The American Reserve Bar & Grille
For gourmet breakfasts, business lunches and intimate dinners alike, guests may select from an inventive, locally sourced seasonal menu perfectly complemented by signature cocktails and an impressive wine list. Executive Chef Bryant Wigger offers an unforgettable dining experience.
The American Reserve is located downtown Kansas City, open 365 days a year. Currently serving dinner from 5pm-10pm. The American Reserve can accommodate most dietary needs. Parking based upon availability.
Private Dining
Book your next event with us
Safety precautions
- Surfaces sanitized between seatings
- Common areas deep cleaned daily
- Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
- Sealed or wrapped utensils used
- Limited number of seated diners
- Distancing maintained in common areas
- Extra space between tables
- Waitstaff wear masks
- Diners must wear masks unless eating or drinking
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace
The restaurant has a lovely ambiance and nice service. We enjoyed our time here. The food was lacking a bit. After a 3 course meal I left hungry. 3 jumbo shrimp in the appetizer, beef tenderloin was pretty underwhelming, the dessert of chocolate mousse was tasty. It was an enjoyable evening, but overall not worth the price of the food.
Always a great brunch experience! Consistently good food & service! Ask for Mary Kate!
Service and food prep quality were exceptional. Guys running the show were friendly and appreciative while still professional. Digs are well maintained and properly lit and made for a nice relaxed comfortable evening.
For a pandemic going on, this place did a great job making everyone feel safe. Walking up to to building and being greeted by the staff was a nice experience. When entering, the ambience and decor were beautiful. We decided to sit outside where live music was being played. The food was excellent as well as our waiter. Perfect night! Thank you again! I’ll definitely be back!
I fell in love with the flavors of fall here. The pork chop and steak was cooked to perfection. The seasoning complimented the pork and beef, not overpowered. The truffle butter is to die for and magical. The cocktails are outstanding. Loved the KC ice water. The staff is very knowledgeable and will guide you on food journey. The atmosphere is romantic and personable. Love the redone bank and decor. Highly recommend a special night here.
Attended A La Mode's show, a couple of friends joined me that evening. Chalis was our server. We had an exceptional time. Chalis was busy but always tentative to our needs and brought out each dish/drink with a smile. He was great at lending drink suggestions, explaining the menu and keeping us engaged with the food and show.
His special performance with A La Mode was the cherry on top. My friends and I (plus the crowd) were thrilled to see musicians join together to bring us joy as they shared their talent.
Thank you for this amazing space!
Great entertainment, service staff is outstanding.
We went for my mother’s birthday. The food was good, Bloody Mary delicious and Dustin was awesome.
The food was off the chart along with the service, but we were the only ones in there. Felt very safe and clean.
People need to get out and support the urban core of Kansas City!
Dinner was raw and inedible. The menu has changed so don’t depend on the options you see online.
At first they misplaced our reservation(was quickly resolved due to how many empty seats were there), the server was not attentive, the server never gave a recommendation or anything, and when the food came it wasn’t even correct. He eventually noticed that he messed up when we were ready to go and tried to correct it. But we were just not interested in staying. Loved the ambiance! The food was just over priced for the size and lack of quality of taste. The cocktails were meh. We’d come back and sit out side to listen to the band and drink wine, but not to eat or do cocktails. Those were not worth it.
Poor food, poor service, expensive drinks. Good entertainment
This was a special birthday celebration for my wife and decided to stay at the Ambassador and instead of going out, stay at the hotel and eat at the American Reserve. Couldn't have made a better choice! Very intimate setting, very few tables (nice for us), started with the mussels as an appetizer, good choice, broth was excellent. Nice, reasonably priced, bottle of wine with dinner. Extensive wine list. Both of us ordered the Halibut. Wife said it was one of the best entrees she ever had. It was excellent. Ordered the Goats and Rabbit cocktail for an after dinner drink. If you like a Manhattan or Sazerac, you'll love this. Next morning, went down for breakfast, again, far from crowded. I had one of the best breakfast sandwiches I've ever eaten. Will visit again!
Had a great time with the girls on the patio listing to the Amber Underwood project. Food was superb as usual. Server was slow but sweet. I love this place!
Beautiful decor, wonderful food, and very attentive service. We ate inside and the noise level was perfect for our older ears.
Excellent food and service. The jazz act was amazing
I typically don’t review restaurants, but the Reserve experience was extremely subpar. The outdoor converted parking garage is nice but that was it. There was a birthday party next to us with 50 people. Everyone was standing around without masks as if it were a bar. If they were sitting, that would have been different but the restaurant should have enforced masks if they were standing around. Do NOT go here if you are looking to social distance as the staff does not care! Food is over priced for quantity you get as well.
It was exciting and fun!
