Harry’s Country Club

There are many reasons Esquire Magazine placed Harry’s Country Club in their «Best Bars in The World», Hall of Fame. Let’s list a few… Unique atmosphere of old school Kansas City and downtown Nashville combined. Vintage piped in country music (think, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, George Strait). An outstanding selection of Bourbons and Scotch. Excellent knowledgeable bar tenders. The best patio in the River Market. Very solid food, don’t miss the chili and cornbread. They also serve the best sandwich in Kansas City, The Chivito. Go hang out, enjoy and have some fun. I do.

The Strawberry beer here is amazing! My favorite appetizer is the homemade potato chips & French onion dip. It’s a fun place for Happy Hour & the patio is the best feature here! Food is pretty good & the service is always top notch. This gem is definitely worth the drive.

Two visits in one week, because I couldn’t stop dreaming about the taco salad after my first visit.
I’m also convinced this place has the nicest bartenders in town.

I always forget that I’m not a fan of this bar. When thinking of a good place downtown/​Rivermarket, this place never comes to mind at all. Once upon a time, it had «the best Patio in the river-​market» but that’s not even true anymore. My latest experience was just last night with the bf. We actually wanted to go to Blue Line but a StL Blues game was on TV and that place was more packed full of frat boys than a Buffalo Wild Wings during the Final Four. It was then I remembered that there actually is another bar in the Rivermarket and so we found ourselves at Harry’s. By comparison, this place was dead. We sat at the bar and marveled at all the fancy bottles of gin and rum and mezcal and also at the entire wall of scotch on the other side. I mean, fairly tempting and I caught myself wondering why I didn’t come down here more.
It became apparent when we asked about specials or if they had a reverse happy hour. The bartender stated that they didn’t have either but that all the $ 5 cocktails on happy hour were normally about $ 6 or $ 7. Those prices weren’t too terrible so we agreed to stay here. My bf ordered a whisky cocktail and the bartender made it pretty succinctly, set it down, and then immediately walked away to the other end of the bar. We looked at each other and my bf asked if the bartender had taken my order. I said no. Finally, after several minutes, the guy came back down our way to pour a draft. While he was there, I asked as politely as I could if I could order one of their cocktails off the menu. He nodded without even looking at me and then proceeded to make my drink and handed it over. We were both pretty amazed at the inattentiveness and borderline rudeness of this bartender. He had the mannerisms of someone harried and over-​worked but as I said, there weren’t that many people inside this place. When we got our ticket, we saw that my bf’s cocktail was $ 9,50. So I have decided that this place is rude and over-​priced and there is good reason I don’t think to come here. Unfortunately, after this experience, I’ll make sure not to come back.

Harry’s is pretty much a dive bar with decent food (for the price) and a good selection of beers and whiskeys.
We decided to stop at Harry’s on a whim, looking for a new place place to grab some food and drinks. I’m assuming the «country club» part of the name is supposed to be somewhat ironic. The place feels more like a dive bar, with worn out flooring, tacky décor, and some mix of country western music playing. They sell cigarettes and cigars, and there is a smoking area in a room adjacent to the bar, which leads to a pervasive smell of cigarette/​cigar smoke hanging over the bar.
They have a long bar, almost the length of the wall, with two very small CRT T.V.s on either end, so this is definitely not the place to watch any sports. There are plenty of large tables and booths, so the place is good for groups.
The food was surprisingly good, nothing extraordinary, but for the price and the expectations I had based on the looks of the place it was very good. We started with the wings, we ordered them dry with a side of blue cheese and they were great, a large portion and well seasoned with a nice crispy crust. My wife had the chicken tacos, I can’t vouch for how «authentic» they were, but they were flavorful, as was the rice. I had the chicken breast burger which was also good, and the shoestring fries were also very good. We tried the brownie dessert as well, and it was ok, just a generic chocolate brownie served VERY warm with ice cream.
Service was a bit hit-​or-​miss, the servers were really nice and helpful, but seemed a little overwhelmed, although the place didn’t look that full. They got my order wrong, twice, but I was in a good mood and they were really nice about fixing it. Also, It took a while to get our bills payed, the server kept going back and forward between the register and the table forgetting to either bring or take the tickets.
All in all I would come back for a quick cheap bite, but wouldn’t plan on hanging out for drinks with friends here.

