The Roxy

Who went to a wear white spring party? This gal. It was a private event, so guests were met at the door by security. All the staff wore black which was a nice contrast not to mention easier to find for refreshment purposes.
The place was a decent size, I was told 300 people came to the event but it didn’t feel like that maybe half that. It was a comfortable space, as usual around the bar was crowded, and the staff manning it were efficient and kind.
There was a stage although smallish it fit the DJ and his setup well enough. Dance floor I felt was an ok size but honestly the whole place was a dance floor. Everyone was dancing whenever they felt like it wherever they were at.
I believe I saw some darts, pinball and pool tables in a side and back room but no one was playing them. Womens rest room was small with two stalls and upon entrance would accidentally bump into the person at sink. Everyone including myself were always profusely apologetic. Parking lot also on the small side.

My husband and I went to The Roxy for the Elvis birthday bash. We paid a $ 10.00 per person cover charge to get in which seemed a little high considering the event. We sat at the bar for quite awhile before the bartender looked our way, came over and took our drink order. The bar wasn’t crowded as this event took place after the Chiefs playoff game. I noticed a server taking drinks to some of the patrons but ignored another table near us and they had to go to the bar to get service. Each time we wanted a drink we had to get the bartender or owners attention to serve us. Again, the bar was not crowded at all. It’s been a few years since we’ve been to The Roxy and it looks a little cleaner than it was, the owner is a friendly guy and the drinks were mixed well but they need to step up in the area of customer service.

It was so hot in the bar, our drinks were watered down before we got a chance to finish them! Maybe the A/​C was broken? It was not crowded at all on a Saturday night. The female bartender needs a serious attitude adjustment as well.

May 30 was my 2^nd visit to the Roxy. I only went because I love the Four Fried Chickens & a Coke. Both times, the cover charge was outrageous and the lady taking the cover charge was far from friendly. No one stopped by our table to check on us and take our drink order, The lady from the front door would stop by and clear our tables of empty cups, not once did she ask how we were doing or if we needed anything, She was rude and condescending, No smile, Everyone had to go to the bar to place their orders, Seemed like Roxy did not want us there.

I came to see John Corabi via an invitation from the new owner, Jim Kilroy. We really enjoyed the evening here. The drinks were stiff, reasonably priced, and the bartenders made eye contact right away and got me what I needed. We got a small table toward the back that gave us some room to breathe and enjoy the show.
It seems as though the new ownership is exactly what this place needed. The bathrooms used to stink and the place was pretty much a run down dump until the new owner came in and put some elbow grease into the place. The improvement on service and the removal of the watered down liquor inventory makes it clear from the time you walk in the door that any resemblance to the old Roxy is gone.
I highly recommend coming here for a show and enjoying some libations. Well done, Mr. Kilroy!

There is a new owner at the roxy and a new cook, I can only say what is true. The new cook is awesome, especially the wings. Bartenders are more attentive. I live so close I can walk, I won’t walk in without ordering wings + a pbr. I go there every time I want to have a beer and some food, it is a welcome change. Get the wings, they are AMAZING

There is no option for negative stars so I’ll give it 1. This is the worst, dirtiest, most overpriced bar I have ever been to. The staff is horrible and the place reeks of urine and stale beer. I could literally walk here from my house in 5 minutes but will rather drive 10. It is a total failure and should close.

This place sucks all around. It’s a horrible bar. They have to be watering down their liquor. We went there on my 30^th birthday ⁹⁄₂₀₁₃ and had 4 vodka redbulls. 4 of them. Did not catch a buzz. Seriously?
They always charge a $ 5-​$ 10 cover because they are tying to promote themselves as a venue. Now although it has a stage and I would get that for an awesome local band performance on a Friday or Saturday night. But when it’s Tuesday evening and you are charging $ 10 per person cover to come in because there’s a hip hop DJ? Oh and the place is a ghost town because it’s Tuesday?
Wouldn’t it make more sense to let us in and buy drinks than us turn away over a stupid cover that is only justified because you cannot afford to pay your own djs?
This is a sinking ship.
The bar tenders are AWAYS awful. There is one girl that used to work there, may be she still does, that was always trying to convince patrons to buy her drinks and would hit on my fiancé right in front of me. To top that of she was chunky, dressed like a bum, had stringy undone just thrown in a ponytail hair. Not a cute girl and I’m not just saying that. It confused my fiancé too! Lol like «why is this weird bitch hitting on me?» Someone needs to tell her she is running more people than she’s bringing in.
My friend’s husband is actually in a band and performs there from time to time and she told me that they had the same experience with that chick. She was like «excuse me hello I’m his wife and I’m standing right here.»
Needless to say this place is dirty divey and dingy. It smells like stale cigarette smoke 30 years strong. Someone needs to buy this place and revamp it because it has potential. I heard they sold it but if that’s the case they kept the name and the same shitty employees.

