Town Topic Hamburgers

We were in KC for an appointment, and decided to eat before heading home. Found this place on 19th and Baltimore on Google Maps with 4.5 stars. I had a cheese burger and fries, he had a pork tender and O-rings. Both were excellent! Our server was friendly and just HAPPY! We really enjoyed the food, service and diner atmosphere.

Been to the other town topic on Broadway but I've never been to the other one down the street. It was so much easier to access go to sit at the counter without any hassle or struggle to get through a crowd. I recommend this one. I'm not a breakfast fan but I've been having a hinkering for it lately because of my boys, this sandwich is the best breakfast sandwich I've ever had. I don't know if that's just because I'm not used to breakfast or what but man it was great.

Authentic food & great customer service. The chili coney dog was delicious. My daughter loved her huge fluffy pancake as well.

This is the best diner I have been to in years! Hole in the wall. Small. But great folks and amazing food! Come for the ambience of an old time diner!!!

Staff is super friendly! If you looking for some comfort food this place is a must.

Very cool old classic diner not about fancy menu or a fancy place a relaxing sit down place to enjoy a great burger.

Absolutely adore this place! We've been here twice now, for breakfast, and it's fantastic! If you enjoy the hole-in-the-wall type places, this is great! There's a full menu all day! You can get Chili and a cinnamon roll for breakfast if you want! Everyone is SO nice and friendly and the food is delicious! Burgers, omelets, it's all good! The pie is so good too! This time I had the Patty Melt with bacon and an egg. Omg! So good! Also, if you enjoy classic rock, the music here is awesome! The lady in the pic with me is super sweet, makes sure your cup is never empty and makes the pies. Love her! Yes, its small, but we love that. Even with the music, the loudest thing you ever hear is laughter, and there are two small, 2 person booths perfect for a date! And finally, if you notice, the staff is on a first name basis with so many customers! I recognized one guy and told him he was there the last time we were there too, and he said he goes there everyday. We drive 40 minutes to get there and will continue to do so! It's THAT Good!

Took my mother for a breakfast date. She had never been to this location. We had always ordered to-go and taken to her. But the server and the cook were amazing to us, and she loved her visit! Thank you so much for putting a smile on my beautiful mom and I. We will definitely be back!

This old school late night burger joint sure hits the spot after a night at the club. The line was at least five deep when I found this 24 joint. Sampled the cheeseburger, onion rings and the hot dog with chili and cheese. The burger was thin and delicious, cooked on a flat top. Onion rings were large and generous. The big surprise was the hot dog sandwich. Served with at least two or more split top hot dogs the smothered in chili with beans and American cheese. It was huge and more than enough for two. I was expecting a Detroit style chili dog but hey that's why I try hot dogs everywhere I go, you never know what you're going to get. I added this place because I hope to come back!

A true 5 star rating earned here. A Kansas City icon, this location is consistent in service, cooking exactly to order and cleanliness. Hash Browns are always cooked correctly here (primary reason I hit this place every chance I get). Brown/crisp on outside and tender cooked properly on the inside (not under or over cooked on inside). Eggs are the same way.. consistency if you ask for over easy/medium and if you want egg whites cooked and yoke runny - they nail it. I know... big deal right? When you consider that 8/10 restaurants can't execute this - it is a big deal. At $10-$20 / breakfast don't we deserve it be cooked how we order? This place is a sure thing for breakfast and their burgers are excellent also. I moved out of state 5 years ago... and every visit to family in KC, Town Topic is in the list along with Joe's, Jack Stack, Gates and Dixon's Chili PS. The service is consistently exceptional here.

I needed some late night food after a long night in the Er nephew broke his fingers in a basketball game. He needed food late night found this place! I've heard about it was my first time trying! Really fun vibe waiting in line with all the different people. Great burger with grilled onions and I love that they use good buns! I did the happy dance when I tasted the tater tots! The staff kept the line moving and they had that rhythm going with the cooking it was fun to watch! I will keep this in mind next time I'm out late!

