If you are in downtown Kansas City and want barbecue without leaving the city center, County Road Ice House is the obvious place to land. It sits at 100 E. 14th Street in the Power & Light District, right near the intersection of Walnut and 14th, and the whole point of the place is simple: it serves Joe's Kansas City BBQ meats in a big, lively room. Joe's is the name everyone knows for barbecue around here, so having it downtown makes it an easy stop when you are already in the district.
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The space is built for groups. It runs up to 300 people and is split into multiple rooms, with a heated outdoor patio that keeps the place going even when the weather turns. There is a VIP bar and patio that holds up to 30, and larger custom inquiries can go up to 250, so it works as well for a casual dinner as it does for a party. The vibe is casual all the way down, and the dress code follows suit.
For the food, it is Joe's smoked meats, plus a full bar with beer, cocktails, and wine. The price range is moderate, roughly $10 to $20 a person, and online ordering runs daily from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM if you would rather take it home. Happy hour is Monday through Friday from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM, with $4 domestic pints and Nutral cans, $5 Joe's 180 pints, $7 frozen cocktails, Ice House margaritas, and Moscow mules, $8 domestic 32oz draft beers, and $6 Joe's 180 32oz. The appetizers lean into the theme, with $8 fried pickles and jalapenos, a dip trio, Texas torpedoes, and slider flights.
Music is a big part of the place. Live sets run every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM, and the lineup keeps moving. Tonight, October 15, Mitch Prather is on, with Derek Burton following on the 16th. And if you are planning your Halloween, the End of Days party returns on October 31 with a $10,000 costume contest, DJ Travesty, all-inclusive drink packages, and an all-night party — the code COUNTYROAD gets you the best ticket price.
Hours are worth a quick look before you head in. Sunday through Wednesday it runs 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM, Thursday it stays open until midnight or 1:00 AM, and Friday and Saturday it goes until 1:00 AM. Catering is handled by email at info@countyroadicehouse.com, and the place is wheelchair accessible and non-smoking. One nice touch for a downtown spot: it validates parking at the public KC Live! garage.
Being in the Power & Light District is half the appeal. It is an eight-block entertainment hub that runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with KC Live! at its center and more than 50 bars, restaurants, and shops spread around it. The T-Mobile Center, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, and the Crossroads Arts District are all close by, so you can easily build a night around it. With a 4.4-star rating from 1,792 reviews, it is a reliable pick for a group that wants good barbecue and a drink without much fuss.
