As Kansas City grows and changes, so does its restaurant scene.
The region welcomed at least 50 new restaurants in 2025, and said goodbye to more than 60 others, according to the Kansas City Star.
The new spots filled a variety of niches: star-studded steakhouses, intimate dining experiences, cafes, ice cream parlors, pop ups and more.
But in such a vast food scene, which new spots stand out?
KCUR’s Up To Date asked foodie and Visit Kansas City, Kansas communications senior manager Ritz Dasgupta, Jenny Vergara, columnist for IN Kansas City Magazine, and Kansas City Magazine food editor Tyler Shane to round up their top restaurants of 2025.
Ritz Dasgupta's recommendations
Nour’s serves classic Lebanese cuisine with a modern touch. The hummus is great, and try the muhammara, an addictive dip with red pepper, walnuts and pomegranate molasses. The falafel is super crisp and I loved the red and green shakshuka. It’s comforting, flavorful and the kind of food that stays with you after the meal.
Panchitas Mexican Food is bright and fun in its food and its environment. A pink exterior welcomes you from the outside and, inside, the food is just as memorable. The al pastor tacos are juicy and flavorful, the chilaquiles make a fantastic breakfast and the churros are impossible to skip.
Taqueria Ignacio pops up in the back of Garden House Café and Sagebrush in Rosedale, serving Sonoran-style street tacos that pair perfectly with a coffee or margarita. Taqueria Ignacio is closed for the season right now, but keep an eye out for the next time chef Ruben Leal grills up some juicy, char-kissed carne asada.
Clementine’s Ice Cream feels fancy without being intimidating, scooping chef-inspired flavors that feel like a little adventure. Strawberry Balsamic White Pepper somehow works perfectly, and the dairy-free Mounds of Coconut is a creamy delight. The shop also honors its St. Louis roots with a Gooey Butter Cake flavor.
Cortadito Cuban Cafe, named after the island nation’s signature espresso and milk drink, tells the story of Cuba through colorful murals and delicious food. The café con leche is rich and comforting, the croquetas are perfectly crispy and the Cubano sandwich is pressed just right.
Tyler Shane's recommendations
Anjin is my favorite restaurant in Kansas City right now. The 20-seat bar, owned by Nick and Leslie Goellner, of Antler Room, and Drew Little, is inspired by Japanese izakayas. Try a sakura pork collar sandwich with miso egg salad and Carolina gold tonkatsu sauce, udon noodles with clams in a spicy broth, and towering swirls of soft serve ice cream — oh, and tons of sake.
BB Bánh Mì is humble, operating out of a former Wendy’s, but it’s insanely good. The crispy chicken stands out, alongside the broken rice, topped with a fried egg, pho and banh mis. A drive-thru option makes the spot particularly convenient, too.AlBeik grills eggplants and half chickens to smoky perfection, and the hummus, baba ganoush and kebab platter are among the best in town. The Beiruti owners wanted to open a specifically Lebanese restaurant —, not generic “middle eastern” or “mediterranean” — so you’ll find fries served alongside most meals, not rice.
Oil on Linen, inside the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, should be talked about more. Owner and chef Ted Habiger’s menus are created in collaboration with the museum’s current featured artist. My favorite meal has been during dinner service, a meal Habiger hopes to serve more frequently.
Northeast Pizza isn’t fancy or innovative, and that helps explain why it’s the perfect pizzeria. It’s New York-style, sold as whole pies or by the slice, served out of a smart storefront in the Pendleton Heights neighborhood. The salads are incredible too, plain and simple.
Akoya Omakase is a prime example of Kansas City’s growing array of great sushi options. Trust owner and chef Peter Hoang to serve some of the best raw fish you can find in an omakase, basically meaning “leave it up to the chef” — a style rarely found in Kansas City.
Jenny Vergara's recommendations
Cru Bistro & Bottles embodies Brookside hospitality, serving creative appetizers, salads, sandwiches, and entrees like shrimp risotto and pork ragu with pappardelle. The fried chicken with golden whipped Amish potatoes and a spicy buttermilk chipotle sauce pairs beautifully with a glass of wine from the generous wine list.
Hank’s Garage & Grill thrives on simple, shameless comfort food that tastes like the best memory you’ve had in a bar. Hank’s nails stadium classics like burgers and Frito pie, and don’t pass over the more unique options, like Spam fries with banana ketchup.
Zero Zero started a lunch and dinner service inside its charming Westside pasta shop in the spring. The Lumache alla Norcina wraps ridged snail shell-shaped pasta in a luscious sausage, mushroom and cream sauce. It’s a whisper of Italy right on Summit Street.
Gilda’s Bar de Tapas blends Spanish tradition with a dash of Hollywood drama. The namesake tapa is a must: a skewer of olive, anchovy, and pepper is briny, punchy and impossible not to love. The menu also includes standard tapas like patatas bravas, bacon-wrapped dates with grilled Spanish octopus, and chargrilled lamb chops with spicy harissa glazed carrots.
The Parker Hollow is a new concept by Kansas City chef Jonathan Justus, previously of Justus Drugstore in Smithville. This fun French seafood bistro in Parkville sources sustainable West Coast fish and oysters for its nightly menu. Sit at the bar and order a dozen oysters on the half shell, sit back and see where the night takes you.