My experience was OK– I came here to hang out with friends and ordered a Cosmo and the sea hogs. The Cosmo was more vodka than Cosmo, which was fine for getting a buzz but it was bitter and not sweet at all. The sea hogs are bacon wrapped shrimp. The bacon was tasteless and the shrimp was overcooked. It was disappointing but my friends told me their dinner was great.
Personally I did not like the atmosphere. The country music is not my favorite, and the décor was in a similar style, so that was not my favorite either.

I like the ambience and the energy of Harry’s Country Club. They have the largest and finest whiskey, scotch, and beer selection in the River Market area and the food is moderately priced and consistently good. The patio is fantastic when it’s a little not warmer than today. Can’t wait for the live music to start again outside.

Harry’s has the best «City» Fried Chicken in town! Every time I go I am completely happy with the product. It is a large portion so come hungry. Also tried their traditional chicken wings last night and they were amazing.
It always seems to take awhile at Harry’s so allow enough time.
The outdoor patio really has a great view of downtown KC and really is a nice atmosphere.

The salad tour continues and the Steak salad at Harry’s was above average. Nice size and seasoned flank steak topping the fresh lettuce. Dressing was a nice twist on honey mustard I think it has some balsamic in it. Will definitely be back just for the salad.

I really want to like this place. I’ve given it a lot of chances, despite living way south in Johnson County. The décor is cool, and the vibe (at least aesthetically) is neat. In terms of looks, feel, and locale, you would think you were in for a great experience.
But — I’ve tried several things off their menu over the years, and the most accurate & best description I would give the food as a whole is «acceptable but underwhelming.» In other words, I think your chances are higher than ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ that you’d find better food somewhere else just by accident, let alone if you put some thought into it.
What motivated a review this time around though was the service and price. I’ve perused a handful of the other reviews of this place on Unilocal,both good and bad, and I do agree that the menus are outdated in terms of look and user-​friendliness, but I can deal with that. Most recently I stopped in w/​a friend for a quick drink and an appetizer before meeting up w/​some other folks at an art show. It was after 7 pm on a weeknight so I didn’t feel too bad about taking up a table for what I thought might be a pretty small tab. Plus I knew we weren’t going to be there very long.
Anyway — my friend and I each got an IPA, and we split an order of onion rings. The onion rings were, as noted above, acceptable but underwhelming. Nothing special about them, but that’s no real sin I guess. The IPAs on the other hand were $ 7.00 each. I know, craft beers and all, but seriously — if the prices were any higher I’d start looking around to see if I had been transported to a Royals game. Please — tone it down just a tad, in terms of the prices. Can we negotiate, say, just a 500% markup?
The service I had this last time was pretty consistent with what I’ve had every other time. Disinterested, not real friendly, fairly inattentive, and slow. I always tip at least 20% on the entire bill (i.e., I’m not one of those guys that doesn’t include the tax when I tip). Often I do 25%, and I did this time as well, as I was feeling charitable, and I didn’t want to appear like a jerk in front of my friend. But the service was lame. And it’s consistently lame.
As a result, all things considered, I won’t be back. Would I go if I was with someone who (for some inexplicable reason) states they really like the place? Yeah, I guess. Will I EVER suggest going to Harry’s, to anyone? Not a chance.

Oh, how was my dining experience at Harry’s Country Club you ask? Well, atmosphere wasn’t lacking, but oh the quality of my sandwich was seriously lacking. The meat was knotty and chewy and had zero flavor whatsoever. The ‘carmelized’ onions could have spent a little more time caramelizing. The sandwich could have been more hot. Oh and the fries were stale and not hot. I was not given a generous pour of beer either. My suggestion would be to do one of the following: either hire a new cook who actually knows what a good sandwich is supposed to taste like or completely revamp Harry’s C.C.‘s conception of the French Dip sandwich. What a waste of a lunch.

Reasonably priced whisky flights with over 130 different varieties to choose from! Very cool bar with knowledgable staff.
Food is good too! Chicken fried steak and a variety of other comfort foods.
Laid back place great for when you want to get a good meal and great drinks.

Had a lovely evening on the patio with friends. Had two tart cocktails from the Happy Hour menu, can’t remember their names, but were good. Incredible scotch and whisky selection, hubby was blown away. Flights served in adorable metal caddy. Cute dive bar, good music, waitress was nice. Red pepper hummus was good. Would come back.

