Hickok’s Bar & Grill

This is a case of good gone bad. A really good bar and grill with terrific service for the first year it was open and then things went down hill when the original owner sold the business. I was a regular customer until rude obnoxious bartenders ran me and many others off never to return. Many of us pleaded with the manager to make changes but they ignored us. Now a once terrific place in the RiverMarket is now gone. CLOSED

Meh. Overpriced, generic quality food. I sit out when our lunch group goes here. It’s worth trying once I guess, but overall just as average as you can get.
It’s worth trying once.

When I went, I sat at the bar while waiting for the rest of my party. The bartender had excellent service and gave us plenty of attention. The drink specials were awesome and at a great price!
When we were seated, the wait staff barely performed adequately. The dining room was no where near full, so I have trouble making excuses for taking so long to take our order, refilling and bringing new drinks. The espinaca was okay, but I wouldn’t say it’s anything special. The New Mexico burger however, was phenomenal and tasted very fresh. The fries weren’t anything special I could take them or leave them. One member of our group ordered the pork chops which looked delicious and he said they were perfectly cooked, but that the amount of salt completely ruined them.
Overall, if all you are looking for is a good burger or a drink this is a place to consider. If you are wanting decent wait service, skip it.

Honestly only came here for an afternoon cocktail after a morning at the City Market. The bartender meant business and was pretty serioius about making drinks.
Sit by the window and people watch.
Can’t go wrong with a Bloody Bud Light!

This place used to be one of my favorite happy hours in the River Market. Cheap apps, fast service and delicious drinks were staples.
However, in the years since my initial review, things have gone downhill. Service is just not good. I’m not talking about speed of hand, I don’t really care about that. I just want some decently friendly service. Secondly, the happy hour has fallen off. I’m no longer impressed with the value I get for my dollar, and that combined with the lackluster service has motivated me to go elsewhere. If the food/​drinks/​service are not what you go here for, I’m not sure why you would. It has a great location, sure, but the décor is like any other bar you could imagine in the River Market. When you have places like Blue Line (unique in being a hockey bar) and Harry’s (patio, live music) a stone’s throw away, I’m just not sure how they will keep on keepin’ on.
If they do so, it will be without me.

I loved this place when it first opened up in the River Market area.
They have some fairly decent food and happy hour specials but one thing that is lacking is service. Their wait staff is AWFUL.
On a recent visit, I brought a large group (8 – 10) and the waiter only brought back half of our drink orders. We had to try and remind him numerous times about the beer and drinks that we had placed. Food came out fairly quickly but grabbing our tab was a different story. Once our waiter brought our food to our table he was no where to be found. It took multiple attempts to flag him down and ask for our check.
I eventually walked up to the bar and found the manager behind the bar. I told him that I just wanted to pay for my check and our waiter had not been to our table in about 15 minutes. These were his exact words «15 minutes? I doubt that» and snatched up my credit card.
Rude. Incompetent staff.

Love this place! This is the «Go To» restaurant for me and most of my friends — they have great happy hour specials (drink & food), incredible service, and overall just a fun, simple atmosphere.
This is Tex-​Mex, but some of my favorite dishes are the beer-​battered chicken strips, their cheeseburger, and their french fries.
They have a black margarita, apparently the tequila is black because it is fermented in whiskey barrels, which makes it stronger. YEP. 2 black margaritas and you’re good to go for the night.
Awesome place, friendly patrons… definitely worth giving it a shot.

Stopped here for lunch on a Saturday afternoon. Nice red brick KC bar with a Southwestern influenced menu. There are several vegetarian friendly options, as well as plenty for carnivores.
I was feeling nostalgic for WI Friday Fish Fry, so I went with their fish and chips. The Boulevard beer batter was light and crispy. The fries were tasty and it came with an interesting spicy slaw.
I’ll definitely try it again.

Came here to try the KC Strip Steak which I found more affordable that the other steakhouses in the area and I was not disappointed. Tortilla chips & salsa for starters were both surprisingly authentic. However, our mashed potatoes came out unbearably salty and rendered inedible. Luckily, they were nice enough to comp us fries for it — good gesture and the mark of a restaurant that cares about their customers. Also, a friend commented that the Wild Bills Fried Burger was exceptional so I’d check that out too.

