Food Worth a Drive in Kansas: Chicken, Bierocks, Prairie

Food worth a drive in Kansas sits at the end of long straight roads. Small towns hold a fried chicken rivalry between Chicken Annie's and Chicken Mary's near Pittsburg, bierocks brought by Volga German families and a college town in Lawrence with a lively main street.

Lawrence has Merchants Pub and Plate, Ladybird Diner, The Basil Leaf Cafe and Mass Street Fish House. Check each restaurant's own page, since weekends are likely to be busy.

Why is Kansas fried chicken a road trip?

The southeast corner of Kansas is famous for Kansas fried chicken served family style. Two restaurants near Pittsburg, Chicken Annie's and Chicken Mary's, sit close together on the same road. Their rivalry has lasted for decades and has been featured on the Travel Channel's Food Wars.

Both grew out of the coal mining culture of the region. Annie Pichler began serving fried chicken after her husband was injured in a mining accident, and Chicken Mary's followed. Treat the history as the stories the restaurants tell, and check days and hours, since neither is open every day.

What should you know about Pittsburg Kansas chicken?

Pittsburg Kansas chicken is served with family style sides, such as mashed potatoes, gravy, slaw and spaghetti, depending on the restaurant. Chicken Annie's is at 1143 East 600th Avenue and Chicken Mary's at 1133 East 600th Avenue. Reviewers split on a winner. One writer concludes that Annie's wins by a hair and suggests eating at Mary's too, if time allows.

The best plan is to try both on the same trip. Order a half chicken at each, and compare the crust, the seasoning and the sides. Check hours before you go, since small town restaurants often close early in the week.

What are Kansas bierocks?

Kansas bierocks are baked pockets of dough filled with beef, cabbage and onion. A national food calendar calls them the unofficial state food, and the Visit Wichita site describes them as especially loved in Wichita. They came with Volga German settlers who arrived in the 1870s.

M and M Bierock in Wichita keeps its menu simple, with a traditional bierock, bierocks with cheese and ham and cheese bierocks. A food truck, Burdette's Bierocks, sells them in Wichita. Jayhawk Corner Cafe in Topeka is another bierock stop. A bierock is a handheld lunch, so it suits a road trip.

Which Lawrence restaurants should you try?

Lawrence is the home of the University of Kansas, and its Massachusetts Street is lined with independent restaurants. KCUR published a food guide to the town. Merchants Pub and Plate at the corner of Eighth and Massachusetts serves a seasonal menu built on local ingredients, Ladybird Diner at 721 Massachusetts offers modern comfort food and The Basil Leaf Cafe cooks from scratch. Mass Street Fish House and Raw Bar is a frequently praised seafood option.

Lawrence is a good stop for a night, with music and bookshops to fill the evening. It sits between Topeka and Kansas City, so it works as a break on the road.

A walk along Massachusetts Street is the best way to choose. Read the menus in the windows, look at what the tables around you are eating and ask the person at the counter what they recommend.

What about the Flint Hills?

The Flint Hills National Scenic Byway runs through native tallgrass prairie, and a road trip there is as much about the view as the food. Small towns along the byway have cafes and restaurants, though some are seasonal and some have closed. Check each before you drive.

Pack a lunch, and plan a picnic with a view. Spring burns and summer wildflowers change the landscape, so every season looks different.

The drive is slow by design. Roads are straight and the horizon is wide, and the reward for patience is a quiet that most travelers rarely hear. Fill the tank in a larger town, bring water and take your time.

How do you plan food worth a drive in Kansas?

Distances are long, and towns can be far apart, so fill the tank when you can. Pick a region. The southeast is for chicken, the south central is for bierocks and the northeast is for Lawrence and Kansas City. Allow a full day for each, and plan for a night in a small town.

Carry a cooler for leftovers, and bring cash for small cafes. Call ahead in winter, since weather can close roads and restaurants.

What else should you eat around Kansas?

For barbecue, read the best barbecue in Kansas guide. The Crossroads Kansas City restaurants guide covers a neighborhood across the line, and food worth a drive in Nebraska heads north. The US guides page lists more.

How can Mosey help with Kansas fried chicken and bierocks?

Fried chicken and bierocks are not easy to judge by eye, so if someone at the table avoids an ingredient, the Hide dishes that list filter in the Mosey app hides dishes where a place has listed that allergen. A dish with nothing filled in says allergens not listed, so ask the place before you order.

A fried chicken rivalry is made for judging. Download the Mosey app, rate each plate by its crust, its juice and its sides, and build a Kansas list that decides the argument between two cooks.