St. John Burgers
6200 St John Ave (inside Super Flea)

Carlos and Juan Salazar, Northeast residents, are the owners of St. John Burgers, which has been inside Super Flea since 2006. The restaurant offers different types of fare, but the St. John Burger is the most popular item, topped with fresh lettuce, tomato, and onion that is purchased from the local shop across the dining area and served with crinkle-cut fries. There is a buy-one-get-one free admission coupon to Super Flea on page 15 of every issue of the Northeast News!

“Everything is fresh. All the produce is fresh and we take pride in our burger. Our burger defines us. It’s made with love, that’s what makes it special. In the last 13 years, we started off with a couple burgers, but little by little, it’s taken off.” – Carlos Salazar, Owner

Harold’s
1337 Admiral Boulevard

Harold’s has been in the same location in Historic Northeast since 1958. Owned by Nancy Smith for the last 21 years, the restaurant serves the same, consistent fare it has for generations. Harold’s Special is a double cheeseburger, fries, and a drink for $8 for lunch. Smith said she gets fresh ground beef from Hy-Vee daily, presses them, cooks them fresh, and never puts anything under a heat lamp.

“I think we are in a good, local area, next to downtown. We’ve been sitting here since 1958 in this very building. We’ve served four generations of people here. We get all kinds of people, not just neighborhood people. We get people from City Market, families, and people from City Hall. We get all kinds of people.” – Nancy Smith, Owner

Express Stop
6201 St. John Avenue
5712 Independence Avenue

Inside these Express Stop locations, there is a grill hot and ready to serve up juicy burgers! Express Stop has been a staple of the Northeast community since 2007 when Eddie Musallet opened the flagship store at St. John and Belmont. Since that time, Express Stop has developed a strong reputation for serving up some of Northeast’s best cheeseburgers! The Express Stop cheeseburger starts with a fourth-pound, all-beef patty freshly grilled to perfection on a fluffy, Roma bakery bun with lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles, topped with mustard, ketchup and mayo. Guests can choose a variety of different cheeseburgers including their Texas cheeseburger, a mushroom and Swiss burger, a bacon cheeseburger or their massive double cheeseburger. The meal comes with your choice of fry and a soft drink! Check out the Express Stop coupon in every issue of the Northeast News that includes a burger, fries, and drink for $4.99! (pg 2 of this paper)

“Everything we serve is cooked fresh to order. Our customers really are the best. That’s what keeps us going, seeing how much they enjoy our cooking.” – Erica Bustillos, Kitchen Manager

Humdingers Drive-In
2504 East 9th Street

Humdingers Drive-In has been in its Northeast location for 57 years. Carl Garcia has owned the burger place for the last 19. Garcia said he grew up in the Northeast. His family worked three blocks from his current restaurant and his grandfather owned a gas station on Independence Avenue. The cheeseburgers, he said, are his most well-known product, made with 90 percent lean fresh ground beef and never frozen.

“It’s one of the last old-fashioned drive-ins that’s still hanging around in the KC area. Everything is made fresh to order. Fresh food is always the best food, I think. Come on by and try us out. We have been here 57 years so we’re doing something right.” – Carl Garcia, Owner

Portia’s Cafe
3840 E. Truman Road

Portia’s Cafe, located on Truman Road, has been serving fresh, ¼ pound ground beef burgers for 33 years. The patties are hand-pressed every morning, grilled, and prepared to order. With bacon, eggs, cheese, singles, doubles, the options are endless. The burger and fries special is $7.50, so stop by Portia’s Cafe and try it out!

“Coming here is like coming home. Our people and our customers is what makes us special!”
– Portia Kilburn, Owner

SMAXX
1827 Vine Street

Kansas City’s Jazz District is a close neighbor to Historic Northeast, with many dining options including SMAXX, which is located inside the 18th & Vine District, next to the Zodiac Motorcycle Club. Inside the restaurant, which is owned by Tiarra Taylor-Dixon, is a comfortable dining atmosphere with enough booth seating to serve at least 32. The wall is covered with photos ranging from black history, Kansas City history, and burger history. Their menu includes burgers, chicken, shrimp and fish. Try the KC Burger, which is topped with burnt ends, barbecue sauce, and an onion ring.

Peter May’s House of Kielbasa
1654 Bristol Avenue   

Peter May’s House of Kielbasa offers a fresh, never frozen 1/3 pound grilled ground beef patty prepared to order. Dressed any way you want it, from plain to fully loaded. Owners Heidi and Mike Loges offer a 1/3 pound cheeseburger and fries for $4.99!

“We’ve been part of Kansas City’s East Side for 90 years, all in the same location. Our customers are what makes us special. We’re all about old school.” – Heidi Loges