The Peanut

The Peanut is Kansas City’s oldest bar and grill — a 1933 Plaza-adjacent tavern on Main Street, locally owned by the Kenny family since 1981, famous for messy whole buffalo wings and a celebrated BLT, and open late (grill to midnight, bar to ~1:30 AM) across a homegrown metro footprint.

Locations

Address	Neighborhood	Status
5000 Main St, Kansas City, MO 64112 (original) 1	Plaza / Main Street	Open
418 W 9th St, Kansas City, MO 64105 2	Downtown / Library District	Open
6409 N Cosby Ave, Kansas City, MO 64151 3	Northland	Open
12921 State Line Rd, Kansas City, MO 64145 3	South KC / State Line	Open
140 Cedar Tree Square, Belton, MO 64012 3	Belton	Open
5400 Martway St, Mission, KS 66205 3	Mission, KS	Open
12663 Metcalf Ave, Overland Park, KS 66209 3	Overland Park (127th)	Open
7938 Santa Fe Dr, Overland Park, KS 66204 3	Overland Park (downtown)	Open
1731 S Mur-Len Rd, Olathe, KS 66062 3	Olathe, KS	Open

Note: the two original Missouri houses (Main St and Downtown) are run by the founding Kenny family under peanutkc.com. The wider metro footprint (Northland, State Line, Belton, and the Kansas locations) is operated under an affiliated “The Peanut” group via peanutmidwest.com. Exact corporate relationship between the two ownership groups; both trade under the same brand and menu.

Description

The Peanut is widely regarded as Kansas City’s oldest continuously operating bar and grill, tracing to a 1933 tavern at 5000 Main Street. ⁴ The original is a small, dim, beloved dive on the edge of the Country Club Plaza / Main Street corridor; it is said to hold one of the oldest continuous liquor licenses in the city and is rumored to have operated as a speakeasy before Prohibition’s repeal in December 1933. ⁴

The kitchen is small and the menu is short, but two items carry the reputation: the buffalo wings — served whole, drumstick and flat still attached, in a pool of thick neon-orange sauce that Business Insider once dubbed among “the messiest buffalo chicken wings” — and a much-praised BLT. ⁵ The Peanut is a quintessential late-night KC stop: at the flagship the grill runs to midnight and the bar to roughly 1:30 AM, with the Kansas locations’ bars running to 2 AM. ⁶

Ownership and history

Louis and Eula D. Stone opened the tavern in 1933, first as “Plaza Buffet and Bar-B-Q” before it became The Peanut Barbecue. ⁴ After the Stones died in 1966, the business passed to Eula’s brother, Bill McKenzie, who carried on the barbecue and the popular “Big Boy” sandwich. ⁷ The Kenny family has owned The Peanut since 1981 and operates the two original Missouri houses (Main Street and Downtown) under The Original Peanut brand. ⁷ Over the following decades the brand expanded across the metro into a homegrown small chain of roughly eight to nine locations on both sides of the state line. ³

Menu

Last verified: 2026-06-17 · Source: The Original Peanut (official site, Main Street location menu) · URL(s): http://www.peanutkc.com/menu-info-menu/ · Confidence: High

Reflects the flagship/original Main Street menu. The metro affiliate group (peanutmidwest.com) carries the same core items with a slightly broader sports-bar lineup; this section documents the original concept. Prices are from the official Main Street menu as of June 2026 and may vary by location/over time.

Signatures

• Buffalo Chicken Wings — the house signature: whole wings (drumstick and flat still attached), lightly breaded and fried to order, then tossed in a thick from-scratch neon-orange sauce; served with homemade bleu cheese. Business Insider once called them among “the messiest buffalo chicken wings.” Dozen $30 · Half dozen $15.⁸⁵
• Single BLT — the celebrated original: bacon with cheddar, black pepper, red onions, lettuce, tomato and mayo on toasted whole wheat; served with chips and pickles. $10.00.⁸⁵
• Triple BLT — “our famous Single, just BIGGER.” $13.00.⁸

Wing baskets

• 3 Wings & Fries — $11.00.⁸
• 3 Wings & Cheese Fries — $12.00.⁸
• 3 Wings & Chili Cheese Fries — $13.00.⁸
• 3 Wings & Side Salad — with homemade bleu cheese dressing. $13.00.⁸

Sandwiches (served with chips & pickles)

• Reuben — corned beef, kraut, 1000 island and swiss on pumpernickel. $11.00.⁸
• Burger — pure ground beef, cooked to order ($11.00); with bacon $12.50.⁸
• Pork Tenderloin — $10.00.⁸
• Turkey — swiss and cream cheese, lettuce, tomato, green onion on pumpernickel. $9.00.⁸
• Tuna Salad Sandwich — $9.00.⁸
• Grilled Cheese — swiss and cheddar ($7.00); with bacon $8.50.⁸
• Hot Dawg / Chili Dawg — 1/4-lb Fritz’s all-beef hot dog ($8.00); chili dawg with homemade chili $12.50.⁸

Appetizers & shareables

• Nachos — cheese $8.00; meat $12.00; chicken $13.00; supreme $12.00; chili cheese $12.00.⁸
• Chips & Homemade Salsa — $4.00; add queso $6.00; add queso & meat $8.50.⁸

