Town-Topic Hamburgers is a local burger joint in Kansas City, Missouri that was established in 1937 by Claude Sparks. When it opened, they sold burgers for 5 cents each, and made $21 on their opening day! This little burger joint seats five at the counter and three at a small window counter. There is also room to stand along another small window counter. There's no hostess, they don't take reservations but they do greet with you warm smiles and welcoming hellos!
I've always wanted to eat at Town-Topic. We pass it on our way to Crown Center or Union Station, when downtown for concerts and theater events, but I've never actually thought of heading down for a causal lunch on the weekends. With it being on my list of 40 Before 40, I made it a priority. I set the date on the calendar and told Joel that over Labor Day weekend, number 24 was going to be checked off the list. He was totally game!
What I loved about Town-Topic is that it's nothing fancy. You are literally hit by the smell of grease as soon as you open the door and you leave wearing Eau de Town-Topic for the remainder of the day! We got the last three seats in the joint and literally made ourselves at home, especially McKinley! He sat on the spinning stool, played cars on the counter and would say "wook at him" as he spun himself around! What I wasn't expecting was an extensive menu! Burgers are grilled and served with grilled onions and pickles. You can add cheese but add your mustard and ketchup at the table. And, they provide a full on breakfast menu that's served all day long. They also sell homemade pies by the slice, as well as whole. Who doesn't love a homemade pie!
Once we finally got seated, situated and familiar with the menu, we ordered. A single cheeseburger for me and a double for Joel. All burgers come with fries, but I had to have a side of onion rings. I am always on the lookout for the best onion ring joint! I ordered a hotdog for McKinley, drinks for all of us and a hand-dipped chocolate shake for me and McKinley to share. Now it was time to wait. And while we waited, we chatted with other diners, continued to play cars with McKinley and made room for other patrons as they waited for a seat or a to-go order. Finally, our order was up!
McKinley dug into his hotdog like I've never seen him eat! Not sure what the difference was, but he devoured it. Their hotdogs are cooked up much like those at Fritz's. Sliced in half, grilled and then served on a hamburger bun. It came with three slices and he ate two! Way to go McKinley! As for the burgers, they were awesome. There was a slight resemblence to those served at Winstead's but bigger. And, you don't get the ambiance at Winstead's that you get a Town-Topic! The fries are super thin and cooked to the perfect crispness. And the onion rings are awesome! The hand-dipped shake was definitely the way to go when ending our meal! McKinley, a huge fan of any shake, down his small cup which left me with a small amount of my own. All in all, it was an amazing experience and totally worth the 16 year wait! And, number 24 has been officially marked off the list!
Here are some photos from our lunch at Town-Topic!
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