Essentials: Pork Tenderloin Sandwich at Kitty's Cafe, Kansas City, Missouri
The best pork tenderloin in Missouri
Kansas Citians have been lining up outside Kitty’s Café—dim, stamp-sized, cash-only—for seventy years. The draw? Only the best pork tenderloin in Missouri. This isn’t the thin, saltine-crusted hubcap common at Midwest diners. Kitty’s version is a three-ply stack of tempura-battered cutlets that all fit within the confines of a soft, buttered bun. The cutlet stack maximizes texture and crunch, making each bite a rhythm section. The cashier will ask if you want hot sauce: you do. It’s mild, it’s tangy, it’s made in-house, and it’s the only condiment this sandwich needs. —Liz Cook
Liz Cook is a Kansas City-based freelance writer whose work has appeared in The Pitch, Bon Appétit, Eater, and The Kansas City Star. She also writes the experimental food newsletter Haterade.