Best burger in KC. I said what I said. Burger was fresh and tasty, bacon was smokey and the bun was perfect with it being buttered and toasted on the burger side. The homemade chips with their house made ranch with a pinch of dill was 10/10. The cafe (next to Golden Ox) is in a 100 year old historic stockyard business building. Still has the original tile, stairway and office spaces. The cafe is relaxed, has a local feel and a historic ambiance. Steak soup was good but burger is a waaay better choice. Chocolate chip cookie is a good finish!
Brandi Leigh
Dropped in before the Kc Garden Show.Food is very good. Ladies are nice. I'll come back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joe G
This cafe inside of the historic stockyards exchange building (adjacent to the legendary Golden Ox steakhouse and Stockyards Brewing Co.) was a place I went on a lark. I was getting work done on my car and needed a place to eat and check in with work. Not a lot of open options depending on which day you find yourself in the West Bottoms. I was lucky enough that it was a Tuesday and it was 10:30 and The Ox Cafe had its doors open. The sweet potato bisque was recommended to me (the only customer at the moment) by the barista/bartender. Ordered a cup and perused the all-day breakfast menu. Not wanting anything too super heavy or greasy, I opted for the bagel with lox. My good Lord. Where have you been all my life? The bagel used in this lox sandwich had a sweet glaze that perfectly complimented the salmon, cut with a careful dash of dill and creamy cheese to hold it all together. The bisque was light and sweet and full of flavor. I swigged a Topo Chico, surrounded by portraits of cattle lords and eyed the offerings in a mid-century glass display. The place is black and white and leather and steel with a very open feel despite the low ceilings. Music was piped in on matching wooden PA speakers that look like they came with the place (but cleaned up and polished like the rest of the restaurant). It felt very Midwest, very California, and in my flannel on a gray cloudy day (that still lit up the space) -- I was feeling very Seattle as well. And isn't that just Kansas City? A town full of unique history but also a melting pot of every coast meeting up in the middle. Grab a coffee (you enter through the front lobby of the Exchange apartments), meet some locals, and enjoy a surprisingly lived-in vibe for such a new cafe. A great addition to an already stacked block (and, mercifully, something I can enjoy when in the West Bottoms during the day on the front half of the week!)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gina M
Well...I wanted to have a really good meal and experience. We were looking for a grown-up night out at a KC well-known, historic, steakhouse. Our reservation for 8 was ready so that was nice. Drinks were served for 6 out of 8 of us. My drink in particular kept getting missed, probably took 40 min or so from start to delivery. Food was overpriced 100%. My filet was $60 and about 6oz if lucky. It was dry and I asked for A1 and got some other thin steak sauce. Everything else is a la carte. All the sides are mediocre. Fries were lukewarm. It was so dark I couldn't see my food and my voice is hoarse from trying to talk. I used to wait tables so I am a reasonable reviewer. I'm glad we went to see for myself that I'm happy at many other steakhouses. The potential is there, but it is missing the mark!
AnnElizabeth97123
If you love a classic steakhouse, this is the place for you. Great steaks. My husband loved the salmon. And save room for dessert - the banana cake is amazing. Good service.
philtE6699RT
We were so excited to dine here only to have an extraordinarily lackluster experience. We had reservations for my wife's birthday. When I made the reservation they made it a point to ask if we were celebrating anything, when we arrived on a not busy Wednesday evening they made no mention of it. The young lady that was the hostess had no personality whatsoever. It went downhill from there. We were seated for almost 20 minutes before we were greeted and asked if we wanted drinks. We were initially brought the wrong bowl of soup that we ordered as an appetizer. After figuring this out we notified the server and she brought out the correct bowl and we sent the other bowl back to the kitchen. We had our meal, we were not checked on one time during and I had to go to the bar myself to get our drinks refreshed, and when the server brought us our tab she informed me that she had removed the soup from the tab because of the mix up. I told her that was not necessary but I thanked her for the gesture. I thought that maybe, just maybe this was a shining moment in what until then had been a very dismal experience. I checked the bill only to find that were charged for the soup, I alerted her to this just because she had brought it up. She informed that she had removed the other soup charge. I sat there completely dumfounded for at least a solid minute just staring at her. I was almost scared to inquire further, but alas I did. "You removed the charge of the soup we did not order and did not eat?" "Yes" she replied with a smile. That was the last straw for me. I will never return to this place. My tab was over 300 dollars, and while that may be chump change to many people its quite a bit of money to spend on a meal for 2 people for me. I've had better service at Chinese buffets. If I'm spending that I want to feel special, even if you don't really mean it. Fake it for Christ sakes. The only reason I gave it 2 stars was because the food was actually really good, the service on the other hand was horrible and not just that evening either. I contacted management directly about the issues and have heard nothing back.
