Czar

The Czar bar was an okay experience for me. The venue is long and narrow with a long row booth along one wall and a small bar along the other side. I went there to see Glass Animals and both the band and the sound team were fantastic. The show sounded great and was really an enjoyable time. The drinks were a bit steep and there was no food at all to be had. Also, there are just two single toilets (one for men and one for woman) which means long lines and a messy bathroom. The bathrooms are also back behind the stage, so you literally have to shove and weave through the show-​goers to reach the bathrooms. I’d give the venue a higher rating if they’d had food and if their bathroom situation was less of a hassle.

So, CZAR…
This bar is still working on finding its identity. It’s now scheduling more bands and late night entertainment and has pretty much abandoned any type of food service. If you like up and coming indie, artsy, jazzy, sometimes dancy and hippity hoppity and occasional honky tonky performances then CZAR’s calendar is a good place for you to look. Similar to the Crossroads neighborhood yourself, this calendar is full of new trendsetting tastemakers who are rising through the ranks.
For those of you who consider yourselves spirits snobs, don’t worry, even though it’s a little different, CZAR still has plenty of beer and cocktail options that will help you relax and a solid staff who will help you choose your poison.
The newish formats and increased business are great for CZAR, but in my opinion can make seeing a performance there a little difficult. Traffic will bottleneck by the bar, which stretches down most of the venue, and can make it tough to move. If you’re going to see a band you really like please get there early and grab a drink while people are filtering in. It’ll take a while to get back to the bar when it’s busy.

If you look at my other reviews, I like concerts. Which is why Czar is on here. So, this is only going to reflect the concert and beer experience — nothing related to their food.
First off, I LOVE small concert venues and this place fits the bill. You can fit, maybe, 180 people in there. For me, this is heaven. Czar plays host to local, regional, and large national acts. Most of the time, you can get in there for $ 15 or less unless it’s a well-​known national band coming through. For a small venue, the sound and viewpoints are really good. Personally, I like to be either up front or in the back by the merch/​sound board. It’s slightly elevated back there so you can see over the crowd.
Besides being a good music venue, Czar also is a great bar. They have many craft beers on tap which keeps someone like me plenty happy. Plus, as others poitn out, they have Moscow Mules in real copper mugs there. Bar staff is quick, friendly, and never afraid to answer a question.
One day, I hope to find out what they keep in that huge safe that takes residence on the center of the stage backdrop… one day…

Welcome to the only ‘beer’ place in the city where I will turn down a brew for a… Moscow Mule? And watch reality tv with the bartenders on slower Tuesday nights? What is this place? One of my favorite bars in KC. That’s what.
Why 5 stars? The staff know their shit and have just enough snark to be real, not rude. The entertainment ranges from open mic nights to hip hop to live national acts and all of the above have suited the needs of the audience and performers plus sounded great-​a bonus for a smaller concert venue.
The addition of KC Taco Co has so far filled most of the void that was left behind when the Good You, but I have only sampled the menu once. I need to keep trying. The Black Bean taco that I had there was good but I feel like I barely scratched the surface of what they can do and will go in there next time when I have more time and appetite. They do not have blueberry ketchup but I am sure I will find something to become my new Czar food addiction.

Truthfully, I don’t really want to write this review, because I want it to be my little secret place, but they absolutely deserve praise. This is by far my favorite bar in town. It’s such a convenient location, but yet not packed by all the craziness of other bars like Westport and P&L.
They have great music, booking National acts as well as local favorites. And, the shows are always a decent price and a very intimate environment. Every single one on the staff is friendly and attentive and just want you to have a dang good time.
I’m very much a fan of their food (currently featuring some amazing gourmet tacos from KC Taco Company). They change it up every so many months and every single pop-​up restaurant they have featured has been stellar, unique food.
As far as drinks go, they can make you just about anything. And, if you don’t know what you want, they’re more than happy to suggest something or whip something awesome up for you. They even have a nice list of delicious Moscow Mule variations. They also just broadened their tap selection so you can find some delicious beers here.
Anyway, I have NOTHING but love for this establishment.

The atmosphere is pretty cool. Most of the live acts are awesome. They’re not exactly setup as a restaurant so ordering and receiving food takes awhile. The burgers are top notch.
When it comes to the bar the drinks sucks and I’d stick to beer. I ordered a top shelf mix drink and a well drink on special. They tasted the same and were both small and overpriced.