Got up to Hickok’s today and won a free entrée using my frontflip app on my smartphone! Yay!
I wanted to pick something really expensive on the menu to celebrate, but in keeping with the spirit of their great lunchtime specials (all $ 6.95) or less I got the «burrito bowl.»
I know Chipotle has trained us to expect us to view a burrito bowl a certain way, but the portion size and the flavor of the bowl was decent.
Also enjoyed the chips and salsa to start and found the salsa smokier and more pepper-​based than the salsas around town. Nice change of pace.

I was given a lot of grief for my previous review of Hickok’s. People said I hadn’t given it enough of a chance and so forth. So when a work associate mentioned the bar as a good place for us to have a meeting, I figured «Why not?» Plus, as a decidedly non-​vegetarian restaurant, i figured it would be an excellent first stop on my 30 day tour of Kansas City Vegetarianism. Long story short: My food was good, but the service just left me feeling blah. 3 stars you remain.
Let’s just get the food out of the way. I knew that I wasn’t going to have a plethora of vegetarian options at my disposal at Hickok’s, but I was quite surprised to see that they only had one: a portabello mushroom sandwich. Typically I’m not a big mushroom fan, in fact I say that I hate them. Still, i needed to start my 30 days right, so I sucked it up and ordered it. I was actually pleasantly surprised.
Served on a large fluffy bun, this sandwich had fried tomatoes, a huge slab of roasted red pepper, and the obvious grilled portabello mushrooms. It was a very messy sandwich, as everything wanted to slide off the bun. That being said, it was quite tasty! the mushrooms were much firmer and meatier than I had expected. It was served with a side of fries, which were blah. Still, if pressed, I would absolutely order this again.
Now, the service. Due to the fact that we were sitting at the bar, and I was in a meeting with their vendor, I had assumed that we’d be given rock-​star service. That wasn’t the case. She was nice enough, but for how slow they were, she was totally absent. Plus, she just didn’t have that fun, friendly personality that I think is to be expected from a bartender. While she met my needs once I asked for something, she certainly didn’t anticipate them. 3 stars all the way.
I still stand by the fact that Hickok’s is a fully 3 star establishment. Nothing is wrong, but there’s absolutely nothing «right» about it either. I’ll avoid until my next meeting.
Special Vegetarian Star: 2 stars. The sandwich is good, but only one option is pretty weak. Hopefully the rest of my month goes better.

Oh heck no… this can’t be true… the surprising food find price has gone up! The Ahi Tuna Nachos pricing has gone from $ 4.90 to $ 7.00. The new price is still lower than the regular menu pricing but it seems pricey for Happy Hour. The great chips and salsa which used to be free is now free with food purchase or $ 2 if not purchasing food.
The service the last couple times has just been ok rather than great. This last time wasn’t great at all. I don’t know if our server was new but he was very scattered. My friend who ordered the beer battered chicken tenders were HH priced at $ 5 but she was charged $ 8.50. We couldn’t figure out where the pricing came from but he did correct the error.
Hickock’s is «a-​ok» as their Happy Hour drinks are still cheap. I do understand raising costs because of the economy but the service doesn’t back it up.

I’ve been here twice (once for happy hour and once for lunch) and can’t wait to come back!
I have to say, I was highly impressed with the staff. They come over often, are quite friendly and are very knowledgeable about their product. Their free salsa and chips is incredible! They have the best salsa I’ve had ever from a restaurant. I supposed I’d describe it as fire roasted smoky chipotle salsa and it’s a bit thick unlike that «soup» most places serve, which is called picante.
Happy Hour: Drink specials are SICK! Dirt cheap beers and booze. I was loving the Rum and Cokes and the margaritas. The food items are cheaper than they are normally, but they are a little pricey. The Boulevard Beer battered chicken tenders come with red chili-​agave vinaigrette and whether you eat them by themselves or with the sauce, they are mouthwatering! Yummy, white meat strips and deliciously fried. The sauce is a bit sweet (which I like). I also enjoyed the Seared Ahi Nachos, with HUGE pieces of seared pepper encrusted tuna. The sauce they use on that is also heavenly. I was so sad to see that I had eaten them all in minutes.
Entrees: I’ve ordered the Three Amigos Burrito without the pork and cheese and really enjoyed that, too. Very filling and flavorful.
Cons:
I wish they had a table outside so we could bring our dog. We live close to hear and would walk over OFTEN.

