The start of another year is about new beginnings, which makes it the perfect time to look ahead to see what bars and restaurants we expect to open in Kansas City in 2025. This list is an annual exercise involving one part research, one part confirming rumors at the source, perhaps a small amount of convincing to share the scoop, and time to interview, collect the data, analyze, and summarize all the good news about where we will be eating and drinking next.
With Kansas City gearing up to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026, this year will be a race to the finish for many development projects around the city, both big and small. That includes the launching of several new restaurants and bars hoping to open their doors this year in time to work out the kinks before locals and waves of international fans hit their front door.
In looking at this year’s list, it feels like downtown Shawnee and the Berkley Riverfront are stepping into the spotlight, with several new places opening in each location. There also seems to be a shift away from larger full-service restaurants toward smaller bars that may serve coffee and pastries by day and wine, beer, and cocktails along with food in the evenings. This one-stop approach makes money all day for the owner, while providing guests the opportunity to have another place to land for both work and play.
There are many recognizable names on this list who are opening second sister concepts, such as Penny and Doug Mufuka, who will soon open their fourth restaurant concept, Penny’s in The Village, serving Thai and Asian dishes in The Shops of Prairie Village. You can expect to see hospitality veterans Chris Seferyn and Chad Troutwine, who opened Kon Tiki in the Crossroads in 2024, launching another clever cocktail bar and restaurant that should be ready to open sometime this year. They just weren’t quite ready to talk about it for this issue. We are also seeing several first-time restaurant and bar owners who are ready to make their own magic. Take Connor Branson, the chef who is preparing to move his ghost pizza delivery operation, You Want a Pizza Me?, from the West Bottoms to the Westside as he prepares to open next to La Fonda El Taquito on Southwest Boulevard.
No matter how hard we shake the Magic 8 ball to discover what our future will taste like in 2025, it’s clear we’ll have plenty of new places to try from this year’s most anticipated restaurant and bar list. Happy New Year, bottoms up, and bon appétit!
Winter 2025
Le Champion
4149 Pennsylvania Avenue, Kansas City, MO
With the news that ÇaVa’s champagne bistro in Westport was officially closed, the chef Amante Domingo, owner of The Russell and Noka, announced plans to open a new coffee and cocktail spot, Le Champion, in that location by the end of January. The intimate café will be decorated in a classic heritage sports theme inspired by the quintessential American designer, Ralph Lauren. Open as a coffee café by day, it will be serving a custom blend from Westport’s own Broadway Roasting Co. and pastries by Enchante, Heather White’s scratch bakery. Domingo promises there will also be plenty of gluten-free options, as well. After 5 p.m., the coffee shop will lower the lights and turn up the tunes as they begin popping corks, pouring beers, and shaking cocktails, in addition to serving luxe snacks. A playful sports theme runs throughout the menu.
Baba’s Bakery
1017 E. 63rd Street, Kansas City, MO
Three years ago, the Kamal family opened their colorful Palestinian market and restaurant, Baba’s Pantry, in East Brookside. The accolades and national press started rolling in not long after, with praise for their chicken shawarma, kebabs, falafel, hummus, and friendly service. Now, the family is making room for something a little sweeter with the opening of their new Palestinian bakery, Baba’s Bakery, right next door. The bakery is scheduled to open in early January and is similar in size to Baba’s Pantry. It’s designed to feel like a traditional Palestinian home and will celebrate the talented women in the family, who have for generations made specialty desserts by hand, such as baklava, maamoul date-filled cookies, and knafeh, a layered dessert featuring sweet cheese soaked in syrup layered with crispy shredded phyllo pastry. They are also planning to put their own cultural twist on other beloved desserts, like their “babanolis,” which is their take on a cannoli, made with crunchy phyllo dough that’s pinched into shape and filled with a Middle Eastern rosewater-scented cream and sprinkled with pistachios.
Kohinoor
921 McGee Street, Kansas City, MO
With a hospitality career that began as a restaurant host at the age of 16, Jasmine Rios has spent the last decade working a variety of food industry jobs in preparation to open Kohinoor, her first cocktail bar and lounge, which is located downtown in a brand-new space next door to the Pickwick Plaza Apartments. The name refers to one of the most famous diamonds in the world, but the word “kohinoor” can also mean extremely valuable or precious. For Rios, it will be a reflection of not only her own culture, but also her passion for bringing people together. Her Latin-inspired bar and lounge has a moody but modern look paired with a tasty menu of signature craft cocktails and sharable bites. Local bartender and consultant Manny Gomez has been working with Rios to design her cocktail menu, creating the Cherry Eclipse, a tangy tequila drink with the citrusy zing of lemon balanced by the juicy cherry flavors. The small-bites menu is simple and features dishes that have meaning to Rios, including aguachile, a Mexican seafood and shrimp dish cured in lime juice, fresh herbs, and chili sauce that’s based on her dad’s secret recipe.