Delicious food. Very old school burger shop vibe which is what drew us in for lunch. Friendly service, although the worker started to mop around us while we were eating and the smell of the cleaning product was a bit over powering and hard to eat while smelling.

Very very very very very very very very super duper super Amazing/good! Six Stars if I could. Burgers were heavenly. Nice people/service. Chili was so so so so so so good. Shockingly cheap. If I could pick one restaurant to eat for the rest of my life, this would be it. I love love love love love love the food so so so so so so so so so so much. I love it.

I was told by my co-workers that are Kansas City natives that I just had to go eat here because it was legendary and so great. My boyfriend, who is also not a KC local, and I don't understand the local fascination. It was a really tight space, there were flies flying around everywhere, there wasn't a hair net on anyone in the kitchen and there was a lot of hair, and the cheese wasn't melted well on the chili cheese fries (you can literally see the separation of the different pieces of cheese in the photos I'm providing). 2 stars because the food was edible and the service was nice and quick. I was completely sober during my experience, so it's possible that this is a great after midnight, starving and drunk type of place to eat.

If you like old school, nostalgic, total dive joints, then this place is for you. Food is great, served hot by nice friendly people. Extensive menu with all the favorites - burgers, dogs, grill cheese, chili, pie, milk shakes, including breakfast. All served up fresh 24 hours a day. Are you kidding me. A must go for a bit of the past around since 1937. WOW!!!

I arrived at the Broadway location about 12:45 to meet a friend of mine from high school he offered to buy me a burger and I was very rudely asked to leave and told that the police were called now I hadn't been there for longer than 5 minutes nor had I bothered ANYONE the employees were nasty to us we will NEVER GO BACK even if it's the only place open late! They need to learn manners!!

Better off passing this cafe up on a busy night, they fail on putting out nutritious quality food but if your drunk an intoxicated you probably eat the food.

A staple of Kansas City and a place I tell people to stop by when visiting the city. This is your classic diner. A place where you'll see the old gentleman drinking his morning coffee, a young couple on a first date, or a busy professional just stopping in for pie. Town-topic is everything you want in a diner. Tasty food including top notch pie and coffee, a staff you can chat with, and a place for those little memories. There's a reason it's been around since the 1930s.

We're in town for a wedding and found ourselves lucky enough to be staying at a hotel that is right next to Town-Topic. This place is the perfect late-night burger joint, post cocktails AND it's the perfect hangover cure for next day breakfast. Our breakfast crew who served us this AM were so welcoming, friendly and made us feel right at home! So grateful for good service, good food, and GREAT pricing!!

As usual, my Town Topic burger, onion rings, and strawberry malt were wonderfully delicious. It is always such a treat when I'm in that area of KC!!!

Soooo... I am from St. Louis and consider myself a diner snob but this place is perfect. Counter only service. You can order from the menu over the back wall or from quick menu with highlights. Excellent and friendly service at 8 on a Saturday morning. Food was really good and well prepared. Staff was entirely Latino but customers ran the gamut. Quick Service and food prepared lovingly at a griddle in Front of you. Crisp hash browns and brewed iced tea. I could not have had a better experience. Don't come here for a kale omelette. Real food for real People. I had the Haystack!

Where do I start! Came in for breakfast before heading to the Mecum show. This place is a old and the food was AMAZING! We all orders the 1,2,3 Bacon, eggs and one HUGE pancake. Coffee was endless and great. Our waitress was the cutest little thing! She took care of the whole little restaurant all by herself and so a great tending to all of us. Don't miss out on this hidden little gem of a breakfast place! Sorry about the half eaten pancake.. it was that good!

