2026 Best of Business Kansas City Awards

Nearly four decades have passed since Ingram’s first asked readers to identify the businesses, organizations and institutions they believed stood above the rest. In that time, the names on these pages have changed in ways that reflect the evolution of Kansas City itself.

A great many of the winners from those early years have disappeared through acquisition, succession, changing markets or simple passage of time. Enterprises, like people, have life spans. Others have reinvented themselves repeatedly, adapting to new technologies, new competitors and entirely new ways of serving customers. And a select few have maintained a place among the region’s most respected enterprises for years—even decades.

That kind of staying power is never accidental.

Business excellence is often measured in quarterly results, annual growth rates or market share. But the true test is measured over longer stretches of time. It is the ability to remain relevant when industries change. To earn trust when customers have more choices than ever. To continue investing, innovating and serving when economic conditions become uncertain.

Those challenges are particularly evident today. Higher operating costs, labor pressures and changing consumer habits continue to reshape sectors across the economy. Few industries have felt those forces more directly than hospitality—especially dining and entertainment—where businesses must balance rising costs with consumers’ expectations for value and experience. Yet many continue to thrive by doing what successful companies have always done: adapting without losing sight of what made them successful in the first place.

That is the common thread connecting this year’s Best of Business winners. Whether they are first-time recipients or familiar names with long records of recognition, each has earned the confidence of our discriminating readers through performance, consistency and service. Those readers have helped identify the businesses that define excellence in this region. 

The industries may change. The marketplace certainly will. But the qualities that separate the best from the rest remain remarkably constant.

We invite you to join us in recognizing the organizations that continue to set that standard not just for commerce, but for the quality of life in Kansas City.

WINING & DINING

BEST BAKERY
McCLAIN’S earns Gold as the Kansas City-area bakery institution that has held this top position on the Ingram’s ballot across multiple years, building its reputation on consistent scratch-baked goods across multiple metro locations. HY-VEE earns Silver—the scale and quality of its in-store bakery departments giving it genuine competitive standing. BLACKHOLE BAKERY takes Bronze as an independent option with its own enthusiastic following.

BEST BARBECUE
It began with a used smoker, a few competition-circuit friends, and a gas station. Jeff and Joy Stehney turned their team—Slaughterhouse Five, winners of eight Grand Championship titles on the competition circuit including the American Royal BBQ—into one of the most celebrated barbecue operations in the country. The original Kansas City, Kan., location has fielded orders from Air Force One staff, earned a USA Today recognition for the city’s best ribs, and logged appearances on Anthony Bourdain’s “A Cook’s Tour” and “No Reservations” and the Travel Channel’s “Man vs. Food.” Three locations and a legendary Z-Man sandwich later—smoked brisket, provolone, onion rings, sauce on a Kaiser roll—JOE’S KANSAS CITY remains the Gold standard other pit masters chase. JACK STACK BARBECUE earns Silver as the metro’s most recognized name in smoke and sauce. Q39 and SLAP’S BBQ tie for Bronze—the former for its wood-fired contemporary approach, the latter for earning a devoted following through a stripped-down, smoke-forward style that has landed it on national best-of lists.  

BEST BREWERY
BOULEVARD earns Gold—the Kansas City original that founder John McDonald launched in 1989, converting a historic building near Southwest Boulevard into a brewery that has grown into the largest specialty brewer in the Midwest. Its Unfiltered Wheat Beer remains one of the most-consumed craft beers in the region. CITY BARREL earns Silver for its Crossroads location and distinctive small-batch approach. KC BIER CO. takes Bronze, the south brewery’s authentic lagers, hefeweizens, and biers earning a devoted following. 

BEST CATERER
The Brancato family has built what the corporate site describes as Kansas City’s largest off-premises catering company—now in its third generation and the metro’s only member of Leading Caterers of America, a by-invitation group comprising the nation’s top operations. BRANCATO’S CATERING handles everything from intimate corporate dinners to large-scale productions from its Kansas City, Kansas commissary. INSPIRED OCCASIONS—the boutique catering and event-planning firm operating since 1991—earns Silver with the kind of execution that has made its staff recognizable by name to repeat clients. KANSAS CITY CATERING takes Bronze.  

BEST BURGER
At 1019 Armour Road in North Kansas City, TAY’S BURGER SHACK has built a devoted following on a deceptively straightforward premise: 100 percent grass-fed, grass-finished smash burgers, served alongside hand-cut fries fried in beef tallow and seasoned with the house “Tay’s 13 blend.” Open 24 hours, the counter-serve spot draws from across the metro, and the house sriracha ketchup has developed a following of its own. TOWN TOPIC earns Silver—opened in 1937 by Claude Sparks at a Broadway diner counter selling 5-cent hamburgers, it rounds out the podium as one of the city’s most enduring late-night institutions. COSMO BURGER and DISCO BURGER tie for Bronze, each representing the newer wave of chef-driven burger concepts gaining traction in the KC market. 

BEST BUSINESS BREAKFAST
Part of Thrive Restaurant Group’s network of locally sourced daytime eateries, HOMEGROWN has built its Kansas City presence around a philosophy of connecting diners to regional producers—Messenger Coffee, Farm to Market Bakery, Shatto Milk, and others appear on the menu alongside cage-free eggs, house-made pastries, and a fresh-squeezed juice program. HARVEY’S AT UNION STATION and perennial favorite FIRST WATCH share Silver—the former for its setting in the restored Grand Hall, the latter for the nationally recognized daytime-only model it has quietly perfected over years of KC patronage. BIG BISCUIT and EGGTC. tie for Bronze, both earning consistent morning traffic for their scratch-comfort approach. 

