This profile is in active compilation — some details are awaiting a cited source.

The Campground is a cocktail bar with a serious short food menu in a former gas station at 1531 Genessee Street in the West Bottoms. Christopher Ciesiel and Cristin Llewellyn, a married couple, began it in 2012 as invitation-only cocktail parties in their Midtown backyard shed and opened it to the public on December 3, 2018 in the building that had been Genessee Royale Bistro. The room is dark-walled and vintage-furnished — “a little bit clubhouse, a little bit elevated summer camp” — and the bar is regarded as one of the city’s best classical-cocktail programs (a frozen 3:1 house martini, a Ramos Gin Fizz on Mondays, a house amaro blend). The kitchen’s double smashburger has become a Kansas City standard, and a chef who cooked here, Jeff Workman, was a James Beard Emerging Chef semifinalist in 2024. Dinner five nights a week; walk-ins and Tock. The couple’s second bar, Sagebrush, opened in Rosedale in 2024.

Description

The building at 1531 Genessee is a former filling station on the Stockyards District’s main street, a few doors from Amigoni Urban Winery, that housed Genessee Royale Bistro for seven years until June 2018.1 Ciesiel and Llewellyn kept the bones and darkened the room: black walls, vintage furniture, taxidermy and plants — “a space Wes Anderson would be comfortable in,” Feast wrote at the opening, “a little bit clubhouse, a little bit elevated summer camp.”2 Kansas City Magazine, a year later, framed the identity question the room raises: “Is it a cocktail bar or is it a restaurant? … you can’t really tell, even (especially?) when you’re two fernets deep.”3 Custom ceramics came from Convivial, the West Bottoms studio around the corner.4 During the pandemic winter of 2020–21 the couple turned the parking lot into a village of flat-packed garden-shed “cabins,” each decorated by Llewellyn from their own home, that hosted a European-style holiday market and then small-group winter gatherings; “As long as we can keep creating an inclusive environment and keep both our guests and staff safe, then we’ll take that as a success,” Ciesiel said.5

The bar is the point. The Pitch’s 2020 West Bottoms guide said Ciesiel “quietly runs one of the most proficient, impressive cocktail programs in town,” built on classics — a Ramos Gin Fizz, a Desert Paloma of sage-infused tequila.6 Ciesiel’s rule, given to Flatland in 2019: “None of the drinks on our menu have more than four ingredients in them.”7 The current menu keeps that shape. The house Campground Martini — “Our Iconic 3:1 Frozen House Martini,” a Campground gin blend with Spanish fortified and oxidized wines — is $18; the Ramos Gin Fizz is Mondays only at $20; the Gimlet still uses Douglas fir–and–rosehip gin with Zirbenz stone pine; there is an Old Fashioned of overproof whiskies, apple brandy, amaro and Bénédictine; and a Campground Amaro house blend sits on a list of eight amari.87 House originals run to a “Bring Back the Cows” of West Bottoms Whiskey, Jägermeister, PX sherry, shio koji and beef tallow ($20). The wine list is short and natural-leaning — a Slovenian Blaufränkisch, a Uruguayan white, Amigoni’s 2024 table wine from down the street — and the beer is local (BKS, Alma Mader, Stockyards, Casual Animal).8

The kitchen was not in the original plan — the site’s origin story is about drinks and a shed — but a “serious full food menu” arrived with chef Craig Howard, who built lunch, dinner, brunch and happy-hour menus at opening: chicken-fried quail, butter-braised carrots with puffed quinoa, farmer’s-cheese dumplings, house-smoked meats and rabbit.27 Kansas City Magazine’s 2019 entry praised “seasonal vegetables and well-chosen farm cheeses,” a KC strip served on a sword skewer over truffle pomme purée, and a s’mores dessert.3 Today’s menu is a page of snacks and plates: marinated olives, grilled sourdough, a shrimp tostada on Yoli blue-corn tortillas, melon salad with fermented-jalapeño ranch, cauliflower with cotija aïoli, ricotta gnocchi with miso-eggplant butter, a Denver steak, Old Bay catfish with kimchi butter, and the Double Smashburger ($16) with American cheese, aïoli and pickles on an egg bun. Desserts are the s’mores with hickory ice cream, a Grasshopper of Armagnac and mint-chip ice cream, and a root beer float.8 Monday burger specials and an outside bar on Fridays and Saturdays are noted on the site.9

