Kennedy’s Bar & Grill

Kennedy’s has consistently bad service. The place always feels very claustrophobic and the layout of the bar makes me feel like I’m having beers in a classy garage. It is pretty cheap though, so there is that.

On June 9^th, Kennedy’s is going away. The new owners are going to turn it into Remedy’s, a Gastropub according to the KC Star.
I’ll raise a shot of Jameson’s to its passing but I won’t be sad to see it go. Since the fire it was never the same. The last time that block of 75^th St excited me was when the Chipotle opened across the street.
Let’s hope the new place is better than the old. Granted the owners won’t have much work to do as the bar had fallen pretty low. But I wish them well and when I get back to KC I will make it a point to stop in and check out the new place.
(But no matter how low the bar had fallen, it was still a fun neighborhood bar and I had a lot of fun in there. I will miss it!)

I love the cool and modern vibe and I love the open air windows. The only problem is that the open air deck has become the smokers lounge. Go anywhere near the fresh air and you will get a big whiff of not so fresh air.
Service was good and the bathroom was nice. Didn’t try any food.
Nothing really stands out here, but I can’t say I wouldn’t go back either.

Do people still come to Waldo? I mean, really… people still come to Waldo? Every bar in Waldo is so average and plain that it boggles my mind every time I find myself at a bar down here. Kennedy’s is no exception… the whole place is so average.
It was earlier on a Saturday evening when I went — maybe 9 or so? As such, the place wasn’t too busy at all, and the service was actually very good and very attentive… so much so that it surprised me. The beer selection leaves a lot to be desired, though — it’s your standard KC beer list with a little Boulevard, a little Free State, and your basic domestic and import scene. Nobody had a mixed drink, so I cannot comment on how well those were or were not mixed.
Prices are OK…$ 5 or so for an above-​average beer (say, Free State Ad Astra). The atmosphere is plain jane — big windows overlooking 75^th, a rather utilitarian interior (and not in the hip, cool way… just lazy decorating it seemed). Clientele probably leans a bit to the douchebag side of the spectrum as the night gets later, it would seem. Music is a bit too loud and not very good.

$ 2 wells for Happy Hours?! Yes, pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeee!
HH is from 4 – 7, come get your damn drink on.

Oh, Kennedy’s. You are so close to my house, and I love your open walls on a warm day, but your patrons can be so iffy. You have good servers, but you messed up my take out salad one Saturday afternoon and put bacon on it. At least my dog was happy to get rid that problem for me. Yuk.
This is a really great place to watch some sports, and I really dig that they can open up the windows to the outdoors, but I also hate that they let people smoke on the balcony, which is practically part of the indoor establishment.
A good neighborhood bar for the summer months, and a great place to have nearby.

A nice little bar, with sliding glass walls so you can sit inside, but feel as if you were outside; the only drawback is that the smoke from the outside comes in with the Kansas/​Missouri breeze. Our waitress was very friendly and service was prompt.
They have a $ 5 burger special on Wednesday and a good selection of burgers and sandwiches. My «medium» burger was pretty well done, but for $ 5 with a side of waffle fries, it was a good deal (I think I would have been a little less happy if I had paid full-​price). They also have quite a few beers on tap.

I know it’s been open for a couple of years since the fire. I know I’ve lived down the street from there for six years, and remember the diversion of traffic to my block during the fire. I know. I know how rick-​diculous it is that I just went there last week. Sue me.
Goodbye shabby décor, that may or may not have been nice twenty years ago. See you later sketchy bathroom on the second floor. Deuces to the snarky, spunky bartenders who knew and loved their neighborhood and its resident derelicts.
Hello soulless internet jukebox, the tangible admission of any bar that they don’t know care about, or have any vision of the clientele to whom they are and, or not catering to, nor are they worried about the fact that they are missing out on songs on albums not considered the «singles». Hello bartenders who wish they were cool enough to work in Westport and are bitter about the fact that they are not. Hello to the lackadaisical service usually reserved for mid lever hotels.
This place made use of the technique of making the bar seem busier than it was by turning the music up to a level normally reserved for Disaster Area (reference for Douglas Adams Fans) or Butthole Surfers concerts. This also gave the bartenders (of both them, plus two servers) the reason they needed not to speak to one of the few customers in the bar. Seriously, that bar was a ghost town, and a friendly exchange would have made a world of difference. I’m not looking for a deep conversation, but a hello, how was your day, where do you work are all viable conversation starters, none of which were used by the staff here.
The décor is nice, if your grandfather is looking for a new watering hole with a less than stellar liquor selection that couldn’t care less about him.
This is a 1:30 bar, though last call is at 1am. Lame. At 1:25am, the bartender took my beer off the bar and dumped it. Not cool. I’ll leave at closing time; can I please finish my imported, expensive beer? No? Well that is just a load of Sugar Honeyed Iced Tea. I had some biting remarks on my way out the door, though they were worded so much better in my head, and when spoken aloud turned into a load of gibberish.
Never again, 75^th brewery, Waldo Pizza, Waldo bar, Bobby Bakers, Lew’s, my living room, these are all reasonable options for consideration prior to giving Kennedy’s a second shot.
Thumbs down. Bummer that my first review of the year had to be one star

Best Reuben in town, get it half off on Wednesdays!
Great place, very chill. My favorite bar on the 75^th and Wornall Corner.

Ouch!
Rarely does a place earn a one-​star review.
The food is probably 2 or 3 star.
The atmosphere is harsh and noisy… lots of hard surfaces.
The service? Well. there is the one-​star winner. It sucked.
Disappearing servers. Musical servers. Messed up bills. Delays. And the absolute sin… the worst transgression… is that the server got chippy with us when we complained about the bill. No composure. Bad attitude. Guess who will not be returning???

Kennedy’s is your typical neighborhood bar and grill. It gets an extra star for the times that it’s nice outside and they slide open the windows to make it open air.
The food is average, just bar food. I’d advise to stick to the appetizer menu because I’ve had some sandwiches here that were subpar. The chicken nachos, chips and salsa, hummus, and hot wings are solid bets.
They have a great happy hour special that gives you half off appetizers and cheap pitchers.

Great neighborhood bar. Good happy hour specials, friendly staff, and wonderful owners. The place to have a cold one and unwind in Waldo/​Brookside.

So I’ve only lived in KC for like…6 days? But, I’m gonna call this a typical MO/​KS «neighborhood» bar.
Apparently the original Kennedy’s burnt down, so this new version is right next door, and I had a good time.
I got a Vodka Cranberry, my drink of choice when I don’t want beer or to make someone muddle mint for a mojito, and the crowd was friendly, as well as the bartenders — who let me order right as they closed.
Minus a star for coming here with a total effing D. Meh.