Waitresses here wear T-shirts demanding that drinkers “Have a sleazy good time.” One of the last bars in Johnson County to remain smoker-friendly, the Clarette Club gets loud after dark: Tons of pool tables, Silver Strike video bowling machines and twice-weekly karaoke nights help maintain a steady cast of regulars that includes members of Mission’s sizable working class and servers from Lucky Brewgrille next door. Not a place for a quiet conversation after the sun goes down, the Clarette benefits from an atmosphere that’s laid-back, local and cheap.
Happy hour starts bright and early at Arthur’s Lounge, offering discounted drinks to third-shift workers and other morning drinkers from 7 to 9 a.m. Not an early riser? The evening happy hour kicks off at 3 p.m. and ends at 7. It’s in the evenings when things really get cooking at Arthur’s, with karaoke, live rock bands, and pool games running until the doors close at 3 a.m. Regardless of when you drink there, the small, warm space, with wood-paneled walls and carpeted floors, should feel plenty welcoming.
Be sure to wear some hole-less pants to this upscale, three-year-old Leawood establishment, where the bar is made of solid granite, the chairs are upholstered in leather, and modern, multicolored light fixtures hang from the ceiling. Wine Flights is the only bar in the area specializing in, well, wine flights, with more than 80 combos and 300 individual wines available. The two-ounce sample pours provide the opportunity to try three varieties of everything from Shiraz to Riesling before settling on a glass of your favorite. Flat-screen televisions show picturesque scenes of the world's great wine regions instead of sports, and instrumental music plays softly. As the wine takes hold of your senses, the classy-yet-comfortable atmosphere becomes the equivalent of wrapping your brain in fleece and stretching out on a foot-thick piece of memory foam. The menu is intended to complement the wines, featuring everything from seared ahi tuna to flatbread pizzas to surf and turf. Daily food and flight specials are available.
913-384-0986