Stopped here for breakfast on my first day living in KCMO. This was amazing!! We, my fiancé and I, ordered at a nice little window that sits facing the street and waited about 15 minutes for our food. When I say it was worth every second of our wait I am not exaggerating. My three egg omelet with bacon was the perfect size and filled me up for my busy day. The hash brown was perfectly darkened so it was crunchy on the outside but soft delicious potato in the inside. We both got wheat toast on the side and it was really good. Not just the run of the mill wheat this has the oats on the crust and is one of my favorite types of wheat toast. My fiancé got the Truckstop Omelet which has four eggs and has the eggs and hash brown combined into one item. It was large enough that she had to take home half of it for leftovers. The meals filled us both to an enjoyable level. For the 30$ we spent on the meal and drinks it was totally worth it and will be getting a return visit from the two of us. Thank you for an amazing first breakfast in KCMO.

The burgers were really thin but the grilled onions were delish. Probably wouldn't go back. The chili was delicious. Wish they offered smaller portions as a cup

God dang this place is trash. Are you literally high for giving it 5 stars? That's the only probable way it earned that. The burger was worse than a Texan describes in-n-out, the tots were a soggy mess and the pecan pie has tons of jelly but not much pecan or crust. Overall a really disappointing experience after seeing all the reviews raving about it. I suspect they're high when they tasted it because even half drunk this was trash

I've heard for years about Town Topic and its diner burgers and bites, talked about trying it a 1,000 times, but never made the journey out of the burbs to check it out. So, while working downtown for one of my clients and strolling the Crossroads during lunch, I came across the classic Town Topic sign and immediately knew this was my chance. One might think you would go for the burger that everyone talks about so much, seeing for yourself what all the rage is, but I had a chili cheese dog with tots calling my name and opted to order it instead. Sometimes you just have to call a menu audible at the last second. The service was fast and friendly, and my Coney Dog arrived in just a few minutes. At first, I was instantly disappointed. I'm picky about my dogs. One should have certain expectations about their chili cheese dogs. First, it should never be on a hamburger bun - it's a hotdog! I was expecting a chili cheese dog on a hot dog bun. Second, it should never be split in half. After the age of 5 nobody should cut your food but you - until you reach the age of 90 - then others cutting up your meal is acceptable again. Third, the bun should never sit on top of the chili, in the chili, or be drenched in chili. Town Topic committed all of these infractions! It was going to be messy, hard to eat, soggy and a total colossal fail. I was devastated, but prepared myself for the first bite. Ok, it was fricken amazing! I clearly don't know what the hell I'm talking about. Please ignore all of the above and go on about your day. Cheers!

Never been more sick in my life after eating here on a busy night. Violently threw up the food the next day and it ended me up in the hospital.

Simple 24 hour diner on the corner of Baltimore in the power and light district. Super small diner but it seems to have its own set of regulars. they take cash or credit card. I was a little shocked when my hotdog came on a hamburger bun ,it was messy but it was still good. Appears they use Wonder Bread and that alone you can never go wrong.

Made a stop here one night with the husband to get some yummy greasy burgers.. boy did it not disappoint! We got the double cheeseburgers with chili cheese fries and took them home since we are close by. Everything was great. The restaurant inside is really small, with very few seats available so when we do eat here we tend to always get it to go. It's not gourmet but it will definitely satisfy that greasy burger craving!

TT is a must have for late night food and breakfast! If you are downtown or in the crossroads you have to stop. It's definitely a KC staple and total greasy spoon vibe. Don't expect healthy options here. Burgers and onion rings always hit the spot if you are looking for a late night option. They also have pie by the slice which is random, but awesome. I have never had their shakes or malts but have heard they are great. For breakfast they have a lot of platters and combos. Very large portions so come hungry! The Haystack sandwich might be the best hangover food. All their platters are cooked to order. I love TT because you always know what you're going to get.

Stumbled upon this place while passing through the area. It was amazing. If I could give more stars, I would. I had the double cheeseburger and the onions rings & I might make the trip back to KC for them again. The food was amazing, & not very expensive. The service was great & I enjoyed the experience of a small, local hamburger joint. The ice cream in the float was some of the best I've had. Plus, it's been around for 75+ years!