I just want to point out that Hickok’s has great Happy Hour «hours», as in, this includes weekends. Most places don’t!
My boyfriend and I just moved into Columbus Park. I got off late so everything (that we know of) was already closed so we cruised on over to our neighbor, City Market.
We narrowed our options down to Hickok’s and Thirsty’s. Hickok’s won, only because we’d heard good things already. I was a little hesitant because I was not a fan of the previous version of Dos Hombres that had housed the restaurant before.
We were greeted immediately by a short blonde hostess that instantly made me feel (in a very genuine way) that we were welcome. I liked that, it really stuck with me the rest of the night.
While we didn’t have much time to decide (the kitchen was closing), I ordered the Chicken enchiladas that included pepper jack cheese, enchiladas sauce, sweet pepper rice & salt and pepper frijoles along with a Margarita on the rocks — for only $ 2.50!!! My boyfriend ordered the Poy-​yo that includes grilled chicken, smoked bacon, pepper jack, lettuce and tomato.
Our food arrived quick, which was what we needed. That $ 2.50 drink, pretty strong! My food was not the most amazing dish in the world, but it tasted pretty damn good for the time of night. Our service was excellent. The server and the hostess made us feel like they actually wanted us to be there. The only gripe the boyfriend had was that there was way too much bun and not enough chicken for his entrée.
We will definitely be back to take advantage of their Happy Hour soon!

I have to say my taste buds were in for a treat when we decided to hit up Hickok’s to break my fast. I had long been on the road, driving since 4:30AM out of Denver, Colorado with nothing but coffee, water, and a trail mix bar to hold me over.
Full disclosure, I searched for BBQ & Beer, and Hickok’s ended up in the top results. Naturally, there is very little in the way of BBQ here, however, the tex-​mex options do skirt around the territory. The thought of giving up KC BBQ for a Tex-​Mex place seems like sacrilege to someone who’s been away so long, but it wasn’t, oh heavens it was not.
I forgot all about my tastes for KC BBQ (a ridiculously amazing feat) when I read the description for the Mahi Fish Tacos. I cannot find it on the online menu but it’s there and it was amazing. My empty stomach was furious because my taste buds refused to let the tasty food go down the pipes so quickly; and the delicious flavors marinated in my mouth until practically dissolving.
After a funktifying road trip dealing with KS state troopers and a much needed shower, Hickok’s stabilized me. I was in river market induced nirvana, and very happy to come back to KC to a couple of surprises like this place. Much thanks Hickok’s!

Went here for a weekday happy hour. I was impressed! First things first, happy hour goes from 3 – 7 then 9-​?, Monday through Saturday. That’s nuts! The service was wonderful. As soon as we sat down, we had a menu, chips and salsa, and were being asked what we wanted to drink. Our waitress was incredibly fast, attentive, and happy to help us make drink and food decisions. She was also great at selling us on products. She convinced us to get fries, cake, and several cocktails we wouldn’t normally try. She also removed the automatic gratuity for our large group. I’m sure she did so b/​c it ensures a great tip, but still I appreciated it. The place is huge so that was nice.
The food was good to very good. Complimentary chips and salsa was good. Their salsa uses fire roasted peppers, and it was very good. The happy hour food options were great and huge portions for happy hour. The HH burger was giant and delicious. The chicken tenders were pretty good. The Ahi tuna nachos were fabulous. Chicken tacos were fine. Beans were good and different. Veggie burger was HUGE. The fries (which were supposedly the best fries) were totally disappointing. Loved the housemade mango ketchup and sauces. Margarita cake was fresh, creamy, light, and delicious!
Drinks: Good, but a little weak. Very cheap wells & classic martinis. Good beer and cocktail prices. White sangria was very good. HH dirty martini comes with delicious blue cheese olives.
**In short, we enjoyed it for the food, drinks, service, and space. I will definitely be back!