BEST BUSINESS LUNCH
When the guest list matters and the setting needs to carry some weight, THE CAPITAL GRILLE remains the default answer for midday business entertaining in Kansas City—polish, reliability, and a service standard that leaves the conversation in the foreground rather than the meal. RYE KC earns Silver: the Leawood restaurant that husband-and-wife chefs Colby and Megan Garrelts opened in 2012 celebrates Midwestern comfort foods—fried chicken, aged steaks, Parker House rolls, seasonal pies—in a setting that feels genuinely rooted in what this region cooks best. TREZO MARE takes Bronze, its Italian-American menu and patio a reliable anchor for the north-metro lunch circuit. 

BEST BUSINESS DINNER
A second Gold for THE CAPITAL GRILLE—this time for the evening experience—underlines the kind of institutional loyalty that keeps a fine-dining national chain winning year after year. STOCK HILL, just south of the Country Club Plaza in the former Board of Trade Building, earns Silver as the modern steakhouse that combines “time-honored heritage of grace, expertise, and polished service with impeccable precision.” Its marble-bar lounge, private dining rooms, and weekly live music have made it a go-to for evening entertaining. 1587 PRIME takes Bronze—the 10,000-square-foot, two-story steakhouse inside the Loews Kansas City Hotel, co-founded by the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, and opened in September 2025.  

BEST COFFEE HOUSE
Operating from its flagship location at 1624 Grand Boulevard—a historic 1919 building housing the roastery, Ibis Bakery, a cupping lab, and a rooftop patio—MESSENGER COFFEE has built a case for being Kansas City’s most complete coffee experience. Artisan-level roasts sourced directly from farms, handmade Ibis pastries and bread, and a seasonally fresh lunch menu make it more than a place to grab a cup. A second location at 4771 Jefferson Street on the Country Club Plaza extends the reach to the south. CAFÉ CORAZON earns Silver with its own loyal following in the metro. THOU MAYEST takes Bronze—the Crossroads coffee shop that has been part of that neighborhood’s creative fabric since its opening.   

BEST DELI
SCIMECA’S RETAIL MARKET & DELI draws on more than four generations of Italian sausage heritage—the Scimeca family recipe has been produced and distributed to Kansas City grocers and restaurants for over 25 years, and the retail market and deli that opened in July 2020 brings that tradition into a format where customers can sit down with a sandwich and browse imported Italian specialties. CAROLLO’S ITALIAN GROCERY AND DELI earns Silver as another family-owned Italian market threading the same needle between neighborhood anchor and specialty destination. BELLA NAPOLI takes Bronze.

BEST FAMILY RESTAURANT
Family-owned and serving Kansas City since 1983, CORNER CAFÉ built its original Riverside location on the belief that good food brings people together—a philosophy evidenced by the fireplace salvaged from the owners’ family farmhouse and the windmill from their father’s farm. Three locations now (Riverside, Liberty, and Independence) serve the kind of scratch comfort food—fried chicken, meatloaf, biscuits and gravy, house-made pies and cinnamon rolls—that spans every generation at the table. RED DOOR WOODFIRED GRILL earns Silver for its approachable menu that has kept south-metro families coming back. STROUD’S, the pan-fried chicken institution with deep roots in Kansas City dining, rounds out the podium. 

BEST GROCERY STORE
This year’s Gold goes to PRICE CHOPPER, the Kansas City grocery brand formed in 1979 by the Ball, Cosentino, McKeever, and Queen families—four independently operated chains flying a common flag while remaining deeply rooted in the communities they serve. HEN HOUSE and COSENTINO’S MARKET share Silver: Hen House for its specialty selections and in-store butcher departments; Cosentino’s for the quality-first, neighborhood-grocer approach. HY-VEE earns Bronze—the West Des Moines-headquartered cooperative’s metro-wide footprint, in-store dietitians, pharmacies, and prepared food sections make it a formidable presence. 

BEST HAPPY HOUR
FIVE FOUR RESTAURANT & DRAFTHOUSE takes Gold in a category that rewards reliability over flash—a deep beer and cocktail list, a kitchen menu built for sharing, and the kind of after-work crowd that returns by habit rather than by promotion. BLUE SUSHI SAKE GRILL earns Silver at its Power & Light District location, where a daily window of discounted sushi, signature cocktails, and sake brings together the restaurant’s sustainable, eco-certified seafood program with what its own materials call an atmosphere where “inspired food, great conversation, and an iconic Happy Hour take center stage.” THIRD STREET SOCIAL takes Bronze.  

HEALTHIEST MENU
“Proudly offering the healthiest menu in Kansas City” is how ENJOY PURE FOOD + DRINK describes itself—and the Leawood and Lenexa locations back the claim with organic or wild-caught proteins, organic produce where available, cold-pressed juices, a gluten-free and vegan bakery, and clean cocktails made with fresh-squeezed juice that combine for Gold. TRUE FOOD KITCHEN earns Silver, the national health-forward chain bringing its anti-inflammatory-focused menu and seasonal approach to the KC market. PROTEINHOUSE takes Bronze.

BEST OUTDOOR DINING
The Riverside setting has always been TREZO MARE’s ace in the hole, and a Gold in outdoor dining is the natural consequence of a patio that makes the most of it. The Italian-American menu—house-made pastas, fresh seafood, wood-fired preparations—gives the terrace experience something worth lingering over. GRAM & DUN earns Silver, the Country Club Plaza restaurant whose patio remains one of the most reliably pleasant warm-weather spots in the city. VERBENA and RYE KC tie for Bronze—the former for its garden-forward aesthetic, the latter for Colby and Megan Garrelts’ Leawood patio that pairs Midwestern comfort food with comfortable outdoor seating. 

BEST PIZZA
MINSKY’S has been a Kansas City pizza touchstone since 1976—a local original that has outlasted trends, national chains, and countless competitors by being reliably, unpretentiously good. Deep-dish and thin-crust options, generous toppings, and a family-friendly neighborhood feel have made it the kind of place multiple generations can claim as their own. SPIN and WALDO PIZZA tie for Silver—the former known for its wood-fired, Neapolitan-style approach and scratch ingredients, the latter a neighborhood staple with its own long-time following in south KC. PIZZA TASCIO earns Bronze with its artisan approach.  

