Popular Crossroads wine bar closes
Big Mood Natural Wines took to social media to announce it will be shuttering its doors.
“Beyond wine, Big Mood became way more than I had ever anticipated – we played host to so many brilliant collaborations, conversations, first dates, weddings, musicians, food pop ups, wine makers. To the fans, friends, and haters, Big Mood will miss you,” the Instagram post states.
The news of the wine bar’s closing may not come as a shock to those who have been following its Instagram account. Big Mood, which opened in 2020, made a post in January stating its struggle and encouraging its followers to support small businesses.
“Support small businesses before there aren’t any left to support,” the post states. “Don’t shop with the billionaires, keep Kansas City unique and diverse.”
A Latin-inspired cocktail lounge opens downtown
Jasmine Rios is bringing her Mexican heritage to Kohinoor, a cocktail bar and lounge set to open in mid-May.
“Kohinoor is the name of one of the most famous diamonds in the world, but, metaphorically, it means elegance and upscale, so that’s why I chose that name,” Rios says.
Kohinoor sits on the bottom floor of downtown’s Pickwick Plaza Apartments (921 McGee St., KCMO). It’s a dramatic space with towering walls and large windows that illuminate Kohinoor’s deep jeweled interior. The bar’s space seats just over 50.
Despite having spent decades in the food service industry, even serving as a bartender, Rios doesn’t consider herself too crafty with cocktails, so she enlisted the help of Manny Gomez.
Gomez, who created cocktails for the Plaza restaurant T’ähä and is currently the lead bartender at Le Lounge in the Crossroads, crafted a cocktail menu for Rios’ establishment.
Kohinoor will offer the usual tequila-based cocktails like palomas and spicy margaritas along with a few originals.
“I think any of the drinks that have tequila in them are going to be our stars,” Rios says. “There’s another one with a pretty funny name called Donde Esta Juan. It’s pretty unique. It’s tequila, Irish whiskey, lemon juice, guava, simple syrup and Crème de Cacao.”
Small bites like guacamole, meats and cheese, and flan will also be available. Rios is most excited to feature aguachiles—shrimp cooked in lime—which is her father’s recipe (Rios’ parents are from Durango, Mexico).
To keep updated with Kohinoor’s opening, follow @kohi.kc on Instagram.
Cafe Gratitude is closed
After 13 years in business, Cafe Gratitude, a vegan restaurant in the Crossroads, shuttered its doors at the end of April.
“It has been one of the greatest joys of my life to witness the community that formed within these walls,” Cafe Gratitude owner Natalie Jacara said in a statement to Kansas City magazine. “After being gone from the cafe for about six years, I’m honored to have been called back last summer. Although I believed my mission was to bring the café back to life, it’s been deeply rewarding and touching to instead be here to help gently close this beautiful chapter.”
The social media post stated “a challenging winter and a number of other signs” as the reason for closing.
Jacara opened Cafe Gratitude with Michael George. According to Jacara, George bought her out in 2018 or 2019 and asked her to come back last year.
The remaining strictly vegan restaurants in KC are now The Fix, GiGi’s Vegan and Wellness Cafe, The Littlest Bake Shop, Mud Pie Bakery, Tree Hugger Kitchen in Riverside, and Mattie’s Foods, although last time we checked Mattie’s Foods was temporarily closed.
BBQ museum finally opens
The much-anticipated Museum of BBQ opened to much fanfare in April.
“The Museum of BBQ is a feast for your senses,” says founder Jonathan Bender, an Emmy Award-winning writer who has covered the barbecue scene for more than 15 years. “Get ready to immerse yourself in the smoke and sizzle of the world of barbecue.”
Alex Pope, chef and owner of the Local Pig, is also a partner in the Museum of BBQ.
Recently named one of Time Out’s best new things to do in the world, the immersive Museum of BBQ at Crown Center (2450 Grand Blvd., Suite 231, KCMO) will lead visitors through the elements and cooking processes of barbecue as well as the main American BBQ regions.
The first five installations (meat, rub, wood and fire, smoke, and sauce) show visitors how meat becomes barbecue through interactive activities and exhibits.
In the final five installations (Carolinas, Memphis, Bean Pit, Texas and Kansas City), visitors get to travel across America to experience the wide world of barbecue variations. Each regional room has a host of information about the history, culture and barbecue style that define a given place.
There’s no shortage of photo-perfect moments. Visitors can pose with a championship mustard belt, a nod to the mustard-based sauce featured in central South Carolina, or they can take a dip in the Bean Pit before learning how to order brisket in Texas or discovering the legend of burnt ends in Kansas City.
“Kansas City has such a rich history of barbecue,” Bender says. “This is the perfect place to bring the world’s first barbecue museum to life.”
Restaurant News
Every Friday, Kansas City magazine editors post a column on our web page (kansascitymag.com) called The Weekly Dish: Openings, closings and other restaurant news. Here are a few snippets from recent posts. This Food and Drink May 2025 column is the introduction.
Murmuration Eatery & Cocktail Bar
307 Main St., KCMO, murmurationeatery.com
Murmuration Eatery & Cocktail Bar is the newest addition to City Market and offers brunch, lunch and cocktails. It’s the sister restaurant to City Market Coffee Roasters and opened in an adjoining space mid-April.
Thai Orchid
464 N.W. Legacy Drive, KCMO, thaiorchidkc.com
The popular Mission Thai restaurant Thai Orchid opened a second location in the Northland. The new spot is open for dinner Wednesday through Monday.
UnKCorked Wine & Spirits
11140 Switzer Road, Overland Park
Following the closing of Big Mood Natural Wines, another wine bar, UnKCorked in Overland Park, announced its closing too. UnKCorked was open for almost three and a half years.
“It looks like it’s our turn,” the Instagram post stated. “We have about a week before we have to vacate the space, so drop by and say hey one last time.”
Westport Coffeehouse
4010 Pennsylvania Ave., KCMO, westportcoffeehouse.com
Westport Coffeehouse closed on March 28 with plans for another coffee shop to move in.
“We’ve been trying to retire and sell our property for a few years now,” owner Pan Ptacek told the Kansas City Star. “And recently we had somebody approach us with the idea to do another coffeehouse in the space. We thought, ‘You open yours, we’ll close ours—the neighborhood won’t miss a thing.’”
KC James Beard Nominees
Eight KC chefs and restaurants were recognized in January by the James Beard Foundation. However, none continued to the next round as semifinalists.
KC’s food and drink May 2025
发表回复