I recently took my first trip to Springfield, Missouri. I know, I know, how does a guy who grew up in Kansas City and spent most of his life in the KC area, not been to Springfield? Branson? Nope. Closest I had been was the Boy Scout camp near Osceola and that was back when I was a pre-teen. My family never took any family trips to points in southern Missouri or south of Missouri.
My niece went to college in Springfield. Visiting her and her husband were a reason for this trip, but I’ll admit to not having visited her during her residence there. I just didn’t have an available car. But I’ve been planning follow up visits to my family and the restaurants and attractions in Springfield.
My recent trip was an opportunity to make up for lost time and discover one of Missouri’s largest cities. I was pleasantly surprised at the food I enjoyed. I was a bit jealous of some of the cuisine options that Kansas City doesn’t have.
Commercial Street Historical District
Ms. Gilmore’s
I can understand in retrospect why family dragged me here for our first stop and for our lunch. Great choice! While it officially describes itself as a tea room, it feels like a lot more: bakery, boutique, vintage store, patisserie, and gift shop. Similar spaces in Kansas City are Vivilore in Independence or Browne’s Irish Marketplace in KCMO. A restaurant in the middle of a busier space like a gift shop or antique store.
My little sister and I were meeting up with my niece and her husband for lunch. We checked out the gift shop and I found some fun Taylor Swift themed signs. We had lunch and afterwards I bought some truffles.
The tea room is very simple and comfortable, but with some decorative flourishes which carry the vibe of the boutique area into the room. The tea room has some larger group tables and some booths. The brunch menu vibe could be described as French food with an Alice and Wonderland theme.
I had Alice’s Vegetable Crepe, which is a crepe with grilled veggies, cheeses, and mushroom sauce. I rarely have a chance to eat crepes, so I jumped at this opportunity. Our mother used to make us crepes for the family when we were teenagers. I have fond memories of her mushroom and spinach / cheese crepes. The crepes on my visit were excellent.
In addition to the crepes I talk about above, the menu offers salads, soups, quiche, and sandwiches. The sandwich selections include classics like egg salad, chicken salad, grilled ham & cheese, and signature sandwiches like the Cheshire’s Monte Cristo.
The bakery offers a wide selection of truffles, macarons, specialty cakes, lemon bars, and other desserts.
C-Street Farmer’s Market
I love a good farmer’s market and bonus points go to ones that have permanent structures like roofs. This shows some long term dedication to the venue by the community. During my visit this past summer, we visited the C-Street farmer’s market. This is located in the historic downtown district along Commercial Street.
Was really excited to find a vendor selling empanadas. Hard to find in Kansas City. As you can see above, so many choices. I normally love a spinach empanada. They didn’t have any vegetarian or vegan ones available, so I got an Apple Pie empanada. Excelente!
Restaurants to Try Next Time: Van Gogh’s Eeterie and That Lebanese Place
If you know much about Chuck these days, you’ll know that I’ve turned into quite the Hollandophile or “Dutchophile.” I’ve learned some basic Dutch over the past two years and hope to visit the Netherlands in 2025. The Kansas City metro area has no Dutch restaurants, so I got very excited when I spotted Van Gogh’s Eeterie. I’m hoping to make a special trip soon to Springfield to try out these restaurants. Hopefully, I can say “Lekker!” after my meal.
Cherry Street / Rountree
I’m not sure what this little food row is called, but this is one of those little neighborhood restaurant nodes with a half dozen food spots and a handful of boutiques.
I ended up getting a coffee from Tea Bar & Bites, a cozy little tea shop with seating in a courtyard.
Sunshine Street Food Truck Court
We ended our day’s visit to Springfield with a stop at the Sunshine Street Food Truck Court (aka Metro Eats food court). Love this concept! Would love to see this concept in several places around Kansas City. This food truck court was a parking lot with spots for food trucks, picnic tables, and several permanent restaurants and bars along one side. I think the parking lot serves some business that is only open during regular business hours.
I had hope to sample items from several food trucks and the barbecue restaurant. There was a vegetarian entree on the menu Sunshine Street Food Truck, but my nephew-on-law grabbed the last one. I opted for a pupusa from El Salvador Pupuseria Y Más and an arepa from Caracas House food trucks. I was excited about finding Salvadoran and Venezuelan food trucks.
I think I got a bean and cheese pupusa from El Salvador Pupuseria Y Más. It did not disappoint. I got a black bean and cheese arepa from Caracas House, that being my favorite combo for arepas. For some reason, it had meat in it. The cart wasn’t very interested in giving me a refund or fixing the mistake.
Stusquatch’s Rockstar BBQ
El Salvador Pupuseria Y Más
Where House Bar
One of the permanent elements of the Sunshine Street Food Truck Court is this sports bar. I don’t patronize sports bars these days, but I liked the vibe of this one. The staff were friendly.