Deceptively swanky name for a bar that is a breath of fresh air and cheap drinks! This may very well become my own little 'cheers' bar. Â I know it has for several of my friends. Â
Having heard rave reviews over and over about the 403 Club, I finally decided to venture that way after an unexpected evening off from my old job. With several of my closest friends in tow and a change purse of quarters, we arrived to a quiet Strawberry Hill. How refreshing to be in a place where parking was a breeze on a Friday night!
Pinball tables flank the front door, but the room opens to a huge space with a pool table, darts board, and several t.v.s. From the first step in, I knew that I would like this place. Â I was instantly enamored from the second that I saw the selection of beer bottles and taps. When they told me the prices of some of their higher end beer bottles, I was in love. Â Throw in getting to play with the owner's dog who was running around, tail wagging, to greet everyone, I was hooked. Â
With fancy, underpriced beer in-hand, I followed my friends to the Pinball machines and proceeded to lose all of the quarters I had in about 4 tries. Â Oh Well! The point is to have fun, not try to get a high score-at least for me. Â I have a feeling that if some of the regulars heard me say that, I would be blacklisted or become their new project to convert so please keep that hush hush! From there we moved on to pool where I went on to lose again but man that was a great time! (can you tell that bar games are not my forte?) Â No one crowded around us to steal the table next so we felt relaxed to take as long as we wanted. Again, odd and I loved that.
Where other dive bar bathrooms create the desire to have your tetanus shots updated, the 403 Club bathrooms are by far the nicest bathrooms I've ever seen in this caliber of bar. Â Mind you, they still don't have any toilet paper, but they do have paper towels within arms reach and a far too classy for the atmosphere vanity with mirror. I was actually able to see myself in this mirror! And was able to confirm that I'd spilled a little bit of beer on my sheer shirt. Â Thank goodness for mirrors that work and sweaters that button!
My one and only complaint was that they were showing Apocalypto on the t.v.s. Â I've never seen that movie, and I love that it was showing in a bar like this, but holy hell was I disturbed! Â Way too intense for the alcohol in my system and lack of sleep plus late hour. Â I think it's a great idea to show movies in a bar where people feel comfortable enough to sit for hours and no doubt many patrons there finished the lengthy tale. Â I was certainly not one of them!
Whether you're a pinball geek, a pool shark, a darts and beer aficionado, or just a joe schmo looking for a laid back bar, 403 Club is for you. Â Still unsure you want to venture out to KCK to try out a pinball bar? Â Grab a friend who has been and can show you the way. It will be worth the new adventure and you may never want to leave!
403 Club, I love you and you frustrate me, but it's not your fault.
I was honored to be invited to a friend's birthday party pub crawl that started right here at 403 Club. The plan was to have a few drinks, order some pizza (they don't serve food but you can call for delivery) and then hit some other Strawberry Hill bars. I had no idea what to expect, as 403 club is rather unassuming, however, it turns out this is one of my favorite bars in KC. Â Actually, as far as bars go, it probably IS my favorite. Â They have such an awesome beer collection, on tap and in cans/bottles. Good beer, craft beer, microbrews, and they have plenty of top shelf liquor. After a glass of Rye on Rye and something else, I switched to vodka and ginger ale. I was so happy that 1: they had ginger ale, and 2: Tito's vodka was 4$ a pop. That's not a special. That's the price every day.
The bartender was awesome, friendly and efficient, and he offered us some of the pizza that HE ordered prior to our delivery arriving. What a guy! His pitbull, who could be found roaming the joint, was just as sweet.
So what frustrates me? Why..... Seriously, why can't we have a place like this in my neck of the woods? Â Old OP sports bars should take note. They could learn a lot from 403 Club.
I should also note that this "pub crawl" turned in to spending the entire evening at this place. It's THAT fantastic.
Thankfully this bar isn't in my neighborhood or I would be here all the time.
Seriously though, the 403 is one of my favorite bars in the Metro. The bartenders are beyond nice. Â The drinks are very reasonably priced. Â The beer selection is top notch. Plus there are plenty of pinball machines to chose from. The jukebox is damn fine too. Â It has a great mix of music, especially Thin Lizzy, which is a "dive" prerequisite.
It is definitely the first bar I think of going to when I'm out. The 403 has it going on.