II really wish I could give Czar more than 3 stars, but a couple things happened during the visit that can’t be ignored.
I had never been to Czar before, and a friend invited me out for the Midwest Takeover benefit they had last Friday. I thought it would be an awesome time to check out some local music, and a bar I had never been to. We got there a little too early for the benefit and ended up drinking and chatting. I loved the layout of the bar. Kind of divey, but it was clean enough, they had a decent beer selection, and the food menu looked reasonable. The décor was odd; I had a painting above my head that had some weird toxic waste symbols on it.
It took the server about 30 minutes to get to our table. I would have gone to the bar, but I showed up to my group later, and they assured me that we did have a server. Once he took our order he came back pretty quickly. For the next hour we had decent service from this guy, and then the benefit started. We only saw a guy who kept trying to take our half filled beers and half eaten food at that point.
We watched the first band, and they were pretty amazing. (Check out Eyelit and support local music!) The second «filler» band was so horrible I had to leave. They sounded like every garage band I listened to in high school that somehow was heavily influenced by Primus and smooth jazz. I imagined titles of their songs to be something like «my roommate walked into my room unannounced» or «Whoops my landlord forgot I didn’t pay this months rent». In-​between songs they kept asking the sound guy to turn them up, and I kept begging for the sound guy to turn them down!
When it came time to leave I realized waiting for my tab would never happen so I went up to the bar, and realized that my server was now the only bartender/​server with the help of someone doing dishes and picking up glasses. Sorry guys on a night like this you really need WAY more help. If I wouldn’t have felt horrible about it I could have easily walked out without paying. Knowing that I could have done this means that at least one person in the bar that evening probably did. Not a good way to make money.
All and all I would really like to go back to Czar during a time they don’t have a benefit planned. If they managed to staff properly for the benefits it would have been 4 – 5 stars all the way.

Bad parking options and rabid tow companies patrolling area lots make it too risky to even try going here. What I saw on my visit was fine, the music was fine, the drinks were okay, but see above. Not worth it.

I have been here a couple of times to see bands. It is a great venue. There isn’t a lot of seating but plenty of space to stand. Regardless of where you are the stage is prominent and the sound is good.
The drinks are priced well enough. But the food is terribly overpriced. $ 10 for a hamburger without a side? I ordered it because I was hungry and expected it to knock my socks off. Not really. It was good but not worth the price.
I really like Czar as a music venue and will continue to go to see bands. I will definitely drink but will stick with appetizers if hunger strikes.

We were looking for somewhere to have dinner and drinks before the concert and after looking through the options in the area decided to try Czar. We met early and when we walked in no one was there, but as soon as we walked in the place had a feel that I knew I would like.
The music playing while we were there was great. Kind of a rock, alternative, bluesy mix that was perfect for my tastes. A young man also played live and he was fantastic (I wish I could remember his name!) Another band was getting ready to play as we were getting ready to leave, I know of the band and would have loved to hear them, but Aerosmith was calling. Based on the music playing in when we got there and the live options, I have to give them 5 stars for music.
The food was good. We had burgers, humus and deviled eggs. The burgers were perfectly juicy. I would say they need some seasoning and a little less bun, more burger/​toppings. The hummus was well blended, but also needs some seasoning. The little cheese ball thing that also came on the plate was fantastic, especially when paired with the peppers and asparagus on the pieces of bread. Finally the deviled eggs were fantastic. They were topped with some smoked salmon and the combination of ingredients in the yolks was perfect. I would be at a mid 3 star for the food.
Although we just stuck with the special on tap ($ 2 PBRs), they have quite a few beer options and the selection was impressive.
The artwork on the walls was cool. The guy working (bartender? owner? not sure) said they switch it out monthly for first Fridays. I like the support of local artists and the community.
Overall I found Czar a great bar for my tastes and one of the best options to avoid the P&L.
(I did not select an option for «Good for kids» as it is a bar, but they do also serve food and there were some children there while we were. I think this is a personal choice, definitely lunch or maybe early in the evening to eat would be acceptable, but remember this is a bar.)

Super cool place. Great laid back vibe. We loved our food.
We split the best burger and an order of chips. Really as a Midwesterner what more could you ask for? Meat, potato, beer. The food pyramid. They also have tons of live music.
Cool place to bring Outta Towner’s as well. My sister is from Austin and we are always looking for places to show her we can do it right here too. Czar goes on the list.