Sides, salads & chili

• Fries — French $6.00; cheese $7.00; chili cheese $12.00 (full orders).⁸
• Side Salad — romaine, cheddar, tomatoes, red onions ($4.50); add chicken $7.75, bacon $5.00.⁸
• Taco Salad — tortilla chips, taco meat, cheddar, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, homemade salsa. $8.00.⁸
• Homemade Chili — bowl loaded with beef and veggies, served with crackers. $8.00.⁸

Sunday brunch (10 AM–noon)

• Spicy Eggs ($8.50), French Toast ($8.00), Eggs Benedict on Wolferman’s english muffins ($11.00).⁸

Links

• The Original Peanut (Main + Downtown): https://www.peanutkc.com/
• The Peanut (metro group): https://peanutmidwest.com/
• Main Street menu: http://www.peanutkc.com/menu-info-menu/

Sources

• Status verified active 2026-06-23 via The Original Peanut official site and Yelp (updated June 2026). Original at 5000 Main St, KC, MO 64112 confirmed open; Melinda Kenny continues as owner (since 1981). Brand reaffirmed as multi-location (three MO + five KS houses) across the Original/peanutkc.com and metro/peanutmidwest.com groups; corporate relationship between the two groups remains.

Disputes

• None recorded. Open question (not a dispute): exact corporate/franchise relationship between the founding Kenny-family original houses and the broader metro “The Peanut” group.

Footnotes

1. Yelp, “The Peanut — 5000 Main St” (Updated June 2026, 270+ reviews, ~4.4) — https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-peanut-kansas-city-2 — and Tripadvisor, “The Peanut, Kansas City, 5000 Main St” — https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g44535-d2525886-Reviews-The_Peanut-Kansas_City_Missouri.html — asserts: original location open and active as of June 2026 with current reviews; address 5000 Main St, Kansas City, MO 64112; phone (816) 753-9499. ↩

2. The Original Peanut, Downtown location menu/info — http://www.peanutkc.com/downtown-location-menu/ — asserts: 418 W 9th St, Kansas City, MO 64105; Mon–Sat 11:00 AM–1:30 AM, Sun 10:00 AM–midnight; grill Mon–Sat to ~1:00 AM. ↩

3. The Peanut metro group, Locations page — https://peanutmidwest.com/mission-the-peanut-mission-locations — asserts: metro locations and addresses: 6409 N Cosby Ave (KC/Northland), 12921 State Line Rd (KC), 140 Cedar Tree Square (Belton), 5400 Martway St (Mission KS), 12663 Metcalf Ave (Overland Park), 7938 Santa Fe Dr (Overland Park), 1731 S Mur-Len Rd (Olathe); kitchens to 10–11 PM, bars to 1:30–2:00 AM. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

4. Andrea Broomfield, “A Bar That Also Cares about the Food: The Peanut, 1933–” — http://www.andreabroomfield.com/2022/02/a-bar-that-also-cares-about-food-peanut.html — asserts: Louis and Eula D. Stone opened the tavern in 1933 (first “Plaza Buffet and Bar-B-Q,” then “The Peanut Barbecue”); operated as a speakeasy before December 1933 Prohibition repeal; thought to be among KC’s oldest bar and grills with one of the oldest continual liquor licenses. ↩ ↩² ↩³

5. Kansas City Star / Yahoo coverage and Feast Magazine, “For one of Kansas City’s best BLTs, head to the original Peanut location on Main” — https://www.feastmagazine.com/travel/kansas-city/for-one-of-kansas-citys-best-blts-head-to-the-original-peanut-location-on-main/article_e086a0c4-95b9-11ec-9ca9-0bf868b97186.html — asserts: signature whole buffalo wings (drumstick + flat attached, thick neon-orange sauce; Business Insider “messiest buffalo chicken wings”); celebrated BLT; short bar-food menu. ↩ ↩² ↩³

6. The Original Peanut, Main Street location menu/info — http://www.peanutkc.com/menu-info-menu/ — asserts: Mon–Sat 11:00 AM–1:30 AM, Sun 10:00 AM–midnight; grill Mon–Sat 11:00 AM–midnight, Sun 10:00 AM–11:00 PM. ↩

7. Andrea Broomfield (as above) and Yahoo/Kansas City Star, “The Peanut has been a KC go-to for nearly a century” — https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/peanut-kc-nearly-century-stood-203755917.html — asserts: after the Stones died in 1966 the business passed to Eula’s brother Bill McKenzie (Big Boy sandwich); the Kenny family has owned The Peanut since 1981. ↩ ↩²

8. The Original Peanut, Main Street location menu — http://www.peanutkc.com/menu-info-menu/ (accessed 2026-06-17) — asserts: full current menu. Buffalo Chicken Wings (dozen $30 / half $15; wing-and-fries baskets $11–$13 with homemade bleu cheese); Single BLT $10 (cheddar, black pepper, red onions, lettuce, tomato, mayo on toasted whole wheat) and Triple BLT $13; sandwiches (Reuben $11, burger $11/$12.50, pork tenderloin $10, turkey $9, tuna $9, grilled cheese $7, Fritz’s hot dog $8 / chili dawg $12.50); nachos $8–$13; chips & salsa $4–$8.50; fries $6–$12; side/taco salads; homemade chili bowl $8; Sunday brunch (spicy eggs, French toast, eggs Benedict). Sandwiches served with chips & pickles. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