Goat & Rabbit

Goat & Rabbit opened in November 2020 at 1804 W 39th Street in Volker, in the space that had been Nomad's Coffee, from brothers Jugal and Atit Patel — who also part-own Dodson's Bar & Commons in Waldo. The name is local history rather than whimsy: the nicknames Goats and Rabbits date to the era of Kansas City's rival political machines, the Rabbit boss Joe Shannon and the Goat boss Tom Pendergast. Jugal Patel set the brief plainly at opening: elevated without being over the top, a staple bar for people who work and play in the 39th Street and Volker areas. It is 21 and over, opens at 4pm midweek and 9am at weekends for brunch, and runs happy hour Monday to Friday from 4pm and all evening on Sundays. Food is minimal — a pub snack mix at $5 — so this is a drinking room rather than a dining one.

The non-alcoholic list is unusually long for a neighbourhood bar, printed under its own heading and running seven drinks. The Pitch, naming it in Best of KC 2025, put the point well: even the mocktails are crafted with the same care, making Goat & Rabbit a spot where non-drinkers aren't left out of the fun. Smedley Gaze ($10) is the most savoury, building Bare Zero Proof gin with fresh cucumber and tomato juice, Thai basil syrup and a Thai chilli tincture. Chaiball ($10) uses Undone's non-alcoholic spiced rum with a local chai concentrate and soda. Petal Talk ($12) layers hibiscus tea steeped with charred cinnamon sticks under a lychee meringue. Dirty Fernot & Coke ($12) is the cleverest of them, using Pathfinder's hemp-and-root spirit with Coke and a plant-based vanilla foam. Night of the Roxberry and Leaves of Three, Let It Be are $10 each. Athletic's Run Wild IPA and a Fritz Müller non-alcoholic sparkling cover beer and wine. One drink needs flagging: Flying Kites ($13) is built on a Climbing Kites sparkling water containing 10mg of THC, so anyone avoiding intoxicants entirely should order around it.