Kansas City’s Anjin up for Beard

Anjin, a 20-seat Japanese-style pub in Kansas City’s Crossroads, is now a finalist for the 2026 James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant. (kcur.org) The James Beard Foundation announced the 2026 restaurant and chef nominees on March 31, and winners will be named June 15 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. (jamesbeard.org) Anjin opened in July 2025 at 1708 Oak Street, with chef Nick Goellner, sommelier Leslie Newsam Goellner, and partner Drew Little building the room around a bar that faces the kitchen. (kcur.org, anjinkc.com) The restaurant models itself on an izakaya, the casual Japanese drinking houses that pair small plates with beer, sake, and conversation. At Anjin, that translates to yakitori, seasonal dishes, and a drinks list built around sake, shochu, and Japanese beer. (anjinkc.com, kcur.org) Goellner told KCUR he and Leslie Newsam Goellner wanted something “that wasn't just sushi or ramen,” and the menu reflects that pitch to Kansas City diners. KCUR highlighted dishes including a fried sakura pork collar sandwich on house-made shokupan milk bread, plus rotating soft-serve flavors. (kcur.org) The Beard recognition moved fast. Anjin first landed on the foundation’s semifinalist list on January 21, then advanced from 30 semifinalists to the final nominee list in Best New Restaurant. (jamesbeard.org, kmbc.com) For Kansas City, the nomination extends a run of national attention for a restaurant scene that has often been overshadowed by larger food cities. Leslie Newsam Goellner told KCUR after the finalist announcement that “the Midwest gets ignored a lot.” (kcur.org) The Goellners are not new to the Beard orbit. Their earlier Kansas City restaurant, The Antler Room, had already drawn James Beard Foundation attention before Anjin opened. (kcur.org, kansascitymag.com) The room’s size has become part of the story too. KCUR reported that prime reservations fill quickly, with the most available times often around 5:30 p.m. or after 9 p.m. (kcur.org) Now the restaurant that opened less than a year ago is waiting on one more date: June 15 in Chicago, when Best New Restaurant will be decided. (jamesbeard.org)