Grünauer has cooked Austrian and Central European food in Kansas City’s historic Freight House District since 2010. The restaurant at 101 W 22nd St builds its menu on classic Viennese techniques, family recipes, and local ingredients, and diners come for some of the most faithful schnitzel in the Midwest (source: Grünauer).
The kitchen draws on German and Hungarian influences. Signatures include wiener schnitzel, Hungarian gulasch, and apple strudel, and the rest of the menu changes with the seasons (source: AAdvantage Dining). The apfelstrudel costs $9 and comes with rum-soaked raisins and vanilla sauce (source: Kansas City Star). Dark wood and exposed brick fill the old Freight House building, and the full bar pours European beers, wines, and cocktails. In warm weather, the biergarten is the best seat in the house.
Visitor Highlights & Practical Info
Book ahead for weekend dinners and for nights with events at nearby Union Station or the Crossroads Arts District. Weekday lunches and early dinners are calmer. Groups can reserve the second-floor private dining loft, which has its own bar. There is no elevator, so guests with limited mobility should plan for the stairs (source: Grünauer Private Dining). The KC Streetcar’s Union Station stop is a short walk away, which makes it easy to pair dinner with Union Station or the National WWI Museum and Memorial. Check the restaurant’s website for current hours and the seasonal menu.