I ventured over to Czar bar earlier this week because I saw they were having a chocolate and wine tasting event. My sister and I went to check it out and though the turn-​out wasn’t very great, the service was spectacular. Our barista (hey, it’s what they’re called in Italy at least) was pleasant and non-​intrusive. She let us go at our own speed while sharing her knowledge about the wine pairings. It was such a fun event, I can’t wait to go back again. She casually mentioned their on-​going specials throughout the week and can’t wait to check out some bands and this «best cheeseburger» they claim to have. I really liked the vibe of Czar bar. Laid back, yet classy. Can’t wait to go back.

We went to Czar on a Thursday afternoon with a Groupon. We were the only people int he bar so I can’t comment on the scene much, but I did enjoy my time here. The food was fantastic and not at all what I expected from a bar — hummus, deviled eggs, BBQ sandwiches — all were fantastic. The only reason I gave them 4 stars rather than 5 is because they were out of the beers we wanted that were advertised on their chalk board. Don’t get me wrong, they had an awesome selection. I love micro-​brews and they had some great ones, but it would have been nice to be able to order what was advertised.
I would go back.

I really, really like Czar Bar. My history with Czar goes back to a bizarre evening where I somehow lost three hours. Seriously, I tried to rebuild the evening from Unilocal checkins but to no avail. I may have been abducted.
There was this Russianesque band at Czar but you know, now that I think about it, it could have been Maroon 5 for all I know. So that was years ago and I never wrote a review. It really wouldn’t be fair to write a review of a place I’d been to during a time period where I may or may not have been taken by aliens.
I’ve been many times since and I’m happy to say I remember every one of them. Each time was for a show of some sort, wait, and there was even a Unilocal event there. The overall vibe remains the same while the overall attitude seems to be more polished than it used to be. I remember thinking during my first few visits that it was kind of the wild west of drinking establishments. It was possible to get a drink but there was no real order to it and it took a little bit of work.
Not anymore. When I went last Saturday, the bartenders were all over the place. Not literally, I think there were only two but they filled that bar like there were twice as many of them. The drinks were well-​done and they had a great selection of whiskeys, whiskys, scotches, bourbons, (and the other stuff), and beers.
Well done Czar.

Czar is a fine music venue with a wealth of spirits. It can’t hold too many peeps, so I suppose it could get sardine-​ish here when crowded past about 100 or so.
Czar is hosting food truck chefs to serve lunch for the last few weeks. I hope they continue that. Between Magical Meatball and The Good You, they are serving some good vittles. So you can get your early fix and your late fix here. :)

One of my favorite bars in KC. Not only do they make the best Gin & Tonic in town they have now added excellent food to their repertoire. Their chef, Cesar has taken his culinary levels to new heights with a fresh take on a traditional favorite; the meatball.
Tuesdays he brings this level of enthusiasm to include a completely new spin on none other than Chicken and Waffles. No you didn’t misunderstand me. And if you are anything like me any version of chicken and waffles is a good version of chicken and waffles.
If you want to an environment that is hip without being pretentious, offering an excellent variety of spirits at more than reasonable prices and food that will leave you wanting more, might I suggest giving this KC gem a look-​see

Czar has made a few changes in the past year that have really made me take another look at them. To begin with, I hear they now have whole new owners. I know for sure they have a whole new menu a-​la Magical Meatball Tour, and the bar seems to be well stocked with liquors and beers and wines, oh my!
Some of my favorite things about a bar include the obvious: Drink and beer lists, staff, and atmosphere. Czar now meets all of the criteria. They have a great beer list and some pretty fantastic cocktails. If you arrive with an appetite, they have the cities best veggie meatballs. Black bean and sweet potato! I love meat and most things that you can do with it; now I also like the way they imitate it (or at least how they imitate a traditional way to serve it). The actual meaty meat balls are dang tasty too, so everyone can enjoy this kitchen specialty.
The staff is great, they really take ownership of the bar and tables. The atmosphere is real cool too. I love the way they have repainted the south wall. I’m not sure how they did it, but it looks like someone spent about a month with about 10K cans of spray paint, applying one line at a time. There is art hanging on the walls which I would assume rotates with different artist and sales, and the space just seems more comfortable than it did before (or I just enjoyed myself more considering a gnashing selections and improved beer list). If you are inclined to enjoy a live performance from time to time, they have a great performance space with plenty of room for jigging by audience members, should the music move you.
I’m a fan and I will certainly be back, especially to check out what I hear is a pretty good happy hour.

