature margaritas.

Affordable prices, quick service, informed staff, and a welcoming environment should make your dining experience at Zocalo comfortable and unique.

McCormick & Schmick's Seafood & Steaks

McCormick & Schmick's Seafood & Steaks is a contemporary upscale chain of restaurants specializing in seafood and steaks.

Established in 1974, the restaurant offers a clubby environment, a world-class private space for events, and a chef-inspired menu.

The menu features energetic beverages and award-winning happy hour options.

The best options include cedar roasted salmon, seared ahi tuna entrée, dry rubbed black Angus ribeye steak, and C.A.B top sirloin.

The menu also features plenty of appetizers, salads, options for kids, desserts, and beverages.

It’s the best restaurant in the Plaza if you’re a seafood or steak lover and admire a relaxed and inviting atmosphere.

The Capital Grille

The Capital Grille opened in 2011.

It is an upscale restaurant and a steakhouse chain offering classic American fare and a fine dining experience.

You can find it in Country Club Plaza.

It offers a perfect space for business meetings, dates, anniversaries, and even birthday parties.

The restaurant is well-known for its dry-aged, and hand-cut steaks that qualified and professional chefs prepare after 18 to 24 days.

The menu offers an extensive wine list featuring more than 300 thoughtfully selected options to elevate your dining experience.

Try the chef’s suggestions, including sliced filet mignon, porcini-rubbed bone-in ribeye, seared tenderloin, and parmesan-crusted tomahawk veal chop steaks.

Don’t forget to add your favorite cocktail, sparkling wine, or red/white/rose wine to your order to enjoy a hearty meal.

P.F. Chang's

If you’re looking for a modern and posh restaurant serving Asian food, look no further than P.F. Chang's.

Established in 1993, it’s a world-famous chain of Chinese restaurants offering Chinese, Mongolian, Japanese, Korean, and Thai food dishes.

The most famous items on the restaurant’s menu are handmade and pan-fried dumplings, Mongolian Beef, fried rice, chicken pad Thai, Chang's lettuce wraps, Chang's spicy chicken, and sushi.

Vegans, vegetarians, and gluten-sensitive guests can choose from many vegan/vegetarian-friendly and gluten-free options.

P.F Chang's also offers an extensive list of drinks, including seasonal cocktails, beers, wines, and non-alcoholic beverages.

The Melting Pot

Established in 1975, the Melting Pot opened its branch in Country Club Plaza in 2013.

This fondue restaurant features a quaint and cozy atmosphere, private tables, attentive service, and offers chocolate and cheese fondues.

The menu covers a wide array of seafood, chicken, beef, and vegetarian entrees and a list of beers, Melting Pot classics, local cocktails, sangrias, spirit-free beverages, and wines.

The best items to try are the garden pot, the big night out fondue entrée, pure chocolate fondue, and yin & yang fondue.

If you’re going on a date, go for two with the big night out dinners.

This item is the most extravagant dinner option at The Melting Pot designed for two people.

Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse

Established in 1979, Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse is a leading Brazilian restaurant that uses old and traditional cooking techniques.

If you’re looking for a restaurant with sophisticated and intimate seating space and authentic Brazilian taste, then Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse is your best option.

The restaurant offers patio and dining room seating spaces with a rich menu featuring changing food options with the seasons.

You’ll find different menu sections such as brunch, lunch, dinner, and cocktails.

The best options are pan-seared salmon, bacon-wrapped chicken and steak, cauliflower steak, and spiced chicken sliders.

The impressive list of South American cocktails and by-the-glass wines should also help you complete your order.

Seasons 52

Seasons 52 is one of the most popular restaurants located at Country Club Plaza.

Established in 2003, the restaurant specializes in American cuisine and offers an ever-changing menu of seasonal American dishes.

An award-winning chef, Clifford Pleau, manages the menu, using fresh seasonal ingredients from farmer’s markets.

