My biggest mistake since moving to Kansas City? Not trying this brunch place sooner

Editor’s note: Welcome back to our series Let’s Dish, Kansas City, showcasing some of our favorite restaurant meals.

The morning I first set foot in Happy Gillis, I was not at my best. I was running on five hours of sleep, in the midst of a hectic couple of weeks at work and struggling to deal with Jackson County’s personal property tax system.

Since I was up and dressed earlier than I prefer on a day off, I decided to finally try the brunch place just a few blocks from my Columbus Park apartment, Happy Gillis.

What I found there that March morning was rejuvenation: a delicious breakfast, excellent coffee with free refills and a space where I felt comfortable eating alone.

That last one is important to me, and a big part of the reason it had taken me nearly two years of living in Kansas City to try a popular restaurant less than a quarter-mile from where I live — and indeed, why I haven’t tried more than a handful of local KC restaurants at all.

I’m a homebody and often fall into the pitfall of just eating what I know, too afraid of being judged to sit down and eat in a restaurant alone.

But Happy Gillis, 549 Gillis St., is a breath of fresh air, with counter service that makes everything feel a little more casual, paired with a thoughtful menu that gives me a ton of options.

“We want it to be fun, kind of like a second home,” general manager Jeffery Gatton said. “That’s what it is for me a little bit. I’ve been here for nine years. So it’s probably the most home I’ve ever had.”

The restaurant, open since 2008, gives off a retro charm, with weathered metal signs outside, plus a ton of homey touches inside: wood tables and chairs, plants hanging everywhere, and even cute little table markers with KC icons and internet memes.

My first day in, I asked for a combo with a half-order of mushroom biscuits and gravy and half of a breakfast sandwich ($12), plus a drip coffee ($3.50). And I still think that’s a great way to go, especially when you need a little bit of comfort.

The flavors are simple but powerful, and the meal doesn’t feel quite as heavy as those kinds of breakfasts sometimes do.

The sandwich comes with cheesy scrambled eggs, bacon and aioli. You can get it on a biscuit or toast, depending on your vibe. The eggs are delicious, and the bacon gives the sandwich a nice crunch. The aioli doesn’t hit me with flavor initially, but it becomes more noticeable as I make my way through the sandwich, and every bite from then on tastes better.

The creamy, rich gravy and sliced mushrooms are layered on top of excellent biscuits, with the crusty side of the biscuit facing up. It’s a delightful textural experience that’s gone all too fast.

And something about the coffee Happy Gillis serves just gets me: light, nutty and, yes, bottomless. Call me a caffeine addict, but it makes going out in the morning so much more bearable.

But really, you don’t need to stick to my recommended order: One of the best things about Happy Gillis is its varied menu, with great breakfast and lunch options, as well as vegan and vegetarian offerings.

“It’s always changing. We’ve got a few things that come back every year,” Gatton said. “But we just, we like to have fun with it. You know coming in it’s going to be something different just about every time.”

Other options I’ve enjoyed: the comforting romesco grilled cheese ($13) and the refreshing salmon toast ($14).

But my other favorite is a vegan dish: the roasted vegetable sandwich ($13), a filling and well-seasoned pile of produce on flatbread and carrot hummus.

Chef O’Delia Jones, a vegetarian herself, said offering well-crafted vegan and vegetarian dishes is important to her in curating the menu.

“I know I have had a lot of hard times in my 15 years of finding things that I like and I just want to eat,” she said. “I just want to kind of bring it to the forefront. Veggies are fun, and veggies are good.”

Coming up next for Happy Gillis is the return of their fan-favorite BLT, as soon as local farmers have the heirloom tomatoes back. And, having recently changed ownership, the restaurant is getting a little bit of a rebrand, including new tables and chairs.

“But pretty much the same vibe … we’re keeping it going,” Gatton sad. “It’s not broke. We don’t need to fix it.”

So hopefully my favorite hang, at a two-seater by the window with a book in my hand, will continue to be my go-to.

Since Happy Gillis is hardly a secret, I try not to take up a table for too long after I finish eating. But don’t worry: You can take the coffee to go.