BEST PLACE TO EAT WITH A GROUP
Group dining and Kansas City barbecue are a natural fit, and JACK STACK BARBECUE—with its multiple metro locations, extensive catering arm, and a menu that pleases every dietary constituency at a long table—earns Gold here with room to spare. LIDIA’S earns Silver, the Crossroads Arts District Italian restaurant chef and television host Lidia Bastianich opened in the historic Freight House building near Union Station—a reliable destination for large-table dining featuring the famous pasta trio served tableside. BUCA DI BEPPO takes Bronze, the family-style Italian chain whose shareable, oversized portions are practically designed for the category.

BEST PLACE TO TAKE OUT-OF-TOWN VISITORS
When someone is flying in and you want to show them something they can’t easily replicate at home, 1587 PRIME—the 10,000-square-foot steakhouse at the Loews Kansas City Hotel co-founded by Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce—earns Gold as the city’s current answer to that question. Opened in September 2025, the two-story space developed with Los Angeles-based Noble 33 carries enough local mythology to be the conversation even before the food arrives. OCEAN PRIME earns Silver for the polished surf-and-turf experience it delivers to the Power & Light district. JACK STACK BARBECUE takes Bronze—because showing a visitor authentic KC barbecue remains a civic obligation, and Jack Stack delivers it reliably.

MOST ROMANTIC
LE FOU FROG earns Gold on precisely the qualities that have made it a beloved River Market institution—intimacy, an idiosyncratic personality, and a wine-list confidence that rewards exploration. The whimsical Parisian-café spirit, candlelit corners, and a menu that refuses to take itself too seriously have made it the kind of place that doesn’t need to try to be romantic. It simply is. CAFE DES AMIS earns Silver as a smaller, warmly regarded bistro with its own devoted following. 1587 PRIME takes Bronze—the two-story steakhouse at the Loews Kansas City Hotel that has already established itself as a destination for special-occasion dining in its first year of operation. 

BEST SEAFOOD
BRISTOL SEAFOOD + STEAK + SOCIAL has been Kansas City’s answer to the question of where to go for serious fish. The daily fresh-fish menu, raw bar, and consistent kitchen execution have given it staying power across multiple Ingram’s ballots. EDDIE V’S PRIME SEAFOOD earns Silver, the upscale national chain bringing a polished surf-and-turf experience to its KC location. EARL’S PREMIER takes Bronze, its surf-and-turf approach earning a loyal south-metro following.

BEST SPORTS BAR/GRILL
JOHNNY’S TAVERN has a long history of being where Kansas City goes to watch a game, with multiple metro locations and a formula that keeps things reliably straightforward: cold beer, solid bar food, and every game you care about on a screen you can actually see. THE PEANUT earns Silver—a sports-bar and wing institution going back to 1933. BECKETTS bursts on the scene to take Bronze as a Crossroads entrant that has built a following for its convivial approach to the viewing experience. 

BEST STEAKHOUSE
A third Gold in this ballot for THE CAPITAL GRILLE—following its sweep of the business lunch and dinner categories—confirms a level of institutional preference that accumulates only through years of consistent execution. Dry-aged prime beef, a deep wine list, and service choreography that keeps the guest at ease make it the go-to when the tab has to justify itself. 801 CHOPHOUSE earns Silver, its Downtown Kansas City and Leawood locations a genuine anchor of the metro’s upscale dining scene. GOLDEN OX takes Bronze—the West Bottoms steakhouse that opened in May 1949 in the Kansas City Live Stock Exchange building, closed in December 2014, and reopened under new ownership in summer 2018, known as the birthplace of the Kansas City strip steak. 

BEST SUNDAY BRUNCH
HARVEY’S AT UNION STATION earns Gold in a setting that does much of the work before a plate even arrives, with selections to set your weekend finale right. THE BIG BISCUIT serves up Silver with its scratch-made, unpretentious comfort format that draws consistent weekend traffic across its metro locations. THE BRASS ONION, like Harvey’s, is a part of the Brancato suite of dining enterprises and earns Bronze on the strength of its weekend cocktail brunch at Prairiefire.

BEST NEW RESTAURANT
1587 PRIME—again—is a winner; the splashiest KC opening in recent memory earns Gold on its own merits as well as its mythology. CROSSROADS CANTINA earns Silver, adding to that neighborhood’s identity as a natural home for compelling independent restaurant concepts. PRIMA FACIE takes Bronze as a notable new arrival earning its own reader recognition.

BEST SERVICE
The South Plaza Italian bistro at 5101 Main, OSTERIA IL CENTRO, earns Gold in the category that is hardest to fake and easiest to notice when it’s absent. Established in 1995, the restaurant has earned a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence and a Zagat #1 Italian Restaurant in Kansas City designation, built on a no-reservations model and the conviction that the food and wine are so good they make the conversation even better. 801 CHOPHOUSE earns Silver for the service standard that matches its steakhouse ambition.  

BEST OVERALL RESTAURANT
In the category meant to capture the full breadth of what a restaurant delivers, TREZO MARE takes Gold—its enduring Riverside setting, dependable Italian-American menu, and consistent execution across business lunch, outdoor dining, and overall categories on this same ballot speaking to a kind of all-around reliability readers clearly value. 1587 PRIME earns Silver, its first-year showing across multiple categories underscoring how quickly a well-conceived destination restaurant can establish itself. THE BRASS ONION rounds out the podium with Bronze—still a strong showing for Andrew Brancato’s Prairiefire concept.  

