Penny’s, A Thai Street Food Restaurant, Is Now Open In Prairie Village

Penny's In Prairie Village / Photo Taken By Joyce Smith

Owning her own restaurant had long been a dream of Wan Phen “Penny” Mufuka.

Now she has five. 

The newest one, simply to be known as Penny’s in the Village, is now open in the The Shops of Prairie Village.

Mufuka, 57, immigrated from Thailand in 1994, and worked for area restaurants – moving up the ranks from busing tables to chef.

She married Doug Mufuka in 2013 and together they opened Thai House in south Kansas City.

But Penny’s dream also included a rooftop bar and outdoor patio. So they pooled their funds and opened Bamboo Penny’s in Park Place (5270 W. 116th Place, Leawood, KS) in mid-2021 with both a rooftop bar and patio – hugely popular draws, especially during warmer months.

“The opportunity was there. They probably weren’t going to look at us over a national chain when there’s not a pandemic,” Doug said. “It was doing so well, we needed more space.”

They looked across the street at the long dark Gordon Biersch (11652 Ash St.) and envisioned an upscale seafood restaurant with an oyster bar. They spent a year and $1.4 million renovating the 7,100-square-foot space for Aqua Penny’s, which debuted in April.

High-energy Penny, usually always ready for the next step, started to worry that maybe they were going too fast or spending too much money. But Doug assured her he had a back-up plan – if they lost everything, they could just pack up their car and move in with his parents in Florida.

Now they will open Penny’s in the Village, which will specialize in Thai street food and shared plates to make it a community gathering place.

“We want to further showcase original Thai food, the soul of Thailand,” Doug said. “The street food is missing here – here as in the United States.”

Under Thai street food, look for barbecue and fried sticky rice rolls (with marinated rib eye), Thai orange chicken, Krapow Moo Krob (crispy pork belly tossed in Thai basil sauce with sauteed bell pepper) served with steamed rice and fried egg.

Shared plates will include Thai spicy sausage lettuce wraps, spring rolls, lobster egg rolls, crispy Thai calamari, chicken satay, Thai garlic riblets, shrimp in a blanket and curry puffs. 

The menu also includes Thai soups and salads, fried rice, noodles, curry and stir-fry, along with desserts such as warm butter toffee cake and mango cheesecake. 

Penny’s combo platter includes Penny’s Rangoon, spring rolls, dumplings and an egg roll served with an assortment of dipping sauces. There’s also a veggie combo platter.

The restaurant’s specialties include mango duck, crispy jumbo garlic prawns, Chilean sea bass dressed tableside with red curry sauce and Beef Short Ribs Hung Lay (with a combination of sweet bean sauce, palm sugar and tamarind juice).

The Mufukas have been hosting pre-opening events while waiting for their liquor license but opened to the public over the weekend.  

Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

“The demographic is open-minded, people who have traveled, a lot of people who have been to Thailand,” Doug said. 

While many Asian operations in the area focus on carry-out, he said Penny focuses on the experience.

“Stick around for two hours, not just to come in and go, but that’s fine too,” he said. “When they say, ‘We had a great time,’ that feels good and it feels like we are sharing culture and not just food.” 

Another area restaurant company had operated several concepts in the spot (4160 W. 71st St., Prairie Village, KS) over the last 25 years – Mosaic Bistro-Wine Bar, Blue Moose Bar & Grill and then Gravity.

The Mufukas sold their Thai House restaurant in 2022 but own Str-Eatz, a small Mexican cafe selling tacos, in the same center (9928 Holmes Rd., KCMO). They also own KC Thai (12250 W, 135th St., Overland Park, KS) in Overland Park.

Coming up, they plan to roll out a hot pot menu at Aqua Penny’s in the spring, as well as revamp the Bamboo Penny’s decor to keep it fresh, and perhaps even open a sixth restaurant. 

“We are in that ‘entertaining offer’ stage. That’s where we are right now,” Doug said. We’ve had talks with Zona Rosa, Lee’s Summit’s Discovery Park.”

Social Media

Get The Latest Updates

Subscribe to our newsletters

Kansas City magazine keeps readers updated on the latest news in twice-weekly newsletter. 

On Tuesdays, Dish brings you food news and our critic picks. 

On Thursdays, The Loop offers exclusive news reports and our curated events picks.

RELATED