Best Live Music Restaurants in Downtown / River Market

Great all the way around. Their Lobster Bones appetizer is worth the trip all by itself.

Practically located in the Ambassador Hotel lobby, the ambiance is surprisingly quiet and relaxed. Seats were comfortable and the servers were friendly. There is no hurry here - so that’s either going to be awesome for your party as your conversation at the table will not be interrupted or it will frustrate you to no end if you are on a strict timetable. You are not going to be hurried off so they can get another group at your table. I found this very satisfying. Dinner and drinks are served at a relaxed pace. The bread service was outstanding with the cinnamon butter (although a bit pricey - more on this later.) We had the shrimp pasta and braised rib. The pasta was a little on the al dente side - which suited me great. Shrimp was flavorful, had a little kick to it. Braised rib was outstanding, the Demi sauce was amazing. No complaints about the food - it was very, very, good. There are a couple of minor irritations. The temperature was cool and we had a breezy draft hit us through out the dinner. The fact that it was 38 degrees outside didn’t help. This isn’t a deal breaker by any stretch. Price point - this is tricky. For two of us with no drinks and the bread appetizer the bill was $100. (Tax and tip included). We had shrimp pasta and braised short rib - not steak and salmon. And $10 for small loaf of bread seemed… a bit much. The food was great…but was it almost $40/plate good? I realize prices are going up and I’m not just paying for the food but the ambiance as well but it seemed a bit high given some of the other options in KC. Having said that - the food was top shelf and we had a very good time.

The bartender was absolutely fabulous & took great care of us! The Old fashioned was one of the best I’ve had! I’d highly recommend checking it out.

Great experience. Amazing drinks and the live show with Shaun Munday was awesome!

First time to visit. Great place. Eclectic feel. Really enjoyed the Abramowitz group - very talented musicians putting out great jazz every 4th Friday at Johnnie’s