Anjin’s Beard Bid

Anjin, a 20-seat Japanese-style pub in Kansas City’s Crossroads district, is a finalist for the 2026 James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant. (kcur.org) The James Beard Foundation announced the finalists on March 31, and winners are scheduled to be revealed June 15 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. (jamesbeard.org) Anjin opened in July 2025 at 1708 Oak Street and built its identity around the Japanese izakaya model: a casual bar centered on small plates, drinks, and conversation. (kcur.org) (anjinkc.com) The restaurant serves rotating yakitori, udon, seasonal specials, sake, shochu, and Japanese beer, with diners seated at a bar that faces the kitchen. (anjinkc.com) (exploretock.com) Chef and co-owner Nick Goellner said the point was to make a place that did not play it safe for Midwestern diners and to serve dishes that are still uncommon in Kansas City. (kcur.org) That approach lands in a city where Japanese dining has been expanding beyond sushi rolls and hibachi, with newer counters and bars introducing omakase, yakitori, and more specialized regional cooking. (kansascitymag.com) Anjin is owned by Nick Goellner, Leslie Newsam Goellner, and Drew Little, the team behind The Antler Room, which already had a national profile in Kansas City dining. (aol.com) (inkansascity.com) Kansas City magazine described the restaurant as built around Japanese technique and binchotan charcoal grilling, a style that uses dense white charcoal for high, steady heat. (kansascitymag.com) For Kansas City, the nomination gives the metro a single finalist in the 2026 restaurant-and-chef awards and puts a tiny counter-service room on the same national list as larger markets. (kansascitymag.com) (jamesbeard.org) Now Anjin has two months between finalist day and awards night to keep doing the same thing: fill 20 seats with diners willing to hand dinner over to the kitchen. (kcur.org) (exploretock.com)