If you like to have a little fun with your food, check out these places in KC that will bring a smile to your face.
One of the newest restaurants in the Kansas City area is Kura Revolving Sushi Bar. The Kansas City, Missouri, restaurant on the Country Club Plaza features sushi that comes to you on a conveyor belt. Each plate of sushi is $3.25, and you can take as many plates as you want. For every 15 sushi plates your table consumes, you will receive a prize. You’ll also find nigiri, appetizers like edamame, and cheesecake for dessert on the conveyor belt. If anything you want doesn’t come by soon enough, you can order it on the monitor at your table, along with drinks, soup and ramen, and it will be delivered via another separate conveyor belt or by your server or a robot. Another fun thing is that the bathrooms have heated toilet seats and bidets. Note: Be sure to download their app so you can use the waitlist. Going as soon as possible after they open for the day is also recommended-otherwise you may have a significant wait.
Sakura Japanese Sushi, with locations in Shawnee and Olathe in Kansas, is a no-frills restaurant offering traditional table service, hibachi and-the most fun part-a sushi train. It’s like Fritz’s for grown-ups! For the sushi part, you sit at a bar around the outside of an oval sushi prep area and wait for the train to come by with something yummy. They have a mix of raw and cooked sushi, and the chefs are great about letting you know what’s what. The sushi comes two pieces per plate, and the plate color indicates the price. It’s generally between $3 and $4 per plate. In addition to sushi, once in a while you’ll see a piece of cheesecake come by. Don’t be shy!
Speaking of Fritz’s, if you have kids in tow, this is definitely the place to go! It’s an old-fashioned diner with burgers and other classic diner food cooked to order. The fun part is that all meals are delivered by train, straight to your table. Their best-known location, open for nearly 25 years now, is at Crown Center in the heart of Kansas City, Missouri. But they also have locations on the Kansas side in Shawnee and Kansas City.
If Thai food is more your style, head to Lulu’s Thai Noodle Shop. They have locations in the Crossroads in Kansas City, Missouri, and on the Kansas side of the state line in Westwood and Overland Park. The restaurant offers a diverse menu with a little something for everyone, from street food (appetizers) and soup to wok dishes and curries. The lettuce wraps are amazing as is the Lulu’s Sampler, which has spring rolls, crab rangoon and two types of dumplings. As for the fun part of Lulu’s, they have a robot that serves food to the tables and, I have been told, will also bus them. Be sure to specifically ask for the robot, as people still do food service to the tables as well.
If you are looking for a real treat and it is summertime, run-do not walk-directly to Jasper’s Italian Restaurant in South Kansas City, Missouri. For a few months in the summer, you can enjoy the chef’s highly acclaimed mozzarella theater, which is only done when fresh, local, heirloom tomatoes are available. And this mozzarella, made tableside by Jasper, is a real treat! It is so delicious paired with the tomatoes, along with some basil, olive oil and balsamic. And whatever you do, don’t pass up the amazing, multilevel dessert cart. At least 10 things on there are guaranteed to tempt you. You can’t go wrong with any of the choices, of course, but both the coconut cake and strawberry cake are amazing!
If you need some dessert, how about ice cream made with nitrogen? Kansas City has just the place. Foggi Ice Cream, located in Mission, Kansas, offers it made fresh to order. (They also sell boba teas and coffee.) Ice cream made with nitrogen differs from traditional ice cream-it’s very cold and has a different texture, and watching the process of its being made is a lot of fun. You can choose from a create-your-own option with a base of chocolate, vanilla bean, strawberry or salted caramel ice cream, along with two toppings. They also have specialties, like rocky road, strawberry cheesecake, and cookies and cream. Combined with the liquid nitrogen, your base goes from a liquid to a solid in about 45 seconds! For an extra fun time while you are there, Foggi has retro video games, board games and toys for the kids.
Hannah Berry is a local writer and foodie.