Bar Phoebe

a rooftop bar and restaurant at 708 E. 18th St. in the East Crossroads, opened June 2026 atop the Holtman building. Developed by Zach Molzer of Molzer Development; named for Phoebe Jane Ess, a Kansas City suffragist and club-women organizer. Indoor-outdoor rooftop seating for 200-plus, with a Midwestern-nostalgia food program.

| Website | https://barphoebe.com || | Phone | | — |

Description

Bar Phoebe is a rooftop bar and restaurant occupying the top of the Holtman, a Crossroads loft building at 18th and Holmes redeveloped by Molzer Development.¹² The indoor-outdoor rooftop seats more than 200 and opened in June 2026 to crowds, live music, and dancing.¹

The concept is described by its team as “a modern bar with a vintage feel,” pitched explicitly as a toast to the Midwest.³ The kitchen works nostalgic Midwestern dishes in an elevated register; press coverage has singled out the burger.³ Programming leans on live music on the roof.¹

Ownership and history

The bar is named after Phoebe Jane Ess, a Kansas City women’s-suffrage activist and founder of multiple women’s clubs, remembered as “the Dean of Missouri Club Women.”² The naming is part of a heritage-forward identity tied to the historic building.

Zach Molzer, principal and founder of Molzer Development, is the developer behind both the Holtman redevelopment and the bar; he is also refurbishing the adjacent Aladdin Hotel as part of a broader downtown effort.² Lindsey Lickteig serves as general manager.²

Independence: No national chain, franchise, or outside private-equity parent identified in press coverage. Treat as an independent, locally developed and operated venue. Formal ownership entity is not public — ****.

Menu

Status: pending capture. The official site exposes a Menu section, but item-level content and prices were not retrievable in this pass. Transcribe first-party from https://barphoebe.com on a menu pass. Do not source prices from aggregators.

Links

• Website: https://barphoebe.com
• Building: The Holtman — https://theholtmankc.com/

Sources

See also

• Registry

Footnotes

1. Axios Kansas City — “Bar Phoebe in the Crossroads boasts rooftop views and nostalgic nods,” June 24, 2026 — asserts: June 2026 opening; Crossroads rooftop; crowds, live music, dancing; 200-plus indoor-outdoor seating. ↩ ↩² ↩³

2. KCTV5 — “Kansas City’s Bar Phoebe brings Midwest nostalgia and a suffragist’s spirit to historic downtown building,” July 16, 2026 — asserts: address 708 E. 18th St.; Holtman building; Zach Molzer of Molzer Development; Lindsey Lickteig general manager; Phoebe Jane Ess namesake; adjacent Aladdin Hotel project. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

3. The Kansas City Star — “New Kansas City rooftop bar will be ‘modern bar with a vintage feel,’” 2026 (syndicated copy) — asserts: “modern bar with a vintage feel”; Molzer Development redeveloping the Holtman at 18th and Holmes; elevated nostalgic Midwestern food program. ↩ ↩²