Mike’s Tavern

The crowd is a bunch of douchie frat boy types, and the taller, male bartender is a huge asshole.

this place was relaxing, watched the royals game, sat at the bar, great conversation with Roscoe, the giant moose on the wall, listened to some OLD hip hop, good environment. we didn’t eat here but heard multiple comments about the philly steak sandwich… next time!

Your standard american pub with lots of students from nearby universities.

Mikes is an awesome neighborhood tavern! Great feel and fun hang out in. This is the perfect location to hang out with a few buddies. Great drinks and good bar food!

Not only does Mike’s Tavern offer a relaxed and homely environment to drink with your friends, it is also a meeting place for some of the most brilliant minds from the local college community to dialogue about intelligent shit. Also, they use prime McGonigal’s beef for their burgers: their burgers are delicious. Plus, they serve Budweiser, and I mean… where else can you get that?

New ownership, good crowd, great fried pickles, great food, staff legit. Bring the crew. And they turn the touchtunes up!

Mikes is a great place to stop for a beer. The vibe is better and better every time I go. Avery is a nice bartender who is quick to help you with a drink.
The place is a lot cleaner than I remember in the past. They stopped selling Mexican, which is fine with me. I go for wings and tots usually.
It’s calm after work, much more chill than hoopers, with a similar experience.

Cleanest bathrooms on Troost! What more do you need to know?
Try the Irish Gut Bomb sandwich, it is fantastic. This pork tenderloin sandwich is topped with fried egg, onion rings, bacon, pepper jack cheese and the usual tomato and lettuce. I recommend adding jalapeños to add some extra kick to the sandwich.

Fries and Curry are back on the menu!!! Homemade fries and that creamy, mild curry sauce are addictive!
The menu has changed from Mexican (hold over from when Cantina del Ray closed) back to traditional bar fare. AND they are cooking with meat sourced from McGonigle’s Meat Market, how awesome is that?!? Try the Shepard’s Pie or the chili. They also have a nice selection of beers on tap or in the bottle.
I like to think of Mike’s as my local pub. I love to come here for a drink or a casual meal.
The atmosphere has a typical laid-​back college bar feel and everyone behind the bar is super nice!

A– (for a dive bar)
I had always heard about Mike’s Tavern over on Troost but I had never found my way over for a drink.
That changed a couple of weeks ago when it came time to celebrate my home-​boy Shane’s 31^st (?) birthday. We had plans to go downtown but my friend Adam and his girl Libby offered up an alternative (literally) option: go check out She’s a Keeper. It was the groups last Kansas City performance. They aren’t suppose to play another show for a long-​while.
We all decided that it sounded like a great idea. And gosh darn it, we had a blast!
Mike’s isn’t fancy but it’ll do. Cheap drinks, great service and killer set by She’s a Keeper. Suffice it to say, it was a great night.
The evening didn’t end there. After the show we drove across town and hit up Matt E.‘s house-​party and after that, Shane’s birthday cake ended up being a Town Topic Cheeseburger. What a fun night and it all got started at Mike’s Tavern. I have a feeling a lot of fun nights get started at Mikes.
Also, word on the street is that Mike’s Tavern is where Paul Rudd, Andy Sudekis and Rob Riggle hang out when home for the holidays.
GO to Mikes!

Favorite college hangout bar in KC. It’s not the environment that makes it though, it’s the bartenders. I love going here to watch sports games and hang out. They have a happy hour everyday with pretty good deals. Thursday nights is usually when the rockhurst kids take over. It may be off troost but I’ve never had any issues.

Mike’s is a college bar, but it’s pretty mellow (at least in daylight hours). I think the only thing that really stands out is the patio, which is large with adequate shaded seating.
Not much else is noteworthy, although they do have all the staples you’d hope for: plenty of indoor seating, daily specials, happy hour, TV’s, easy parking. Service is friendly, though not rapid. Prices are reasonable.
Don’t let the Troost address scare you. I’ve been here at least 10 times and never seen shady characters.

This is a post-​ride Monday rendezvous for a group of friends. I rarely stay for such things, preferring to cook dinner at home. Last night was an exception and Mike’s was a nice surprise.
The draft beers… they have about 10… were pulled at the right temperature for real beer. Maybe a touch too warm if you drink mass– produced American Pilser… aka Pisswater. But that would be your fault to begin with and your loss. :) Enjoy a Pale Ale from Boulevard from these taps and you will be speaking in tongues.
I had the burger special. Upcharge for the cheese. It was on a nice little kaiser round run, slightly toasted. It was lightly seasoned, not overcooked to oblivion, and still tender. Not bad. And the sweet potato fries were delicious. Not the best in town (Gary’s on the Go BBQ has that honor), but SP fries almost guarantee an extra star from me. lol
Order at the bar and then go sit down. Pay in advance or run a tab. That’s the way they roll here.