BEST ASIAN RESTAURANT
VIETNAM CAFE has operated in the Columbus Park neighborhood since 1987, drawing diners from across the metro to a modest setting that prioritizes the food above virtually everything else. The pho—slow-simmered broth, fresh herbs, bean sprouts, sliced jalapeños—is the draw for many, but the full menu of Vietnamese dishes rewards repeat visits. ABC CAFE earns Silver, ASIAN CAFE takes Bronze—the category’s competitive depth reflecting how substantially the KC metro’s Asian dining landscape has grown.

BEST FRENCH RESTAURANT
CAFE PROVENCE in Prairie Village earns Gold for the neighborhood bistro model it has perfected—intimate, consistent, grounded in classical French technique. LE FOU FROG earns Silver—the River Market institution with a whimsical Parisian personality, a wine list built for exploration, and decades of loyal following in Kansas City. That it finishes both here and atop the Most Romantic category speaks to the range of what the room delivers. AIXOIS takes Bronze as the French bistro that has been earning praise for its moules frites, weekend brunch, and genuine neighborhood-anchor character for years.   

BEST ITALIAN RESTAURANT
Michael Garozzo opened his original Columbus Park restaurant on a self-described “wing and a prayer,” and more than three decades of consistent execution have built GAROZZO’S into this year’s Gold winner. The Chicken Spiedini—the restaurant’s own creation—has become a Kansas City signature dish. CASCONE’S earns Silver—the North Oak Trafficway roadhouse long in family hands, with roots as deep in KC’s Italian-American community as any restaurant in the metro. JASPER’S takes Bronze, the south metro Italian institution still drawing families across multiple generations despite its slip down the podium this ballot.  

BEST MEXICAN RESTAURANT
MI RANCHITO earns Gold, perhaps on the strength of seven locations on the Kansas side and a reputation for regional Mexican cooking in settings that feel genuinely lived-in. PONAK’S earns Silver—founded in 1975 by Vietnam veteran John Ponak on Southwest Boulevard, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2025, and recently acquired by longtime general manager Spencer Shaw as it heads into its second half-century. JALAPEÑOS. a longtime anchor for Mexican rare in the Brookside neighborhood, serves up the  Bronze.

ENTERTAINMENT & CULTURE

BEST ART GALLERY
Few institutions in Kansas City inspire the reflexive, cross-demographic loyalty that the NELSON-ATKINS MUSEUM OF ART commands. Established in 1933 and holding more than 40,000 works spanning cultures and millennia, the museum on Oak Street remains one of the country’s most respected encyclopedic collections—and general admission is free. A campus redesign proposal envisions recentering the grounds around the museum’s 22-acre sculpture park, with a $160 million budget funded entirely by private donations per museum announcements. EVA REYNOLDS FINE ART earns Silver as one of the city’s leading independent commercial galleries. LEOPOLD GALLERY takes Bronze, its long-standing presence in Kansas City’s fine art market making it a trusted destination for collectors. 

BEST CHARITABLE EVENT
BIG SLICK coasts to Gold—the annual celebrity weekend organized by a group including Paul Rudd, Jason Sudeikis, and Rob Riggle that has raised millions for Children’s Mercy Hospital through celebrity softball, bowling, and screening events. JAZZOO earns Silver: the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium’s largest annual fundraiser, held each year on zoo grounds with food from dozens of metro restaurants and caterers, live entertainment, and a black-tie-with-a-wild-twist dress code. Proceeds fund the daily cost of feeding and caring for the zoo’s nearly 10,000 animals and support educational programming through the Zoo Learning Fund. TREADS & THREADS speeds away with Bronze; The University of Kansas Health System’s black-tie gala at Kansas Speedway has raised more than $30 million since 2002 to expand and improve care at The University of Kansas Cancer Center, the region’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center.  

BEST CASINO
HARRAH’S NORTH KANSAS CITY earns Gold as the metro’s leading gaming destination—a full-scale casino hotel on the Missouri River that has invested steadily in its dining, entertainment, and gaming floor. HOLLYWOOD CASINO earns Silver, its entertainment programming and gaming variety keeping it a strong second. AMERISTAR takes Bronze—the riverside resort property whose hotel, dining, and gaming package still attracts a loyal following in the KC market.

BEST DAY TRIP
WESTON wins Gold, and decisively. The Platte County town sits less than 40 minutes from Downtown Kansas City and packs an improbable amount of character into a small footprint: 19th-century architecture, working distilleries, wine trails, and an independent retail corridor that feels genuinely removed from the metro’s commercial uniformity. BRANSON earns Silver for its density of entertainment options at a manageable drive south. LAWRENCE takes Bronze—the University of Kansas campus, Mass Street, and an independent music and dining scene that makes it the most compelling college-town day trip in the region.

BEST FAMILY OUTING/VENUE
The KANSAS CITY ZOO earns Gold as the metro’s default answer for family outings—202 acres in Swope Park home to more than 1,300 animals, plus the Sobela Ocean Aquarium, a 650,000-gallon facility with 34 habitats and nearly 8,000 aquatic animals that opened in 2023. Its year-round programming, seasonal events, and child-friendly design make it the city’s most-visited family destination. TOP GOLF earns Silver, the gamified driving range format having built a devoted multigenerational following. No Bronze in this category.  

BEST GOLF COURSE
Designed by Tom Watson, Tom Weiskopf, and golf course architect Jay Morrish, SHADOW GLEN in Olathe earned Golf Digest’s Best New Private Course designation in 1989 and has been consistently ranked the No. 1 course in the KC area by Golf Digest. The course wraps along rocky ridges and through tree-lined valleys, with stone-lined water hazards, rugged ravines, and undulating greens. HALLBROOK earns Silver, the Leawood private club consistently recognized among the metro’s finest golf facilities. LOCH LLOYD takes Bronze.

