Discover the 15 Most Anticipated Kansas City Restaurants in 2024

Food lovers and culinary enthusiasts in Kansas City are in for a treat as we present the 15 most anticipated restaurant openings in 2024. From a barbecue dive bar to an omakase sushi restaurant, there’s something for everyone to look forward to. So, let’s dive into these exciting new eateries and get ready for a year full of delicious flavors!

1. Vita’s Place

Underdog Wine Co. owners Ryan and Jenny Sciara are opening a small neighborhood wine bar at 5514 Oak, just around the corner from their Brookside shop. This cozy wine bar is expected to open in early January.

2. Whole Harvest

Leawood is getting a health-focused restaurant with Whole Harvest at 4853 W. 117th St. This Leawood spot will offer delicious and nutritious options such as zucchini bread, loaded sweet potatoes, lentil pancakes, and edamame dip. Projected opening is in the second week of January.

3. Tiki Taco

With two locations in Kansas City, Tiki Taco is expanding to Overland Park at 7514 W. 80th St. Customers can expect the same favorites, including crunchy tacos, nachos, and burritos. This new location is expected to open in January.

4. 1981 K-Chicken

Transforming the former Steve’s Villa Capri, an Italian restaurant at 10412 Mastin St., 1981 K-Chicken will offer Korean chicken dishes and a bar. This first concept from longtime friends Kue-Jin Hwang, Sung Jo, and Kyoungmin Kim is set to open in January.

5. Aqua Penny’s

The owners of Bamboo Penny’s, a popular Thai restaurant in Leawood’s Park Place shopping center, are opening a seafood and oyster bar concept called Aqua Penny’s. Serving lunch, dinner, happy hour, and brunch, this new addition is expected to open in February.

6. Lottie’s Get Down

The Nashville-based firm behind Westport’s music venue Tin Roof is opening a Southern-fried chicken concept called Lottie’s Get Down at 4057 Pennsylvania Ave. Previously home to Mickey’s Hideaway and McCoy’s Public House, this new venture is projected to open in early 2024.

7. The Blue Palm

Dan Doty, Roxie Danner, and Houston DeFoe are planning a tiki bar called The Blue Palm in the Strawberry Hill space Mockingbird Lounge vacated at 204 Orchard St. in Kansas City, Kansas. The anticipated opening is in early 2024.

8. Green Dirt on Oak

Sarah Hoffmann, artisan cheesemaker and owner of Green Dirt Farm in Weston, is opening a Crossroads fine-dining restaurant called Green Dirt on Oak at 1601 Oak St. This spot will offer breakfast, lunch, dinner, and Hoffmann’s award-winning cheeses. It will also feature a rooftop deck, an event space, and a production facility. The projected opening is in early 2024.

9. Osteria Bianchi

Las Vegas culinary transplants Josh and Kelly Bianchi are planning a traditional Italian restaurant called Osteria Bianchi in the former Trago Bar & Tapas space at 9261 N.E. 83rd Terrace, near Liberty. The menu will include tonnarelli cacio e pepe pasta, wood-fired pizzas, and a pork trio. The anticipated opening is in early 2024.

10. Meddys

Wichita-based Mediterranean restaurant Meddys is expanding to Lenexa, on the southwest corner of West 88th Street and Maurer Road. The menu will feature shawarmas, hummus plates, and salads inspired by owner Alex Harb’s Lebanese culture. The projected opening is in March.

11. Sushi Kodawari

Austin transplant Karson Thompson plans to open Kansas City’s first omakase restaurant, Sushi Kodawari, at 2100 Central St. This fine-dining sushi experience will also be one of the city’s smallest restaurants, with just an eight-seat counter offering two seatings per night. The projected opening is in spring 2024.

12. Carne Diem

Louis Guerrieri and Sarah Nelson, the husband-and-wife team behind Ombra, a small-plates restaurant in The Village at Briarcliff, are planning an upscale meat market and seafood counter called Carne Diem at 4179 N. Mulberry Drive. The anticipated opening is in spring 2024.

13. The Fresh Mediterranean Co.

Starting as a Middle Eastern restaurant inside a Lawrence Cenex gas station, The Fresh Mediterranean Co. is expanding into a fast-casual concept at 3904 Bell in Kansas City. The menu will include chicken shawarma, falafel, hummus, and gyros. The projected opening is in spring 2024.

14. Night Goat

Fox and Pearl’s Sunday barbecue pop-up, Night Goat, is getting its own permanent space in the West Side restaurant’s basement at 2139 Summit. Expect a honky-tonk dive bar setting with barbecue sandwiches and tacos on the menu. The anticipated opening is in late spring or summer 2024.

15. Enjoy Pure Food + Drink

Staci Cross, owner of a health restaurant in Leawood’s Mission Farms, is expanding her concept to Lenexa as part of a project dubbed Restaurant Row near 87th Street and Renner Boulevard. The new location is expected to open in September 2024.

Get ready to explore these exciting new Kansas City restaurants and embark on a gastronomic adventure in 2024. Happy dining!