North Kansas City, MO

restaurants

Smokin' Guns BBQ & Catering

Those not in the know might drive right by Smokin' Guns BBQ in North Kansas City's industrial district, but they would miss what Guy calls "one killer brisket." Helmed by Phil Hopkins and his wife, Linda, the eatery boasts "competition-worthy" 'cue that has earned more than 400 awards to date.

St. Louis, MO

restaurants

Sweetie Pie's

When Miss Robbie Montgomery, an ex-background singer for Ike and Tina Turner, hung up her microphone she decided to pick up a spoon and start cooking the soul food recipes her mother taught her as a girl. Guy loves her mac 'n' cheese, not to mention the sass she serves along with it.

High Ridge, MO

restaurants

Iron Barley's High Hog Ridge

Iron Barley may be a tavern but Guy discovered "spectacular" food within. Iron Barley calls its cuisine "traditional yet unusual," as the menu features Zarzuela, a Spanish seafood stew, next to a Ballistic Elvis sandwich made of peanut butter, banana, American cheese and strawberry preserves.

Kansas City, MO

restaurants

PotPie

At PotPie, a menu of simple, refined dishes draws the crowds. Here, pot pie gets the French treatment, resulting in a mouthwatering dish made of fresh chicken, veggie-laden broth and puff pastry. Guy can’t get enough of this Frenchified comfort-food staple, which he calls “creamy” and “delicious.”

Kansas City, MO

restaurants

Blue Koi Noodles & Dumplings

At Blue Koi, two sisters cook up traditional Chinese dishes with some tasty twists. Guy devours an entire dish of the chili pepper wontons filled with a mouthwatering mixture of shrimp, pork and chicken and topped with chili sauce. Want even more heat? Add the firebird chicken noodles to your meal.

Kansas City, MO

restaurants

Succotash

Succotash's eclectic vibe can be seen in everything from the eight-layer citrus cake with teal frosting to their artistic, kitschy decor. For breakfast, locals love the pork hash with sides of black beans and potatoes. Guy says of this spicy plate, "Holy hash, Batman."

Kansas City, MO

restaurants

B.B.'s Lawnside BBQ

At BB's Lawnside BBQ, it's one juicy Kansas City-style barbecue plate after another. Lawnside still uses the original 1950s smoker for their burnt ends and hickory-smoked pork spareribs. For a real treat, try the BBQ Sundae, a three-layered Mason jar of pit beans, coleslaw and pulled pork.

Kansas City, MO

restaurants

Danny Edwards BLVD BBQ

This spot's famous for its beef brisket, especially the burnt ends sandwich. Called "Ol' Smoky," the beefy bomb features the flavorful edges of the brisket, slow-smoked with hickory. They also offer beef, turkey and pork by the pound and a three-meat special for those on a carnivorous streak.

Kansas City, MO

restaurants

YJ's Snack Bar

Using his world travels as inspiration, David Ford opened YJ's Snackbar as a way to pay homage to his favorite worldly dishes. Guy devoured each culinary adventure, from the North African lamb kebabs to the Turkish stuffed figs. Here, every dish is different and so is each day's menu.

Kansas City, MO

restaurants

The Brick

What else can you ask for besides a music venue with homemade food? Guy says "they don't skimp on the goodness at this pub-grub joint," and would you want them to? This is where you want to go to hear music, have a meatloaf sandwich and have a good night.

Kansas City, MO

restaurants

Swagger Fine Foods and Spirits

In the case of Derek Boone and Dustin Craighead, ignorance was bliss when they first chose to open Swagger Fine Spirits & Food. Neither had any restaurant experience but Guy couldn't tell. Their monstrous Suribachi Burger redefines burgers with its tempura-battered, deep-fried beef patty.

Kansas City, MO

restaurants

Happy Gillis

Not your typical run-of-the-mill soup and sandwich shop, Happy Gillis Cafe is owned by a husband and wife duo known for flank steak sandwiches marinated in cola and wine. "It's so outside the box," says Guy. Locals chime in: "You can taste how much they love food here."

Kansas City, MO

restaurants

Cupini's

From the cannoli to the gnocchi, everything from Cupini's comes out fresh. As Guy learned on DDD, even the pasta sheets are made in-house for the signature six-layer lasagna topped with a hearty marina sauce and fresh mozzarella. Guy’s reaction? "This is everything that you want in lasagna."

St. Louis, MO

restaurants

The Shaved Duck

This grocery store turned restaurant was founded on "barbecue, folk and soul." Guy got extra messy as he dug into the cheese fries piled high with smoked pork butt and rib meat. Topped with cherry juniper jam, the smoked duck was so good with its crispy skin that Guy devoured it.

Kansas City, MO

restaurants

Grinders Pizza

Sculptor-turned-pizza-slinger Stretch has brought his creative touch to Grinder’s. Hand-welded Army helmet lamps hang above the bar, which features a draft-beer tower made from an oxygen tank. As for the pizza menu, Stretch churns out creative pies like the Bengal Tiger, which is slicked with pesto sauce and studded with tandoori chicken, crabmeat and hearts of palm. “Funkalicious,” Guy declared.

Chesterfield, MO

restaurants

Espino's Mexican Bar & Grill.

Locals love coming to this dive for Chef Espino's authentic Mexican family recipes packed full of flavor. The pork chili verde with yellow rice and refried beans Guy called "off the hook" and thought it had the perfect amount of spice. Diners also like to order the ribs and the mole.

St. Louis, MO

restaurants

Dressel's Public House

At this slow-food dive the food is scratch-made with a farm-to-table attitude. According to Guy, the porchetta "Louie" with provel, rapini and pepperoncini on a toasted baguette was nothing short of "spectacular." The salt, the crust and the chew was why Guy loved the pretzel with rarebit sauce.

St. Louis, MO

restaurants

Anthonino's Taverna

The two brothers who run this dive are both Greek and Italian so naturally they're serving Greek and Italian comfort food with a St. Louis spin. The toasted raviolis served with homemade marinara dipping sauce and topped with Romano cheese impressed Guy. Feeling Greek? Try the chicken slovakia.

Webster Groves, MO

restaurants

Hwy 61 Roadhouse and Kitchen

Highway 61 is a stretch of road known as "The Blues Highway," connecting St. Louis to New Orleans. The Roadhouse celebrates all the great food in this region, from Midwestern comfort food to barbecue and all the way down to Cajun and Creole. Guy tried the BBQ Spaghetti (yes, you read that right).

Kansas City, MO

restaurants

Mama's 39th Street Diner

Guy Fieri visits one of America's greatest breakfast joints, Mama's 39th Street, in Kansas City, MO, for some outrageous homemade hash and 60 different omelets on Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.