Drink Up: The Fountain Room

You may have heard about the new Whole Foods in KC (okay, you've definitely heard about it, and if you're like me you now spend all of your free time browsing the granola aisle), but there's one more reason to visit Kansas City's favorite new market: The Fountain Room! 

All photos by Anna Petrow. 

The Fountain Room is a full-service bar tucked inside of the store, offering beer, wine, cocktails and even a lunch and dinner menu. The bar boasts 22 taps of craft beers from all around Kansas and Missouri. You can expect to see Stockyards Brewing, Boulevard, Crane Brewing, Torn Label, Cinder Block and more being expertly poured by the knowledgeable bartenders. Talk with any of them, and their love of craft brewing is immediately apparent– just don't be surprised if you get into a debate over whether KC or St. Louis has better beer! 

For the wine drinkers, you can find local vineyards Amigoni, Somerset Ridge and Fence Style available to pour for any palette– lush reds and springy whites await your taste buds! But if you ask me, the most unique part about the Fountain Room is that you can enjoy a custom craft cocktail right in your favorite grocery store– you don't find that just about anywhere. Local libation experts J. Rieger & Co helped formulate the cocktail menu with drinks like the refreshing Elderflower Gin & Tonic with a lavender earl grey syrup and The Pepper Ann, a funky fresh cocktail with Boozy Botanical's Three Pepper syrup, strawberries, vodka and a touch of lemon. 

The Fountain Room is the perfect place to hang out and recharge after a day of work before you knock out your grocery shopping. It's clear plenty of patrons have the same idea– happy hour is hopping. On the weekends, you can bet you'll see plenty of folks roaming the aisles with a cold one in hand, thanks to a lovely store policy that encourages the "sip and stroll." Grocery shopping just got a whole lot better.