Maker’s Mark Bourbon House & Lounge

Apparently in the year that it had been since I was there, this most recent review is a bit delayed, it was 3 months ago when I was there. I have checked the menu and it has not improved.
My wife LOVED their chicken and waffles, we found out that they had JUST been removed from the menu, BIG Disappointment. Secondly, the steak was perfect, but they make an in house steak sauce (which I thought was standard throughout ALL of the Mark Bourbon houses) that had been changed to an «oriental flare» because the NEW executive chef wanted to change it.
There wasn’t a lot that could be done, but for a steak house, there are plenty around KC that match the price and have a better breadth of menu items for non-​steak eaters. I have been to Makers no less than 7 times since it arrived in KC, and unfortunately, I believe that the 7^th time will be my last.
Food was decent, service was good, and happy hour drinks were Fantastic! It just didn’t measure up to the way it was or the other options that are available in that area.

This place is sooooo slow. I have no idea what the food taste like because it hasn’t come after 30 minutes! I ordered a salad!!! How long does it take to make a salad… Now it’s here and the portion size is about enough for a 5 yr old. Should’ve Unilocaled before I came.

Wow. I have waited awhile to write such a review to ensure that the shitty service I have received has not been an aberration. It has not been. I waited… For ten minutes. Fifteen. It is fine. It is busy, yada yada. But after I spent $ 25 on a whiskey and cheap cigar, I was oriented away from their vacant seating area because I had not reserved a table for $ 1,000+ dollars.
Excuse me, but if you pay $ 15 for a $ 5 cigar, aren’t you entitled to a place to smoke it? Apparently not. Not only are you subjected to ten dollar drinks, you have no place to smoke in peace.
Every time I go into makers mark, I have expected to have a good time… every time I am disappointed. They rely on the name brand and have nothing else to offer. I am a young professional who lives cigars and whiskey, yet my demographic is completely lost on these incompetent asshats. They would rather pander to a bud light crowd than carve out a niche with high spending, loyal customers. I wish I had never walked in the door. Skip this place.

Attended a business function with dinner and open bar. I love bourbon and steak. Slightly drunk and very full when I left.

It’s hard to believe sometimes that something classy can exist in Power and Light. This restaurant/​bar along with flying saucer are its redemption. This place is good to go to if you want a good meal, not pub food. Everything on the menu that i’ve tried has been wonderful, especially the gnocchi. All of the cocktails are expertly crafted as well. Makers 46, an excellent choice, is usually the well.
There is outside seating, which has a great view of the stage inside P&L. There are often concerts and showings of games there, so it’s a great place to go have a meal or a few drinks and have fun. If you’re into it, they also sell cigars. They have designated smoking areas though, so you won’t be disturbed by those who do. The deserts here are also great. I would recommend stopping by, or at least looking for them during restaurant week.

I recently had shrimp and grits while I was on a business trip. Was good, but the portions were very small. I think I had four shrimp on my plate.
I asked for a salad, and they gave me this little thing that looks like a tumbleweed and charged me $ 10 for it. But it sure was pretty.
So with the one drink, four shrimp, and the tumbleweed, with the tip it came to $ 57.
I guess if I was looking to impress a business client, I might take them here. But if I was paying for with my own money I would probably go somewhere else.

Stopped in to have a few drinks, since I like Maker’s Mark. There was only two couples at the bar. The bar keep was snobby and not friendly at all. She seemed annoyed that we wanted to try several different drinks and had questions, so we left after having two. Won’t be back, don’t want to keep the bar keep from visiting with her coworkers and since she already made a thousand on Thursday and Friday night didn’t feel she needed to work very hard Saturday. Yes, we actually heard her say that to her coworkers, along with other stuff that as a customer I didn’t want to know. Sorry we came into your place of work and bothered you.

