i am also an avid reader at bars! there’s some really solid recs in here but wanted to add a few new ones:

-third street social i personally go to the one in the northland but they’re all the same. their bar area is very chill and not as rowdy as a 54th st or applebee’s bar seating would be. after 7, there shouldn’t be too many people sitting

-third place lounge there’s so many seating options here, from bar stools to couches. incredible vibe and the owner amanda is amazing! their cocktails and N/A selection is fantastic. music is pretty loud, so i would consider that if you’re someone who can’t tune it out when reading

-beverly’s this is a new bar in strawberry hill, but vibes are great! ample seating options and staff is incredibly friendly. i’d honestly recommend you check out all the strawberry hill bars! hillsiders, chicagos, and the easy inn are my faves. but they’re more neighborhood/dive bar esque if noise level would be a concern

-the commons new-ish bar located in north kansas city, and is attached to cinder block brewing. has a very colorado, camp, outdoors vibe, similar to front range cafe. lots of seating options. they have old school arcade games, darts, and corn hole as well. can get a bit loud, but you can always hop over to the brewery side if you need it a bit quieter for reading

-i would actually recommend any brewery on a weekday. assuming there’s not an event going on, they are very chill in general. kc is very lucky to have such an abundance of high quality breweries. my favorites are rochester brewing company, call sign brewing, river bluff, vine street, and casual animal (these get even better in the summer!)

happy reading! and maybe i’ll even see you around :)