Ownership and history

The Campground’s own account begins in “the fall of 2012,” when Chris Ciesiel and Cristin Llewellyn started hosting cocktail parties “for both close friends and strangers alike” in a shed in their Midtown backyard; Flatland adds that the shed came with the house they had bought.97 For about five years the name lived on as pop-ups and small catering events.1 The birth of their daughter in 2015 prompted the decision to make it a business; a year and a half of negotiation for a space at Main and Westport Road collapsed “at the 11th hour” in 2018.91

Genessee Royale Bistro, the West Bottoms brunch fixture, closed June 29, 2018 after seven years. On July 2 the couple received the keys from landlord Bill Haw Sr. — the same room where they had held their wedding rehearsal dinner in 2012.19 The Campground opened to the public on December 3, 2018, with about 40 seats inside and a 25-seat patio to follow in spring, on a schedule that then included lunch, late nights and weekend brunch.2 Kansas City Star coverage of the couple’s second bar in 2023 summarized the record simply: they “established themselves in the Kansas City restaurant scene by opening The Campground in 2018 in the former Genessee Royale Bistro building.”10

The kitchen has turned over chefs. Craig Howard opened it; Jeff Workman cooked here until at least 2024, when he was a James Beard Emerging Chef semifinalist “while working at the West Bottom’s The Campground” before moving to Tailleur on Main Street.711 The current chef is not named on the site.

In June 2023 the couple announced Sagebrush, an agave-and-sugarcane cocktail bar about half the Campground’s size, at 1639 Southwest Boulevard in Rosedale, Kansas City, Kansas — “kind of what we envisioned The Campground being from day one,” Ciesiel said; it opened in 2024 under the same LLC, and the Campground’s site now calls it “our other concept.”12109 The Campground’s site footer reads ”© 2026 The Campground, LLC.”9

Last verified: 2026-08-28 · Source: the bar’s own menu PDF (Campground_Menu.pdf) linked from thecampgroundkc.com · Confidence: High. Transcribed from the PDF; menu changes seasonally. Wines listed glass/bottle. (v) vegan, (gf) gluten-free per the menu’s own marks.8

Snacks and plates

  • Marinated Olives — citrus, herbs (v, gf) ($8)
  • Grilled Sourdough — whipped butter ($6)
  • French Fries — smoked-truffle aïoli, parmesan ($10)
  • Shrimp Tostada — Yoli blue-corn tortilla, pickled onion, salsa falsa, “Tajín” (gf) ($16)
  • Green Beans — peach chamoy, local purslane (v, gf) ($14)
  • Melon Salad — fermented-jalapeño ranch, aged white cheddar, potato chips (gf) ($12)
  • Cauliflower — cotija aïoli, pickled baby corn, corn nuts, cilantro ($14)
  • Ricotta Gnocchi — miso-eggplant butter, broccoli, basil ($24)
  • Denver Steak — heirloom tomatoes, Jimmy Nardellos, sherry vinaigrette (gf) ($36)
  • Catfish — Old Bay, lemon, kimchi butter ($19)
  • Double Smashburger — American cheese, aïoli, pickles, red onion, egg bun (gf bun on request) ($16)

Dessert

  • S’mores — marshmallow, chocolate, graham cracker, hickory ice cream (gf) ($12; add 1 oz house amaro +$8)
  • Grasshopper — Armagnac, crème de menthe, cacao, mint-chip ice cream ($15)
  • Root Beer Float ($9)

