15 Exciting New Kansas City Restaurants to Look Forward to in 2024

In 2024, Kansas City will welcome a variety of new dining options, including a barbecue dive bar, unique specialty tacos, and the city’s first omakase sushi restaurant. We’ve gathered a list of 15 highly anticipated restaurant openings in the Kansas City area for the upcoming year.

Vita’s Place

Underdog Wine Co. owners Ryan and Jenny Sciara will open a cozy neighborhood wine bar at 5514 Oak, just around the corner from their Brookside shop. The opening is projected for early January.

Whole Harvest

This Leawood-based meal delivery service will open its first restaurant at 4853 W. 117th St., focusing on healthful dishes such as zucchini bread, loaded sweet potatoes, lentil pancakes, and edamame dip. The opening is projected for the second week of January.

Tiki Taco

With two locations in Kansas City, Tiki Taco will open its first spot on the Kansas side at 7514 W. 80th St. in Overland Park. The restaurant will serve customer favorites like crunchy tacos, nachos, burritos, and more. The opening is projected for January.

1981 K-Chicken

The former Steve’s Villa Capri, an Italian restaurant at 10412 Mastin St., will transform into a Korean chicken restaurant and bar. This first concept from longtime friends Kue-Jin Hwang, Sung Jo, and Kyoungmin Kim has been their dream for years. The opening is projected for January.

Aqua Penny’s

The owners of the popular Park Place Thai restaurant Bamboo Penny’s are opening a seafood and oyster bar concept in the same Leawood shopping center. Aqua Penny’s will serve lunch, dinner, happy hour, and brunch. The opening is projected for February.

Lottie’s Get Down

The Nashville-based firm behind the Westport music venue Tin Roof will open this Southern-fried chicken concept at 4057 Pennsylvania Ave. The building was previously Mickey’s Hideaway and McCoy’s Public House. The opening is projected for early 2024.

The Blue Palm

Owners Dan Doty, Roxie Danner, and Houston DeFoe plan to open a tiki bar in the Strawberry Hill space Mockingbird Lounge vacated this fall at 204 Orchard St. in Kansas City, Kansas. The opening is projected for early 2024.

Green Dirt on Oak

Sarah Hoffmann, artisan cheesemaker and owner of Green Dirt Farm in Weston, will open a Crossroads fine-dining restaurant at 1601 Oak St. The restaurant will serve breakfast, lunch, dinner, and her award-winning cheeses, and will feature a rooftop deck, event space, and production facility. The opening is projected for early 2024.

Osteria Bianchi

Las Vegas culinary transplants Josh and Kelly Bianchi plan to open a traditional Italian restaurant in the former Trago Bar & Tapas space at 9261 N.E. 83rd Terrace, near Liberty, Missouri. The menu will include dishes like tonnarelli cacio e pepe pasta, wood-fired pizzas, and a pork trio. The opening is projected for early 2024.

Meddys

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

Sushi Kodawari

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

Carne Diem

Louis Guerrieri and Sarah Nelson, the husband-and-wife team who opened the small-plates restaurant Ombra in 2022 at The Village at Briarcliff, plan to open an upscale meat market and seafood counter at 4179 N. Mulberry Drive. The opening is projected for spring.

The Fresh Mediterranean Co.

This Middle Eastern restaurant started inside a Lawrence Cenex gas station and will expand into a fast-casual concept at 3904 Bell in Kansas City, where d’Bronx Authentic Deli and Pizzeria closed in 2022. The menu includes chicken shawarma, falafel, hummus, and gyros. The opening is projected for spring.

Night Goat

Fox and Pearl’s Sunday barbecue pop-up will get its own permanent space in the West Side restaurant’s basement at 2139 Summit. The honky-tonk dive bar will serve barbecue sandwiches and tacos. The opening is projected for late spring or summer.

Enjoy Pure Food + Drink

Staci Cross, owner of a health restaurant in Leawood’s Mission Farms, will expand her concept to Lenexa as part of a project called Restaurant Row near 87th Street and Renner Boulevard. The opening is projected for September.

As you can see, there’s plenty to look forward to in Kansas City’s dining scene in 2024. With such a diverse array of cuisines and dining experiences, there’s something for everyone. Get ready to explore these exciting new additions to the city’s real estate and food landscape!