Lawrence restaurant recommendations?
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Gonna watch Villanova game with my son and am in town Fri-Mon. Little help please?
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For pizza, it’s got to be the wheel - with a braided wheat crust. Don’t forget the honey
LaFamilia used to have decent Mexican food, but I think they may have closed a few years back.
For a good steak go somewhere else.
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How about free state brewery… good food
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Jefferson’s for wings … dry rub are the best ones.
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@dylans got to disagree. Pizza=Papa Kenos
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Try 715 Restaurant for more of an upscale dinner. It’s at 7th and Mass. Jefferson’s is the most popular sports bar on Mass, but my family likes 23rd Street Brewery, which is about a mile west of Iowa on 23rd street, Duh. There are many small places to eat on Mass that seem to change frequently, so we just wander along and try a new spot each time we visit Lawrence.
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My favorite restaurant is 23rd street brewery, and it isn’t close.
I’d do Jefferson’s at some point. My favorite pizza is Pyramid. Fuzzy’s is good. Burger Stand (at the Cashbah) is a staple. The original Johnny’s is there, and a fun place to pre-game. Mi Ranchito is decent mexican. Kobe is hibachi.
I personally did not like Freestate, but I probably need to give it another go. I haven’t ate at the 715 restaurant yet, but would like to at some point.
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@Bwag To each their own. I wanted to pick a restaurant specific to Lawrence, not a chain. My mom would choose Pizza Hut. Lol
As far as small chains in the area go I really like Oklahoma Joes, which became Joes more recently. I prefer the original KC location though. It’s just better than Olathe. I don’t know if they have a Lawrence location, but it’s a niche they could fill. I never found barbque in Lawrence that I liked, but I’m sure someone in here has.
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@Kcmatt7 Pyramid is good pizza too. I’ve got a good friend that gets his jugs filled up at Freestate every time he goes back to Lawrence. I thought the food was ok, but not special. He loves the beer though and he owns a bar, so I suppose he’s way more qualified than me on that subject.
There is/was an Italian food place north of walmart south of the dorms that was pretty good. I can’t remember the name- don’t tell my wife I proposed there.
As mentioned above your best bet may be to wander down Mass street and see what smells good. It’s been too long fo me to know unfortunately. I need to get back for a few days myself!!!
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@dylans Yea it’s crazy how many new places open. Or even just move to different locations. Pepperjacks moved off of mass. Buffalo Wild Wings moved. A random weekend to Lawrence is probably overdue. Honestly, there are just so many places that it’s impossible to try them all.
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@Gorilla72 I have no idea how old your son is. But Java break is a fun place to go. It’s a cereal bar and a coffee bar. It’s a cool little place to just kill 30 minutes.
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715, Bon Bon, Limestone Pizza, the Burger Stand for dinner. Ladybird or the Roost for breakfast/brunch. Go Hawks!
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Free State Brewery is good, I love Jefferson’s, The burger stand is really good and Pyramid is good pizza. There prob isn’t a place in Lawrence that I don’t enjoy eating at , we usually go were we can get in especially when a game is that weekend.
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Oh well hell now guys - -how can you leave this out? - -everybody has to try McDonalds lmao - -you all know I’m just messin around - -I have no idea - -I really need to try a lot of these places out myself - -my experience for the majority of the time when I get to go is I eat before I leave Topeka and then Zip right to the game – you all know how I like to screw around and joke when I can - -they all sound good. - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY
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@Kcmatt7 - 39 years old! He’s a fan because he watched games with me when he was a kid (when I used to throw things at the screen and yell). Villanova is his birthday/Christmas present wrapped into one (for the price of these tix!
)
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Gorilla72 said:
@Kcmatt7 - 39 years old! He’s a fan because he watched games with me when he was a kid (when I used to throw things at the screen and yell). Villanova is his birthday/Christmas present wrapped into one (for the price of these tix!
)You mean you don’t still yell - - scream - - and throw things lol. - - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG
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Gorilla72 said:
@Kcmatt7 - 39 years old! He’s a fan because he watched games with me when he was a kid (when I used to throw things at the screen and yell). Villanova is his birthday/Christmas present wrapped into one (for the price of these tix!
)Oh then definitely hit both of the breweries (Freestate and 23rd street) and get flights!
If you like to play darts and are looking for something to do on Friday or Saturday night, LeRoy’s (located on the block behind Mass St.) has free darts and Foosball and not free pool.
For late night food, Burger Stand does $5 Burger and Fries every night after 10 PM.
The Bourgeois Pig is a pretty cool place to just hang out and have a cocktail.
The Bottlekneck looks like they are having an adults only comedy/dance type of show Saturday night. ($7 cover). I have absolutely no idea what to expect with this though lol.
That’s all I got for you. But have fun!! I’m jealous!
