Attention food-lovers! Kansas City Restaurant Week 2024 showcases 227 restaurants serving everything from brunch to an elegant multicourse dinner. Beginning on January 12, 2024 and running through the 21st, there are options to please everyone.
Hit new gastronomical heights at Kansas City Restaurant Week 2024. The 10-day event begins today and runs through January 21. There are 227 participating restaurants in the event’s 15th-anniversary year, which eclipses the previous record of 218.
Diners can explore the list of participating restaurants, which range from casual to fine-dining, on the KCRestaurantWeek.com website or on the KC Restaurant Week app. Whether you’re seeking sushi, a sandwich, or an excellent steak, you’ll find those and so much more awaiting you on your culinary adventure. Browse the menus and set your dining agenda for the duration of the event. Restaurant week offerings are available in three price tiers: $20, $40, and $55. Many of the restaurants don’t take or require reservations, but those that do are noted on the website and app, along with their contact information.
The event is a win-win scenario for diners looking for excellent food and restaurants that enjoy a boon during January. “This time of year, right after the holidays, is typically a slower time of year,” says VisitKC staff member and KC Restaurant Week steering committee member Derek Byrne. “KC Restaurant Week gives them greater visibility and gives them the opportunity to have some additional business. We have about 30 new restaurants each year that participate, so it gives them the opportunity to introduce themselves to diners.”
Among the 227 restaurants taking part in Restaurant Week this year are 28 first-time participants, including Noka, a newcomer to the city’s dining scene, and longtime local favorite, Harry’s Bar & Tables.
Brunch comes to KC Restaurant Week for the first time in 2024, an addition that was made in response to increasing interest from both diners and restaurants. Simply use the “Menu Type” filter on the website or in the app, choose “brunch,” and browse all the restaurants that will offer menus in that category. “In the last couple of years, we have broadened the horizon of how restaurants can participate. There are carry-out options, brunch, and quick lunch options.” This is in addition, of course, to the fine-dining choices that remain plentiful in 2024.
A longstanding tradition of KC Restaurant Week is its commitment to supporting a local nonprofit. Over the past 14 years of the event, nearly $3.3 million has been raised for local charities. This year, ten percent of all proceeds will go to Kanbe’s Markets, an organization dedicated to eliminating food waste and eradicating food deserts in the city. “It’s really a simple process what they do,” Derek says, “and it’s almost surprising that other cities don’t have a model like that. They’ll work with local restaurants and food distributors that would throw out produce, and they repurpose those fruits and vegetables to keep them out of the landfill.” Produce that is still fresh is made available to people living in areas without convenient access to a grocery store, and anything that isn’t ideal for humans is turned into animal food or composted. “They try to address the inefficiencies in KC’s food system.”
Should that combination of good food and a good cause prove to be irresistible to those living outside the KC metro, Derek points out that many fine hotel restaurants are participating. And don’t let a snowy forecast dissuade you. “If there is snow on the ground and maybe you’ve parked your car for the weekend, we’ve got right about 40 restaurants directly along the KC Streetcar line. You can stay nice and warm without having to drive throughout the city.”
Kansas City Restaurant Week is a cooperative effort of the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association and Visit KC.
For hundreds more events, visit Missouri Life’s Event Calendar.