Heather Davis
The people in the kitchen know what they’re doing! ?? The food is like WHOA! My fave lunchtime spot because they never disappoint on the food. I didn’t give five stars overall because the customer service can be a hit or a miss - though, the most likely cause is they’re understaffed like many restaurants, which is understandable. I have noticed some improvement. Highly recommend the French Dip and their blueberry muffins (split down the middle and toasted with butter).
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Seasonal Muffins
Kyle Malbone
Wonderful place to visit.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Turkey Club
Molly Chavez
Super nice atmosphere and yummy!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rob Roudebush
This is a small place in a building that has great history / atmosphere along great food and service. If you are looking for an oasis around the Hy-Vee Arena area for great lunch options or great baked goods, please come check out the The Ox Cafe & Bakery. The caeser salad was great!
Great place for breakfast or having a meeting. Quiet, great food, historic, and the service is excellent.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seasonal Muffins, BAP
michael f
The best location, the old stockyards, and the best steak in Kansas City! I was taken there when I was in my early 20s. Now in my early 80s, it's still great.
Kdjohnson69
Had a reservation for my husband’s birthday and when we arrived they acted like they didn’t know we were coming. Ordered steaks medium-well and they arrived as burnt charred a piece of meat. The server, manager and chef all agreed that they were overcooked so I’m not understanding why it was served. Manager gave us a coupon to come back but I will never set foot in this place again. We left and went to Eddie V’s
Valerie
Had a salad there few days ago, lettuce was brown, tomatoes not fresh. Our waiter took order never brought drinks. Had to ask for table to be cleaned it was sticky. I used to go there when it first opened it was top notch, not now.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Green or Caesar Salad
jimk351
Always great steaks but show stealer was the Wedge Salad-DELICIOUS! Britney, our server in training, was awesome. Attentive, helpful and knowledgeable. I would highly recommend this for perfect steaks and food. Be prepared to spend some money but it is worth the price!
Best burger in KC. I said what I said. Burger was fresh and tasty, bacon was smokey and the bun was perfect with it being buttered and toasted on the burger side. The homemade chips with their house made ranch with a pinch of dill was 10/10. The cafe (next to Golden Ox) is in a 100 year old historic stockyard business building. Still has the original tile, stairway and office spaces. The cafe is relaxed, has a local feel and a historic ambiance. Steak soup was good but burger is a waaay better choice. Chocolate chip cookie is a good finish!
Dropped in before the Kc Garden Show.Food is very good. Ladies are nice. I'll come back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This cafe inside of the historic stockyards exchange building (adjacent to the legendary Golden Ox steakhouse and Stockyards Brewing Co.) was a place I went on a lark. I was getting work done on my car and needed a place to eat and check in with work. Not a lot of open options depending on which day you find yourself in the West Bottoms. I was lucky enough that it was a Tuesday and it was 10:30 and The Ox Cafe had its doors open. The sweet potato bisque was recommended to me (the only customer at the moment) by the barista/bartender. Ordered a cup and perused the all-day breakfast menu. Not wanting anything too super heavy or greasy, I opted for the bagel with lox. My good Lord. Where have you been all my life? The bagel used in this lox sandwich had a sweet glaze that perfectly complimented the salmon, cut with a careful dash of dill and creamy cheese to hold it all together. The bisque was light and sweet and full of flavor. I swigged a Topo Chico, surrounded by portraits of cattle lords and eyed the offerings in a mid-century glass display. The place is black and white and leather and steel with a very open feel despite the low ceilings. Music was piped in on matching wooden PA speakers that look like they came with the place (but cleaned up and polished like the rest of the restaurant). It felt very Midwest, very California, and in my flannel on a gray cloudy day (that still lit up the space) -- I was feeling very Seattle as well. And isn't that just Kansas City? A town full of unique history but also a melting pot of every coast meeting up in the middle. Grab a coffee (you enter through the front lobby of the Exchange apartments), meet some locals, and enjoy a surprisingly lived-in vibe for such a new cafe. A great addition to an already stacked block (and, mercifully, something I can enjoy when in the West Bottoms during the day on the front half of the week!)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Well...I wanted to have a really good meal and experience. We were looking for a grown-up night out at a KC well-known, historic, steakhouse. Our reservation for 8 was ready so that was nice. Drinks were served for 6 out of 8 of us. My drink in particular kept getting missed, probably took 40 min or so from start to delivery. Food was overpriced 100%. My filet was $60 and about 6oz if lucky. It was dry and I asked for A1 and got some other thin steak sauce. Everything else is a la carte. All the sides are mediocre. Fries were lukewarm. It was so dark I couldn't see my food and my voice is hoarse from trying to talk. I used to wait tables so I am a reasonable reviewer. I'm glad we went to see for myself that I'm happy at many other steakhouses. The potential is there, but it is missing the mark!
