Revisit history
Before there was a garden bar, Electric Park was known as the “Coney Island” of Kansas City. Think: rides, dance pavilions, theaters, a bowling alley + skating rink, and even an alligator farm. Walt Disney credited the amusement park as his primary inspiration for Disneyland.
Electric Park was built by the Heim brothers — Joseph, Ferdinand, and Michael — in 1899. They owned Heim Brewing Company in the East Bottoms, which was the largest pre-prohibition brewery in Kansas City. 53,000 people attended the opening of Electric Park in 1907. While you won’t see all 100,000 lights that originally gave the park its name, the area is once again burning bright starting tonight.
Electric Park Garden Bar
Everything that has been done at J. Rieger & Co. pays homage to the people + places that stood there before. The Electric Park Garden Bar is no exception.
“There’s a lot of history here that people don’t realize, and we’re fortunate in this space,” General Manager of Hospitality Sarah James said. “I think it is really important for us to celebrate that and name it Electric Park, and our cocktails and food nod to those old-timey historical elements.”
What to expect
- Opens: Thurs., Oct. 7 at 3 p.m.
- Address: 2700 Guinotte Ave., Kansas City, MO
- Layout: An open-air patio bar with adjoining atrium
- Details: Architectural ties to the initial Electric Park, including the original cobblestone street + greenery highlights
- Additions: A large gazebo, rockers + fire pits
The menu is fair-inspired. You’ll see carnival-like delicacies on the food menu, from corn dogs and sliders to a hot chicken sandwich. Draft cocktails can be turned into sweet treats — like an ice cream float — for $2 more. Plus, there’s snow cones.
Sarah personally recommends the “Café Colada,” similar to a piña colada, but with J. Rieger’s Caffè Amaro. The “Giddy-Up and Draw” features a peanut-infused whiskey + the “Railcar” brings back childhood memories with orange cream soda.
Future plans
J. Rieger will run the Electric Park Garden Bar as it stands through Thanksgiving. They have plans to convert the space into a winter pop-up with more lights and cold weather-themed cocktails through March.
After 2 back-to-back feats — a whiskey launch in August and the garden bar this fall — J. Rieger & Co. isn’t slowing down. While Sarah could not tell KCtoday in much detail what’s next, she did say that drink-lovers can hopefully expect a couple new releases coming off the production line in 2022.
Quiz
