Top Rated Restaurants & Cafes in Overland Park

Visit Story for the "Best American Food" in the city. Culinary expert Chef Carl Thorne-Thomsen is a 2013 James Beard Semifinalist for Best Chef Midwest and The People's Best New Chef: Midwest by the FOOD & WINE magazine.This sophisticated restaurant never leaves a customer disappointed. Well prepared food and top notch service, ensure a truly memorable experience. Try out the Braised Beef Short Ribs. Some other dishes to try here are Flounder and the Sautéed Shrimp.

The fact that this restaurant is next door to a gas station shouldn't deter you from trying some of the best barbecue in Kansas. It is located just over the border from Missouri's downtown KC and is consistently packed with hungry diners devouring plates of smoked meats. Some of the standards include pulled pork, beef brisket, sandwiches and their famous 'burnt ends' (the bits of bark on the brisket). In addition to this original location, there are three others around the state. Check website for full menu and details.

Established in 1954 by the Cascone family, who still own and operate what are now three locations, this restaurant offers a full dinner menu and a cocktail lounge. Etched glass windows at this location create a cozy atmosphere and give diners privacy. The service is excellent. The restaurant offers a full array of appetizing pasta dishes. Although a popular place for intimate gatherings and business luncheons, it is also a place where families feel at home.

Bright red doors welcome you into sun-filled You Say Tomato, a restaurant serious about serving the freshest, best tasting breakfast and lunch in the most casual atmosphere imaginable. Most of their products are local, organic, and pesticide- and hormone-free. There is a quaint grocery area, but they also use these products to create unique dishes such as the meat and veggie bierocks (sort of like pot pies), a variety of paninis, edamame hummus, quiche, and honey vanilla bean yogurt with mint & berries. This is a great place to relax with coffee and the newspaper in the morning or to bring the family for a delicious, healthy meal.

Friends Sushi & Bento Place is located in the 39th Street area, one of the most diverse locations in the city for authentic food. They are indeed authentic, with many noodle dishes and delicious sushi rolls made with all kinds of fish. The ambiance is quiet and cozy, but it is a good place to go with big groups, also. They are also one of the few Japanese restaurants that serve a bento box, a cute arrangement of dishes of your choice.

This casual, Westport restaurant gives diners a "hands on" dining experience. Most diners choose the extraordinary buffet where a guest can fill his or her plate with raw meats, vegetables, and an assortment of spices. One of the chefs will then throw the complete assembly onto a large round grill and prepare it. Add some fried calamari, steamed dumplings or an egg roll, and you have a meal. Diners can also order from a full menu.