A (Mostly) Kansas Beer Run
On Saturday, June 19, I took one of my brothers and one of my cousins barhopping throughout (mostly) Kansas south of the KC area. We covered about 300 miles and visited 17 bars over a span of 13 hours.
Our route took us south to Fort Scott, west to Iola, north to Garnett and Ottawa, and finally northeast back home. Naturally, we also stopped at pretty much every small town along the way. We’d planned on a few more stops, but we ran up against Last Call.
#717: Timber Creek Bar & Grill
14 W. Amity Street
Louisburg, KS 66053
(913) 837-2600
[map] [web]
This restaurant/bar appears to serve as Louisburg’s main gathering spot. It’s a huge space, divided into several rooms. The bar area occupies over half of the public area of the building.
The bar is a central U-shaped island in the middle of a large room filled with booths and tables. One side of the room has a stage for bands and karaoke. Outside the opposite side is an outdoor seating area, a deck well-shaded by umbrellas and the woods behind the building.
There are several TVs throughout the place, an older CD jukebox, and several video games. (Including Golden Tee, Pac Man, a hunting game, and a jet ski game.) A separate room near the entrance houses the pool tables.
With domestic bottles at $3, this was our most expensive bar of the day. Though it wouldn’t have been if we’d paid attention to the specials before ordering.
The bar…
Panorama of the seating area around the bar. (Use the slider below the photo to view.)
This last photo is for those who have whined about the smoke in nearly every online review I’ve read about this place. Granted, they’ll have no choice after July 2010, but they switched early. I noticed no trace of smoke smell inside.
We then hopped over to Missouri to pick up a couple of bars right on the border…
#718: Drexel Bar & Grill
108 E. Main St.
Drexel, MO 64742
(816) 657-2470
Even all the way from downtown Kansas City I’ve known about this bar for a long time, due to seeing it comes up a lot on various band schedules. It looks like they get quite a few good bands through this place.
The bar itself is a small L-shaped counter in the far back corner Next to the bar is an elevated stage. There’s pool tables in the front, and the main focus of the bar is a big elevated hardwood dance floor in the middle.
I didn’t notice it at first, but there’s another room adjacent to the stage, behind the business next door, with darts and video games. Behind that is a beer garden with a fire pit.
Happy hour is 4-6.
That’s the stage straight back on the right. The dance floor is in the lower left corner.
The dance floor…
Panorama of the back room. Use the slider below the photo to view.
The outdoor area and fire pit. Probably would look nicer had it not been so windy/stormy lately.
#719: Amsterdam Cafe
349 Main St
Amsterdam, MO 6472
(660) 267-3300
[map]
Amsterdam Cafe was the only business in town open on this Saturday. (I actually wondered if it’s the only business open in this town, period.)
When entering the building, the diner is on the right and the bar is on the left. Naturally, we opted for the bar.
It’s a very small room. There’s a pool table in the front and about four tables for seating. The bar counter is very small with a handful of very short diner-style bar stools.
The bartender was very nice and attentive, he checked on us several times. He was the only person who interacted with us here.
There’s a CD jukebox, an older MegaTouch machine, and Silver Strike. However these were all unplugged. In fact, almost every electronic item except for the window air conditioner — even every beer sign in the window — was unplugged.
It wasn’t until after we left that we discovered the bar is quite a bit bigger than we thought. There’s another room next door with another pool table, darts, and at least one more arcade game. It doesn’t look like the back room gets much use.
Panorama of the bar. I’m not really sure what everyone is looking at, since nothing was turned on. (Use the slider below the photo to view.)
The back room that we didn’t notice until we left…
I love the name of the bait store next door…
Main Street in Amsterdam, MO. (Use the slider below the photo to view.)
#720: Outpost Bar & Grill
19394 KS Highway 152
LaCygne, KS 66040
(913) 757-2672
[map]
This place is really popular. I know of several people from KC who hang out here quite a bit, mostly bikers but not all.
This is a pretty big place, and was rather busy. There were lots of people here getting lunch while a woman played acoustic guitar and sang in the center of the room. There’s also a main stage in the far back.
There’s TVs throughout the place, Keno, Silver Strike, and a driving game. The back of the main room has several pool tables. There’s a patio off to the side.
Though BBQ is just a tiny portion of their menu, it seems to be the main thing people come here for. We did get some appetizers (cheese sticks and GIANT baskets of fries that were really good but mostly went to waste due to there being too many) and people all around us were stunned that we weren’t eating BBQ.
Because the place was so busy, I didn’t feel comfortable taking photos. It was hard for me to get an opportunity to do so that wouldn’t have led people to believe I was taking their picture.
We then headed back east into Kansas. Here’s a few pictures of the LaCygne power plan, which is even more spectacular at night…
#721: Backdoor Saloon
11231 Tucker Rd
Pleasanton, KS 66075
(913) 352-6185
[map] [web]
This bar is located around back of Northside BBQ, in a converted garage. While it wasn’t too busy when we visted due to our arrival between the lunch and evening crowds, the bartender told us that by nightfall the place would fill up to over a hundred people. Bands, bikini contests, and so forth help draw the crowds.