You’ll find new dishes every time because the restaurant's menu changes with the seasons and offers lunch, dinner, and happy hour entries.

Seasons 52 has qualified chefs who cook food in brick ovens or grill it on oak fire to create naturally lighter and flavorful dishes.

The restaurant also has a wine bar featuring world-class signature cocktails and by-the-glass wines you can pair with your food.

Essentially a cocktail bar, Prime Social is a popular spot in Country Club Plaza that also has a kitchen featuring a long list of food entrees.

This restaurant in Country Club Plaza will give you terrific food and drinks and let you have a vibrant conversation with your friends.

It offers a refined and modern rooftop dining experience where you can kick back next to the restaurant’s fire pit.

The restaurant’s bold and colorful menu offers delicious items like hand-rolled sushi, nigiri, and pizza.

The best food options are spicy tuna sushi, lobster tail Stix, king salmon nigiri, pepperoni pizza, and prime sliders.

Complete your order with your favorite drink from the cocktails, wines, beers, spirits, and sans list.

Ocean Prime

Ocean Prime is your best option if you’re a seafood lover looking for a posh place in Country Club Plaza.

It’s a popular seafood restaurant serving Kansas City since 2008 with its impressive menu, hospitality, and stunning settings.

It’s a perfect spot in the city to celebrate special occasions, talk business, have dates, or enjoy family dinners.

The restaurant’s menu features an impressive selection of prime cuts of steaks, seafood, a wine list, and signature cocktails.

Some of Ocean Prime's most popular options are the teriyaki salmon, New York strip steak, Colorado lamb, and shellfish cobb salad.

Kona Grill

Kona Grill is an American restaurant specializing in classic American grill with some of the best fresh seafood and steak entrees in the area.

The restaurant offers a rich menu covering a variety of modern American dishes along with delicious appetizers, unique entrees, and a long list of drinks.

Kona Grill is the perfect place for special occasions such as date nights, birthday celebrations, baby showers, business meetings, and bridal showers.

You’ll find indoor and outdoor seating spaces in the restaurant throughout the week.

Likewise, you can enjoy a live performance by a local DJ during the weekends.

From appetizers, salads, rolls, sushi, and fries to desserts, and beverages, you’ll find everything on the menu.

Try the Kona specialty rolls and award-winning sushi.

Buca di Beppo

Buca di Beppo opened in 1993.

It is an Italian restaurant serving authentic family-style Italian Southern and Northern Italian cuisine.

You can find it in the heart of the Country Club Plaza, featuring pizzas, pasta, fresh bread, salads, desserts, a kid’s section, wines, and beers for lunch and dinner.

The restaurant offers a semi-private seating space, eclectic décor, professional services, and informed staff.

The best food options are the prosciutto stuffed chicken, chicken marsala, ravioli with meat sauce stuffed pasta, and baked ziti.

Don’t forget to order your favorite drink and dessert to enjoy a satisfying dining experience at Buca di Beppo.

O’Dowd’s Gastrobar

O’Dowd’s Gastrobar is a chic and modern restaurant featuring a decent food menu but a diverse and extensive bar menu.

It used to be a traditional pub, but the team has turned it into a posh place with a warm atmosphere.

Enjoy hearty meals and delicious drinks there.

The food menu offers sliders, nachos, taquitos, tenders, salads, waffles, and more, and the best options include traditional beef sliders, shrimp wontons, chicken tenders, and the whiskey burger.

You can add your favorite drink to complete your order and enjoy an excellent meal.

O’Dowd’s menu offers everything you can imagine, such as classic cocktails, martinis, mules, beers, whiskeys, and wines.

Final Thoughts

The Country Club Plaza is one of the best shopping places in Kansas City, but it’s also home to some of the best restaurants in the area.

Not only do these restaurants offer fantastic food options, but they also feature modern and comfortable dining spaces.

Use this list to navigate your options and choose from one of the best restaurants in Plaza, Kansas City.