I heard about the Power & Light District so a co-​worker and I went around 8pm on a Friday night for dinner and drinks. When we arrived there was a free concert going on in the courtyard area with restaurants and bars surrounding. We were very lucky to get a table for two with a view of the stage without a wait… especially since it was so crowded for the concert.
Our server, Emily, was very professional and attentive. She had drinks or for us right away. Of course we chose some local Boulevard beers. I ordered the sirloin med rare and my friend got the shrimp chipotle flatbread pizza. Both of us loved the food. Steak was cooked to perfection. The garlic green beans and creamy mac and cheese were fantastic. I would eat here often if I was local.
As we were leaving to check out some of the bars I asked the manager for suggestions. He told us about the different bars and when we decided on one he offered to walk us in. We followed him across the courtyard, up the stairs, past the line, skipped the cover charge and right into the bar. Now that is service! Thank you Makers Mark KC!

I came here for a large group dinner while I was in town for a conference. We had a private room to ourselves with a set menu. Picked from a three-​course menu for salad, entrée, and dessert. I tried a bottled Boulevard Pale Ale, which was pretty smooth. I went with a house salad, the grilled salmon with a maple bourbon glaze, red potatoes, and sauteed spinach, and the chocolate dessert. The salmon was delicious.
It seemed like a good place for large groups. Service was good. The kitchen was prepared and all of our food came out in a timely manner.

A group of us were visiting from out of town and stumbled on this establishment. To our delight it turned out to be Tuesday half price steak night. The five of us all had steak; they consider prime rib steak as well. The quality of the meat was great as expected in KC, but they also hit the temperature on everyone’s meat as well. Their bourbon, whiskey, and scotch menu is comprehensive, and we found the cocktails such as the Sazerac and Mint Julep very well made and tasty. The wait staff was excellent and attentive.

I selected this place to throw a surprise 30^th Birthday party for my fiancé since he loves to drink Makers Mark. Danielle and Grace truly went above and beyond to make the experience one he’ll never forget! I could not have selected a better location!
We went on a Tuesday which is half off steak night which was nice. The manager Danielle was very thorough and did a great job of sharing what this place had to offer from pricing cigars that they would have available to what appetizers would be best for our party size. We reserved the chef’s table which has a curtain divider from the main area, and a private balcony which makes the dining experience more private. On a weekend night when P&L has live performances going on, that is definitely THE ideal spot to be! No charge, just a little additional gratuity, which was totally worth it because our server Grace was 100% worth it!
Overall, I gave this place five stars because of the overall experience. I cant sell this place to you on the food alone. It was good enough that it was worth the money, but the overall dining experience is what sold me! From the ambiance, cigars, to the helpful and attentive staff, that truly makes this place rock! Definitely will be back soon!
I will share a picture of the cake I had made for him, which if you like Maker’s Mark you will LOVE! Carrie from
made it!

We were here for a work dinner, and I am sad to say my meal was quite sub-​par for the price. We shared:
Spinach & Artichoke Dip — under cooked
Bruschetta
Fried Calamari — under cooked and under-​seasoned
Hummus Trio
My filet was overcooked — I asked for rare — and came with a salt crust not mentioned on the menu. The salt did nothing but further dry out the overcooked meat, which was also close to room temperature.
I fault the timing of the kitchen since we were a large group and two ninnies ordered a flatbread as an entrée .The skin-​on mashed potatoes were runny and the two asparagus on the plate must have been far more precious in KC than in New Orleans.
I skipped dessert, fearing my disappointment would be extended to the final course.
Service was gracious and very accommodating. This shouldn’t be a surprise, as the place was dead for a Wednesday night. I’m guessing that’s the case with every place in the Power and Light district during the week.