Walking into Town Topic is like entering a time machine back to the golden days of diners and fast food joints that cooked everything to order in a flash. As a native Kansas Citian it seemed like a crime that I'd never been to town topic, so on a cold January afternoon I made my pilgrimage. The space is very small so I sat at the bar, and was thankful for a seat. Truthfully it would be less stressful to get your food to go as I was constantly elbowed by patrons unaware of their own space, as they tried to order to go at the bar. I was there for the experience though so I ordered a double cheeseburger with a side of onion rings. I have to tell you that as far as diner burgers go this really was divine. It hits the spot for a classic, greasy, cheesy, burger - and I enjoyed every bite. The onion rings were also classically crisp. I left smelling of onions and grilled beef (which I'm sure my office loved), and felt more full than I had in months. Bottom line: if you want a local diner style burger with all the classic fixings and sides, this is your place! It's not healthy and it doesn't care!

Loved this place, definitely coming back for that sweet onion taste on that Kansas City burger

Was the diner we were looking for! Breakfast was perfect. Bacon, eggs, omelets, french toast and pancakes were all great! Super friendly service - cups were never empty. Great start to the day.

Town Topic has been a very iconic place for many years around KCMO. Definitely worth the visit for sum early breakfast or a burger for lunch.

This place is the talk of the town! When I first moved to KC (3 years ago) everyone said this is where I needed to go! I finally went and it was good! I feel like it's a really perfect late night burger. Head to crossroads for First Friday's then hit up Town Topic! But beware, it's a very small space. And when you leave you smell of grease, but isn't that how you know you're getting a good burger??

This is one KC hype that I won't even pretend to understand. Perhaps I came at the wrong time ( 9 PM and a sign on the door that said No Breakfast) or perhaps I should have had a few drinks before stepping inside so the food would taste better, but I whatever they put in my bag was more expensive, of smaller portion, and of lower quality than McDonald's. The ladies behind the counter were lovely. Perhaps if I were 80 yrs. old and had been living in KC for all those years, this place might be sentimental. My paper-thin cheeseburger and small handful of fries did not sit well, though.

Ok, so you're out late drinking and having a grand ole time with your friends and you're getting hungry. So you want a fresh burger or maybe you want some fresh breakfast. Well guess what, you can get both at this joint. It's small inside so get your food to go. Oh they have awesome shakes too. My favorite is the truck stop. Trust me, you'll never go wrong with that choice!!!

It's nice to know some things don't change. Their greasy, flavorful cheeseburgers are a classic taste from days gone by. The french fries don't disappoint either. I had the double cheeseburger and it was great. Plenty of fries in the side order and a soft drink made for a good meal on our way to the theater. The price was reasonable. Of course the challenge with Town Topic is the seating. There are a few bar stools at the counter and if you're lucky enough to snag one of them, you're in business. The stools facing the window on the street seemed to be an afterthought & they're not really positioned to be comfortable to eat at the ledge. Service was friendly enough considering they were busy with people waiting to get a spot. Town Topic is a Kansas City classic and they consistently serve up good food.

Diner dive. Great prices. Totally local. Must find for anyone who visits or lives in Kansas City.

Cool hole in the wall in the middle of KC with johnny-on-the-spot service. Do yourself a favor and get the tots over fries, !

Not from KC. I try to avoid it as much as I can . RN4L! However, I'd definitely eat here many times over. Good job, and awesome staff.

Town Topic, the delicious late night drunk tank of KC. We walked in to a jam-packed, cozy Town Topic after some drinks over at Green Lady Lounge. I counted two people who were asleep at the counters, one having trouble standing, and one with an incredible, zen-like focus on their tater tots. Town Topic is a fun staple of KC, and one that I'd recommend everyone make the trip to at least once a year. Whether you're cabbing it there after hours, or just want a good, classic diner breakfast, they always deliver the goods. [Side note, they just brought home an award from the health dept. for being so clean and on the ball!] I had a single cheeseburger and some onion rings this time around, and as always, it was solid. While Town Topic is a classic option, I can't rave about it as much as Winstead's on the Plaza which is by far and away my favorite late night burger stop, or really one of my favorite burger spots anytime. One more thing - we passed on the milkshake this time around, but they are the real deal. The crew has the old fashioned milkshake machines and makes them by hand.