Keep Harry’s in your back pocket when you consider lunch, dinner, and happy hour options around the River Market area. It’s been my go-​to bar when I’m in the area and they don’t disappoint.
There was a time when it felt like Harry’s was declining in quality, specifically about 4 — 5 years ago. It’s naturally a little divey, but cleanliness and quality can ruin any dive experience. They’ve shaped up and re-​established themselves as a must visit location for cocktails, bar food, and a good time.
The bartenders here are top notch. They look the part of an old time barkeep, ties tucked into their shirts whirling around, filling glasses, making conversation, and experimenting with their own concoctions. Their mixed drink menu is for real — try a Moscow Mule in a copper cup for a truly unique experience. Beers are diverse and from all ends of the earth.
The food is good, but not as impressive as their drinks. I’ve sampled everything here from apps to fish and chips. My recent taco salad was decently sized and priced.
It can get a little tricky to find a table here especially during crowded happy hours. Temperate months are great for sitting on their patio and listening to the bustle of the city while you sip, chug, or gulp your favorite drink.
Harry’s (not to be confused with Westport Harry’s) is top notch and a must visit destination for anyone looking for a great happy hour, good food, and a step back into a forgone time in Kansas City’s bar past.

In the area, with a little time to kill, so we thought we’d check out their happy hour. We had the chicken quesadilla and it was flavorful even if it was a little greasy. I had a Manhattan and hubby tried a new local beer. All in all, it was a successful happy hour for us!
Hubby really like the atmosphere — kind of old school honey tonk feel to it. They have a really big whiskey and scotch selection and a good beer selection.

I’m becoming a bigger fan of Harry’s every time I stop in which has been every couple of weeks of late it seems. What I really like the most is the general atmosphere, but also the superb selection of single malt whisky (ie., scotch) and good accompanying beers. The food, it’s pub grub dressed up in a little fancier clothes but I wouldn’t call it the greatest. The music is good, service in general is pleasant and friendly and it’s the kind of place people aren’t doing shots they’ll be vomiting up later. That’s next door on the corner to the west.
I’d call this a decent date destination and plan to bring the missus here in the near future to sample some more food and drink and possibly spend the night in the city instead of driving home to Lawrence. This would be a great place to end the evening over some conversation and a few libations.
Oh, and as a musician I totally dig the retro music vibe going on here with wall art, juke box, etc. Especially cool.

Great atmosphere. Very friendly staff! Whether having lunch or dinner, or just stopping in for drinks, you won’t be disappointed at Harry’s!

The happy hour appetizers on the weekend was reasonable. Awesome craft beers on tap — lots of choices! Only complaint was the black bean dip tasted something from a microwave.

I am going to disagree with a few people on here but such is Unilocal!I love Harry’s. Every time I have come here I have had great service. The bartenders know their drinks, they have a wide selection of liquor and they rotate the taps often.
I haven’t had a problem with service here yet, whether I am sitting at the bar or at a table the wait staff has been on point. I have not used the patio and that could possibly be where the service is lacking? But I am not sure. The menu is fantastic, the happy hour is good, and the selection is vast. Give it a go and decide for yourself. Embrace the atmosphere.

Donezo.
I hate doing this review, but I am so sick of being burned by Harry’s Country Club. It has the bones to be a great place, but it’s just not. They fail so hard it hurts.
Aesthetically and in terms of selection, Harry’s CC has arguably the best patio in the River Market (and maybe all of greater downtown) but it’s an act of god to actually get served. This weekend, meeting two of our friends, the BF and I joined their table on the patio. We were ignored for literally 25 minutes. We saw servers pointing to our table and talking amongst themselves but then all walking away and doing their own thing. We gave up and left.
I am trying to give you money! You are a server, don’t you want money? If you don’t, why not get out of the way and let in somebody who seemingly has a goal beyond raising my blood pressure.
This is by far not an isolated incident, and it’s a running joke amongst the neighborhood of how terrible the service here can be, particularly on the weekends. Does nobody that works here care?
Well, that’s not entirely true. Service at the actual bar is still quite legit. Friendly and prompt bartenders. And as I’ve said, they have great drinks and some really good food. But that’s not enough to save this place. The management is either completely unaware at how laughably bad things can be, or they simply don’t care. Either way, unacceptable.
Add to this their ridiculous «close whenever we want» policy, and it’s like they’re TRYING to fail. Running a restaurant and bar is a labor of love. Where is your love for your business or your guests?
I’m sure I’ll be back. It’s just too convenient and too many of my friends will want to go here. But I’ll be grumpy until they prove to me that I don’t have a reason to be sore. And because I don’t want to die, I won’t hold my breath.
Get it together, Harry’s. You’re failing hard.