Ambiance: Pretty standard bar and grill. The wooden floors are EXTREMELY slippery. I almost fell multiple times and had to hang onto my boyfriend for dear life on the way to and from our table. I saw a little girl slip and fall pretty hard halfway through our meal. That floor is a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Beverages: Full bar with specialty drinks, wine and beer. I tried the peaches and cream drink which helped to soothe my tastebuds from the spice.
Food: Ahi Tuna Nachos. Holy crap Batman. Sashimi grade raw tuna with black sesame seeds on light rice crisps with a Asian chili sauce, cucumbers, wasabi peas and onions. The tastes and textures melded perfectly into one of the most unique nacho dishes I’ve ever had. They were scrum-​diddely-​umptious.
I had the pork carnitas tacos. Three generous sized soft shell corn tacos stuffed with tender shredded pork, creamy pepperjack cheese, and roasted red peppers. The meal came with a side of beans and rice. The beans were fantastic. They were a medley of black, white and pinto beans in a delicious sauce. Tons of flavor. The tacos hit the spot too. The pork was tender and seasoned perfectly. They were greasy and gooey.
Dining companion had the meatloaf. It was HUGE. Like population of India huge. It came with a side of corn and tomatoes and Jalepeno Mashed Potatoes. The meatloaf was really good. Tender and lots of flavor and the gravy was excellent. The mashed potatoes were SPICY. Damn near took my tongue off.
Complimentary chips and salsa were also provided. The salsa was good. It had a very nice smokey, roasted flavor and a slow burn.
Staff: Our waiter was very friendly and funny. They are also very quick. In a blink of an eye we had our drinks, our salsa, our apps, our dinners, and our dishes cleared.
A great place to go when you want to get in and out lickety split.
Pointers: Wear rubber soled or nonslip shoes! The floors are dangerously slippery here. Oh and pack some Tums, spicy faire here but totally worth the heartburn!

Yum, yum, yum! We were in the City Market area and in need of a late lunch. Thanks to the Unilocal app and some tasty sounding Unilocaler reviews, we headed over here.
The place was so empty, I was confused at first if it was even open. But they were, and did I mention it was yum? The menu is incredibly enticing with lots of fun appetizers and tasty-​sounding tacos and burgers. It’s both a blessing and curse when everything on the menu sounds great.
The free salsa and tortilla chips were excellent. The salsa isn’t really spicy, but it has a lot of depth flavor-​wise and a great smokey bite. The queso with spinach was just so-​so — about the same as what you get at Applebee’s. The tacos we had, though, were excellent. Very juicy and flavorful with great tortillas. The burger we had was also excellent. Cooked just right, good amount of juiciness, and great bun and toppings. The fries had a great seasoning and went awesomely with the homemade ketchup. We also got an order of the chili cheese fries. They were a little bit overwhelming and the chipolte cheese sauce mentioned in the menu description seemed to be missing, but the chili was very tasty.
All in all, a very good experience. Both service and food (for the most part) were excellent.

I have wanted to try Hickok’s since it opened, and finally got a chance to stop in last Friday night. Let me say, I was not disappointed!
It was really busy in the bar area, so we opted to be seated in the dining area near the large glass window overlooking the street. It was a nice night, so there were plenty of people walking around enjoying themselves, and I had fun doing some people watching. The dining area is nice — dark wood floors and local art on the walls, and the chandeliers give it a bit of a western vibe without being over the top.
So, on to the food. First of all, the salsa is really great. There’s a distinct smoky flavor, as others have mentioned, and it’s definitely addictive. We ran out of salsa before we ran out of chips, but thankfully our server was quick to refill our bowl!
I was torn between a couple of menu options, but ended up getting the shrimp tacos, and I’m so glad that I did. The shrimp themselves were a bit small (On the shrimpy side! HA!), but they were served in soft, warm corn tortillas. As I LOVE corn tortillas, this made my meal. The tacos (there were 3 of them) had a lot of flavor, and the portion size was pretty much perfect. I also enjoyed the beans that came with the tacos, but wasn’t really a fan of the rice. It was just ok, so I didn’t end up eating much of that.
My husband had some kind of (huge) burrito that was filled with meat, meat, and more meat. Not what I would order, but he was definitely a fan. He also enjoyed his rice more than I did, and liked the beans well enough. So, both meals were winners. Top it off with a glass of wine for me and a beer for him… and the check was still only $ 30. NICE!
We will definitely be back to Hickok’s soon. In fact, I think it’s safe to say that it will be added to our list of frequently visited places, and I’m looking forward to trying the happy hour.