I got the single cheeseburger and tots...burger was a 4...tots, I give a 2. The burger was great; skinny patty, with cheese and grilled onions. The tots...they didn't really seem like tots. I mean, they were shaped like tots, but the color and taste was just totally off. My better half got a triple burger (fatty) and a sausage and egg sammich, which btw, was SOLID. Such a simple breakfast item, yet so delicious. We got here around 12:15am and it was absolutely packed! Wall to wall with people and no clear indication of where the line started or where it ended. It took us about 35 minutes to get our food. Tip - call your order in ahead of time, it'll save you a LOT of time. This place is about the size of a closet and seating is EXTREMELY limited. A few bar stools scattered along the wall and counter but you will be cozying up to the drunkies making there way to place an order. A plus - free waters in large styrofoam cups for all those said drunkies stumbling in during the wee hours of the morning. Again, stay away from those odd looking "tots"...

Simple classic diner fare. No frills greasy burgers. KC icon. I like getting the double cheeseburger with grilled onions and pickles. It is a messy, but delicious burger. This place is definitely worth a visit.

Good old fashioned hamburgers. Some of the best onion rings I've had in a long time.

I love Town Topic. I've actually never ordered a burger here, as I typically get a breakfast sandwich. With onion rings. And a chocolate malt. I love the Crossroads but late night eats can be challenging to find. Town Topic never disappoints. You never know who you're going to run into, typically the folks working are friendly and direct, and service is as efficient as it can be at 2 am, oftentimes with unruly costumers. Because it's inexpensive, reliable, and good, I definitly think TT is worth 5 stars.

The only thing keeping this from a one star is that it's a "KC Classic". I imagined it being some type of a culinary time machine back to the 1930s. I grew up hearing that food was always better back in the good ole days. But if this is what food was like my grandparents are liars. People: I have never had an enjoyable experience with the staff here. Multiple times I have dealt with strung-out, ill tempered waitress who does everything but flat out tell me that they hate that I am in front of them. I get it - it would kind of suck working here - the whole place is about the size of a bathroom stall, it's hot as hell even in the winter because you're basically standing in the grill, and you deal with annoying drunks. But at least put on a fake smile. The last time I was in the lady taking orders was openly hostile to customers and right before we left got into a verbal altercation with one. No one in there was comfortable after that. The late hours attract an equally frustrating crowd on the other side of the counter. Grown men and women who can barely stand or talk enough to order. Product: Sub par. Small hamburgers, fries without taste, and anything that has cheese on it including the chili cheese fries just had American cheese slices on it. If you take it for what it is, a destination in a old-timey building you might find the food suitable. I on the other hand was told it was one of the best burgers in KC. Probably not. Place: I actually liked the setting and I like that it's open late. There's approximately 2-1/2 seats in the place. So go with the assumption you're getting the food to go and then be pleasantly surprised when you find seats to eat at the counter or window. It can get extremely hot and load in the place even on cold days. If you're not okay with standing elbow to elbow with people while having the person-behind-you's crouch smashed into you then don't come there between 10pm and 3am. The place is definitely a dive and parking can be shoddy. Best time to come is early or mid morning.

Not only is the food amazing but the experience alone is worth stopping by this burger joint. I had a double cheeseburger with fries and a root beer float but there are a lot of options that the whole family would enjoy. Everything is made fresh and right in front of you. Very fast, we waited for 6 minutes at the most for our food. This is a great place to step in and grab a quick bite to eat. However, there are not a lot of places to sit in the restaurant so if you just want to stop in and get something to go that would be your best option. Also if you decide to sit and eat in the restaurant your clothes will smell like a burger joint. Not saying that is good or bad, just saying you might want to consider that if you are planning on meeting with someone important afterwards. The prices were very reasonable for a burger and fries. Actually I believe it is pretty cheap for the price of a burger that good. Bottom line is that you need to stop by if you're ever in Kansas City!

