Grinders West

Good sandwiches. Casual atmosphere. A regular go-​to place for me. I’ve always enjoyed this place. My only complaint is that more people have discovered it.

Best Philly in KC. Would have been five stars but our waitress disappeared what seemed like forever.

Karina took care of us today and was on point. She was attentive but not intrusive. She even made my dad laugh with a «happy plate» comment. A+ service. Sorry my dad left %15 that was all the cash he had on hand. If I had any on me i would have left extra. You deserved a better tip than was left and i’m very sorry about that. You were perfect.

Five star pizza plus one star heating system equals three star effort. Being rustic, hipster, or what ever we call it these days is no excuse for treating guests poorly. Be hospitable folks! Try using the women’s bathroom! Colder than out side. Great pizza. Next time will order to go.

I 100 percent prefer Grinders West to the Grinders next door. West is cleaner, quieter, and more attentive. Grinders is always packed for lunch by 11:45, but we can always find a lunch spot at Grinders West. The same guy is always our waiter Thursdays at 11:45 and is efficient with the lunch crowd.
My sandwich selection varies (and everything has been good) be sure to upgrade from chips to tots. Splurge for tots! Mmmm.
Thank you Grinders West for being a nice lunch spot.

Idk what’s up with the pizza chefs but for the first time I got a «gourmet» slice and the crust part was burned, I was expecting a big slice when in fact it seemed like I got the smallest slice from a whole pizza and it def wasn’t worth the almost $ 5 that I paid for.
…the second time I went I ordered a full pizza and I ordered the Crossroads pizza and it’s supposed to come with olives, spinach, pepperoni, and pineapple, and I kid you not I had 2 leafs of spinach on one slice, a small patch of pepperoni on 2 of the slices, and barely any pineapple. Idk if the guy decided to bake the pizza with his eyes closed but I was shocked they served it to me! I ordered carry out and barely glanced at the pizza while I was there so that was extremely disappointing.
Once they figure out how to make a pizza right I would def give them 4 – 5 starts bc as far as the taste goes they are good, but I shouldn’t be having one disappointment after the next each time that I go… also It’s not worth it to buy a gourmet slice, minus well buy a whole pizza and also make sure that it’s made right before you leave if you order carry out.

Popped in for brunch before going to the theater today, had their biscuits and gravy for the first time and loved it! Having grown up in the country, all the biscuits and gravy if I had ever eaten, was made with the pork sausage, or RB rice’s «hot» sausage– Grinders uses Italian sausage, assumably the same as their pizza & it was amazing!
My buddy had the omelette, which was reportedly very good, so I stole a bite. WOW the rich bacon flavor!
The coffee was good, hot & endless refills. Do yourself a favor, and ask for the drink menu if one doesn’t come automatically… I had a bloody Mary, which was good, but I wish I would have ordered the loaded bloody Mary with infused habanero pepper vodka and a slice of their amazing bacon!
Their team service was superb! We were greeted three times before selecting our own table, appetizers were suggested, follow up and attention to detail great, a manager touched the table twice & kept us informed on our earlier request to speed up service so we can get to the show! This visit we ate on the Westside. If you’re ever in Kansas City — GRINDERS is a must!

Describe Grinder’s West in one sentence:
«Dive bar that serves up some great food and beer!»
The longer version:
Roll in at a little past noon and the only spot to sit is at the bar. No problem for me I enjoy «bellying up» any time I am given the option. Server was quick with the drink order as I dove into the food menu. Pizza, wings, Phillies, hot dogs, etc. This place has me covered for anything I am craving. I spotted the philly cheese steak and decided I must give it a try, but skip the chips I want tots! A few minutes later it arrived and was delicious. Melty provolone (FYI whiz was an option) with loads of tender steak, green peppers, mushrooms and onions supported by a hearty roll. Well seasoned and not overly messy this was what all philly’s should be like. I did not have a beer (on my lunch hour from work) but I did peek at the menu and they have a solid line up on tap and in can/​bottles. People watching here is also fantastic, I mean its the art district!
Great lunch spot and I will for sure be back again.