BEST JAZZ OR BLUES VENUE
At 1809 Grand Boulevard in the Crossroads, the GREEN LADY LOUNGE operates on principles that feel almost countercultural: no cover charge, no televisions, no recorded music. What you get instead is live KC jazz seven nights a week, 365 days a year, on two stages—two Hammond organs, three Leslies, a baby grand piano, and a rotating cast of the city’s best improvisers. PHOENIX earns Silver as the city’s other essential jazz and blues anchor. BLACK DOLPHIN—Green Lady’s sister club—takes Bronze.   

BEST LOCAL ENTERTAINER
CALVIN ARSENIA—KC-based harpist, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist—earns Gold as a genuine one-of-a-kind presence in the city’s entertainment landscape. Voted KC’s Best Musician eight years in a row from 2018 through 2025 by PitchKC, Arsenia has been featured on Billboard, NPR, and GRAMMY.com, and has performed in nine countries through public and private grants. Since 2023, he has served as director of Greenwood Social Hall in the Westside neighborhood. FLASHBACK earns Silver—the high-energy KC party and cover band that brings Motown, Funk, Disco, and pop classics to corporate events, weddings, and private parties, with the Kansas City Horns section as an option. RED BEAT takes Bronze.   

BEST PERFORMING ARTS VENUE
Opened in 1936 as part of Kansas City’s Art Deco Municipal Auditorium complex, MUSIC HALL—seating 2,363 across orchestra, loge, and balcony—has hosted touring Broadway productions, visiting symphonies, opera, and ballet for nearly 90 years. It is also home to the 1927 Robert-Morton Theatre Pipe Organ. KAUFFMAN CENTER earns Silver: opened in 2011 at 16th and Broadway, its Muriel Kauffman Theatre (1,800 seats) and Helzberg Hall (1,600 seats) are the resident homes of the Kansas City Ballet, Lyric Opera, and Symphony. STARLIGHT takes Bronze for its irreplaceable outdoor summer-evening experience in Swope Park.

BEST SPORTING EVENT TO ENTERTAIN CLIENTS
The KANSAS CITY ROYALS edge—a result that may reflect Kauffman Stadium’s particular suitability for business entertaining, where a summer evening in the stands allows for sustained conversation in a way a November football game in full-throat often does not. The KANSAS CITY CHIEFS earn Silver: back-to-back Super Bowl champions with a sustained playoff run that has made tickets a premium commodity. KC CURRENT takes Bronze—the NWSL franchise that plays in what has been reported as the first purpose-built stadium for a women’s professional soccer team in the U.S., which opened on the KC riverfront in 2024.

BEST THEATER
STARLIGHT earns Gold as Kansas City’s irreplaceable outdoor summer-evening venue—an approximately 8,000-seat amphitheater on 16 acres in Swope Park that opened in 1950 and has hosted touring Broadway productions and major concert acts across seven decades of Kansas City summer memories. AMC earns Silver through the sheer accessibility and consistency of its metro-wide multiplex network. SCREENLAND ARMOUR takes Bronze, the intimate North Kansas City independent cinema whose curated programming and neighborhood-bar atmosphere have made it a beloved alternative to the mainstream multiplex.

BEST WEEKEND GETAWAY
LAKE OF THE OZARKS remains the dominant answer for KC professionals decompressing on a long weekend. With more than 1,150 miles of shoreline, the lake offers everything from quiet coves to the Bagnell Dam strip. Its proximity to the metro, roughly 2-1/2 hours south, keeps it accessible without requiring a flight. BRANSON is back for Silver as a closer alternative with a distinct entertainment profile. OMAHA takes Bronze as the closest major metro with a distinct dining and arts scene—enough to justify the drive north for a weekend that feels genuinely away from Kansas City.

BUSINESS SERVICES

BEST ACCOUNTING/CONSULTING FIRM
A global enterprise since 1908 and the oldest and largest public accounting firm operating in KC, KPMG earns Gold. Its nearly 400 local pros—including more than 40 partners and principals—delivering audit, tax, and advisory services across the metro’s largest enterprises. RUBINBROWN earns Silver, its full-service CPA and advisory practice spanning tax, audit, and consulting disciplines for a broad client base. DELOITTE and CBIZ tie for Bronze, each a significant national presence in the KC accounting and advisory landscape.

BEST ADVERTISING AGENCY (LARGE)
Home-grown VML seizes Gold as one of the world’s largest creative companies, per its own published materials, with a network spanning more than 60 countries and global headquarters still rooted in Kansas City. Its client roster includes Ford, Wendy’s, Colgate-Palmolive, and Pfizer, among others. BARKLEYOKRP earns Silver—formed in 2024 when Kansas City’s Barkley, founded in 1964, merged with Chicago-based OKRP to create one of the largest independent agencies in the country, with more than 650 employees across five offices. WALZ TETRICK and BERNSTEIN-REIN tie for Bronze—Walz Tetrick for its data-driven, full-service approach from its Mission, Kansas headquarters with clients including Sporting Kansas City and Helzberg Diamonds; Bernstein-Rein for a 60-plus-year history that includes creating the McDonald’s Happy Meal in 1977. 

BEST ADVERTISING AGENCY (SMALL)
Founded in 1989 and growing into one of the region’s most recognized independent agencies, TROZZOLO COMMUNICATIONS GROUP brings together advertising, PR, branding, digital, and media services from its downtown Kansas City headquarters. The Gold winner’s divisions include Prairie Dog (health-care marketing), Proventus (legal marketing), and Carl Collective (student-involvement work), and has been consistently named Best Small Advertising Agency by Ingram’s readers across multiple years. TREASURE ADVERTISING earns Silver; DMH and CONTRACTORS SOCIAL tie for Bronze.

