Having essentially lived in Westport for over a year, you would think we would have hit every spot in and around its welcome arms. Realistically speaking, we had spent many, many hours within its confines, this much is true. But speaking from the heart, I’d be willing to bet 90% of those many hours were spent at Harry’s. I’m not ashamed to admit that.

Of course I’d heard of Westport Café and how delicious its offerings were. I’d always known of its existence but, for some reason, we’d never made the call to visit – and that was a terrible mistake.

Westport Cafe is nestled near the southwest corner of Westport Road and Broadway. Sitting inside, you can see passersby window shopping at Bunker or monitor the shenanigans taking place in the lot behind Riot Room and The Foundry. The scenery, regardless of which side of the spectrum it’s occurring on, is an enjoyable complement to the restaurant’s interior aura.

Inside, the restaurant is kinda shaped like this “E” without its middle phalanx. Reservations were made as a precautionary measure, but we could have walked in and sat down right away this particular Monday night. Being the cheddar recluses we are, we treated ourselves to a table near the back due to the fact that conducting cheese plate reconnaissance is tedious work, and also because Cate doesn’t like being seen taking pictures of food at restaurants, which I totally get but she started a cheese blog (¯\_(ツ)_/¯).

Anyway, we took our seats and were greeted by our waitress, Lindsey (I hope I chose the correct spelling), whose passion for the restaurant was evidenced by her extensive knowledge and pride of everything on the menu, and her sincere desire to ensure we loved it. She recommended some wine to pair with our eats, and in a delightfully succinct matter of time, a plate of cheese was sitting between my wife of two and a half years and I. It looked like this:

Really, just, look at it.

You’re looking at five different types of cheese varying in flavor, origin, stench, and texture. If cheese were Earth, we were about to travel across the globe (which we’re about to do, actually. Stay tuned for that). Let’s dive in.

Comté AOC

This stuff, guys. The French have been making this stuff – Comté AOC – for over eight centuries. EIGHT. This easy-to-melt cheese owes its flavor to the mountain pastures from which it originates, as well as two cow breeds native to the area – the Montbéliarde and the French Simmental. These French moo moos spend their summers grazing on beautiful flowers, and it’s abundantly evident in the flavor. Learning this all after the fact was a bit of a letdown, as Westport Cafe’s was a bit mild and blank. That said, the disappointment was brief, and we moved onto the next.

Ricotta

Westport Cafe’s Ricotta sat on our plate like a happy cloud in the sky – except portions of it were doused in a honey glaze. It spreads over bread with ease and melts in your mouth. The only problem with this Ricotta is it didn’t last long. I know there’s several, uh, disciplines within the Ricotta realm, and I apologize for being uninformed. Rest assured, you’d like it.

Danish Blue

Also known as “Danablu,” it makes sense this cheese is found at a French restaurant like this one – it was created as an acceptable alternative to imported (expensive) French blues. This stuff was aromatically present, and very obviously a blue cheese. Westport Cafe served it with radishes – for more POWER. Danablu – get to know it. Get to love it.

Aged White Cheddar

Cheddar, man. It’s good as-is, and it’s rare a day goes by without me consuming it. White cheddar is even better. Add the fact it’s aged, and you’re in heaven. They served it with green apple slices, and the moment the combination graces your tastes buds, it’ll try to make its case as the best moment of your life thus far.

Herbed Goat

The herbed goat cheese gracing our plate was perfect. Creamy with a solid, goat taste and enjoyed to the last dollop.

This plate marks the second we’ve reviewed in our short existence. While it sacrificed volume for variety, Westport Cafe did an excellent job of providing an absolutely delicious experience. Comparing it to its only competition (at the moment) in The Farmhouse’s offering, it proves to be challenging to rank one over the other. Taking in the other experiential aspects of the restaurant, I do believe we’ve found our new number one KC-based cheese plate, and a great restaurant we’ll be visiting again soon.

Other Musings:

After devouring the plate, we opted to get breakfast for dinner. Just look at this omelette, because my words won’t do it justice:

Another thing to note about this restaurant is its bathrooms. Easily one of the top-five bathrooms I’ve experienced – ever. I have no criteria for this list, but I knew it was special as soon as I entered.

We had our fill, and our Westport Cafe experience adjourned. We thanked Lindsey, departed, and walked directly to Harry’s Bar and Tables for a night cap. A beautiful evening, indeed. Westport continues to effortlessly prove its substantial relevance in Kansas City.

Thanks for taking the time to read this through. To see our ranked cheese plate list – head over here, and be sure to read through our Farmhouse review, as well. If you have any places for us to check out, let us know! For more frequent updates, join us on Instagram.

-D