Only getting 1Star because you can't give negative. The food was great, as usual. Finally tried the Haystack, awesome!!! Poor rating is solely due to the service. The woman/server in the picture is rude to everyone every time I am there, which is why I usually go out of my way to go to the Broadway location. I ordered the onion rings and was brought out 8 TINY onion rings, it was about 1/2 the size of a normal order. I asked her for a few more and she went off on me saying that they were normal size, cursed at me to the cook in spanish (ps...make sure people don't understand the language you're talking about them in before doing so. when i told her, in Spanish, i understood her, she started to whisper) because I asked for a regular sized order. I told her fine, take these back, I don't want them. Then as I handed the plate to her she said because while holding the plate of these tiny onion rings handing them to her 1 ring hit my finger. Therefore, since it now touched my finger she is gling to charge me for the order, because I touched one. Oh, also tried to order chili (overpriced but the main reason I wen because it so good!) her response was "it's not ready yet", mind you they just opened 20 minutes prior. I ssed when it's be ready and she said "1 hour, god, we did just open". Precisely, you should have the food ready when you open! Or at least be nice about it. Any who, if you go to town topic, and she is working, RUNNNNNNN! Just go to the one on Broadway. I took my food to go and left. First time in life I've not tipped.

As no frills as it gets. A KC favorite that makes you feel like you are transported to another era. No mango guava salsa or mint chutney korean street tacos here. The waitstaff has prison tattoos, not man buns. They all were working really hard and were attentive to all the customers. It's a great place to see the whole mix of KC come through from the wealthy old couple in the Jaguar to the blue collar working guys grabbing a quick lunch. The food wasn't fantastic, but the old fashioned lunch counter makes up for it.

Most of the Town Topic reviews are about how great it is to go there after a night at the bars, and it is great!! Who doesn't love an onion-y burger and tots at 2:00 AM?? But I'm writing this review to say there is something else great about Town Topic, breakfast. And since I usually don't have have time before work, I'm really talking about "Breakfast for Lunch", perhaps the best breakfast next to "Breakfast for Dinner". Wait, does that make sense? Never mind. Oh well, my point is getting breakfast for lunch at Town Topic is a truly great thing!

I didn't grow up in KC, so this place doesn't automatically win a place in my heart. Nothing great about it. The chili tastes like it's from a can and the hamburgers/hotdogs are unremarkable. Not too expensive and that is a plus for me. Nothing to get excited about. Just some sloppy burgers. Probably appealing to the young crowd that are out late, but I'm old and asleep when all that's happening. Color me disinterested.

I have always been impressed with the food here. Great place if you're looking for a burger and my friends say that the Chili is on spot. Can be a bit busy around lunch time, but well worth the wait.

Nostalgic for sure. The onion rings were good, as were the fries. I ordered a single burger, which was obviously a mistake because there was barely any meat on the bun. Classic taste with minimal toppings. staff are friendly and prices are low. Probably would return, if in the area. Won't go out of my way though. We walked to the location, glad we did because parking looks like it's a bear.

Restaurant...clean, service...efficient, food...excellent. The French toast was better than mine and the eggs and bacon were just as I would prepare them! A must try!!!

Great burger and fries. Very basic but delicious. Everyone seemed to order the same thing...Double burger w fries or tots. Drink included. I also got a milkshake to go. Very creamy and good. Nice "basic" burger place. Quick too!

Of course this place was a mad house on First Friday but, they had a system down and it worked! Tonight they were only serving their special. Food came out fairly quick, it was hot, fresh and just flat out delicious. Diner food can be good folks! Although it was packed, they were turning the tables over pretty quick and we snatched a good window seat. If you've been here, you know that's a steal considering the dining room is extremely small!