Kansas City has a new Restaurant Week — and this one gives us a pretty good excuse to eat our way around KCK.

The first-ever Black Restaurant Week in Kansas City, Kansas is happening now through September 13, spotlighting 11 Black-owned restaurants throughout Wyandotte County.

And this isn't a list of eleven places serving basically the same prix-fixe menu. We're talking barbecue, soul food, seriously loaded pizza, smoked turkey legs, burgers, jazz, fried fish and a few longtime KCK institutions you may have driven past a hundred times without stopping.

Even better? Select restaurants are offering $9.13 specials in honor of KCK's 913 area code and 913 Day. So if you've been looking for somewhere new to eat this week, start here:

John's Java & Jazz
📍 2003 N. 5th St.
Part neighborhood hangout, part jazz lounge, John's pairs music and drinks with comfort food in a laid-back setting. Their Black Restaurant Week special, appropriately enough, is called the Big Fish on 5th.

Holy Smoke BBQ
📍 8050 Leavenworth Rd.
This family-run barbecue spot started as a food truck before moving into its permanent KCK home. Come hungry for smoked wings, ribs, brisket, sausage and some wonderfully over-the-top BBQ sandwiches. Their $9.13 special is sausage and fries.

Q13 Sports Bar & Grill
📍 2724 N. 13th St.
Think neighborhood sports bar with a little more personality on the menu: wings, fried rice, seafood, burgers and plenty of TVs when there's a game on. This week's smashburger and fries special comes in at $9.13.

Wilson's Pizza & Grill
📍 1801 Quindaro Blvd.
One of those wonderfully unfussy neighborhood places where the food does the talking. Wilson's is known for pizzas absolutely loaded with toppings, wings and big burgers — and during Restaurant Week, you can grab a large two-topping pizza for $9.13.

The Neighborhood Eats
📍 2100 N. 13th St.
One of the newest names on this list, The Neighborhood Eats opened earlier this year with a menu rooted in family recipes and a serious connection to the surrounding community. Look for comfort food without the fuss — including a Restaurant Week deal on five drummies and fries.

1930 Classic Kitchen
📍 1930 N. 77th St.
If your definition of a good lunch involves crispy fried chicken, fish po'boys, smash burgers and peach cobbler, we may have found your stop. 1930 specializes in hearty, soulful American comfort food — the kind of menu where choosing just one thing becomes the problem.

Turkey Leggman
📍 1916 Quindaro Blvd.
This one is pretty much exactly as fun as the name suggests. Massive smoked turkey legs are the star, but you'll also find stuffed turkey legs, turkey ribs, loaded fries, nachos, wings and burnt ends. Come hungry. Seriously.

Jones Bar-B-Q
📍 6706 Kaw Dr.
If this name sounds familiar, there's a reason. Sisters Deborah “Little” and Mary “Shorty” Jones have been perfecting their pitmaster skills for decades, and the restaurant famously appeared on Netflix's Queer Eye. This is old-school Kansas City barbecue: smoke, meat and very little need for anything fancy. One important note: they can sell out, so earlier is better.

Nana's Kitchen
📍 7355 Leavenworth Rd.
This is the stop for classic soul food cravings: catfish, pork chops, mac and cheese and plenty of other dishes that fall squarely into the “I need a nap after this” category.

Ms. R's Cafe
📍 720 Quindaro Blvd.
A true KCK institution with roots going back to 1985, Ms. R's keeps traditional soul food alive with dishes like greens, beans, grits and other old-school favorites. For Black Restaurant Week, they're bringing out a particularly good deal: country-fried steak, mashed potatoes, green beans and corn for $9.13.

Fast Fred's Market
📍 1806 N. 18th St.
Fast Fred's has been part of Wyandotte County for more than 60 years, and it has the wonderfully old-school menu to prove it. Breakfast, burgers, fried fish, Philly sandwiches, homemade cakes — and yes, they still sell penny candy. This one feels less like discovering a trendy new restaurant and more like finding a piece of KCK history.

WHY $9.13?

The whole week leads up to 913 Day on Sunday, September 13, KCK's annual celebration of the people, neighborhoods, businesses and culture that make Wyandotte County its own thing.

There will also be a free 913 Day celebration at Big Eleven Lake from 2–8 PM Sunday, with free BBQ, a live DJ, a drill team performance, bounce house and more.

So here's our challenge: pick at least one restaurant on this list you've never tried before and go see what you've been missing.

Just be sure to check each restaurant's hours before heading out — several are small, locally owned spots with limited schedules, and good barbecue has a funny habit of disappearing when it's gone.

Happy eating, KC.