Wow Roxy! Pretty sure that was the worst beer I’ve had in a while. How do you mess up Blue Moon? Flat beers on tap is a definite turn off. Very disappointed to find the bar dead with a 5 buck cover charge for a comedy show. There were far more employees and show members in crazy outfits than bar patroons. Positive note, they have three big screens for catching up on sports games. Not a place I’d recommend.

If I could title this review, it would say «Bands Beware!»
I’ve been going to the Roxy for almost three years. It’s a typical dive bar — grimy, meh food, a bathroom that’s obviously seen some shady stuff. Nothing spectacular or made me say, oh I HAVE to write a Unilocal review… until last night.
I went to see a show at the Roxy last night, and there were signs promoting «Under New Management!» and «Killroy is here!» Usually, new management is a good thing, but not, I think, for the Roxy.
This was probably the most unprofessionally managed bar I’ve ever seen. The door guy (who I think was Killroy himself) seemed to pick and choose who’s ID’s he checked. I came with one of the bands. (Please note that the opinions in this review are my own. I don’t want to reflect badly on any of the bands that played, but I also don’t like seeing my friends get walked over, either.) The band was told to be in by 8, and play an hour later. After we arrived, the guys were told they wouldn’t go on until last. Which turned out to be 1 am. It didn’t help either that I overheard the «manager» tell one of the other bands that «I got you. You get to go on earlier.» I discovered Roxy three years ago, because the guys played gigs there. So, to have such a «repertoire» with the venue and get shafted like that really puts a bad taste in my mouth.
Now, people who play in bands in shady dive bars don’t usually do that for a living. They have day jobs. Sometimes, these guys play gigs for a little extra cash. If you’re one of those people, don’t book the Roxy. As far as I know, the guys never got paid for last night. Not even a comped drink. So, we sat in a loud, gross bar for 6 hours, and did nothing but make the Roxy money. Patrons with a job to do, I guess?
I understand, too, that Kansas City has a great music scene. However, that doesn’t mean a venue can treat their acts like dirt. Bands that are just starting out might be willing to play their first show or two at a place like this, but nobody will keep coming back if you don’t treat the acts with a bit of respect.
So, this is a super-​ranty review, and I apologize for that. Maybe I’m just grumpy because I only got 3 ½ hours of sleep?
If you want the quick overview: Don’t visit the Roxy. Why?
1. Poorly managed — one bartender for the whole bar… on one of the biggest drinking holidays of the year.
2. Shady practices — Some people get carded? Also, not to mention the fact that a man came into the women’s restroom to replace toilet paper WHILE I WAS USING IT! Yes, the door was marked. Clearly. In duct tape and sharpie. And the guy didn’t leave when he saw I was in there. Awkward. I was seriously checking to make sure there were no hidden camera in the ceiling vents.
3. Bad business — Making a band wait 5 hours to play, then don’t pay them? Also, drink prices went up.
4. Parking– As always, parking is terrible. The place is in a strip mall.
5. General stuff — Bar food, gone. $ 2 shot special — gone. We came for the cheap booze, so what’s the real draw now? I’m not sure there is one.
/​endrant

Went here to see a friends band. $ 5 cover charge to get in to such a small dinky bar. Then when we ordered drinks they were out of most liquor for cocktails and the ones we did get tasted horrible, I make better ones at home! My friend ordered some food and said it sucked and prayed they didn’t get food poisoning later. Waitresses were nice, bartender had a horrible attitude and got mad when we complained about drinks being bad.
The restrooms were DISGUSTING! No toilet paper or paper towels for when you washed your hands. Seriously, it was 10pm in a bar that wasn’t even too busy and it’s like no one cared to make sure things were ok.
Then they ran out of bottled beer at midnight. Really? The best part was the band but I hope they get a better venue to play at next time!