My friends and I were in town for a card tournament, and seeing as this place was close-​by (and I’m a huge fan of ‘DDD’), we decided to head there for some late-​night eats and beer. First things first; this place, and the surrounding neighborhood, can look a little intimidating at night. Stick to well-​lit sidewalks, and you should be ok! Secondly, this place is a dive bar; don’t think it’s anything but. However, the food here is amazing, and should definitely not be missed!
As we walked towards Grinders, we heard an outdoor band playing. I guess this place is legendary in KC as a great place to catch local bands in their backyard, and tonight was no exception. As it had been in the upper-90’s, with dew points in the 70’s, nearly all day, it was still too hot and muggy outside, so we opted to stay inside. Because of that, I think we lucked out, because our waitress was very attentive and friendly. Their on-​tap beer selection is quite good, and the whole thing was built by Grinder’s owner, Stretch Rumaner. He’s a legend in the world of ‘DDD’, and I asked our waitress if he was in the bar. She said, «He’s around here somewhere; probably outside, enjoying the show.» I held out hope that I would get to meet him, but if not, that’s life sometimes.
My friends and I just decided to get a little of everything and share it «buffet style». We ordered their Bengal Tiger Pizza (green sauce, tandoori chicken, crab meat and hearts of palm), an order of Krinkle-​Cut Fries, and a South Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich. All of it was amazing! The pizza was as unique as the owner, and the philly steak sandwich was probably the best I’ve ever tried! Best of all, just as we were about to pay our bill, Stretch Rumaner walked by our table and said hi! Definitely a place to remember, and I will definitely be back the next time I’m in downtown Kansas City!

Grinders is definitely a funky fun ‘get out of the office and maybe don’t go back on a Friday’ place to have lunch. Actually it doesn’t have to be lunch and it doesn’t even have to be Friday but the atmosphere is quirky and eclectic and I didn’t want to leave after a really lovely Pear Salad and our servers choice of beers (IPA style, it was tasty).
I’ve heard that shows here are fun (except for the Port A Pottys and that the people watching is ++. Although I’m a fan of live music, I’m a little over the hill for that much late night activity… but I’ve HEARD it’s a blast.
I would definitely go here again, soon… after reading the reviews, I have a couple of meals on my list to try!

Have been many times and the food was still good but that does not make up for the horrible services. Took to long to even be acknowledged then the waiter messed up a simple drink order for three.
Once we received our drinks the waiter didn’t return for 15 minutes. We then ordered our food, figuring everything would get better it did not. The food came out at different times and incorrect. First was the pork sliders, they were pretty good, then a calzone for one of other people in our party. The next item to come out was not the correct sandwich or sides, the waiter came to check 20 minutes later. We had also ordered a pizza and it never came. When the waiter came to check on us, 20 minutes later, I told him the sandwich was wrong and I still didn’t have my pizza.
Normally great food can make up for crappy service but the food was just okay and the service was pitiful. Luckily there are any other places in the area to eat.

Great atmosphere. We ordered Funky Dough — It’s delicious. We both had a slice of pizza. The crust on their pizza is divine. Will definitely be back to try some other items.

I must not be «hip» enough to receive mildly decent service, but even if I were, Grinders is one of the haughtiest restaurants I have been to in Kansas City. The scene is fine when purchasing food or drinks at the window outside Grinders *during a show*, however, the service inside (show or not) has been constantly neglectful. I ordered a pretzel tonight with the rest of my table ordering pizza. Server forgot to put in my order AND 5 minutes before bringing out food, server told me pretzels were not being served. Waitress error? Kitchen error? Not the first time, definitely the last time. I suppose I should grow a mustache and gain tattoos if id like good service.

Wow… the Reuben here is so good! It’s served hot and has a great amount of dressing on it. Everything I saw come out of the kitchen looked delicious. I’ve had the pizza next door and it was delicious as well. I can’t wait to try other items. The ambiance is good and on Thursdays they have three tacos for $ 1.00 with $ 2.50 Mexican beers.

