Readers dub Kansas City’s top spots for coffee meetings

“Let’s grab coffee.”

It’s a universal phrase in the world of business that can lead to friendship, a deal or even a new company.

And with coffee serving as a global binding agent for businesspeople, Startland News wanted to figure out where Kansas Citians are most likely to convene to catch up.

We surveyed more than 70 Kansas City business folks, civic leaders, government officials and entrepreneurs on what their five favorite coffee spots are around town. Their answers varied north to south and east to west across the metro area, but the Crossroads Arts District emerged as the king of Kansas City coffee meetups.

Here are the survey respondents’ favorite coffee spots in order. Check out the photo gallery below the ranking.

No. 1 – Thou Mayest Coffee, Crossroads

Blending one part urban bar with two parts hunting lodge, Thou Mayest attracts a medley of colorful characters from around Kansas City. Tattooed artists sip cold brews next Windsor-knotted executives on comfy leather furniture framed by knotty wood floors and aged brick walls. Bordering live music with CrossroadsKC and pizza with Grinders, it’s easy to see why Thou Mayest has emerged as one of the most popular coffeehouses in Kansas City.

Address: 419 E. 18th St, Kansas City, Mo.
Founding year: 2012
Size: About 100 seats
Cost of a 12 oz. latte: $3.75
Alluring feature: A spacious outdoor patio and deck offers a great view of CrossroadsKC and a perfect people-watching perch.

No. 2 – Mildred’s Coffeehouse, Crossroads

An intimate cafe that’s generally jam-packed, Mildred’s is a Kansas City classic. After opening its first location in Overland Park, Kan. in 1994, the company open its second — and wildly popular — shop in the Crossroads only three years later. With OfficePort coworking studio, the Sprint Accelerator and Hint production company only a few hundred feet away, Mildred’s attracts entrepreneurs and creatives by the dozen each day. Unlike some coffeeshops, Mildred’s also offers breakfast and lunch options.

Address: 1821 Wyandotte St., Kansas City, Mo.
Founding year: 1994
Size: About 35 seats
Cost of a 12 oz. latte: $3.66
Alluring feature: If it’s quiche of the day doesn’t impress you, Mildred’s terracotta roof and colorful design stands out even among the Crossroads’ many eye-catching edifices.

No. 3 – PT’s Coffee Roasting Co., Crossroads

A 23-year-old veteran, PT’s Coffee Roasting is the most seasoned coffee roaster on this list. As a result, it’s had years to concoct an array of tasty, regionally-inspired signature blends, such as Ad Astra, John Brown and Farm Girl. Its Crossroads-based cafe was designed by Second Life Studios and uses reclaimed wood from more than 100 pallets that had carried coffee to its roasting facility in Topeka, Kan. The bright, industrial-styled cafe also offers several outdoor tables.

Address: 310 Southwest Blvd., Kansas City, Mo.
Founding year: 1993
Size: About 60 seats
Cost of a 12 oz. latte: $3.50
Alluring feature: In addition to an Americano, the company will sell you industrial grade coffee equipment like espresso machines and lab grinders.

No. 4 – Filling Station Coffee, Midtown

A neighborhood favorite for Union Hill locals, the Filling Station lures hundreds of regulars for its coffee, juices, breakfast dishes and lunch menu. Adopting a gas station-style design, this “KC Coffee Garage” features four large retractable doors that open to its fenced in patio. With its own lawn and a handful of nearby parks, the Filling Station even offers space to run off the caffeine jitters.

Address: 980 McGee Trafficway, Kansas City, Mo.
Founding year: 2004
Size: About 70 seats
Cost of a 12 oz. latte: $3.45
Alluring feature: Doughnuts. Delicious, delectable doughnuts from the Westport-based Doughnut Lounge.  

No. 5 (tie) Quay Coffee, River Market

Attracting perhaps the highest concentration of waxed mustaches in the metro, Quay (pronounced key) Coffee is a bohemian haven cajoling serious coffee aficionados. An inviting sanctuary from urban bustle, Quay’s warm, sunlit ambience offers a charming respite that will entrance occupants for hours. A River Market resident that embraces its past, Quay’s Instagram is bursting with beautiful images of life in one of Kansas City’s oldest neighborhoods.

Address: 412 Delaware St, Kansas City, Mo.
Founding year: 2012
Size: About 55 seats
Cost of a 12 oz. latte: $3.50
Alluring feature: This cozy hollow has convenient access thanks to the Kansas City streetcar, which has a stop about 100 feet away.

No. 5 (tie) Parisi, Union Station

Located in one of Kansas City’s most iconic buildings — Union Station — it’s hard to beat Parisi’s scenery. Colorful 30-foot ceilings offer an echoey chamber in which tourists mingle alongside business folk sipping espressos. Though it features the least amount of seating on this list, its offering of people watching is second to none.

Address: 30 W. Pershing Road, Kansas City, Mo.
Founding year: 2006
Size: About 30 seats
Cost of a 12 oz. latte: $3.50
Alluring feature: An inspiring setting in which patrons can ponder their schedule or the depth of Kansas City’s historic lineage as a national logistics hub.

Do you love coffee? Enter to win a gift card for the No. 1 coffee spot in KC, Thou Mayest. 

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Enjoy Startland’s photo gallery by clicking on an image below. Photos by Bobby Burch.