Monday Night Dubstep/​Open mic/​Jam band. $ 2 beers, shots, n bombs… Where you @?? This is the chill spot!

Hey Roxy! Your website needs an updated event calendar! This alone could bring us back more often! We like live music, but not when it’s hit or miss.
I can’t believe I have never been here, especially since I live in OP. Well, this weekend, BF and I decided to do a mini-​crawl through some JoCo bars we had never visited. Glad we found this one! The Roxy is in a raggedy old Old OP strip mall. I think something crazy like a tire shop is next to it. Once you walk in though, you forget about the outside. It’s good and dark inside, and in the back of the place is a stage. They have live music pretty much every weekend. The band (named after a car, but that’s all I will say) we saw was reallllllly bad due to the lead singer who couldn’t sing. I wanted my $ 5 cover back, but I sucked it up. Sucky Singer is probably why this place wasn’t packed. I think we were the only people there not related to or friends of the band. I have friends who love to come here to see The Zeros, and they say you can hardly get in then.
When you walk in the front door, watch out, as three dart boards are directly to your right and you’re in the line of fire. To your left is a pretty incredible pool table set-​up. I like it because it has its own space, and no one is in your way, and only pool players have a reason to be in that area. The bar is OK, and they have a tolerable tap selection (Fat Tire, Boulevards, domestic crap). The servers were super nice and helpful, but I found it odd that a girl was carrying around a tray of shots to sell. Reminded me of something I would see at Power and Light, and this older crowd didn’t seem to dig it.
Overall, this was a good but not awesome bar. We will definitely come back, even if just to have a beer around people our age.

Hmmm… The Roxy… This place has been on my list of bars to go to for about a year, I just always forget about it. Well, on the night of New Years Day, we decided to give it a try. We sauntered in around 9:30, to see it still decorated from the night before, which was actually kind of awesome. We bellied up to the bar, and the bartender said that a lot of times, New Year’s night at the Roxy was actually more fun than NYE. Well duh… It’s because the amateurs are home nursing their hangovers!
Anyway, this place has a couple of pool tables, dart boards, and is pretty much dark and kind of dingy on the inside, but we didn’t mind. Apparently on Sunday night they have a dj, we were there early enough to watch him set up and begin to play his music, which we enjoyed. As other folks trickled in the door, we both noticed the diversity among patrons (which is a good thing!). I had to double check to make sure we were still in JoCo.
The music was good, a mix of hip hop and top 40, and our bartender was on her game. We had fun, more than we expected. Although we did not try the food, we saw a few orders go out, and it looked and smelled like decent bar food. The girl sitting next to us said that it’s the best bar food around, so… duly noted.
P. S. In response to Kim’s review, we both ordered water with our drinks and were not charged.

I go on tues and wed’s for karaōke. Irina the bartender there is super sweet and responsible. she doesn’t let people leave the bar drunk lot a lot of bigger bars. good knowledge of a variety of drinks and shots. prices aren’t bad. small, dark venue. never crowded. darts and three pool tables available. friends and i have made it our hang out for now and the regulars accepted us just fine.

Strike one they charge for tap water. Isn’t that illegal?
Only 26 people in the whole place before our group got here which was 6 more people. They charged $ 5 to get in. That is ok because there is a band that starts at 9:30pm so I get that.
It is super divey & kinda dirty.
The band got there & brought twice as many people & doubled the capasity. Had it not been for the band, which was awesome this bar would have been close to empty.
Reasons for 1 Star:
Reason 1: Charges for tap water
Reason 2: Wait staff super slow and forgot our order and had to place it twice.
Reason 3: 30mins for ½ cooked fries & a frozen burger that came out cold & greasy
Reason 4: Worst drinks ever! Rot gut with flat coke
But the people watching was AWESOME
1. Dude in bike helmet doing the white man’s overbite
2. Frat boy with paddle & 7 girls celebrating his 21^st birthday
3. More shiny shirts and chest hair than I have ever seen in one place.
Will not be back.