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Does nobody like Pizza Shuttle anymore??!!! Their cream-cheese pizza was to die for! (I mean seriously, could give you a heart attack!)
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@FarSideHawk You’re not allowed to eat Pizza Shuttle until after 1:30 AM. Those are the rules.
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Thanks for all the help folks! Last time, we went to the Salty Iguana. There were several ex-players and coaches (but not HCBS) there after the game.
Leaving LAX Friday morning…
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@FarSideHawk Man, where’d you come from? I don’t recall seeing that young Larry Brown avatar for quite a while.
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@FarSideHawk Ha, I drove for Pizza Shuttle one year. Crazy/fun job that destroyed my Chevy Chevette as I tore around Lawrence trying to make as many deliveries as i could to make more money!
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@wissox Oh god a Chevette lmao
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@Gorilla72 I like the Salty Iguana as well but there are a ton of good Mexican restaurants around where I live so it isn’t a top choice for me.
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I like the Salty Iguana. I used to go to the original one in Prairie Villageannow I go to the one in Overland Park. Ibelieve the West Lawrence location is from where Coach Sell does (or did) his weekly radio show. They have a burrito named after him although I prefer the tacos azules.
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Destroyed your Chevette? I though they came that way from the factory.
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@JayHawkFanToo When was Salty Iguana in PV?
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The Prairie Village location is the original location in Corinth Square on Mission and 83rd and has been and is still there since the early 90s. I lived in Prairie Village since the mid-late 80s so I used to go there since it opened until 2000 when I moved to Olathe.
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@JayHawkFanToo I am sure I would have loved it. I left KC in 1982 and my mom moved from PV to OP a few years later.
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@Gorilla72 I live in Lawrence (1990-96/2010-present) and go out to eat a lot… I’ve pretty much tried every place in town. You’ll be comfortable and welcome in any of the local places, so don’t bother with the chains. Here’s my opinion, for what it’s worth:
Set 'em Up Jack’s on the east side (east 23rd) is my favorite sports bar (not many college kids) Great owners. Food is better and more variety on the menu than the other sports bars in town.
Johnny’s West on 6th and Wakarusa (over by salty iguana) is the best pizza if you like thin NY style. Some decent bar food too (burgers/fries/wings/apps etc), but has gone downhill a little bit recently. Minsky’s on Mass St. is good for fancy pizza. Roger Morningstar owns a new york pizza place too out near Johnny’s. Pizza is good, but I’ve only had it delivery. Honestly, any of the pizza places are good. Pizza Shuttle is the king if you need it cheap!
Johnny’s across the river has a different menu than West Johnnys. It smells like it’s been flooded a few times, but it’s OK too, and there’s a neat little bar across the alley called Gaslight Gardens if it’s nice enough to sit outside.
El Mezcal on 23rd near Iowa has the best mexican food, IMO. Some people like El Potro on S. Iowa better. La Familia closed up about three years ago. I personally thought that place was awful, but they had a very loyal clientele!
Breweries: Freestate Brewery… we usually just get whatever the specials are for the day, otherwise it’s basically the same menu they’ve had since they opened. Still solid. Not a good place to watch ball games though. Large/varied beer selection currently, leaning toward IPA’s.
There are a few good things at 23rd Street Brewery food-wise (some killer salads and a righteous turkey club). Three good beers (Bitter Professor, Chrimson Phog, and Wave the Wheat)
There’s a newer brewery – East Lawrence Brewery on Pennsylvania/East 9th which has great, interesting food, but limited menu. Beer is more experimental than the other breweries. Nice hip vibe, but gets crowded on weekends.
Henry T’s is still hanging in there on 6th street. They brew their own beer now which is decent, but the food isn’t the greatest. (Don’t order pizza)
Two new breweries are going to open soon, so I’m looking forward to that!
Downtown Local/Ethnic:
- Thai – Zen Zero on 8th/Mass (kind of a dive)
- Indian-- India Palace 10th St.
- Chinese – Encore
- Farm to Table – Lark A’ Fare (lower level of Town Place Suites hotel on 9th/NH) or 715.
Breakfast–Roost is the biggest place. Lady Bird, Miltons, or Wheatfield’s bakery are good but small and kind of intimate. Big Biscuit out west is OK.
BBQ… Biggs/Beimers/Hawg Wild … passable, but I go to KC for good BBQ.
Hope that helps. I guess I’m hungry! LOL
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@DanR what’s the sandwich place on Vermont?
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Roost closes at 3?
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@DanR All that just off the top of your head? I’m gonna print it out for my future AFH journey next season (first since 1979). Thx!
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@Crimsonorblue22 Hmm… Terrebonne (cajun Po’ Boys)? I actually tried that for the first time last night (their Gumbo and Jambalaya are really good!) Dempseys is the burger place by the post office. Wheatfields bakery has sandwiches too. That’s all I can think of on Vermont.