The bar has lots of table seating, two pool tables, a CD jukebox, and an outdoor area (though it was unclear to me whether drinks can be taken outside).
A separate room features the stage and dance floor, this room is also the junction between the bar and the restaurant that’s around front.
At $2 for a 16 ounce pour, this was one of the cheaper places we went to.
I loved the signs marking the restrooms. (The urinals were filled with ice, too.)
The outdoor area
Panorama of the bar. Please pardon the goofy facial expressions of my cohorts and their fragmented bodies. “Don’t move,” I told them, and this is what I wound up with. :) (Use the slider below the photo to view.)
#722: Country Club
519 W Main St
Mound City, KS 66056
[map]
Technically a private club, though the fairly quiet group welcomed our presence. They were jokingly surprised that we’d pick this of all places to stop in. Our arrival filled out the remaining empty spaces on the boomerang spaced bar.
This is a very large bar, with pool tables in the front and booths and tables throughout. A visit to the restroom revealed another room parallel to the main room with further tables and games.
It took me several minutes to notice this dildo pointing at me from the bar mirror.
I know it sucks to run out of toilet paper, but come on, isn’t this overreacting a bit? :)
#723: Fox Run
115 W. Spruce St.
Fulton, KS 66737
(620) 857-9427
[map] [web]
I was a bit nervous about this place at first, with its ramshackle appearance and with it being very much off the beaten path. But I’m glad we stopped in, because this was our favorite bar of the entire trip and easily among the best bars I’ve been to.
A poker run had just departed minutes before our arrival so it wasn’t very busy, which allowed us to talk with the bartender as well as one of the owners. These people were great, and they were excited that we found this place and even more excited when I mentioned that I had seen their Facebook page.
The bar was first built in 1946 and expanding to its current size (twice the original size) some time later. The current owners have had the place since about 1996.
The bar has 7′ ceilings, which gives it a very cozy feeling. (Borderline cramped if you’re tall like me.) The regulars are a vast cross section of people, a very eclectic mix of just about every walk of life. Cowboys, doctors, rednecks, lawyers,bikers, you name it. Because they are very strict and quick about dealing with troublemakers, there are almost never any kinds of problems at the bar and everyone has a great time.
The bar pulls in live entertainment, hosts poker tournaments, and even puts on turtle races for the kids. There’s two pool tables, a jukebox, and a semi-inaccessible MegaTouch machine.
One of my cohorts had just turned 21 recently so they gave him a free Fox Run hat. The hat looks great, and he loves it! (It’s the same hat worn by the mannequin below.
It’s a private club, $20 annual membership, but we were signed in as guests.
#724: Rusty’s Sports Bar & Grill
16 North National Avenue
Fort Scott, KS 66701
(620) 223-4777
[map] [web]
This place looks really nice, but we were kind of bored. The bartender didn’t really interact with us, and the environment seemed too polished.
Table seating is mostly on the upper level, though there were a few booths and such downstairs. In the back, below the dining area, is a jukebox and a couple of pool tables.
The one thing that I remember most is that when we first stepped inside, the only person “working” behind the bar was a toddler. :)
#725: Holmtown Pub
206 North National Avenue
Fort Scott, KS 66701
(620) 223-1477
[map] [web]
Just 2 bars after our favorite bar of the trip came our least favorite bar of the trip. It looked very promising, but inside there was almost no personality at all. Very little decor except around the bar itself, and though we were the only customers the bartender didn’t talk to us at all.
We ordered food, and it was nothing to speak of. It was served overly-hot and couldn’t even be touched for several minutes. The giant, flat chicken strips were ok, the fries were basically Ore-Ida and badly in need of more salt. There were several flies in the bar and it was a constant battle to keep them off the food.
There are two pool tables. There is also a CD juke box and a deck out the south side.
The one piece of decor that caught my attention…
#726: Uncle Ben’s Bar & Grill
518 Clay Street
Bronson, KS 66716
(620) 939-4990
[map]
This was a bonus bar, in that it had not come up in my preparation research, but I had a hunch that there would be be a bar on this block regardless and we decided to give it a go.
This is a 3.2% bar, meaning it can’t serve liquor and can only serve so-called “non-intoxicating” beer. Which is a bit of a misnomer as you can still get intoxicated, it just takes a lot longer. 3.2% bars are more loosely regulated, which is probably why this place didn’t turn up when I checked the Kansas Department of Revenue database.
This is a very old bar, so old that it’s heated by a wood-burning stove. In addition to the standard CD jukebox, darts, and pool table, this bar had the only foosball table we saw all day.
It took a while for our eyes to adjust, and it was very difficult to find the men’s room until that adjustment happened. It’s a very tiny restroom, exactly as wide as the toilet itself and just barly enough room to get inside and close the door. The sink is located outside the bathrooms.
Incidentally I keep seeing the address listed as “518 Charles” on other web directories, but it’s actually “518 Clay”.
