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    Anjin

    4.9 (48 reviews)
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    Updated 3 months ago

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    ANJIN ATMOSPHERE

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    Haley M.

    This was such a fun spot that provides an intimate dining experience. The staff was friendly and provided great recommendations. Everything we had was so unique, flavorful and delicious. This is such a gem and I can't wait to come back. Perfect for a date night or small party.

    Cabbage salad
    Maggie C.

    Really fantastic experience, and what a treat to experience this gem of a place. Had a 7p reservation. We did have to wait about 15 minutes for a table to clear for us. They had recently changed up their menu for the new season. Wait staff mentioned that 5 plates would be good for a party of 2. We ordered 4 with dessert and that was plenty for us. We ended up getting the yakitori, cabbage salad, onigiri, and pork sandwich. For dessert, it was a tea and peach swirled soft serve with dark chocolate praline, panda cookies, and KitKat. Everything was perfect. Flavors were robust and well seasoned. It was simple, but also bold, and yet balanced. The pork sandwich had such buttery bread, and that mustard contrast from the egg salad was paired well with the fattiness of the pork. Yakitori was so well seasoned; my favorite was the chicken thigh. Super juicy, and soft. Cabbage salad had a ton of contrasting flavors, the same miso dressing was such a concept. Onigiri was fat, fish was fresh in the middle, and I loved the fish roe. Ice cream was also superb. We left really full and our check wasn't too bad. We also got a green tea cocktail and mocktail, and spent a little over 100$ total.

    Skewers
    Andy M.

    Man what a cool experience, you walk into Anjin and it's impossible to miss the intimacy they've created with their small bar, friendly staff and low lighting. Our servers were awesome to us, they let my partner test a few sakes before making a decision and they let you pick a unique sake cup which is very cool. Their the menu is somewhat limited albeit intentionally, maybe focused is the better word. We had the eel, beet salad, tempura, skewers and pork sandwich. All were really incredible, the beet salad really surprised me with some great flavor combinations and textures. The pork sandwich should agree with most Midwesterns, it's breaded juicy and served with egg salad dressing that really adds a nice flavor to an otherwise savory delicious bite. My favorite by far! Awesome experience, make sure you get a reservation, like a couple weeks out, it's that busy and rightfully so!

    Shrimp tempura
    Alonzo A.

    This is hands down the most creative food that I have had all year. Really thought provoking food that is unlike anything I've had in a very long time. Coming from the Antler Room and trying something completely different, this owner-couple took a risk and it has shown how much work and dedication they have put into this experience. The staff are incredibly kind and knowledgeable. And also very proud of the food they're serving. From the cabbage salad to the shrimp tempura, these are excellent dishes that have texture, flavor and ingredients that work well together. With seasonal menu changes to come, I will definitely be returning. Reservations highly recommended as there are 20 seats at the counter. This place is popular for good reason.

    Anjin Martini
    Joshua J.

    Unique Experience. The Layout is: 20 stools around the bar/kitchen There are not individual tables There are 3 menus: Food, Drink, Soft-Serve. The food menu is crafted as shared plates. If you're hungry, make sure to order the Pork Sandwich! The cocktails are sake based and potent! I enjoyed thier iced tea. The Soft Serve is also incredible!

    Heirloom tomato salad
    Mikaylie P.

    Finally had the opportunity to try out the hottest new place in KC! We ordered 5 dishes to share, 2 drinks and dessert to share. This was the perfect amount for us--I ended up not being able to finish my sandwich. If possible, I'd give Anjin about 4.5 stars! First I'll start with the things I loved: love the ambiance. Very intimate with little finishes that made it more authentically Japanese. The vegetable dishes were by far my absolute favorite! The presentation, combinations of flavors, and use of seasonal ingredients was greatly appreciated. Our service was fantastic, we appreciated all the extra tidbits of information of ingredients, how things were cooked and could feel how much they all wanted to be at their job. Spritz was very nice and light and refreshing. I would love to come back and try sake flights! Yakitori was cooked to absolute perfection. Tasted exactly how I wanted it and remembered it from my time living in Japan. Charred and smoky on the outside, but tender and full of flavor on the inside. Things I didn't love: the tomato yuzu mocktail was very acidic. Still good, but wish the yuzu had balanced it more, or that it was saltier, or something--it was just missing a little bit more than it was. The pork collar sandwich is a hit for very protein heavy consumers--great price and a hefty amount of meat to supplement your meal. I just personally enjoy a more traditional thinner pork katsu...the egg salad was a great addition and the homemade shokupan was amazingly soft. Gyoza was good, but nothing extraordinary in my opinion. I did really enjoy the lemon balm that was added though. Ice cream was also very fun, but nothing extraordinary. All in all a fabulous experience and I am excited to return!

