Kansas City’s Anjin nominated
Anjin, a restaurant near 17th and Oak by the old Kansas City Star building, is a James Beard Award finalist and is positioning itself not just as a strong kitchen but as a place trying to broaden local diners’ palates (kcur.org). Local coverage emphasizes the restaurant’s ambition to foster more ‘adventurous’ eating among Kansas City customers as part of its national recognition bid (kcur.org).
Anjin, a 20-seat Japanese-style pub in Kansas City’s Crossroads, is a finalist for the 2026 James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant. (kcur.org) The James Beard Foundation announced its restaurant and chef finalists on March 31, and winners will be revealed June 15 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Anjin is one of the 10 finalists listed in the Best New Restaurant category. (jamesbeard.org) Anjin opened in July 2025 at 1708 Oak St., near 17th and Oak by the old Kansas City Star building. KCUR reported that owners Nick Goellner and Leslie Newsam Goellner built it to introduce Midwest diners to parts of Japanese cooking beyond sushi and ramen. (kcur.org) The restaurant is modeled on an izakaya, the casual Japanese pub format built around drinks and small plates. Kansas City magazine reported in January 2025 that the room would have 20 seats wrapped around a U-shaped counter facing the kitchen. (kansascitymag.com) That small format is part of the pitch. KCUR said the bar overlooks the kitchen, reservations tend to fill at prime hours, and the most available times are around 5:30 p.m. or after 9 p.m. (kcur.org) Goellner told KCUR he and Newsam Goellner wanted a restaurant that was “not just sushi or ramen.” KCUR highlighted dishes including a fried sakura pork collar sandwich on house-made shokupan milk bread and a rotating soft-serve program with changing flavors. (kcur.org) The owners are not new to national attention. Before Anjin, Nick and Leslie Goellner opened The Antler Room in 2016, and Kansas City magazine described Anjin as a second concept inspired by their trips to Japan, with Drew Little also joining as an owner. (kansascitymag.com) Anjin’s own site says the menu centers on handcrafted plates, rotating yakitori, daily seasonal specials, and a drinks list built around shochu, sake, and Japanese beer. The restaurant is currently open Thursday through Sunday from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Monday from 5:30 p.m. to midnight. (anjinkc.com) For Kansas City, the nomination puts a tiny Crossroads dining room on a national stage in a category usually dominated by major-market openings. For Anjin, the next date is June 15, when the James Beard Foundation names the winner in Chicago. (jamesbeard.org)