The Black Pantry MKT + BAR
3108 Troost Avenue, Kansas City, MO
Brian Roberts and his family came up with the idea for The Black Pantry after looking for Black-owned companies to support during the pandemic. Realizing there were so many amazing quality products made by Black artisans at the local, regional, and national level, they created their high vibes retail shop, The Black Pantry, near Martini Corner, selling apparel, home goods, books, and novelty items while providing real, sustainable growth opportunities for each brand they carry. Building on the community the store has already cultivated, Roberts plans to open The Black Pantry MKT + BAR on Troost, located across the street from the $162 million, mixed-use Troost Village development that’s currently under construction. The handsome new space will feature a bar designed by Celeste Antonie, owner of Spirit Animal Interiors. The market and bar will serve barista coffee drinks using roasted beans from Marcell Roasting Club in Kansas City in addition to wine and beer. The food menu will include dishes from local businesses in Kansas City, such as The Laya Center, Mattie’s Foods, and possibly The Prospect KC. Roberts is hoping to open around the first of February.
Hank’s Garage & Grill
5801 Nieman Road, Shawnee, KS
The owner of King G’s and Jim’s Alley Bar in the East Crossroads, Eric Flanagan, didn’t really know how long it would take to repurpose a former six-bay auto repair shop in Shawnee into Hank’s Garage & Grill. It was to be a neighborhood hang, serving affordable food and drinks in an approachable, communal environment. Hank’s made this list last year, and right now Flanagan thinks it might be open as early as February. When it does, you can expect to find a large outdoor patio dotted with picnic tables flanked by two outdoor bars crafted from shipping containers and a third main bar located within the garage. Inside there will be high-top tables and multiple TV screens to watch sports. Guests will find a small list of classic cocktails and an extensive beer program, created by Flanagan, who is a certified cicerone. It will include a limited-release craft American lager created locally by Alma Mader Brewing, simply named “Hank.” On the food menu, you’ll find a classic cheeseburger, a pork tenderloin sandwich, and a really good hot dog.
Cru Bistro & Bottles
128 W. 63rd Street, Kansas City, MO
When Michael Forbes Bar & Grille closed last summer in the heart of Brookside, it gave married couple Hannah Koenig and Avery Bailey the opportunity to make their dreams of running a white-tablecloth neighborhood bistro and bottle shop a reality. Cru Bistro & Bottles will open in the former Michael Forbes location early this year, after a remodeling of the restaurant that will include a full bar, private dining room, and wine bottle shop. The cuisine at Cru is designed to pair with the bottles they plan to have on their wine list. In the kitchen, the chefs Krista Harr and Thomas Luna will be whipping up a tempting mustard-glazed Duroc pork chop with rainbow chard, a filet mignon with Japanese sweet potato and cocoa powder, beef tartare, and much more. Koenig’s brother, JT Koenig-Riley, is a local bartender who has been running the cocktail program at Tom’s Town Distilling Co. since it opened. He will be stepping in to create Cru’s signature cocktail program.
Spring 2025
Anjin
1708 Oak Street, Kansas City, MO
This year The Antler Room will celebrate eight years of serving guests at their popular restaurant and bar located in the Longfellow neighborhood. A three-time James Beard Foundation-nominated chef, Nick Goellner, and his wife and business partner, Leslie, are celebrating this milestone by opening a new restaurant. Anjin will be a casual 20-seat Japanese izakaya, (or neighborhood bar), located in downtown Kansas City. Drew Little, the longtime bar manager at The Antler Room, has come on board as a partner on the project. His skills behind the stick will be needed, as izakaya bars are convivial places built around a single bar where guests and staff interact as drinks flow and the cooks deliver your food to your seat straight from the kitchen. Nick’s grandfather was an American military pilot in WWII (the word anjin means pilot in Japanese). After the war, he married Nick’s grandmother in Japan, where they lived and started a family, which included Nick’s mom. Nick grew up hearing stories about their time living there and the generous nature and rich culture of Japan. The couple has visited Japan four times in preparation to open Anjin, and if you have been to one of the special izakaya nights at The Antler Room, then you know what type of food you can expect at their new place. The menu will be streamlined, with only a handful of items that will always be available, such as made-in-house udon noodles and a rotating Japanese sando, or sandwich. There will be a list of daily specials, depending on what’s in season. Leslie has been hard at work on the bar side, putting together a menu featuring quality soju, large format sake bottles, and Japanese beer. Get ready to say kanpai!