BEST ARCHITECTURAL/DESIGN FIRM
MULTISTUDIO—the evolution of Gould Evans, founded in 1974 by two University of Kansas classmates—earns Gold as the metro’s most-voted architectural and design firm this year. Operating from five studios in KC, Lawrence, New Orleans, Phoenix, and San Francisco, the firm spans architecture, brand experience, city design, education design, and interiors. BNIM earns Silver, the KC-headquartered sustainable design firm with a national reputation. FOCAL DESIGN STUDIO takes Bronze. 

BEST BANK
Tracing its history to an 1865 founding, COMMERCE BANK earns Gold as the publicly traded regional bank with the deepest institutional roots in Kansas City. UMB earns Silver—headquartered at 1010 Grand Boulevard and tracing its own roots to a 1913 founding (also by the Kemper family), UMB has grown into a financial holding company with tens of billions in assets and a long-running role as a top corporate supporter and presenting sponsor of the American Royal. ACADEMY BANK and COMMUNITYAMERICA CREDIT UNION tie for Bronze—Academy Bank for its metro-wide branch network and small-business banking strength, CommunityAmerica for its standing as the Kansas City area’s largest credit union and member-owned model. 

BEST ENGINEERING FIRM
PMA ENGINEERING earns Gold in a category with nationally significant competition, driven by client-level loyalty built through project delivery. BURNS & McDONNELL earns Silver. The Kansas City engineering firm operating from its home campus with more than 10,000 employees globally and a perennial player in the nation’s largest infrastructure and energy projects. BLACK & VEATCH takes Bronze—another Kansas City-headquartered global engineering firm with roots going back to 1915, underscoring an unusual concentration of engineering excellence in a single metro. 

COMMERCIAL CONTRACTOR (LARGE)
Our Gold winner, founded in 1999, is McCOWNGORDON CONSTRUCTION, now one of the metro’s most prominent construction management, design-build, and general contracting firms, with offices in Kansas City, Manhattan and Wichita, Kansas, and Dallas-Fort Worth. Its portfolio spans corporate, healthcare, K-12 education, manufacturing, and civic construction. JE DUNN CONSTRUCTION CO. earns Silver—the century-old Kansas City original and one of the country’s largest privately held contractors. CENTRIC takes Bronze. 

COMMERCIAL CONTRACTOR (SMALL)
LUCAS COMMERCIAL FLOORING GROUP of Independence shines bright with our readers, who say the combination of design, planning, installation, budget, project management and more is good for Gold. Bringing home Silver is woman-owned MONARCH BUILD, specializing in a broad category of projects. Bronze goes to ANDERSEN ROOFING  & CONTRACTING, doing a lot more than just roof work. 

BEST COMMERCIAL PRINTER
Founded in 1988, Gold winner ALPINE LITHOGRAPHICS has grown from a small print shop into a full-service commercial printing operation, built on Heidelberg presses and AGFA digital pre-press technology. Its services span sheet-fed offset printing, digital printing, large format, bindery, and mailing. SOLI PRINTING earns Silver; BURDISS takes Bronze.

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE
From its roots in 1948, when Al Zimmer opened AW Zimmer & Co., NEWMARK ZIMMER has evolved from an industrial brokerage into a Gold-level commercial real estate platform, managing more than 34 million square feet of property, completing more than 500 transactions annually, and reporting $1.4 billion in transaction value in 2025. BLOCK & COMPANY, INC., REALTORS carries on an 80-year family tradition to earn Silver. Tying for Bronze is the other Block powerhouse in town, BLOCK REAL ESTATE SERVICES, along with COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL. 

BEST COMPUTER/IT CONSULTING FIRM
Founded in Kansas City in 1998, Gold winner CYTEK CORPORATION provides managed IT services, cybersecurity, and on-site and remote support to businesses across the metro. Acquired by its current ownership in 2021 and operating from its Crossroads location, CyTek describes its approach as putting people before technology. GFI DIGITAL earns Silver; NET STANDARD takes Bronze.

BEST DRY CLEANER
PRIDE CLEANERS does clean up—as in with Gold. The Kansas City-area dry cleaning and laundry group has perhaps the most consistent track record across the metro, earning client loyalty through reliable execution on both standard cleaning and specialty garment care. TIDE CLEANERS earns Silver with its modern, convenience-first drop-off model. ARROW CLEANERS takes Bronze.  

GROUND TRANSPORTATION
LEADER LIMO drives off with Gold as the metro’s premier chauffeured ground transportation service—named national Operator of the Year by both Limo Digest and Limousine, Charter & Tour Magazine, and the Official Ground Transportation Partner of the Kansas City Royals, Kansas City Symphony, and Kansas City Ballet. The company reports a 99.7 percent on-time and incident-free arrival rate and serves Kansas City through vetted affiliates in more than 1,000 cities worldwide. UBER earns Silver through its on-demand accessibility. AGENDA USA takes Bronze.

BEST HEALTH CLUB
The first certified Krav Maga instructor in Kansas City—having received his instructor certification in January 2001—Steve Woolridge established his KRAV MAGA & FITNESS CENTER in October 2001, now operating from Merriam, Kansas. The 6,000-square-foot facility has been training adults and children in practical self-defense and fitness for more than two decades. And that’s good for Gold, readers declare. WOODSIDE earns Silver as a premier fitness and wellness club in the KC market. CITY GYM takes Bronze. 

BEST HEALTH INSURER
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF KANSAS CITY earns Gold as the metro’s dominant non-profit health insurer, providing coverage to individuals, families, and employer groups across the Kansas City region as a locally based, independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. CIGNA earns Silver as the national insurer with a strong KC employer market presence. AMERICAN TRUST ADMINISTRATOR takes Bronze.