As a Rockhurst Alum I spent more time and money at Mike’s than I’d like to admit back in the day. When I was in school it was the «old Mikes» and it was dirty, cramped, and oh-​so-​wonderful. Then there were a few years in there where Mikes really went downhill. I was very excited to hear when Mike’s renovated and reopened. I’ve been several times since then and am just now getting around to reviewing it. Mike’s did an awesome job of cleaning itself up. The décor is fun and there is plenty of space between tables so that you aren’t forced to eavesdrop on someone elses conversation. Oh, wait, is that skee-​ball in the corner?!? yes, yes it is. The patio is awesome and large enough to accomodate lots of people. All the food I’ve had is good; still your basic bar food.
All of my college friends that have gone back to Mike’s have all been impressed by it’s makeover. It’s still a fun dive bar but one that you aren’t so embarassed to take your parents to when they are in town for the weekend. Even though I haven’t been a regular at the bar since graduating in 2005 it still feels like home. There is just something about it. They can change the décor all they want but it is still «Mikes». Oh, and the little dip in the floor in the doorway by the bathroom is still there. I used to stumble over that all the time… some things never change…

I have been to several Kansas City area bars and this one is most like home. Friendly and helpful staff, reasonable prices, and of course… fun.
Great food especially the salads. Little if any drama, just interesting people and good times.

So, due to some menu and staffing changes, I need to update my review for Mike’s. Even though my favorite bartenders no longer work there (SAD!!), and they removed the fantastic grilled cheese (that apparently no one ordered… but me) from the menu, I’m still going to give Mike’s 4 stars for a couple of important reasons.
One — the bar staff, even though they’re not «my» bar staff, are still really good, and amazingly quick to serve drinks even when it’s super busy. And the drinks are still strong and reasonably priced.
Two — you can catch the Irish rugby games here (and likely the hurling games, too, once hurling season starts) without paying a massive amount to watch the games. If you like Irish sports, or are an expat, this is an important reason to visit Mike’s.
Three — the sliders. OMG, the sliders. Even though I miss the grilled cheese, and am sad that you can no longer get fish and chips OR curry chips at Mike’s, the sliders are great. Especially for someone like me, who loves a good burger but is usually reluctant to eat a whole normal sized burger. You can get 3 little sliders of deliciousness for $ 4. Throw in some $ 2 fries, and I’m a happy girl.
Mike’s can be really crowded and insane, especially because all of the college kids tend to come in for the 7−9pm Power Hour, but I just avoid coming in during those times. Every other time the service is friendly, the food is good, and the pub (including the bathrooms) is clean. So even though I don’t visit as much as I used to, I still enjoy Mike’s when I do go.

I have been to mike’s about 10 times over the last two years since i started going to umkc. This is a casual place to relax and have some drinks. Weather you are going out with a group of friends or just lookin to have a couple beers after a long day of work this place answers the call. The staff is friendly and quick to get your order and serve you. Almost everytime i go we request a specific sporting game and they always put it on for us. The crowd varies quite a bit, some nights it is wall to wall college kids, then other nights it is older people filling all the seats and having a good time. Either way the staff is friendly and quick to serve ya.

Despite its makeover Mike’s still gets an interesting mix of Brooksiders, college kids, eastsiders and professional drunks. The food here is very good, plain old American bar food. You aren’t likely to find anything unusual or inventive on the menu, which for now is scrawled on a chalk board behind the bar.
I have only sat at the bar, but have had excellent service on all my visits. Three different bartenders, and each one is just great. I wish there was more of a tap selection, for now it’s just fratboy piss, the usual Boulevards and Guinness.
The addition of a back patio is nice but they could really use some more shade out there. Also there is a huge compressor as you walk out the door that blasts hot air at people against the wall.
Mike’s has made a concerted effort to appeal to a wide variety of people and I think they have succeeded. There are cheap specials at night for the college-​age binge drinkers, but a moderately priced happy hour for after-​work drinkers. The end result of pleasing everyone is that I don’t have exuberant feelings about them. It’s worth checking out and has a considerably mellower vibe than usual Brookside hotspots.

So this place opened back up. Many a local college student was rubbing their hands in anticipation, or was that just a side effect from DT’s? Nonetheless, was it worth the wait?
Eh, not really.
They cleaned the place up, added more food to the menu, and apparently you won’t catch tetanus from the toilets anymore. I wouldn’t know, I assume all public restrooms are absolutely filthy.
The prices were a little higher than expected, especially with close competitor Charlie Hooper’s as the place to be for cheap drinks on Tuesday nights.
The staff could use a little more training. They refused the state-​issued IDs from my friend and I, necessitating I use my college ID and he use his passport. Good enough for the police… not good enough for Mike’s. They took forever to get our beers and to change the channel to the NBA game as well.
Look, I’m rooting for Mike’s. They should by all accounts clean up seeing as how they’re stumbling distance from two colleges, one big and one Catholic. But they should really think about lowering the prices, getting some specials, and buying that ID scanner. With Charlie Hooper’s nipping on their heels and an entire school year spent closed, they can’t afford to start off on the wrong foot.

This bar is my speed. It has a good group of regulars, knowledgeable staff, and a great menu. I was really surprised at how tasty their food was. Best onion rings in town IMO. Also they have a Chicago dog that is as good or better than any dog I had in the Windy City.
I usually go in the weekdays but on the weekends, they have an eclectic group of bands play. They are working on an outside patio which will come in hand this spring. People complain about its Troost location, but I love Troost and have never had a problem there (knock on wood). Check out Mike’s, one of the only places in KC I would call a «real bar».