Stretch is a sculptor. He opened his studio in Kansas City’s Crossroads Arts District in 1992, improvised a bar from an I-beam for a handful of friends, and spent the next twelve years building a community before the first Grinders restaurant was born. The inspiration was simple: he missed Philadelphia cheesesteaks and New York-style pizza from his East Coast roots, and decided to make his own. The result is one of the most genuinely singular restaurants in Kansas City — part pizza joint, part art installation, part concert venue, part dive bar, all Stretch. It appeared in Season 2, Episode 11 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives — “Off the Hook Specials,” aired January 20, 2008 — and Guy Fieri called the Bengal Tiger pizza “funkalicious.” The restaurant has since appeared on the show multiple additional times.
Quick Facts
Restaurant: Grinders Pizza
City: Kansas City, Missouri
Cuisine: Pizza / Bar Food
DDD Season: 2
DDD Episode: 11
Episode Title: Off the Hook Specials
Original Air Date: January 20, 2008
Address: 417 E. 18th St., Kansas City, MO 64108
Phone: 816-472-5454
Website: https://www.grinderskc.com/
Status: Open
About Grinders Pizza
Stretch — sculptor, recording artist, restaurateur, and TV personality — built Grinders as a fusion of his influences: the punk club CBGB’s, the dive joints of his Philadelphia youth, the food of New York, and the art sensibility he brought to Kansas City. Hand-welded Army helmet lamps hang above the bar. The draft beer tower is made from an oxygen tank. The pizza menu features over 30 toppings across New York-style hand-tossed pies. The outdoor patio regularly hosts live music. GrindersKC, the concert venue out back, holds up to 3,000 guests.
Grinders has appeared on DDD multiple times, plus Guy’s Big Bite, Travel Channel’s Pizza Paradise, Bar Rescue, and several other shows. It won the USA Today Best Outdoor Nightlife award and the Kansas City Urban Hero Award for converting a blighted area of downtown into one of the city’s most popular destinations.
What to Eat at Grinders Pizza
The Bengal Tiger Pizza is what Guy called out specifically — pesto sauce, tandoori chicken, crabmeat, and hearts of palm. Funkalicious, as advertised. The Chili Bomb Pie — tater tots, chili, and Cheez Whiz dropped into the center of a pizza — is the other signature that most people can’t forget once they’ve had it. The Death Wings are the heat seeker’s benchmark, available across five escalating heat levels from Wimpy to Death Nectar. The Philly Cheesesteak on an Amoroso roll — the authentic Philly bread — is the sandwich worth ordering. The Grinders Signature Meatball Sub rounds out the must-try list.
Plan Your Visit
Grinders is open Monday through Thursday 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM, Friday and Saturday 11:00 AM to midnight, Sunday 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM. The outdoor patio and concert venue hours vary by event.
Address: 417 E. 18th St., Kansas City, MO 64108
Phone: 816-472-5454
Website: https://www.grinderskc.com/
Status: Open
Flavortown Approved
Grinders is the kind of creative, no-rules food energy that Guy Fieri celebrates in Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives: An All-American Road Trip with Recipes. Heading to Kansas City? Check the More Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives guide for more stops worth the detour.
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Grinders Pizza appeared in Season 2, Episode 11 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, “Off the Hook Specials,” originally aired January 20, 2008. It has since appeared on the show multiple additional times.