HOSPITAL/MEDICAL CENTER
Anchoring the region’s academic medical enterprise from its Westwood campus, THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS HOSPITAL earns Gold this ballot. As the region’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, the hospital’s cancer and transplant programs draw patients well beyond the metro, and its academic affiliation with KU Medical Center keeps it on the leading edge of clinical research. ADVENTHEALTH earns Silver, the faith-based health system continuing to expand its regional presence with its flagship Shawnee Mission Medical Center campus and multiple outpatient facilities. SAINT LUKE’S and NKC HEALTH tie for Bronze—Saint Luke’s, whose flagship Kansas City hospital traces to an 1882 founding, completed a 2024 merger with St. Louis-based BJC Health but continues to operate under its own name and identity in the KC region; NKC Health is the recently rebranded combination of North Kansas City Hospital and Meritas Health, unified under a single name while remaining separate legal organizations. 

BEST HOTEL
Opened in 2020 adjacent to the Kansas City Convention Center, the LOEWS HOTEL brings 800 rooms and a 60,000-square-foot conference facility to Downtown. Its locally inspired programming and design earn Gold here, and it also houses 1587 Prime, the Mahomes and Kelce steakhouse that opened in September 2025. CROSSROADS HOTEL earns Silver for its boutique design identity and arts-district location. MARGARITAVILLE HOTEL takes Bronze as the city’s most prominent entertainment-hospitality concept.

BEST LAW FIRM
Founded in Kansas City in 1972 and now an Am Law 100 firm with more than 1,200 attorneys across more than 25 offices nationwide, POLSINELLI earns Gold as the metro’s largest homegrown law firm, its practice spanning corporate, healthcare, real estate, and litigation work for clients well beyond the region. STINSON LLP earns Silver—another Kansas City-founded firm with deep regional roots and a national footprint. HUSCH BLACKWELL takes Bronze, the 1916-founded, KC-headquartered firm with more than 700 attorneys and an industry-focused practice spanning health care, agribusiness, energy, and financial services.

BEST MEETING/CONFERENCE FACILITY
The OVERLAND PARK CONVENTION CENTER earns Gold as the metro’s most-voted conference destination—more than 244,000 square feet of total space, including a Grand Ballroom and exhibit hall, drawing particular support from Johnson County-based organizations. The KC CONVENTION CENTER earns Silver: the Downtown complex encompasses 388,000 square feet of exhibit space, 48 meeting rooms, the 2,363-seat Music Hall, and connections to the downtown hotel network via skywalks. BALL EVENT CENTER and FIORELLA’S EVENT SPACE tie for Bronze—Ball Event Center as the premier independent event venue in the Northland, Fiorella’s Event Space drawing on the Jack Stack family’s catering and hospitality pedigree for a more intimate private-event setting.  

BEST RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE FIRM
REECENICHOLS nabs Gold as the metro’s most recognizable residential real estate brand, with decades of market presence and an agent network spanning every Kansas City neighborhood. RE/MAX earns Silver through the strength of its national brand recognition paired with deep local agent rosters across the metro. CHARTWELL REALTY takes Bronze—the locally owned, independently operated brokerage, designed by agents for agents, per its own description, that continues to earn loyal reader support even while ceding ground at the top of this ballot.

RETIREMENT COMMUNITY
CLARIDGE COURT—a Lifespace Community located at 8101 Mission Road in Prairie Village—earns Gold as the metro’s leading Life Care retirement community. Offering independent living, skilled nursing, and rehabilitation within a gated campus, Claridge Court has been providing senior living excellence for more than 30 years. MEADOWBROOK SENIOR LIVING earns Silver; TALLGRASS CREEK takes Bronze.

SMALL BUSINESS LENDER
A tie atop the small business lending category puts two of Kansas City’s most established financial institutions in Gold together: UMB, the 1913-founded, Kansas City-headquartered bank with a long history of serving the region’s commercial and agricultural lending needs, and COMMERCE BANK, the regional institution tracing its roots to 1865. Both bring the kind of relationship-banking depth that small business owners cite when seeking a lender who understands the local market. ENTERPRISE BANK earns Silver as a community bank with a strong record of relationship-based small business lending. CENTRAL BANK OF THE MIDWEST—part of the Central Bancompany family, with a longstanding regional branch presence including North Kansas City and Lee’s Summit—takes Bronze. 

BEST SPA
BIJIN SALON & SPA earns Gold with a commanding margin—the Kansas City-area salon and spa brand known for combining full-service hair, skin, and nail services within a high-design environment across multiple metro locations. HAND AND STONE earns Silver as the nationally franchised massage and facial concept that has built a reliable following with its membership model. PHOENIX HEALTH OASIS takes Bronze as a local destination with strong word-of-mouth in the urban core. 

WEALTH MANAGEMENT
Headquartered in Overland Park and founded by Peter Mallouk, CREATIVE PLANNING takes Gold as one of the country’s largest independent registered investment advisors, with a fee-only, comprehensive planning model that has been a consistent point of differentiation. MARINER earns Silver—the Overland Park-headquartered wealth advisory firm founded in 2008 that has grown through a steady string of acquisitions into a national platform with more than 60 locations, while keeping its largest concentration of advisors close to home in the Kansas City metro. COMMERCE TRUST takes Bronze, bringing deep Kansas City institutional roots and a history of stewarding multigenerational wealth.

BUSINESS PRODUCTS

BEST AUTO DEALER (DOMESTIC)
CABLE DAHMER AUTOMOTIVE GROUP earns Gold as the Kansas City-area domestic dealer group with the strongest reader preference this year. HENDRICK AUTOMOTIVE GROUP earns Silver, the national dealer group’s KC presence drawing consistent votes. OLATHE FORD takes Bronze as the south-metro Ford dealership with its own loyal following among  area and national buyers.

BEST AUTO DEALER (FOREIGN)
ARISTOCRAT earns Gold as the metro’s leading import and luxury vehicle dealer group, a fixture on this ballot and a dominant presence in the local luxury auto market across its KC-area franchises. BMW OF KANSAS CITY SOUTH earns Silver for its performance in the premium import segment. ELEVATED NISSAN takes Bronze.

