Iron District — Restaurant in North Kansas City

It's an interesting concept, they take a bunch of old shipping containers, set them in a square, and then serve food and drinks along with other items. What I'm talking about is the Iron District in N Kansas City. Right around 16th and Iron is where this is, so I went over this afternoon to check it out.

It's not a big area, taking up a small corner of the block. In the center of this square there are lots of tables, both picnic type tables and stand up type tables and along the South side they had a deck up on top of some of these containers, unfortunately the industrial buildings around there blocked out the skyline of Kansas City. But there were several shops, restaurants, a cupcake shop and a place serving drinks.

But then my real reason for going there was for a hamburger, imagine that! And did I ever find a hamburger! At a place called B-rads, they were serving up what they called the Fat Boy Burger! They take a 1/2 pound of beef, some sriracha aioli, a nice piece of Maple bacon, lots and lots of cheese with fried onions and pickles and placed it between a very tasty, what I think was a pretzel bun or something very similar. It also came with some very tasty fries!

Brad, the owner, did a perfect job of preparing this burger. As thick as the burger was it was still juicy and moist and pink in the center. This burger was so thick, the plastic knife that came in the napkin bag was not long enough to cut through it. Personally, I think the patty was larger than 8 ounces. And from a standpoint of taste it was as good as it gets.

N Kansas City has been an interesting place over the last few years. Restaurants and microbreweries have been popping up all over the place. If any place can make a concept like this work, it will be N Kansas City. So, the next time you're out and about and near or far from N Kansas City, and if it is in the evening or around lunchtime you might want to stop in and give some of these vendors a try.

Well Done B-rads!

Well...

First off this place is what I would describe as a tad high priced. I think it seeves as the Alt-eatery from the Storybook museum place a few blocks away. But it was close by there. Parking was sorta ok. But only one handicap spot. [I was able to wait on it]. Our family group ate food from four different "shops". Each shop resides in a refurbished and brightly painted shipping container. It was all good. The food. In fact it was excellent. While my Carne Asada burrito was delightful... I'm not a fan of a rice filled burrito and wished for more beans and meat. And cheese. Even though it was already a ten dollar burrito. My grandson had the Carne Asada tacos and this typically picky kid was so enamored with his tacos... he was not up for sharing [at first]. Later he traded me a bite of a taco for a pile of rice. Both of us were happy. Carne Asada is my fave. And they did not dissapoint. Still.. nearly $5 Jarritos sodas seems .. high. Later I saw there was a water fountain.. I didn't partake of alcohol since I was traveling, but the tiki bar looked fun. I expect this venue would be tight with a live band but others mentioned it. I would give it a look. I liked the atmosphere here despite being outdoors only and surrounded on all sides by an old industrial district. It was close to a freeway entrance/exit. I'm going to remember that next time since the map app had me driving in on a road under construction. [16th?]. This place is worth a look coz it seems very fun.. don't be surprised if your meals are in the $20-30 range. Inflation... Oh and I can only sit at picnic tables for a short spell. That's the only seating I saw. Ok they did have shade. Umbrellas and gazebos. Did I mention I thot it was high priced? [For a picnic table outdoor eatery. With good food.]

$Eclectic$ food and atmosphere. Try...

The Iron District represents one of the things that I love bout NKC/KC in general. This is an amazing little collection of food, shops, drinks, games, all in shipping containers, sometimes stacked. It is a testing/proving ground for food truck or restaurant concepts. Having been here several times, I can say that the food has been consistently on point at the variety of stalls that I've tried. The drinks are great. There's a little book shop, boutique shop, and a couple of other little shops. There's tacos, sliders, Thai, sushi, vegan, crepes, and more! It's outside, so plan for weather. But there is SO MUCH to love about this.

Know before you go: almost all places accept card; it's hours are a little limited, so check ahead. If you can, bring your own eating utensils, maybe napkins - they do the best they can to keep it eco friendly, but it's all 'take out' waste, so this would help. Has bathrooms, drinks, leans towards a 20's - 30's crowd, but I brought my 2 yo and 4 yo here, along with in-laws and older family several times, and everyone loved it and had a blast. Sometimes an individual location is closed during operating hours, possibly due to staff/supplies, so don't let that catch you by surprise. Have fun and...