Arrrrrrr! Thar be pleasing surprises in store for you at Hickok’s Bar & Grill
Wait, is this me writing this review? I normally stay away from… is it pirate speak? But aye, ’tis true. I’m a fan, mateys!
AYE! for:
–The best salsa I’ve had in Kansas City. You may recall me being slightly grouchy regarding the salsa options in various Mexican restaurants in town, which range from glorified tomato paste to watery tomatillo sauce to acceptable, but never hot enough. HIckok’s gets it right, with their slightly smoky, perfectly chopped tomato salsa with various other veggies and plenty of flavor.
–excellent service. Our waitress was extremely nice, knowledgeable about the menu (which she knew because they have their waitstaff try everything) and brought us extra chips/​salsa without us having to ask.
–extra touches like homemade ketchup, phenomenal fries, tasty tangy slaw
–a veggie «burger» that is piled high with fixings that include fried tomatoes (I could have sworn the menu said they were fried green tomatoes, but the ones on my burger were not and it would have been way better with green), thinly sliced portabellas, guac, lettuce aaaand what am I forgetting? It sure was piled high! Oh, it comes with bell pepper, but since I hate bell pepper, I asked to have it left off.
–pretzel buns! All burgers come on them. Need I say more to get you yay-​saying, too?
–tasty grog, I mean, sangria
–wide open dining space with comfy booths and welcoming atmosphere
–fantastic happy hour specials in the bar that include fantastic prices on drinks *and* food (I did not partake, but I plan on it!)
I want this place to thrive! It looks like it’s off to a great start.
Avast:
I would love to see more than just one vegetarian entrée (there is also a quesadilla with portobella on the apps) The menu is quite large and offers up some Tex Mex options-​all with meat. Also, both veg options rely on portobella. ‘Twould be nice to see some variety for me veg head mateys.
And now, I’m going to stop talking like a pirate. I have no idea what has come over me.

When I say my expectations were low, that would be an understatement. Last time I was in this space, I had one of the most bland meals of my life.
Wow, how things can change under the right ownership!
We had not been seated more then 30 seconds and hot chips with awesome smoky salsa was set on our table. The waiter was right behind the chips taking our drink order. The cheese dip with goat cheese came out pretty quickly. The deep was great and was topped with fresh tomatoes and cilantro. There were some flour tortilla chips for dipping into the cheese, but they were tough… like when you microwave them too long. We used the chips for dipping instead and it was perfect.
I ordered the shrimp enchiladas. The rice that came with the enchiladas was bland, but the enchiladas themselves were really complex and not drowning in cheese. There was sauteed spinach on top on the enchiladas and more fresh cilantro. The shrimp were cooked perfectly. I don’t like beans, but I noticed my side of beans had shaved parmesan on top.
My partner had the chicken sandwich, which looked like it was made to be in a photo shoot. The smooth pretzel bun had been brushed with butter and there was huge thick slices of bacon crisscrossing on top of the chicken. The fries were hot and were outstanding.
Service could not have been better. If I had to say anything bad, it was that I had to ask for more chips. but I had them as soon as I asked.
Décor is somewhat similar to the old place, but spruced up a little.
The bar was packed. Later, I realized that it was because they have some pretty amazing happy hour deals on food and drinks.
The chef here really seems to have an eye for detail and cares about his flavor profiles. Yes, the menu has a Southwest bend, but if that is not your thing, there are plenty of non-​Southwest inspired items.
It is so nice to have another great River Market option!