    Cocktail menu
    Alix A.

    Talk about a fabulous meal! Anjin is a new Japanese Izakaya inspired restaurant by the people behind Antler Room. Was so glad it was restaurant week and that they weren't participating because then we could have a pretty chill evening. We tried a few interesting proteins (chicken hearts and pickled mackerel) and had the best sandwich I have had in years (seriously that pork sandwich had everyone at the bar groaning) and wrapped up with really fun soft serve twist with pandan and Thai iced tea flavors. We found this concept to be most similar to Noka - twists on Japanese flavors but the vibes couldn't be more different. Noka's vibe feels a little bit more upscale where Anjin is a bit more relaxed. Both are fabulous restaurants and I highly recommend them both but Anjin knocked our socks off. We did Triune last weekend and we loved that too, but if you're looking for more interesting foods, Anjin definitely brings it. To be a little more detailed: We started with cocktails. I had the persimmon infused sochu. Reminded me a lot of a mimosa. Then our first dish was the skewers. All three were great, including the chicken heart (a first for me). My favorite was definitely the chicken oyster skewer - OMG delicious. Then the tempura came out and that's when things really started to get going for me. If you're someone who is a little bit nervous about this concept and maybe a little bit pickier of an eater, this one is gonna be in your wheelhouse. The shrimp was perfectly cooked. It was so crispy. I joked to my fiancé that it reminded me of a savory funnel cake. Loved it. Next was the Mapo tofu. This wasn't my favorite because it was a little on the spicy side for me, but I thought the flavors were delicious and the scallops were perfectly tender, and the tofu melted in your mouth. And then we had the fried sakura pork collar sandwich. Holy cow! I cannot recommend this highly enough. It's got to be one of the best sandwiches I've ever eaten. And it was a true fusion because they did Carolina gold tonkatsu sauce on it, plus egg salad. And our server told us that the pork collar is basically the equivalent of a Wagyu steak on a pig so there's lots of really nice fatty marbling in it. Oh my God, so good. And the bread! I cannot tell you forcefully enough how much you need to eat the sandwich. These were the four things we ordered originally and my fiancé still had a hankering to try something else. I was getting pretty full, so I told him I would try a few bites of whatever he got, but that it was really up to him what he wanted to get. So he got the golden potato and pickled mackerel. It was an interesting potato salad because it had shredded potato in it and I thought the flavors were pretty good but I just don't like pickled mackerel so I did only have a few bites but that's not to say it wasn't good. If you're somebody who likes pickled fish, I think you would've loved it. And lastly, we of course, had to try the soft serve, which that night was a pandan and Thai tea. I thought the pandan flavor was stronger than the Thai tea, so maybe not the perfect thing to do for a twist, which is what we did, but we added hello pandas strawberry chocolate trash candy and the praline crunch. It was so yummy and a fun way to end the meal. My fiancé, the ice cream fanatic loved it! I think that's what I like about the experience at engine, it doesn't take itself too seriously and the vibes are really fun and social. You're sitting at a bar elbow to elbow with people you don't know and I chatted with a very nice couple next to us. It was fun seeing what people ordered as we were waiting for food to come out and socializing with them. But it's really fun, social experience that I don't think you get anywhere else in Kansas City. Go!

    Phil B.

    We've been so excited for this place to open up and once reservations opened up, we jumped on it. The place is small, so expect limited availability each night, which means same day walk ins will be very hard on weekends. If you get a spot, I recommend you sample a few items, and definitely try their signature pork belly sandwich. It is so tender and full of flavor. Their stew and loaded sweet potato was delicious also. The chef came out and explained it is a rare type of potato not typically grown in the U.S.