I had the extreme pleasure of eating at this fine establishment while on a business trip in KC. I stumbled across this in one of the brochures provided by the hotel and figured that since I like their bourbon, stands to reason that I would like their food. I was wrong, I didn’t just like their food, I FREAKIN’ LOVED IT!!!
We arrived and I was instantly infatuated with the lighting. It’s sort of like a mellow yellow, orange, bright vibe going on here. Bright, but not too bright… just really soothing. Our server was Grace and by far, she was one of my favorite people I met in KC. She was very nice and extremely helpful with any questions we had about the menu. Grace, YOU ROCK!
We ordered the calamari as an appetizer and it was very delicious. The dipping sauce had a bit of a kick to it and it complimented the calamari. We both ordered the chicken, cheddar waffle and mashed potatoes for our entrée. Yes, you read that right, it was a CHEDDAR WAFFLE!!! Crazy, right??? Grace warned us that the chicken and waffle was delicious but she didn’t prepare me for just how good it was. It was a complete and total party in my mouth!!! I loved this meal. It was so soothing to the soul and pleasing to the taste buds. You had to get a bit of everything on your fork, the potatoes, waffle, chicken and syrup from the waffle to get the total affect. Just melt in your mouth goodness. Heck, my Sprite was even perfect!
Since it’s named after the bourbon, the restaurant had several bourbon options on the menu. I’m on meds, so I couldn’t indulge, but I’m sure it was divine. It’s located in the Power Light District and a true gem in the neighborhood. If I had spent more time in KC, I would’ve gone back again for the the chicken and waffles… they were that good!
They need one of these in the Maryland/​DC area!

This place is great if you are hungry for steak. Go on Tuesday’s, which is half-​price steak night. Any steak on the menu is half-​off (including the bone-​in rib-​eyes). It does get busy so a reservation might be a good idea during peak times.
Service is what gives this restaurant three stars instead of four. The last three times I have been there (been in the Kansas City area for a work-​related project since March), service was slow. Also, twice the waiter has given me soup without a spoon.
Also, what beers they have are all bottled. No tap. For a city that has many other establishments serving both hometown Boulevard Brewery beers along with many other micro-​brews, it is somewhat surprising to find that this one does not have a single tap handle.
That being said though, if you are a bourbon fan… they do have a pretty extensible selection of bourbons at the bar (they should with the name of their restaurant being what it is!!). There is a fairly steep up-​charge for a glass of anything good. I would almost prefer just buying a bottle and drinking it at home for the price, but alas… it is a restaurant/bar…and they make their profit on the bar sales.
The steak is actually quite good. My favorite cut to get here is the prime rib. Cooked to perfection, served with creamy horseradish sauce, mashed potatoes, and seasonal vegetables. The prime rib I had was one of the juiciest, most tender cuts of prime rib I have ever had. The jus complimented the cut very well. I do get hungry thinking about it! The restaurant also provides some great steak knives to carve your cut of choice with. Nice solid, heavy handle.
Overall I would recommend going if you like steak. But go on half-​price steak night on Tuesdays if go!

Went here last night for dinner (because my boyfriend had a voucher for a free steak from a charity auction he attended) and although I wanted to give them a 2-​star, I chose a 3 because the server we had was fantastic.
As for the food:
Calamari– wasn’t super… came out and it was cold but the dipping sauce that has a sweet and sour flavor was quite interesting and I liked it.
Crabcakes were probably the best appetizer we had… I wasn’t a huge fan of the breadcrumbs they used but they were more crab than breading, which is huge. Some places skimp out on the good stuff.
Steak Bruschetta had good flavor but they needed more steak on the crustini… It could have used balsamic drizzled over the dish also… It was a little dry.
Caesar salad was good, crisp lettuce, not overly fishy dressing… it was a good thing to split to start.
We ordered the larger filet and got the sides of some potato dish and asparagus. The filet was cooked perfectly and came with a yummy sauce, I didn’t catch what it was but I would assume it was some sort of bourbon glaze. It was on the sweeter side and accented the steak well. The potatoes were more of a hashbrown casserole thing, which I normally would have liked but it seemed very dry and on the salty side.
We brought our own wine so that was a big win on our part. Overall, the food was alright… I wouldn’t pick it as a place to take people to impress them… The server was great though. She was very tending to refilling water and checking on us. She was also knowledgeable on the menu and was complementary of our wine because she was a fan of the maker.