If you love a classic steakhouse, this is the place for you. Great steaks. My husband loved the salmon. And save room for dessert - the banana cake is amazing. Good service.
We were so excited to dine here only to have an extraordinarily lackluster experience. We had reservations for my wife's birthday. When I made the reservation they made it a point to ask if we were celebrating anything, when we arrived on a not busy Wednesday evening they made no mention of it. The young lady that was the hostess had no personality whatsoever. It went downhill from there. We were seated for almost 20 minutes before we were greeted and asked if we wanted drinks. We were initially brought the wrong bowl of soup that we ordered as an appetizer. After figuring this out we notified the server and she brought out the correct bowl and we sent the other bowl back to the kitchen. We had our meal, we were not checked on one time during and I had to go to the bar myself to get our drinks refreshed, and when the server brought us our tab she informed me that she had removed the soup from the tab because of the mix up. I told her that was not necessary but I thanked her for the gesture. I thought that maybe, just maybe this was a shining moment in what until then had been a very dismal experience. I checked the bill only to find that were charged for the soup, I alerted her to this just because she had brought it up. She informed that she had removed the other soup charge. I sat there completely dumfounded for at least a solid minute just staring at her. I was almost scared to inquire further, but alas I did. "You removed the charge of the soup we did not order and did not eat?" "Yes" she replied with a smile. That was the last straw for me. I will never return to this place. My tab was over 300 dollars, and while that may be chump change to many people its quite a bit of money to spend on a meal for 2 people for me. I've had better service at Chinese buffets. If I'm spending that I want to feel special, even if you don't really mean it. Fake it for Christ sakes. The only reason I gave it 2 stars was because the food was actually really good, the service on the other hand was horrible and not just that evening either. I contacted management directly about the issues and have heard nothing back.
The people in the kitchen know what they’re doing! ?? The food is like WHOA! My fave lunchtime spot because they never disappoint on the food. I didn’t give five stars overall because the customer service can be a hit or a miss - though, the most likely cause is they’re understaffed like many restaurants, which is understandable. I have noticed some improvement. Highly recommend the French Dip and their blueberry muffins (split down the middle and toasted with butter).
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Seasonal Muffins
Wonderful place to visit.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Turkey Club
Super nice atmosphere and yummy!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is a small place in a building that has great history / atmosphere along great food and service. If you are looking for an oasis around the Hy-Vee Arena area for great lunch options or great baked goods, please come check out the The Ox Cafe & Bakery. The caeser salad was great!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Great place for breakfast or having a meeting. Quiet, great food, historic, and the service is excellent.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seasonal Muffins, BAP
The best location, the old stockyards, and the best steak in Kansas City! I was taken there when I was in my early 20s. Now in my early 80s, it's still great.
Had a reservation for my husband’s birthday and when we arrived they acted like they didn’t know we were coming. Ordered steaks medium-well and they arrived as burnt charred a piece of meat. The server, manager and chef all agreed that they were overcooked so I’m not understanding why it was served. Manager gave us a coupon to come back but I will never set foot in this place again. We left and went to Eddie V’s
Had a salad there few days ago, lettuce was brown, tomatoes not fresh. Our waiter took order never brought drinks. Had to ask for table to be cleaned it was sticky. I used to go there when it first opened it was top notch, not now.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Green or Caesar Salad
Always great steaks but show stealer was the Wedge Salad-DELICIOUS! Britney, our server in training, was awesome. Attentive, helpful and knowledgeable. I would highly recommend this for perfect steaks and food. Be prepared to spend some money but it is worth the price!