    Sydney A.

    All the food was very unique and delicious. Didn't have a reservation so we really didn't have high hopes for getting in but we were able to get seated within minutes. The servers were friendly and fast.

    Tomato salad
    Yara E.

    I've been patiently awaiting the opening of Anjin, and had a friend surprise me with a 9 pm reso for my birthday. I Ubered over, but my friend could park on the street out front, no problem. Once you step inside, you feel like you're transported out of KC. It's warm, inviting, and the decor fits the vibe. Service is top-notch, too. The sake flights are worth trying if you're curious. Drew did a stellar job explaining each, and they're all quite smooth. We started with the tempura, eggplant salad, and the tomato salad, and saved room for dessert, which was the way to go. Whatever sauce they gave you to dip the tempura in was drinkable. I could easily drizzle that on any food and make it better. Add the sandwich or the eel nabe to split if you're hungrier than we were. Also, I know what you're thinking- tomato salad in the summer? That's nothing new. Don't be quick to judge because that was easily the star of our meal. The vinaigrette and the added texture of the pistachios and puffed quinoa gave it something unexpected. While I did not order the pork sandwich, I admired it from afar and plan to return to try it out. At one point, we saw the shokupan they use for it in the back and talked about it with our neighboring diner. The owner stopped by and told us how he's been working on his milk bread recipe for years and picked up the bread molds in Japan. This level of dedication alone proves how thoughtful and unique this restaurant is to the KC food scene. This may be the first time I've visited a restaurant on opening night, and it did not disappoint. They've set the bar high for themselves, but I can't wait to see what fun they'll have in the future with this space.

    Pork Sandwich
    Olivia S.

    Crossroads has a new neighborhood izakaya to enjoy, and it lives up to the hype! First of all, the service is phenomenal. Everyone working behind the bar (including the owners) were incredibly knowledgeable about the menu -- they gave me so much detail about each dish, it was amazing. The food came out quick, especially considering it was opening night. The pork collar sandwich was stunning. The prettiest, most Instagram-able cross section. And it was delicious and massive. I ate the tempura before I could even photograph it. Also delicious. They have a substantial sake menu and a few cocktails and beer options. They had a set sake flight that was so fun to try! Everyone was raving about the cocktails too. The space is small with just one long bar, so this is not the place to bring a huge group of friends. It's perfect for a romantic date night or a fun small group. Make a reservation and cozy up to the bar for a delicious meal and some drinks!! I can't wait to go back and try more. Street parking can be a struggle in Crossroads on busy nights, but Anjin is worth a walk! Only a couple blocks from the Crossroads or Kauffman Center streetcar stops.

    Vanessa B.

    Anjin is an absolute must for anyone who loves Japanese izakaya-style dining. The restaurant is tiny with 20 seats which makes it feel incredibly cozy and intimate, but also means reservations are highly recommended. Every dish my husband and I tried was excellent. The yakitori skewers were perfectly cooked and packed with flavor, the tomato salad was simple and refreshing, and the pork sando was rich, crispy, and crave worthy. We paired our meal with a sake flight, which was a fun way to try a variety and complemented the food beautifully. Anjin delivers a thoughtful, elevated dining experience in a small space, and it's clear a lot of care goes into every detail. Already looking forward to coming back.

    Chi H.

    One of my favorite spots that new in KC. This place was worth it! I enjoy date night here with my favorite person. We got lucky and even saw James working there, he suppose to be a local celeb chef. But the chefs here, you can see them making their magic and helping their staff to make sure all patrons were good and satisfied with their plates and drinks. Because the food here is phenomenal, so good, unique and tasty. I would come here even for the sandwich but everything on the menu was so good. Definitely top spot in KC.

    Pork sandwich

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    5 days ago

    It was more about ambiance than the food. The standout was the beet salad, everything else was kinda meh.

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    21 days ago

    FUN place. Love sitting at the bar making new friends. Service was phenomenal. Food was very creative and delicious.

