Kansas City doesn’t often get to play in the rarefied air of the James Beard Awards—but this year, it is, with Anjin, the Japanese Izakaya restaurant.
Located in the Crossroads, Anjin, the intimate, fire-driven restaurant built around Japanese technique and binchotan charcoal grilling, has landed a spot as a James Beard finalist—one of the highest honors in American dining. Kansas City magazine picked Anjin as one of the city’s best new restaurants, read about it here. The intimate 20-seat dining room is less sushi counter, more modern yakitori meets tasting menu. Read more about Anjin‘s opening .
Now comes the waiting. The James Beard winners will be announced in early June in Chicago—one of the industry’s biggest nights, and a rare national spotlight moment for Kansas City’s dining scene.
![Peck’s Department Store 1044 Main St. “The operation that became Peck’s Department Store in 1914 opened as Doggett and Orrison in 1868,” according to We Were Hanging by a Thread. The dry goods store, which sold clothing and textiles, would later evolve into Peck’s and play a vital role in one of the city’s greatest entrepreneurial stories. “Nell [Donnelly] started in her basement and got an order for 16 dresses from Peck’s department store in 1916,” according to Jackson and Brownfield. “Reportedly, she delivered the dresses, and they sold out in three days. Then, they gave her an order for 300 dresses.” Peck’s orders effectively launched her business, which grew into the Donnelly Garment Company and its iconic Nelly Don dress line: women’s clothing that finally ditched the shapeless, potato-sack style for something wearable and attractive. In February, the Kansas City Business Journal reported that the former Peck’s Department Store building is the subject of a proposal to convert the ground level into a restaurant and commercial space, with 74 loft apartments planned on the remaining floors.](https://kansascitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Ghost-Signs_Peck.jpg)