‘Legendary spot’ in Kansas City is set to open Friday as a craft beer and pizza place
It wasn’t a whole lot more than a beer shack in a strip center next to a dental office, but in its 10 years of existence, Bier Station earned an unusually loyal following.
Straddling the line between Brookside and Waldo at 120 E. Gregory Blvd., Bier Station was equal parts neighborhood hangout and beer-geek oasis — a place to stop by with the dog or the kid and try a heady, hard-to-find hazy or hefeweizen.
James Stutsman and Joe Giammanco, who opened City Barrel Brewery + Kitchen in the East Crossroads in 2019, bought Bier Station in January 2023 as their second act.
“Taking over such a legendary spot, we really wanted to make sure we did right by the neighborhood,” Stutsman said.
Eighteen long months of renovations and permit-wrangling later, they’re set to open City Barrel Pizza + Patio there this Friday.
The changes aren’t dramatic. The main difference is that Bier Station wasn’t connected to a specific brewery, which meant its selection was hyper-curated and global, both niche and vast. City Barrel naturally favors the beers it brews down in the Crossroads. About 20 of its 30 taps are reserved for City Barrel beers.
But it still offers walk-up bar service and to-go beers, just like Bier Station did. Inside, the space has been brightened with an eight-seat white marble bar and a white-tile backsplash behind the taps. The seating is a mix of red booths and tables with brown leather chairs. Upstairs, a small game room adds seven additional tables, a couple of pinball machines, a couple of claw machines and a photo booth.
And City Barrel has expanded the space’s popular patio to 78 seats under a large steel structure outfitted with fans, heaters, a foosball table and a row of 16 rope swings.
“It’s about three times as big now,” Stutsman said. “It was designed to be comfortable all year round.”
The pizza is New York-style, with a mix of traditional (cheese, cupping pepperoni) and wilder signature pies (a jalapeno popper pizza, a cheeseburger Big Mac pizza). Sandwiches (an Italian beef, a meatball, a caprese), salads (Greek, Caesar) and some appetizers like wings and mini corn dogs round out the menu. A lunch deal gets you a slice, a salad and a drink for $12.
As at its Crossroads location, City Barrel has a full cocktail program that includes beer slushie cocktails.
“They’re frozen, beer-based drinks with fun spirit combos — they’ve been super popular downtown,” Stutsman said. “We’ll also have the standard fountain drinks and a decent selection of nonalcoholic drinks and wine. We’re trying to cater to everybody.”
Stutsman said they’re planning to do more taproom-exclusive beers that are only available at the two City Barrel locations. First up is their Lakeside Kolsch (“easy-drinking, good with pizza”) and Lawncare Lemonade, a cherry limeade beer, both of which will be available come Friday.
Hours at the new City Barrel will be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekend nights.