This was a stop on our KCK mini-crawl. Â I am going to save the best for last, so read it all. Â We were out late on a Friday, and we buzzed the front door. Â The bartender enthusiastically greeted us and made us feel welcome. Â Three ladies were sitting at the bar, and other than that, it was just us and lots of pretty dang awesome pinball machines! Â My favorite was Apollo 13 because it had the coolest sound effects and gave me more chances to play. Â Bartender said they have pinball tournaments and contests weekly and have nationally-ranked players who hang out all day. Â Wow. Â Who woulda thought? Â
The atmosphere was a little too brightly-lit for my taste, but maybe people who enjoy being seen while they get sloshed would like it. Â I would venture to guess 403's interior hasn't been updated since about 1979, but this just gives it character. Â It sort of reminds me of a clean, more colorful Tommy Farha's in Waldo, but I don't care for that place much. Â Chrome, padded tacky sparkly cushioning on the edge of the bar, and carpet like you might find in a church basement. Â Oh yeah! Â
Bartender buzzed in a woman who was whacked out on meth. Â She was scary and looked like she had been in a fight. Â She walked in, jabbered nonstop for about 3 minutes, then left. Â I am sure any establishment in downtown KCK has an occasional visitor like this wandering in off the street. Â
They don't have food except for two weiners in a warmer. Â A bag of buns was next to it. Â
Ok. Â Here it is. Â The best part of 403. Â Their unbelievable BOTTLE BEER selection!!!!!!! Â Wow oh wow, who needs Lukas Liquor when I can have a never-ending assortment of awesome IPAs and imports right in front of my face, just waiting to be selected, opened, and consumed by me??? Â I usually prefer tap, but honestly, I don't even remember what they had on tap. Â I violated my four-beer limit and left 403 hammered. Â I wasn't driving. Â I am very, very happy to have discovered this Strawberry Hill gem. Â And thanks to Alicia for her recommendation!
It's so nice to get outta midtown. As the onslaught of JOCO dbags continues to infiltrate my favorite bars, headin' to Strawberry Hill for the 403 Club feels like escaping to KC's secret clubhouse. The bartenders are terrific & so friendly, the drink specials are great, & seriously, the best hotdog I've had in ages. They don't have a kitchen, but you can order food from some great local partnered restaurants through them, that'll deliver right to your bar stool. The juke box is excellent, not to mention there's pool, darts & many pinball machines. I can't say enough for this bar.. It's so comfortable & laidback. Great change of pace from the same old grind in Westport!
Review Source:I frequent this place enough that some friends reference it as my living room. If I always had the remote control, it probably would be. This is a great place. The drinks are reasonable. The bartenders are very nice. There's pinball and a touch screen jukebox.
The owner clearly wants people to come and hang out and takes suggestions.
Overall, this place is aces! Plus, you can sometimes see a rooster known as Mac the Knife on the back patio.
In a quaint little section of 5th street in Strawberry Hill, KCK sits a dive that is quickly becoming my regular haunt. Most often my destinations involve entertainment, usually live music. I'm rarely in the mood to just go belly up to a bar for the sake of bellying up to the bar. That's all changed now that I found a new home away from home...403 Club.
It doesn't hurt that my friend Artie owns the joint, so it makes sense that the ambiance fits my taste. I was just a kid in the 70's and I am a product that era. I look back on that time of my life with great fondness. 403 Club gives off the air of one of your parent's 70's basement parties. It's a small joint with a little patio off the back, which for some reason, even in the heat of the heat, allows a slight breeze. And while needing to be buzzed in could be off-setting to some...it makes me feel like I'm ringing the bell to a secret club lying just on the other side of the door. Friendly faces greet you upon arrival, and once inside you completely forget about time. Time flies when you're having fun and it's almost impossible not to do so at 403. The staff makes you feel like you've just been invited into their home, and if you don't have a friend at the bar when you walk in, you will by the time you leave.
The piece de resistance is the jukebox. From Alejandro Escovedo to Prince, the jukebox churns out gem after gem keeping you groovin' and singin' until last call...which you will be surprised when it arrives too soon.
See you there!
Step into Strawberry Hill in KCK and witness the glory that is the 403 Club. Â You have to hit a buzzer to be let in, sometimes that is a good sign, sometimes not. Â In this case, it's a good thing.
The place is small, the drinks are cheap, the staff is very friendly, and hey, they have pinball! Â Step out back on their patio and it feels like you're in somebody's backyard.
Chill, laid back, perfect neighborhood dive bar.
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