So this place is now under new ownership and there are some notable differences that bump them back up to 4 stars.
–First of all, they prefer to just be called «Czar», thankyouverymuch. (this did not affect my rating, but i thought it was worth mentioning.
–They now seem to have some actual focus. They have a pretty dang solid beer menu, which is great to see. I’ve all but stopped getting mixed drinks unless they’re made by a fancypants bartender who is probably wearing a vest or suspenders, so quality beers are important to me.
–The food menu… well, let’s just say Magical Meatball Tour! That’s right, the food truck has moved into a brick and mortar establishment! I tasted the meatball sampler, and they were the best balls I’ve had in a LONG time ;)
–The new owners are also in charge of Riot Room, so they know good music and DJs and have some pretty solid entertainment. Weekend dance parties are the shit. The crowd is indicative of that. It’s pretty hip, and to have this kind of environment just a block or two off of Power and Light is quite impressive.
Czar, you’ve worked your way back into my heart and onto my dance card!

I’ve been to Czar Bar twice this week (look, sunny weather puts me in the mood for happy hour.) (I lie, any type of weather puts me in the mood for happy hour.) and really have to question why I don’t come here more often.
Having been to Czar Bar a handful of times in the past at night, I know the place is a pretty fun venue to catch a band play or some crazy DJ spin.
But their happy hour? RID. IC. U. LOUS. Every day is $ 3 Boulevard draws (Wheat and Pale Ale) and $ 3 3 Olive Vodka drinks. Then, there are other deals assigned to every day including food and drink.
My roommate and I split «happy hour sized» (still huge enough to share) breaded mushrooms and cheese straws and reveled in some greasy, delicious, above-​standard bar fare. We had several cocktails, chatted with the bartender and had two of our rounds bought by some friendly stranger passing by WITHOUT him hitting on us (Score.)…I can’t promise the same free drinks for you, but I CAN promise cheap prices.
Tuesday is .75 cent tacos, which is full-​sized tacos my friends. Also, $ 3.50 import bottles. I’m not quite sure how they get away with this, but um, you should probably take advantage of it. Sit out on their tiny front patio and revel in a quieter part of downtown.
I have a feeling I will have to visit every day a week this summer just to see what awesome deal is assigned to each day. The things I do for you people…

*I remove stars if the lighting is too bright in a place*
One always looks beautiful by candlelight, Czar Bar. So, dim those lights and buy candles with the money you save on your electric bill. For the love of Cher, DO IT.
That aside, Czar Bar is delightful. We went the other night during Art Walk and the friendly bartender informed us immediately of the happy hour specials. NICE. There are so many bars where you have to ASK, and risk looking cheap (not that I care right now. I am unemployed). But yeah, tell me how to save a buck and I’ll love you, especially if you’re also serving me wine. AND HALF PRICED APPETIZERS!
We placed our drink orders (I had the red wine on happy hour and it was perfectly drinkable) and sat down at one of the tables. A waitress immediately came by to tempt us with the food menu. Appetizers run about 7 bucks and are typical bar fare, wings, artichoke dip, hummus, etc. I ordered the «crispy eggplant,» thinking it would be three slices of eggplant with marinara on the side. Instead it was a platter of about 8 large slices of breaded eggplant covered in mozzarella and sauce. It was enough to share and not need to eat dinner later. At 7 bucks it would be a great deal. At 3.50 it was an amazing deal.
My friends ordered chicken wings, chicken strips and the artichoke dip which came with tortilla chips. I tried the artichoke dip and found it to be too heavy paired with the greasy chips so I don’t recommend it. I heard that the chicken was all good and like I said, the portions are the size of a main course. They also serve sandwiches and burgers if you’re looking for even heartier fare.
The best part? Although Happy Hour ended at 8, they happily extend it for you. I don’t understand why this bar wasn’t packed on a Friday night, but maybe Labor Day Weekend had something to do with it. Being the cranky dame that I am, I of course appreciate an empty bar on a Friday night so my friends and I can actually get a table and enjoy a civilized exchange.