Pizza by the Slice

From TheKCGuy

Papa Kenos has a couple of locations. One is on the corner of Santa Fe in downtown Overland Park and they have one in Westport, too, among others. I've always dug Papa Kenos, since it has a bit of an artistic, hippy feeling of some kind. I was out at the Overland Park location for lunch recently and had a great slice. I was lucky that I got there pretty early, because by about 11:45 there were about 20 people standing in line. The pizza was pretty good as always, and at about $6.50 for a slice and a coke, it's not too pricy. I hadn't noticed it before, but Papa Kenos offers a "game room" with a handful of old-timey arcade games in it, just like the pizza joints of your youth. Between that and the butcher paper and crayons that they offer, it seems like a pretty kid-friendly joint.

Over by UMKC is Pizza 51. It's in the old gas station building at 51st and Oak. Their slices are really similar to Papa Kenos. They're oversized and sliced up for you. But, the real gem at Pizza 51 is the breadsticks with mozzarella on them. They'll probably eventually kill you if you eat a ton of them, but I think it's worth it. There is beer on tap at Pizza 51, and outdoor seating, so I can see this being a pretty good Saturday afternoon spot. I'm not sure if Pizza 51 is better than Papa Kenos or not, but they can stay tied for first in my book.

You can also grab slices at d'Bronx. There's the old 39th street location, their new Overland Park location, and one in Crown Center. Their slices are smaller than the previous two entries, but I still get by with just one. I think that all three locations serve beer, but it's probably only worth going to their 39th street spot. The other two feel almost clinical compared to that old standby.

Out in Overland Park is Original Pizza at College and Antioch. It's what you might consider an old-school urban pizza joint. Except that this one is in a non-distinct strip mall in suburbia. One upside is that they have stromboli and calzones ready to go.

One place downtown that I often forget is Grinders. They have wings and pizza by the slice. I haven't been there in a while, but I'm sure I'll make it back down there once the weather gets warmer.

Lastly, you could just have a couple dozen watery, American beers at Kelly's and then slip next door for Pyramid Pizza, or Pizza Buy the Slice, or whatever they're calling it these days. Don't forget to get it all over your shirt and then vomit in the alley afterwards!