Local businesses are selling global flavors for the World Cup

Local businesses are selling global flavors for the World Cup

Countries visiting KC for the World Cup have inspired themed eats and drinks at local businesses.

Why it matters: It's one of the many ways residents and visitors can experience the flavors of the world.

  • And sometimes you just need a yummy treat.

    • A few options we tried:

    ☕️ Café Corazón

    Hard to catch a time it's not busy here. Photo: Travis Meier/Axios

    Dig in: This Latin American coffee shop is making popular beverages from each country that played in KC during the group stage, including café mistela from Ecuador and mazagran from Algeria.

    What to try: We went with a Chadli from Tunisia ($8), an espresso drink with almond butter, milk and honey that tasted rich and felt indulgent without being too sweet.

  • We were hungry, too, and the beef and breakfast empanadas ($11) came out hot and did not disappoint.

    • 🍪 Bloom Bakery

    Dig in: This scratch bakery has been a KC staple since 2010, with some recipes handed down for decades.

  • For the World Cup, it rolled out macarons themed for six countries: guava for Ecuador, cookie butter for the Netherlands, rose water for Tunisia, passion fruit for Curaçao, orange blossom for Algeria and apricot for Austria.
  • Each macaron is $3.75.

    • What to try: Curaçao's passion fruit flavoring was tart and bright, whereas the others leaned more toward sugary sweet.

    I know how much you all love watching us eat. Photo: Abbey Higginbotham/Axios

    💭 Abbey's thought bubble: I ate all six outside Bloom in the River Market, watching a match on TV with a crowd of other fans. For journalism, obviously.

    🥛Shatto Milk

    Dig in: This local dairy company, known for its Chiefs and Royals milk products — and its interesting color choices — launched a line of World Cup-inspired flavors, including chai latte for England and chocolate orange for Curaçao.

  • Some flavors make sense. Red velvet for Argentina, well, not so much.

    • What to try: Butter pecan (the Netherlands) and chocolate coconut (Ecuador) were like drinking ice cream — if you're into that kind of thing.

    Go deeper: The World Cup's effect on local businesses isn't black and white