House cocktails

  • Campground Martini — “Our Iconic 3:1 Frozen House Martini”: Campground gin blend, Spanish fortified and oxidized wines, accoutrements ($18)
  • Huntsman — gin, lavender, lemon, brut cava ($15) · Campground Cooler — vodka, French alpine liqueur, wild mint–white sage, lemon, palo santo smoke ($15) · Neon Dawn — sotol, celery, hibiscus, olive, lime ($15)
  • Bring Back the Cows — West Bottoms Whiskey maple cask, Jägermeister, Mexican fernet, Pedro Ximénez, Peychaud’s, shio koji, beef tallow ($20)
  • Star Witness — Japanese whisky, charanda, acid-adjusted orange, basil, prickly ash ($15) · The Space Between — coconut tequila, green chile, pineapple, lime ($15)
  • Dead of Night — local vodka, Blip coffee concentrate, Campground amaro blend, mole, hazelnut crema ($14)

Classics

  • Negroni — Chicago gin, pine-needle aperitivo, Spanish vermouth ($15) · Orange Negroni — Campground orange vermouth, Campground amaro blend, mezcal ($15) · Desert Paloma — sage blanco tequila, wormwood, rainwater Madeira, grapefruit ($15) · Gimlet — Douglas fir and rosehip Oklahoma gin, stone pine, lime ($15) · Old Fashioned — overproof whiskies, straight apple brandy, amaro, Bénédictine, mallow root, bitters ($15) · Ramos Gin Fizz — Mondays only ($20)

Amaro (1.5 oz)

Campground Amaro (house blend) $12 · Letherbee $11 · Vallet $10 · Tattersall $11 · Leopold $11 · Contratto $10 · Faccia Brutto $12 · Underberg $7

Wine (glass / bottle)

  • Bubbles: Brut Cava, Miquel Pons, Spain (12/40) · Dry Lambrusco, Carafoli L’Onesta (11/40)
  • White/orange: Big Crispy Sauvignon Blanc, Wonderwerk, CA (15/56, liter) · FAAA!, Santiago Deicas, Uruguay (14/52) · Naranjo 2024, Luna Duna, Argentina (12/50, liter)
  • Rosé: Riviera, Wonderwerk, CA (13/48)
  • Red: Haložan, Pullus, Slovenia (12/50, liter) · Côtes du Rhône, La Manarine (14/52) · Frankovka, Pamalo, Croatia (14/52) · Sangiovese 2024, Maître de Chai, Berkeley (13/48) · Table Wine 2024, Amigoni Urban Winery, KC (15/56)

Beer and N/A

BKS 16 oz $10 · Alma Mader 16 oz $10 · Chimay $10 · Pacifico $8 · Stockyards $6 · Casual Animal $6 · Best Day Brewing N/A $6 · Topo Lupo hop water $6. N/A cocktails: Spritz $12, Gimlet $12, Paloma $10, Margarita $10, Amaro Leisure Soda $5. Sodas $2–5.

Sources

Footnotes

  1. Kevin Collison, “The Campground Pitching Tent in Former Genessee Royale Space,” Flatland, 2018-07-06. Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: keys on July 2; Genessee Royale closed June 29 after seven years; five years of pop-ups and catering; Main & Westport Road deal fell through “at the 11th hour”; former gas station; landlord Bill Haw Sr.; early-September target. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  2. April Fleming, “The Campground Opens in Kansas City’s West Bottoms, Serving Craft Cocktails and a Menu Full of Surprises,” Feast Magazine, 2018-12-03. Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: opened Monday 2018-12-03; owners Christopher Ciesiel and Cristin Llewellyn; chef Craig Howard; ~40 seats inside, 25 patio in spring; opening hours (Mon & Thu 11–11, Fri 11–midnight, Sat–Sun 10–3, closed Tue–Wed); design (“clubhouse … elevated summer camp,” Wes Anderson, black walls, taxidermy); opening cocktails and dishes. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  3. Martin Cizmar, “Our favorite restaurants in the West Bottoms of Kansas City,” Kansas City Magazine, 2019-08-23. Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: “Is it a cocktail bar or is it a restaurant?” passage; seasonal vegetables and farm cheeses; KC strip on a sword skewer; s’mores brownie dessert; address and phone. ↩ ↩2