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mayjay said:
@DanR All that just off the top of your head?
Lawrence is really not a big town! I’ve been here for 14 years x 52 weeks x going out to eat a minimum of 3 times a week = 2,184 restaurant visits. (Sadly, that’s a very low estimate, I’m sure)
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@DanR That reminds me, LaFamilia was pretty good until one of the kids quit in the late nineties. Then it was hit or miss up until it closed. The Mexican food is better here (SW KS), but it better be with 1/2 the local population Mexican.
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@DanR my boys love the shrimp po’ boys. I usually get a club and a bite of theirs. Roost, formerly Milton’s? is a favorite for brunch. I loved the el mez on Wakarusa, we always ate there when I visited, but got really sick at the 23rd street one. We ate at set em up jacks when every place was full, was really good, but kinda far out. Cranky lil kids. Kinda depends what u r hungry for and how long u want to wait. I hate going somewhere and then eat at a chain.
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@DanR terrabonne
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Brunch: Roost and Milton’s are the best. I prefer the former since the family is from my neck of the woods Pizza: Minsky’s, Pizza Shuttle (cream cheese and pepperoni is my jam), or Pyramid (cream cheese and bacon). Wings: Jefferson’s on Mass, or R Bar on 6th has excellent whole smoked wings and good beer specials for the game. Great staff too. Burgers: either Burger Stand or Dempsey’s Beer: Free State, Lawrence Brewing Co, or Merchant (happy hours are incredible, also a really good dinner spot) BBQ: Biemer’s on Iowa. I used to live about 2 minutes from there and it was dangerous.
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-Encore for Chinese on Mass - this came after we moved from Lawrence but is a go to now. Can get a cocktail there too. And you have to check out the bathroom. Make sure you wash your hands (not maybe what you think)
-Papa Keno’s for NY style by the slice with a Free State beer also on Mass (story is this was a business student’s class project creating a business plan and then went and did it)
Free State - good food, good beer.
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All of you are making me feel bad that I am not able to make it back for a game this year.
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Every place y’all mentioned is full to over-flowing. Ended up at the Sandbar.with a bunch of Villanova jerks… uh, folks
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Gorilla72 said:
Every place y’all mentioned is full to over-flowing. Ended up at the Sandbar.with a bunch of Villanova jerks… uh, folks
I love the Sandbar! Weird there’s room for Nova types
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@Gorilla72 Ha I forgot about the sandbar lol, I’m surprised to see any Nova fools showed up. Be loud tomorrow my friend.
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Kcmatt7 said:
@FarSideHawk You’re not allowed to eat Pizza Shuttle until after 1:30 AM. Those are the rules.
Haha! True that, but still I survived on that $3.99 pizza for four years!
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Gorilla72 said:
Every place y’all mentioned is full to over-flowing. Ended up at the Sandbar.with a bunch of Villanova jerks… uh, folks
I don’t want to stereotype, but there were a lot of Villanova jerks in Detroit in 08 and in Louisville in 16…….they couldn’t keep their big mouths shut.
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HighEliteMajor said:
@FarSideHawk Man, where’d you come from? I don’t recall seeing that young Larry Brown avatar for quite a while.
Man, I’ve been on an expat assignment to Dubai for the last couple of years so it’s been hard keeping up with my Jayhawks. Makes up for a lot of really early mornings to watch the games. Still try to come on here once in a while to lurk and especially look for your game post-mortems.
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wissox said:
@FarSideHawk Ha, I drove for Pizza Shuttle one year. Crazy/fun job that destroyed my Chevy Chevette as I tore around Lawrence trying to make as many deliveries as i could to make more money!
Man, I worked in the kitchen for a couple of summers. I believe the summer of 95 and 96. Long hours but fun times.
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FarSideHawk said:
wissox said:
@FarSideHawk Ha, I drove for Pizza Shuttle one year. Crazy/fun job that destroyed my Chevy Chevette as I tore around Lawrence trying to make as many deliveries as i could to make more money!
Man, I worked in the kitchen for a couple of summers. I believe the summer of 95 and 96. Long hours but fun times.
I’ll never forget the ad. 8421212 call us now Pizza Shuttle
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A great pizza shuttle memory was waiting for the phone to ring during the end of game 6 of the 85 series, aka, the Don Dekinger game. Totally dead starting around the 8th inning which I didn’t mind. Don blows the call in the bottom of the 9th, game winning run comes around a couple of batters later, and then the phone started ringing like mad!
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Gorilla72 said:
Every place y’all mentioned is full to over-flowing. Ended up at the Sandbar.with a bunch of Villanova jerks… uh, folks
The Sandbar is usually a ton of fun. Love that place. I took a couple of friends there a couple years ago at around noon for their first trip. There where people dancing on the tables already. Good times had by all!
