On Saturday, November 22, my friend B and I had a few hours to kill so we headed south of Kansas City to find a few places to get a beer.
But before we even touched a drop of beer we had a chance encounter with a famous TV spokesman of long ago — Col. Billy (of Boots Williams Ford, Rockwood Smorgasbord [or was it Gold Buffet?], and Swap-n-Shop fame) when I stopped to buy some extra batteries for my camera. I didn’t know he was still with us but glad he is!
From that meeting we headed south… WAY south… far beyond anyplace I expected to find a bar. 203rd & Holmes? Here we come!

Read on to see a few of the places we found in Jaudon, Raymore, Belton and Grandview…

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Jaudon, MO
#1: J&J Roadhouse
20300 Holmes Rd
Belton, MO 64012
(816) 331-4867
[Map]

Formerly Jaudon Hideout, now Jones & Jaudon (J&J) Roadhouse, this was a surprising find. Who’d have expected to find a bar at 203rd & Holmes? And how many people from the KC area
have even heard of the unincorporated town of Jaudon (pronounched juh-DAWN) southwest of Belton?
The bar has been operating here for many years. The original building, continuously occupied for more than a hundred years, was constructed atop a Civil War era military bunker. Years ago a new wing was seamlessly added on. The older half of the building was a gun shop while the newer half contained a very small bar, the Hideout.
Recently the gun shop closed and the building underwent a major renovation to expand the bar to fill the building and modernize the interior.
In addition to drinks the bar features a pretty impressive menu, a patio, and a bartender who is passionate about the history of the building and her town.
Raymore, MO
#2: Butcher’s Inn
422 W Pine St
Raymore, MO 64083
(816) 322-7821
[Map]

The closest thing to a downtown bar in this town that seems to lack a downtown, Butcher’s Inn is hidden away behind the bend in MO-58. The L-shaped bar is nestled into the back of the blue-painted dining area, with a patio off to the side.
#3: McGrew’s Pub
1276 W Foxwood Dr
Raymore, MO 64083
(816) 322-5782
[Map]

Located in a strip mall off MO-58, McGrew’s doesn’t fit the usual profile of a suburban strip mall bar. What on the outside looked like a generic chain was genuine local dive on the inside. As we played on the trivia machine (which was prestocked with a couple dozen credits) our surly bartender had no qualms about chewing out her assistants in front of the customers. A good find. :)
Belton, MO
#4: Frankie & Johnny’s
17209 S. 71 Highway
Belton MO
(816) 318-1474
[Map]


A relative newcomer to Belton in a former bowling alley, this bar was much bigger, and much nicer, than I expected it to be. And in my book this is usually a bad sign. :) However the upscale appearance didn’t translate to expensive drinks, and our bartender was very friendly and attentive. The beer was served very cold — so cold in fact that it was hurting our bartender’s hands.
#5: Locker Room
1314 E North Ave
Belton, MO 64012
(816) 331-7600
[Map]


Another newcomer, Locker Room opened less than 2 months ago in a former Jose Pepper’s restaurant. The bar has a nice decor that fits the theme well, and our bartender slung drinks with lightning speed while entertaining us with magic tricks (and teaching us how to do them). We were surprised to see children running around, but should have expected that with the word “Family” on the sign out front.
#6: One-Eyed Jacks
114 E North Ave
Belton, MO 64012
(816) 322-2793
[Map]

I’ve never seen this place not busy, and this afternoon was no exception. While relatively peaceful on the bar side, the billiards side was crowded and peppered with arguments and bickering. Already this early on the afternoon there was talk of people that needed to be thrown out. This is the kind of place I can see fights likely breaking out at, yet at the same time looks like a fun place to hang out.
Grandview, MO
#7: Corner Bar
702 Main St
Grandview, MO 64030
(816) 761-9055
[Map]

Located in downtown Grandview, this was a really good find. Our bartender was a hoot and made some pretty mean looking shots for the regulars. One of these regulars was a woman with the unusual speech impediment of being unable to pronounce the letters “L” or “R”. In a good-natured ribbing sort of way, our bartender would ask her questions whose answers would require using these letters, all whilee she sipped her “wemon dwop mahtini”. It was all in good fun, it was clear everyone in there was friends. As we left an older woman seated near the door informed us that this was the best bar in town and invited us to return the next time we were in the area.
#8: Fatheads and Braindeads
514 Main St
Grandview, MO 64030
(816) 761-6060
[Map]

2 blocks west of downtown, Fatheads and Braindeads is a huge and popular biker bar.
We entered through the rear, as had all the employees and the few customers inside. Which was a bad thing, because the angle of the sun was creating such a glare on the tinted front windows that the “Open” sign and lighted beer signs were completely invisible. Couple with no cars in the front lot, it created an illusion that the bar was closed. We saw numerous cars pull into the lot, drive by slowly, and leave. One of the employees started running to the front door each time trying to wave people in, but her efforts went unnoticed. So we we had the spacious interior pretty much completely to ourselves as we played Silver Strike.
If other times that I had driven by are any indication, the place was likely packed after the sun sank low enough to make the lighted signs visible again. So a note to any would-be visitors, yes this place IS open on Saturday afternoon despite how it may look from the front! :)