  4. “Simple, Clean Lines Propel Speedy Growth of West Bottoms Ceramics Studio,” KC Studio — as cited in convivial-production. Confirms: Convivial produced custom ceramics for The Campground. ↩

  5. “The Campground turned its parking lot into a village of social-distance-friendly cabins,” Kansas City Magazine, 2021-01-12. Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: garden-shed cabins in the lot, winter 2020–21; decorated by Llewellyn; holiday market; Ciesiel quote; owners Christopher Ciesiel and Cristin Llewellyn. ↩

  6. April Fleming, “A dining guide to the historic West Bottoms, a neighborhood poised to keep scaling up,” The Pitch, 2020-02-24. Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: “one of the most proficient, impressive cocktail programs in town”; Ramos Gin Fizz and Desert Paloma; seasonal game pot pie and carrot-juice cavatelli. ↩

  7. Jonathan Bender, “The Campground’s Gimlet Wants You To Play With Your Gin,” Flatland, 2019-02-08. Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: opened December 2018; inspired by a backyard shed that came with the couple’s house; gimlet build (Douglas-fir-tea-infused Letherbee gin, Zirbenz stone pine, lime); “None of the drinks on our menu have more than four ingredients”; partnership with chef Craig Howard. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  8. The Campground — menu PDF “Campground_Menu.pdf” (six pages: wine, beer, house cocktails, classics, snacks/plates and N/A, dinner/amaro/dessert). Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: every item and price in the Menu section; “Always in Good Company”; “Sourced locally whenever possible”; Yoli tortillas; Amigoni table wine; Blip coffee concentrate. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  9. The Campground — official website, home page. Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: address 1531 Genessee St, Kansas City, MO 64102; phone (816) 612-3434; email; Tock and Toast links; full “about” text (fall 2012 backyard shed; daughter born 2015; keys to Genessee Royale Bistro July 2018, rehearsal dinner there in 2012; opened December 3, 2018; signed “Chris and Cristin”); Sagebrush as “younger sister”/“our other concept”; outside bar Fri–Sat; Monday burger notes; press logos (Condé Nast Traveler, James Beard Foundation, Vogue, Eater, IN KC, KC Magazine); footer ”© 2026 The Campground, LLC”; no hours published. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  10. Joyce Smith, “Owners of KC’s The Campground will open a craft cocktail bar in a ‘creative community,’” The Kansas City Star, 2023-04-21 (syndicated via Yahoo). Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: Sagebrush at 1639 Southwest Blvd, KCK; Ciesiel and Llewellyn are married; “opening The Campground in 2018 in the former Genessee Royale Bistro building in the West Bottoms”; Ciesiel develops the drink menus. ↩ ↩2

  11. Tyler Shane et al., “The 30 Best Restaurants in Kansas City,” Kansas City Magazine, 2025-01-06. Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: in the Tailleur entry, “Workman was a semifinalist for the James Beard’s Emerging Chef category last year while working at the West Bottom’s The Campground”; The Campground itself is not among the 30. ↩

  12. “Owners of The Campground are opening a new bar alongside a greenhouse,” Kansas City Magazine, 2023-06-12 — as cited in sagebrush-rosedale (retrieved 2026-08-13; not re-retrieved for this page). Confirms: Sagebrush about half the Campground’s size, agave and Mexican rum focus; “kind of what we envisioned The Campground being from day one.” ↩

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On the record — ks.city/registry/the-campground · record updated 2026-08-28