They were celebrating Charlie Parkers 100th Birthday with Lonnie McFadden on a Saturday night. This man is a triple threat and gives a great show. Great food and they take social distancing serious.
We love the atmosphere and Lonnie made for a wonderfully enjoyable evening. Such a creative use of space for COVID world.
We dined outdoors where they have converted a covered part of their parking garage into this cool jazz/lounge/patio. We have been there twice on Sat night, the music is 5 stars. Plus they have this amazingly talented sketch artist there at the same time. The bar offerings are wide and tasty. The food is pretty good. I'd say 3-4 stars. They offer more than what is posted online so that is great. Plus they seem to obtain locally, fresh ingredients, which is very good. I would highly recommend this place. We feel safe, we're outdoors, tables are well spaced, nice to "feel normal" out and about listening to fantastic jazz with great service. The hotel is gorgeous - beautiful bathrooms and decadent inside lounge area and bar.
It was my 23rd birthday
Great food and drinks. They did a nice job on making the parking garage a dining room.
Patio is a very creative approach to handling COVID. Beautiful hotel and bat — excellent service!
The American Reserve's Garage Expansion is a very creative response to the COVID-19 shutdown offering good food, great drinks and outstanding KC Jazz entertainment in a comfortable outdoor environment. They've done a great job of making a parking garage seem festive and comfortable so we can enjoy live entertainment and fine food once again! Street noise can be a bit intrusive but that's to be expected with any outdoor venue. This is not the place for a budget date, but service is excellent and the cocktails and wine list are top notch. The great Lonnie McFadden headlines Saturday nights through September, so the entertainment is as good as you'll find anywhere!
Lovely atmosphere joined with refined cuisine makes The Reserve a sensational experience. The newly renovated restaurant is one that must be visited sooner rather than later. A jovial server and delectable meal complemented the evening which I hope to recreate soon.
Loved this venue and thoroughly enjoyed the live band - LONNIE MCFADDEN. Will definitely be back.
Great food and great jazz, very enjoyable evening!
A little disappointed for an anniversary dinner. Ordered two 8 ounce filets. One wasn’t over 5 ounces. At $6/ounce, it should have been a $30 steak. We paid $48. Waiter just said that’s the way they come in. Chef got the medium rare and medium reversed. We just switched, and my wife won’t complain about the smaller steak. Sides were tasty, but not the kind you would share. Drinks were good, as well as the straight whiskey pours. Server was attentive.
Live band outside. Great atmosphere, great service! Lonnie McFadden is a genius. Our waitress did a great job. We enjoyed our food but were surprised at the quality for the price. We ate every last drop but I expected to have my socks knocked off with a $42 dollar steak. Everything else was perfect! We will be back!
We saw the jazz club to parking garage patio conversion and had to check it out! Our logic was to get out and support the creative innovation! On top of that we had an amazing dinner, relaxed as we took in the long awaited live jazz - and we felt completely “socially distanced” safe! Thank you - we will be back!
What a great surprise. Sunday morning breakfast. Great choices for a great price. We did not want brunch buffet so this was perfect Nice omelet and wonderful French toast. Our server was friendly and attentive. And.... bonus... soft live music in back aground. A jewel located in a beautiful downtown hotel. Complimentary valet parking.
JAZZのライブが、とても良かった。演奏者が間近でプレイして、気持ちが伝わるようで、最高だった。
Great food
Had a great time out with friends. First time at this establishment. I had a shrimp scampi for an appetizer and it was very good. I don't want to say the entree's were bad until I go back another time. I will say that maybe just that night it was not the greatest.
We will go back and give it another try.
Went there for brunch with the girls and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Food was great, service was great, drinks were good.
First time there and it was different than expected. The bar area and the dining area was one big room and not separated. So basically, there was no bar area. We came for their happy hour drinks and food as was advertised on their website. We did get a nice table towards the back of the room and the ambience was pleasant. Our server was very efficient and friendly. We ordered drinks and they were out of a name brand alcohol that was featured on their menu. The food was okay but not outstanding. I’m glad we went there to check it out but I would have no reason to go back nor recommend to friends. It just didn’t stand out as being spectacular.
Went on a Saturday night. Loved the vibes and live music but poor service. Food came out cold and server forgot to put in an order for someone I was with so her food came out 30 minutes later than everyone else.
Very convenient , great atmosphere , friendly wait staff. We ate here the next day as well
Food was superb, great wine selection. We especially liked the live jazz music as well. Only negative is that I would prefer a table height dining table instead of a bar height table for a high end dinner.
FAQs
The American Reserve Bar & Grille offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (816) 298-7700.
The American Reserve Bar & Grille is rated 4.5 stars by 557 OpenTable diners.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable. Due to local restrictions, this restaurant may not be accepting reservations at the moment.