Fairway Creamery
812 W 17th Street, Kansas City, MO
For the last two years, Ali and Stephanie Shirazi have been running Fairway Creamery after the original owner, Christopher Elbow, sold them the ice cream parlor and doughnut shop in 2022. The three friends go way back. The couple had owned and operated Shiraz, a popular Mediterranean restaurant in the Crossroads where Elbow once worked, launching his popular chocolate business in the space upstairs from the restaurant. Their personal and professional friendship continued to flourish, and in 2019, Ali began making all the ice cream flavors for not only Fairway Creamery, but also Glacé, an ice cream concept Elbow closed in 2020. Now, the family is preparing to open a smaller sister concept in Kansas City’s Westside neighborhood, just a few doors down from Goat Hill Coffee & Soda. With limited indoor and outdoor seating, they plan on serving eight flavors of their handmade ice cream, including mocha, pumpkin cheesecake, and Persian rose pistachio. They will also have a freezer filled with ice cream sandwiches, drumsticks, and grab-and-go pints of ice cream.
1587 Prime
1515 Wyandotte Street, Kansas City, MO
Get ready to wine and dine at 1587 Prime, a new steakhouse with some familiar faces backing the beef. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce have announced that they are partnering with the Las Vegas-based restaurant group Noble 33, led by Tosh Berman and Mikey Tanha, to open 1587 Prime inside the Loews Kansas City Hotel in the Crossroads. Named after their jersey numbers, the upscale steakhouse will be located on the east side of the hotel in a massive two-story, 10,000-square-foot space that overlooks Baltimore Avenue and will have views of the proposed South Loop Link project when it is completed. This new steakhouse will operate in addition to the hotel’s other restaurants, which includes Bar Stillwell, The Stillwell Restaurant, Red Wheat Baking Co., and Horsefeather Social. The restaurant will have multiple private dining rooms and will curate one of the largest wine collections in the state of Missouri. The culinary focal point of the restaurant is the high-end steak program, with guests choosing their own cut of meat from a display case. Cowtown, get ready to chow down.
Moonstone & Two Birds, One Stone
1001 Riverfront Drive, Kansas City, MO
The brand-new Origin Hotel Kansas City has finally opened on the Berkley Riverfront, with its own groovy hotel bar and restaurant, Show Pony, offering a comforting, yet worldly, food menu designed by the chef Michael Olson, formerly the executive chef for The American event space in Crown Center. With Show Pony now open, Olson and his team are working on the menu for the sleek contemporary beer garden building that is wrapping up construction in front of the hotel. The hotel’s food and beverage team will be responsible for its operation. With indoor and outdoor seating, the beer garden will have two levels and two distinct concepts. On the top floor will be Moonstone, an indoor vinyl listening lounge serving craft cocktails and gourmet bites overlooking terrific riverfront views. Downstairs, Two Birds, One Stone will be a more casual, come-as-you-are beer and wine garden that will spill out into The Grove, a half-acre site featuring native landscaping and trees—a little bit of heaven on earth.
Gilda’s Bar de Tapas
5815 Nieman Road, Shawnee, KS
When Bryan Albers bought a building in downtown Shawnee, he was thinking of opening a bar. His business partner, Stephanie Cashion, who owns the Glass Cat restaurant in Bonner Springs, Kansas, thought they should open a restaurant with a bar, specifically a Spanish-inspired tapas bar. Gilda’s Bar de Tapas is named after a popular Spanish tapa, Gilda Pintxo, which consists of a toothpick-skewered anchovy fillet, pickled pepper, and a green olive. Upon arrival, everyone will receive the namesake tapa to prepare their appetite for the meal to come. The duo spared no expense inside the restaurant, creating a warm environment that feels like you’ve been transported to sunny Spain. The kitchen boasts an authentic Spanish plancha, with a menu that highlights some of the most famous Spanish tapas, including Tortilla Española, pan con tomate, meatballs, grilled shrimp, and the Catalan inspired, brandade de bacalao, a creamy mashed potato dish spiked with bits of salt cod, garlic, and cream. There is also a solid tinned-fish program, with an Ibérico ham stand at the corner of the bar ready to be sliced and served. The wine bar will offer a curated list of wines from around the globe, including some great Spanish wines. An assortment of beers, fun and fruity sangria, and the famous Spanish gin tonics will round out the bar program.