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    2 months ago

    What didn't go well? This place is amazing! Great food, great service and great drinks. James beard nominee and hopefully soon to be winner.

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    6 months ago

    What an amazing dining experience. The crew truly understands hospitality and the food was incredible. Be sure to put Anjin on your list.

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    Beer Kitchen - The Brickhouse

    Beer Kitchen

    4.3(1.3k reviews)
    2.8 miWestport
    $$

    Came to Kansas City over the recent holidays to visit some friends, and Beer Kitchen came as a…read morelocal recommended place. Good food, good vibes, good beer selection, I was sold. So we loaded up and showed up one day around Noon. Ambiance was really cool. It's in the middle of some sort of progressive looking shanty-esque suburb. The kind of place that does drag queen bingo. I was right at home. Inside was college sport bar, but with a nice, huge board on the wall of all their beer selection. It Was quite expansive. Service was top notch, too. Nice server took care of us, made sure our glasses were never empty. The food came out at a good clips, and we got an unexpected bonus of free little beignet-like donuts with some delicious dipping sauces. As for food, we started off with a jumbo order of the Truffle Parmesan Hand-Cut Fries for the table. We got to choose two from their extensive list of aioli dipping sauces. Fries were good. Dusted with the perfect amounts of truffle and parmesan. And the sauces were my oh my. I recommend paying the upcharge to just try them all. I mentioned the time earlier, because we had no idea we were stumbling upon their brunch menu. Even more options to choose from! I got the Crispy Waffle Smash Burger (smashed hertzog beef patties, fried egg, smoked bacon, merkt's cheddar, caramelized onion, maple aioli, crispy buttermilk waffle). This thing was really nice. Perfect waffle, not too small, not too big, and no oily or anything obtrusive. A nice bun option. Eggs and bacon sometime get lost against giant burger patties, but with these smash patties, the extra accoutrements really stand out and make this burger really stand out in my mind. I also for the try the Smokestack Burger (smoked burnt ends, smoked gouda, whiskey bbq glaze, pickle relish, chipotle aioli & crispy jalapeño straws). Uhhh, as you can read, this thing was loaded with goodness. Fatty burger, smokey burnt ends, sweet boozy glaze, acidic pickles, and texture from that jalapeno. This was the perfect burger. I insist you order this. Overall, my research did not reveal Beer Kitchen to me, locals recommendation did. Shows that you gotta use your street smarts instead of your book smarts sometimes. Best meal I had in Kansas City.

    Pros: Ambiance was super nice. Part craft brewery, part…read moremodern Southern brunch joint. Very cozy and inviting. Service was super nice. We got brunch, but we didn't even know they served brunch, so that was a huge bonus. The food was out of this world delicious. And their beer selection was great, too. Far more than your typical selection of only IPAs. Cons: Not a single con. Tips: Come for brunch. Get one of their astounding burgers.

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    Beer Kitchen - The special drink listing

    The special drink listing

    Beer Kitchen - Chicken Fried Steak

    Chicken Fried Steak

    Beer Kitchen - Fantastic light sour, a rarity in the category

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    Fantastic light sour, a rarity in the category

    International Tap House - Crossroads

    International Tap House - Crossroads

    4.1(51 reviews)
    0.1 miGreater Downtown
    $$

    ITap is one of my favorite go-to spots in the Crossroads. It's spacious layout, attentive servers,…read moreand flexible food policy makes it perfect for large groups of any occasion. Order food from Mission Taco next door or bring it in from any of your favorite establishments. They even have a medium private event area you can reserve for minimal to no fee. It has two TVs, you can set up the area however you like, bring in your own food, and they will provide you with a server. It's awesome. My friend had a party there and my work hosted a happy hour there - both were great successes. And in nice weather they open up their garage door walls for an indoor/outdoor vibe. They have tons and tons of beers, along with a few couple wines and cocktails too. ITap is actually where I learned to like beer because the servers are extremely knowledgeable and allow you to taste different beers to figure out what you like. Plenty of parking between the street and the lot behind iTap (as long as there isn't a Grinders concert going on).