Huge fan! I love getting the girls together and coming to grinders, sitting on the patio, and enjoying cheap drinks and decent food. Pizza is the way to go here! This place is very unique and fun.

Their special was make your own mac and cheese, choose one meat and two veggies and my server raved about it and said they rarely had it as a special because it was so good. So I ordered it and chose pepperoni as my meat. I think they just waved it over my dish, the veggies only slightly more so. The mac and cheese itself was marginal. I’ve tried to like this place but I think they’re trying too hard to be cool to worry about anything else.

Had the California blt with the pear salad! The server John recommended it to me. I would also recommend to anyone that hasn’t been here or tried it. The bacon on it was so awesome and delicious. They also have a potato casserole side dish that was so good we ordered a second helping of it. You can also wash it all down with their big selection of beer! Glad I finally got to try this place out.

I arrived early and had to wait a while for my friend, but once we were both seated we made our decision on the Philly Pizza. We waited almost an hour and the waitress asked if we were ready for our checks… I responded that we hadn’t even received our pizza! Plus she had never refilled our drinks. I think if I hadn’t been there to catch up with an old friend I would have walked out!
In the end, the pizza was very good and our waitress took 50% off. I would like to give them a 2^nd try but I rarely get over to that area of town and when I do there are just so many other locations that won’t forget they have a customer sitting in front of them!

As much as I try NOT to go here because I think the owner is a toolbag… I can’t help but find myself drawn to the $ 2 mimosas and yummy food. (By the way, I recently found out you get a «MAN“mosa for $ 4!!!)
The homemade chips are always made to perfection, the California BLT is delish with their maple bacon, fresh avocado and the bread is a perfect touch. I tried the 2 for 1 pizza and didn’t see anything spectacular about it because it seemed very blah and thin… maybe that’s just the quick fix for something cheap though.
The breakfast burrito the other morning was killer. You can specialize it to your likings. The salsa was a little weird but it was good enough to eat without it.
I’m attempting to get my friend to do the wing challenge… Depending on how bad she sucks at it, this place will get a 5.
Yep, I’m THAT friend ;)

If Grinders is the surly little punk who hates authority and refuses to clean his room, Grinders West is his older, more mature sister who just graduated from art school. You see, Grinders is funky, unique and decidedly for adults.
Instead of the fried this and processed cheese that of Grinders, Grinders West offers an incredibly fresh and delicious menu. I have had a variety of awesome sandwiches here, and when i’m feeling a little healthier, salads. There’s an awesome ahi tuna salad, and also a killer pear salad. Also recommended is the spinach salad with strawberries and a raspberry vinaigrette.
Today I had one that was more in tune with my vegetarian goals. It was a delicious bowl of mixed greens tossed with onion, sun dried tomato and a balsamic vinaigrette. Now, the selling point of this salad was supposed to be fried goat cheese. I got it… all two pieces of it. A very tasty salad, but i feel like the titular ingredient of a menu item should be a little more present.
The décor of this place is pretty great. It’s bright, airy, and interesting. Each table is a unique piece of art. I could describe them, but the fun is in looking at them for yourself. The bathrooms are behind the walls of glowing… well I don’t know what they are. Glowing pods of some sort. The men’s room has a really nicely painted multicolored wall, a very unique sink and an awesome ball of lights to illuminate whatever it is you may be doing. Going to the bathroom at Grinders West is like going to the bathroom in the future!
One of the biggest complaints about Grinders was always the service, and for good reason. That being said, Grinders West is MUCH better. The servers are still somewhat edgy, so they maintain the Grinders aesthetic. That being said, they actually seem to know how to serve, and they seem to actually want to take care of you, thus earning some money. These people are nice as pie.
If you want to go someplace downtown that is equal parts edgy and fresh, I don’t see how you could go wrong with Grinders West