From a Texas-based chain coming to Lee’s Summit to a new health-forward cafe in Overland Park, here’s the latest in the KC food world.
Comings
Texas Two-Step
Texas restaurants are coming to KC in pairs. First, Torchy’s Tacos has opened in the shopping center on Ward Parkway. The bougie taco seller started in an Austin trailer and has since grown to more than sixty locations. The Lone Star State’s most loved burger joint could soon follow. Kansas City Chiefs star QB Patrick Mahomes asked the Whataburger franchise to bring a storefront to Kansas City back in 2018. In addition to getting the richest contract in the history of sports, Mahomes is now getting that wish—James Turcotte, the senior vice president of real estate for Whataburger, says that the business is looking to open in Lee’s Summit. As of now, the nearest Whataburger is over three hours away in Arkansas.
Rocky Platoon
Atomic Provisions, a restaurant group that operates out of Denver, has just opened four new spots in Westport’s historic City Ice Building. Atomic Cowboy is a bar. Denver Biscuit Co. is a breakfast spot known for its giant cinnamon rolls and flaky biscuit sandwiches. Fat Sully’s offers up New York-style pizza with a slices-only window for late night munchies. Frozen Gold does soft serve ice cream with “composed builds” that will satisfy sweet tooths.
Salads and Sauces
A new healthy, fast-casual concept called Cultivare Greens and Grains recently opened its doors in Overland Park. Kansas City influencer Kasim Hardaway is behind the concept alongside a few partners. The restaurant offers salads, grain bowls and wraps along with its own sauces and goods like bagel seasoning and candied peanuts. “We designed a flow where the highest quality, local ingredients come together seamlessly for a quick and easy experience to meet the needs of anyone on the go,” operating partner Kerry Goebel says.
Goings
’Cats Closed
The pandemic has claimed the city’s best Tiki bar and one of it’s better beer bars as Westport’s TikiCat and HopCat have announced their closures, saying they could not come to terms with their landlord. (The landlord subsequently disputed their account to the Kansas City Star—the situation sounds messy.) The subterranean, reservations-only TikiCat was an ornately decorated cave known for its faithful recreations of mid-century tropical cocktails like the Zombie and Painkiller. “After extensive negotiations with the landlord, we were not able to come to a mutual agreement on the terms of our lease,” the company wrote in a Facebook post. “We hope to find a new location and reopen at some point in the future, although the timing is uncertain. Until then, we will keep our amazing customers and employees in our thoughts and in our hearts.” Larger sister bar HopCat, a beer-focused chain that occupied the upper level of the same Westport space, has also closed.
Last Cup
Cult-favorite coffee roaster Thou Mayest coffee shop has closed its Crossroads space permanently. Thou Mayest had previously closed in 2018 after a four-year run before being resurrected a block away.
