Kilo Charlie Serving La Colombe Inside KC’s Renovated Historic Hotel Phillips

Hotel Phillips in downtown Kansas City, Mo. All photos courtesy of Arbor Lodging Partners.

With longtime roasting outfits such as The Roasterie, Broadway and Parisi along with a wealth of smaller, quality-focused relative newcomers such as Oddly Correct, Blip, Messenger and Though Mayest — among numerous others in both categories — Kansas City has one of the most lively roasting scenes in all the United States.

Kilo Charlie

Yet in the city’s newest downtown coffee bar — Kilo Charlie in the Hotel Phillips — the coffee comes by way of Philadelphia-based La Colombe Coffee Roasters through a partnership with Chicago-based Arbor Lodging Partners, the company that purchased the historic hotel and led its recently completed $20 million renovation.

Hotel Phillips lobby

A reference to the radio call letters K and C, Kilo Charlie joins the upscale Tavernonna Italian Kitchen and a downstairs prohibition-era-themed bar called P.S. Speakeasy in the historic building at 106 W. 12th St. in downtown Kansas City, Mo.

The bar at Tavernonna.

The bar at Kilo Charlie is serving drip and French press coffee, various espresso drinks, and cold coffee options on tap. LC’s draft latte will be available among RTD juices and water in the bottle cooler. For fresh pastries, the Arbor Lodging did look local, with Scratch Bakery KC providing the goods.