    Very shady place! Beware! We went to ITap the other day and purchased one beer. Unfortunately,…read morewe accidentally left our card at the bar and it was sad that the bartender serving us or the restaurant itself took the opportunity to use our card and charge us multiple times spending a couple hundred dollars on our card. Highly recommend staying away from a place that is dishonest or employs dishonest people.

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    International Tap House - Crossroads
    International Tap House - Crossroads
    International Tap House - Crossroads - Beer choices

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    Beer choices

    River Bluff Brewing at River Market  - beer

    River Bluff Brewing at River Market

    4.6(46 reviews)
    1.3 miRivermarket, Greater Downtown
    $$

    I grabbed a drink with a friend here in a long overdue visit to River Bluff Brewing. They piqued my…read moreinterest when I saw they won awards at the Great American Brew Fest. The menu had a good variety of brew styles - barrel aged stouts, hazy IPA, fruited beer - and I ordered an English Pale Ale. I'm a sucker for English style beers, so it was an easy choice. I really enjoyed my drink and I look forward to visiting again. It's nice they have a kitchen space available to order food. Jimmy B's currently resides there and their pizza is very good.

    I always love finding a new fun spot where I can hang out with friends and drink some new beers!…read moreRiver Bluff did not disappoint either time I've visited. For being a smaller operation (with the original location in St. Joseph), they have a good variety of beers to choose from--my partner and I have very different tastes and we both got a couple of different beers! We went for a pre-dinner beer on a Saturday and the place was pretty crowded--and we found out that they were a sponsor of the KC Cauldron group (a club for Sporting KC), so I also love that they're active in our community! Thanks for being a friend, River Bluff! All this to day, I'll be looking forward to having a nice patio beer at River Bluff during the nice weather months, hopefully followed by a nice walk down the river walk just across the street!

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    River Bluff Brewing at River Market  - Beer

    Beer

    River Bluff Brewing at River Market
    River Bluff Brewing at River Market

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    Taps on Main - Corn nuggets

    Taps on Main

    4.2(238 reviews)
    0.2 miCrossroads, Greater Downtown
    $$

    Love the whole vibe of this place! Right in the heart of downtown it has a cool sports bar feel…read more Don't let that deter you away from the food because it's not your average sports bar fare! It's all delicious. They have an amazing selection of local and non local brews obviously! The service is top notch they make sure you are taken care of and they explain how all the taps work. It's a great place to catch a game and get some food and drinks!

    This is a fun concept and a good place to watch a game however, when it comes to food the prices…read moredon't quite justify the quality. I come here because it is convenient, always has been for me and now even more so because of the streetcar and because of the self serve beer wall. If that intimidates you don't fret because there is a full bar and some taps behind the bar the bartenders can serve you from. Sometimes I choose to do this because the beer wall can get pricey quickly but, it's a novel and fun concept that works for downtown. The food though I feel is overpriced, like why am I paying $15 for tots that are barely topped with toppings and really aren't even a sizable portion? Last time I was here to watch the Chiefs game I ordered the Rueben Tots expecting a fun pile of classic Rueben sandwich components on top of hot crispy greasy tots instead what I received was a small mound of stringy corned beef and a slice of melted Swiss cheese and a dismal drizzle of thousand island. I had to ask for more sauce on the side because it just wasn't enough for the amount of tots. If these would have been between $10-$12 maybe I would have let it slide and this review would have been different but for $15 I just wasn't too happy. Also, another note the menu online has absolutely no descriptions whatsoever so, if you're trying to place a pickup order good luck knowing what you're actually ordering. This could be an easy fix. The service is okay but sometimes it feels like you have to chase down the wait staff or just walk up to the bar to get another drink or ask for a menu. I'm sure happy hour is fine here but I haven't been for years so, I'm not sure if the prices have gone up for that too. Will I be back? Well yes but, I'll definitely order something different from the menu then the last time around. Maybe 4 sliders for $15 is a better way to go? Because I've also gotten the Rueben sandwich here before for $15 and I felt like it was sparse and the meat was lacking. I do believe they have a pretty good burger deal on Monday unless that has changed.

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    Taps on Main
    Taps on Main
    Taps on Main - Try out the beer wall!

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    Try out the beer wall!

    Anjin - japanese - Updated May 2026

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