Pretty awesome dinner place to enjoy before hitting the power and light district.
Our table of eight was seated promptly at 7:30pm (our reservation time) and found the service to be good, and the atmosphere nice but not a place for a quiet meal.
The appetizers were great, especially the tuna tartar, and crab cakes. Wasn’t sure what to except from the restaurant but those two blew me away, balanced flavor, perfectly plated, and just well prepared. The calamari was disappointing, over breaded, over cooked and the peppers on top left something to be desired, mostly some marinara or other dipping sauce. The entrees were all well received, with the favorite of the table being the Gnocchi & Tenderloin, great creamy Gorgonzola sauce that complemented the tender gnocchi and pretty large slices of medium cooked tenderloin.
We did also sample some cocktails and sparkling wine and were happy with all our choices. The Domaine Chandon Sparkling Rose is served in the cutest personal size bottle, and worked great with the tartar.

I’ve been to Maker’s Mark twice now, although truthfully it wasn’t on my hot list of places to try when I moved here. Both times, I’ve been invited to private functions here.
The first party was held by my loft management company in a small room right off the bar and entrance area. The venue provided an appetizer buffet and supposedly, waitstaff. The munchies were decent, bruschetta, little seafood tater tot things, shrimp… Nice happy hour nibbles and free. The table service was very iffy. I eventually wandered off to the bar to order both my drinks that evening. I tried their $ 5 sangria special and it was quite good. I left the party glad to have tried MM, but glad I didn’t have to do it entirely on my own dime.
Party two was a Corporate VIP party on the terrace during a Friday night show at Power & Light. We were greeted at the door and a waiter came over almost immediately to take drink orders from my group. It wasn’t hard to figure out why, since the host told us we were free to order anything off the menu all evening. The hosting company must have spent a fortune. There was also a buffet with munchies, a beef bruschetta and a traditional bruschetta. My table ordered crab cakes and artichoke dip to add some vegetarian/​pescetarian variety. Both were very good. Then the munchies on the table were restocked with the seafood tots, some cheese dip and more bruschetta. We also ordered a chocolate dessert to share and it was superb. Super rich.
We continued to have excellent service throughout the evening. Our top shelf cocktails were refilled almost before we could realize our drinks had run out. We ordered french fries randomly later in the night and they came out hot and crispy and perfect for the moment.
I can’t be free-​loading VIP all the time, but when I can, Maker’s Mark is the place to be!

The food was good (probably three star) but the service was excellent. We both ordered burgers and fries. The burger was just a pre-​formed patty but it was definitely grilled and the toppings were good. The fries were very good — fresh and crispy.
Our server was awesome. She had a great personality and she was always there when we needed her (and not when we didn’t — which can be even more important sometimes).
I will go back here next time I’m at P&L and try the dinner entrees.

The food was really good — we tried a little bit of everything. Crab cakes, tenderloin flatbread, shrimp dumplings, etc.
The bartenders poured great drinks –try the raspberry martini for a girlie drink, or a Makers and Ginger for something a little less fussy.
The atmosphere was nice– and the tv kept the guys’ attention. P&L seems a little strange of a place for this kind of place. I’m not sure people who are trolling for dates will bring look in a place that caters to an older audience.

This is the second time I have visited this establishment & I must say the first visit was better. Both times I visited were on a Tuesday night which is half priced steaks (which was great), if the steaks had been better… The first visit I had a bone in rib eye, this week I had the large fillet… The rib eye was much better that the fillet (fillet was dry and Flavorless). The service was moderate (we ate at the bar), but our drinks were always full and the bartender was very friendly and delt with three mens harassment in stride & even gave a little back when we needed it. The décor is very nice and I will return, I just hope the food is better the third time…
Cheers!