BEST CORPORATE GIFTS
MEIEROTTO JEWELERS earns Gold in corporate gifts on the strength of its full corporate awards and gifts program—custom engraving, a curated catalog of timepieces and gifts, on-site jewelers for same-day sizing and personalization, and boutiques for Rolex and David Yurman at its North Kansas City showroom. Dennis and Carol Meierotto opened their first storefront in 1979, and today four of their seven children work in the business. HALLS KANSAS CITY earns Silver—the specialty retailer at Crown Center bringing the same curated, design-forward sensibility to corporate gift-giving that has defined its apparel business since its 1916 founding. No Bronze was awarded in this category.   

BEST FLORIST
FIDDLY FIG has been serving Kansas City since 1985 and is a frequent winner in this category. The family-owned shop at 9716 Holmes Road has built its reputation through weddings, corporate events, and word-of-mouth that accumulates over decades. HY-VEE earns Silver through the convenience and scale of its in-store floral departments at metro-wide locations. EVER WILD takes Bronze as a more recently established floral concept with a growing following. 

BEST JEWELER
Dennis and Carol Meierotto opened their first storefront in Kansas City North in 1979, initially dealing coins and precious metals before expanding into fine jewelry. Today, with four of their seven children working in the business, MEIEROTTO JEWELERS has grown into a major independent operation featuring boutiques for Rolex and David Yurman, on-site jewelers for same-day sizing and repair, and a full corporate gifts program. JOSLIN’S earns Silver; TIVOL takes Bronze—each a metro fine jeweler with loyal, multi-generational clientele. 

BEST LIQUOR STORE & WINE SELLER
MIKE’S earns Gold as the KC-area wine and spirits operation that readers put first for selection and expertise. TOTAL WINE earns Silver through its national-chain model of extraordinary category depth and competitive pricing. GOMER’S—which Ed “Gomer” Moody founded in 1969 as a gas station at 99th and Holmes before evolving into one of the metro’s most beloved independent wine and spirits retailers—takes Bronze. 

INTERIOR DESIGN FIRM
Now operating under the CIRCADIA name after its history as Scott Rice, the authorized Steelcase office furniture dealership headquartered in Lenexa earns Gold as the metro’s most-voted interior design firm. Its services span commercial interior design, furniture procurement and installation, flooring, technology integration, architectural walls, and construction, with operations also serving St. Louis. CONTRACT FURNISHINGS earns Silver; JOHN A. MARSHALL takes Bronze.  

BEST JANITORIAL COMPANY
ARAMARK earns Gold in janitorial and facilities services—the national hospitality, food services, and facility management company with a significant Kansas City presence across corporate, healthcare, education, and sports and entertainment clients. CITY WIDE FACILITY SOLUTIONS earns Silver as the franchise-based commercial cleaning network with a strong KC presence. CRJ VENTURES takes Bronze.

BEST SECURITY COMPANY
GARDA WORLD earns Gold as one of the largest privately owned integrated physical security, cash management, and risk management companies in the world, with a significant Kansas City-area presence. In the United States, GardaWorld remains the only guarding security company to be Certified as a Great Place to Work. ATRONIC earns Silver as a KC-area electronic security and alarm company with a strong local reputation. CROWD SYSTEMS, INC. takes Bronze.

BEST WOMEN’S APPAREL
Now operating from its Crown Center location, HALLS earns Gold as the metro’s definitive destination for women’s fashion at the upper end of the market, a curated selection of designer labels and contemporary brands backed by in-store expertise. Per its website, Halls has been committed since its 1916 founding to being “first with the best in Kansas City.” NORDSTROM earns Silver, the national department store chain’s breadth of designer and contemporary brands at its metro locations earning new ground in this category. ADDIE ROSE and NIGRO’S WESTERN STORE tie for Bronze—Addie Rose for its devoted south-metro boutique following, Nigro’s for its deep client base among buyers seeking authentic Western apparel.  

BEST MEN’S APPAREL
HALLS earns a third Gold—this time for men’s—with a department that carries designer suits, sportswear, and accessories alongside the same quality standards applied to its women’s floor. The store’s custom tailoring program has long served KC professionals seeking something beyond what a chain can offer. GINO’S earns Silver as a freestanding men’s specialty retailer with a loyal following built on focused expertise. HOUNDS-TOOTH takes Bronze, bringing a contemporary aesthetic to its curated selection.

BEST REMODELER
KC’s locally owned, privately operated design-build remodeling firm since 1980, SCHLOEGEL DESIGN REMODEL earns Gold as the metro’s most reader-preferred residential remodeler. Operating from its 311 W. 80th Street home base, Schloegel integrates design and construction under one roof across kitchens, bathrooms, full remodels, and handy-man services. ARBUCKLE BUILDING SOLUTIONS  breaks the ice and earns the Silver after only four years of operations; THRIVE RENOVATION takes Bronze.

TEAM-BUILDING VENUE
The OVERLAND PARK CONVENTION CENTER’s second Gold this ballot reflects the versatility of a facility that can pivot from convention floor to corporate retreat. Breakout rooms, tech infrastructure, catering, and proximity to the JoCo corporate corridor make it the metro’s most practical large-group team-building choice. CHICKEN N PICKLE earns Silver for its winning blend of pickleball courts, lawn games, and a full bar-and-restaurant concept that naturally generates camaraderie. VOLLEYBALL BEACH takes Bronze as an outdoor sports-and-social venue with its own loyal corporate crowd.

WIRELESS PHONE SERVICE
T-MOBILE earns Gold—the national wireless carrier that has made Kansas City a significant part of its corporate identity, particularly through its acquisition of Sprint and the KC-area presence it maintained. VERIZON earns Silver on the strength of its network reliability. MINT MOBILE takes Bronze as the value-focused MVNO that has built a strong brand through its low-cost, no-contract model.

PUBLISHED JUNE 2026