Living in the landlocked Midwest has its pros and cons. While one of the biggest pluses is the amazing people in every city and town, there are things we miss at times. Traveling around North America has allowed us to sample a variety of cuisines and flavors from all corners of the continent. The tastes of New Orleans have become some of our favorites, but one that is rare in our neck of the woods. When a friend clued us in on a new restaurant in downtown KCMO we just had to try it out. KC Daiquiri Shop is located at 1116 Grand Blvd and is bringing the true tastes of New Orleans to our hometown.
We want to thank KC Daiquiri Shop for hosting our visit. Rest assured all opinions are our own.
Playing by the Rules
Even though we are still going through the phases of lockdown, we just had to try this spot out. When we arrived, on a Friday evening, we found that others had already come up with the same idea. The KC Daiquiri Shop is a spin-off from the original startup in Dallas, Texas. Their business model is fairly simple and straight-forward. Serve up authentic Cajun/Creole dishes, toss in a few special features, and dole out amazing daiquiris. As we waited, the appropriate social distance in line, we scanned the menu to see what delightful delicacies we would choose.
Mixing It Up
When our turn arrived, we were giddy with anticipation. The entire menu is filled with entries we have chosen time and again during our visits to New Orleans. Should we have a Po’Boy Sandwich or maybe try one of their custom wraps? I know, let’s get a drink while we decide. Just like in the French Quarter, we found a spot featuring a wall lined with colorful concoctions waiting to be dispensed. Everything from sweet to fruity to strong was awaiting our taste buds. When they told us they have some unique mixes, we decided to sample the Willy Wonka. This baby had plenty of flavors, and a kick that matched.
Tastes of New Orleans
With so many tastes of New Orleans to sample, we couldn’t choose just one. Fortunately, they offer some baskets that gave us an opportunity to sample a variety of their dishes. Even though we were not allowed to dine-in, we still found a table to stage our dishes for some photos. This certainly was a nice change from doing all of the food shots on our dining room table. Once we completed our photoshoot, the staff quickly boxed it all up for our journey home.
Cajun Classics
During my younger days, I spent my summers at my grandparent’s farm in Southeast Kansas. My grandma was well known for her delicious fried foods, which often included fish filets. She liked to add plenty of kick to her crusts since it helped bring depth to the flavors of a dish. As I took a bite of the crunchy filet in my Crispy Cajun Basket, I was drawn back to those days. The addition of popcorn shrimp brought more pleasure to my taste buds, but it was the crispy wings that sealed the deal. These bad boys are amazing and I couldn’t get enough. I believe I have just found my new all-time favorite wing stop.
Bringing the Heat
Crystal has long favored Blackened Chicken for her NOLA-style entree. This is the dish she orders every time we visit Jazz. When she saw it on the menu at KC Daiquiri Shop her choice was a done deal. The basket she chose also included some Blackened Shrimp, which had a real Louisiana bite. Oh yeah, that’s why we got the daiquiri! This combo brought tons of flavor to the table and didn’t last long.
Savory Sides
You can’t have all of those main dishes without adding a couple of sides. Our choices were Red Beans & Rice (on left) and Gumbo. Let’s talk about red beans & rice. We have tried a plethora of variations on this dish, with a wide range of success. The version at KC Daiquiri Shop is as close to perfect as we have ever sampled. The true tastes of New Orleans come through in every bite. It made us wonder if we would end up being let down by the gumbo. No worries there, either. This hearty dish is a well-balanced mix of meat and veggies with the perfect amount of peppers.
Bringing NOLA to KC
Now we know the photo above is from NOLA, but this is how we felt after dining on the dishes from KC Daiquiri Shop. It is rare to find a place that can take regional flavors and transport them hundreds of miles away. This place has certainly done a bang-up job of bringing the tastes of New Orleans to Kansas City. You can be certain that this will become a regular stop for us when we are craving the spicy kick of some Cajun classics. Besides, a colorful daiquiri really hits the spot on a hot day.
Wow, I just wonder when we can ever go back to New Orleans, missing all that gumbo, crispy Cajun and even blackened stuff. But not the drinks, I don’t drink. Good you have this in KC.
The flavors of New Orleans definitely have a way of drawing you back tie after time.
WOw, very cool and the flavors look really delicious, sad that even the staff their aren’t wearing face masks during this pandemic
This visit was early into the whole pandemic, so the issue of the mask was still on the fence at that time. I’m sure things have changed since then.
I love Cajun cuisine so was salivating while I read your post. What I want to know is when is a KC Daiquiri Shop coming to my home town?
I’m not sure how quickly this business will spread. It seems to be the kind of operation that works best in a singular fashion. I guess you will have to Kansas City to experience it.
Yum. My mouth is watering now for blackened chicken or shrimp. What am amazing selection of daiquiris!
It’s hard to pass up such mouth-watering dishes.
What a neat idea! Looks like a great respite from quarantine fatigue!
Absolutely! While we have had to forego dining at restaurants, we can still enjoy the various dishes on a at-home basis.
I really shouldn’t be reading posts like this while we’re still staying away from restaurants here in Arizona due to Covid. How delicious everything at KC Daiquiri Shop looks! Also a nice pic of you two. Thanks for the KC dining tip.
Hopefully, you will be back in the swing of visiting sooner than later. Until then, we will keep up our delicious explorations.
I haven’t been to New Orleans in decades…and have never visited Kansas City! Nice that you can get a taste of NOLA in your city! I especially love gumbo and jambalaya, but can’t do real spicy dishes. Enjoy!
Perhaps someday you will have an opportunity to visit our hometown. We know you’d find some interesting sites to see.
I’m still hoping to get to New Orleans this year – the daiquiri is an added temptation!
We are too, but playing it by ear for now.
I love when a restaurant is able to transport you to a destination with their food. Tastes of New Orleans appears to have done just that for you in Kansas City. And all those daiquiri flavors are so fun!
I know! Isn’t that some of the best experiences a diner can have? We love discovering these kinds of hidden gems.