As we left this bar, a skittish cat that had been sitting on the sidewalk dove into this hole, which was only about eight inches high.
Meanwhile a pair of dogs were chasing a little girl on her bike as she rode towards the city park.
The cat poked its head out of the hole, and the smaller dog (the lead dog in the above photo) disappeared into the hole chasing after it. A few minutes later the dog re-emerged. The cat was never seen again.
Here’s an older fire truck on display in downtown Bronson.
#727: Monkey Butt Saloon
215 W. Garfield St.
Iola, KS 66749
(620) 365-7689
[map]
We were pretty excited about coming to this bar, primarily for the name but also because of its reputation as a rowdy place that stirs up a lot of fights and a lot of problems for the neighborhood.
Unfortunately we arrived a little too early in the evening for it to be very busy yet, so we missed out on the potential for excitement.
It’s a pretty run down place, and feels more like a roadside diner than a bar. It was bright on the inside. There’s a few pool tables. Our bartender was pretty nice.
#728: Sidelines Sports Bar & Grill
112 S. Washington Ave.
Iola, KS 66749
(620) 365-8311
[map] [web]
This was another bonus bar. We had planned to go to a place called Beer Blvd but it was closed for remodeling. So we did a drive around the square and found this unexpected 3.2% bar at the opposite corner.
It felt more like a restaurant than a bar, probably because of all the families with kids all around us. As it got later they disappeared and it started feeling more like a bar.
No pool table, and I didn’t notice darts or any other bar games. But they do have karaoke on a regular basis.
Heading north out of Iola, we eventually discovered that 169 was closed due to a bridge being rebuilt. The official detour was going to take us over an hour, mostly backtracking. We would have none of that. Putting our phone GPSes to use, we created our own detour on gravel roads in the dark that ended up only taking us about ten minutes out of the way. Hooray for technology!
#729: Trade Winds Bar & Grill
110 West 5th Avenue
Garnett, KS 66032
(785) 448-5856
[map] [web]
This looks like a good bar, unfortunately the conversations at a table behind us got so obnoxious that we couldn’t enjoy it and had to hurry ourselves so we could leave.
It’s a nice looking bar with interesting decor. In the front is a big rear-projection TV that doesn’t look like it’s used. In the far back is a back room with pool tables. There’s also a CD jukebox, an old Silver Strike machine, and a cool angular tabletop MegaTouch machine.
Even though it was getting late on this Saturday, the bar crowd skewed towards the silver set.
#730: The Five Spot
604 N. Maple
Garnett, KS 66032
(785) 448-3483
You could almost call this a motel bar, and you’d probably be right. But it’s isolated enough from the motel that it doesn’t feel like it.
The Five Spot calls its;ef a “Mexican bar & grill”, which seemed odd to be because unless something just recently changed it’s attached to an Italian restaurant called Bellini’s and that’s where its food comes from.
The feel is like an informal sports bar. There’s pool tables, darts, and plasma TVs situated throughout the place.
Our beer came in frozen mugs, which is something I can’t stand. Ice chunks in the beer + a lake of ice melt all over the table.
#731: 1 Moore Bar and Grill
111 E Central St
Richmond, KS 66080
(785) 835-6556
[map]
This bar was really crowded, in part because what looked like a girls softball team was here celebrating. All of the tables and most of the booths were taken, but we did find a few seats at the bar.
There’s a pool table and a big screen TV that was being used to show what song was current.
Our bartender was a very friendly and cool guy. The bar was otherwise just ok, but he made it a good bar.
My only real complaint is that it was way too brightly lit in there. In some parts of the bar it was a blindingly brilliant bluish-white light. Most of my photos in this bar did not turn out because the extreme brightness of the lights overpowered the image.
#732: Brand’n Iron Bar & Grill
1457 U.S. 59
Princeton, KS 66078
(785) 937-2225
[map] [web]
I don’t mean this in an offensive way, but this is a total redneck bar. It was crowded, noisy, and rowdy. But rowdy in a friendly sort of way. We did see one customer kicked out and one near-fight, but nothing ended up coming of that.
The staff here were very friendly and attentive. I was surprised how quickly they took care of us given the crowd.
The interior space seems quite a bit smaller than it looks from the outside. There was only one pool table — there really wouldn’t be room for more.
There’s just one set of restrooms and they are one-person facilities. That really surprised me considering how busy this place gets, I’d think there’d be a constant line.
I loved the bidet guitar identifying the restrooms.
#733: Sandbar
1608 S. Main St.
Ottawa, KS 66067
(785) 242-8888
This a pretty cool tropical-themed bar. It’s a lot small inside than it looks, about half of its public space is actually out on the front patio.
There’s a fish tank, darts, video games, and the first digital jukebox we saw all day.
The bar’s most famous feature is its nightly Indoor Hurricane show. We had planned to get here to see it, but due to various delays that added up throughout the day we arrived more than two hours too late.
We stayed here until close and decided to call it a night.
Here’s the overall route we ended up taking…
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