Three Crossroads Kitchens Went Dark This Summer. The District's Newer Restaurants Are Still Looking for One.

"Finding a second generation restaurant that's suitable for us, that's been sort of challenging in this area," Jason Mendez told KCTV on Sept. 2. Mendez is part owner of Madrina Vegana Taqueria at 1881 Main St., and the lease on his pop-up runs out in November. He said many of the spaces available in the Crossroads would need "a lot of rehab" before a restaurant could open in them.

He said that just as three of the district's best-known built-out restaurant spaces were emptying. Parlor KC served its last night at 1707 Locust St. on Aug. 22. Session Taco closed at 409 E. 18th St. on Aug. 30. Anton's served its last meal at 1610 Main St. on Friday, Sept. 25. As of Oct. 3, local coverage has reported no new tenant for any of the three addresses.

The summer's closures are easy to read as a list of losses. On the same blocks, though, smaller operators have been looking for room to grow while larger, finished kitchens sit empty. Who ends up in 1707 Locust, 409 E. 18th and 1610 Main is the Crossroads story to watch this fall.

What Each Address Looks Like on Oct. 3

The table holds two kinds of change. The places that closed were large, long-running rooms. The places that opened are either small operators moving into the right-sized space or venues built around something to do besides dinner.

The Rooms That Closed Were Built for Bigger Crowds

Parlor ran on three floors in a century-old building. It had seven kitchens, a first-floor bar and lounge, an upstairs bar with a game area and a balcony over the Crossroads, and an event space on the lower level. In its closing post, Parlor said it had "seen a significant shift in visitation" and that "the environment around us has changed." The vendors got almost no notice.

Anton's numbers show the same strain. Owner Anton Kotar told KCTV the restaurant brought in "well over $4 million a year" before COVID. By this fall it was doing about $80,000 a month, or just under $1 million a year, and serving about 1,600 people a month. He said the staff had shrunk from 85 people to roughly 25. In an 1898 brick building that once held a grocery store, Anton's dry-aged steaks from area ranchers in-house. Kotar told The Star that he closed for personal reasons.

Session Taco co-owner Adam Tilford said the restaurant had made it through "COVID, a federal trademark lawsuit, rising cost of goods and a slowing economy" during its nine years in the East Crossroads.

Each owner gave a different reason. What the three spaces have in common is that they are finished, permitted restaurant buildings, which is the kind of space Mendez said he couldn't find.

The Openings Went Smaller, or Went Somewhere Else

SAUCED. is the clearest case of an operator growing into the right room. The smashburger shop moved across the street from a 120-square-foot setup into a 2,000-square-foot storefront at 7 E. 19th St. Co-founder Steven Blakley said the move adds indoor seating and turns a grab-and-go stop into a place to sit down.

The old SAUCED. space at 1881 Main did not stay empty. Madrina Vegana opened there during the World Cup through Open Doors!, a program that gave participating businesses three- to six-month leases. That lease ends in November, and Mendez is looking for a way to stay in the area.

The other summer openings are built around an experience as much as a menu:

• Martin City Tavern & Terrace at 1999 Main St. pairs the brewery's beer and pizzas with an expanded tavern menu and a rooftop terrace.
• Bar Phoebe opened on top of the Holtman at 708 E. 18th St.
• Crossroads Golf at 1656 Washington St. has five golf simulator bays, a bar and food by chef Celina Tio. Startland News noted that the address is technically just inside the Westside. Havana Cafe and Lounge is planned for Suite 140 in the same building, but no opening date has been confirmed.

The other pattern this summer is operators leaving for the riverfront. Pitchside Coffee closed its Crossroads shop at 1819 Grand on Sept. 27. Its coffee trailer had already started regular hours at Current Landing on Sept. 8, and a brick-and-mortar shop there is expected in early November. Providence Pizza, an original Parlor tenant that had come back in June, said in August that it was planning a September opening at Current Landing. Co-owner Aaron Salvatore said the brothers were fine without a Parlor location "since we are opening up in another entertainment district in the city." Local sources have not yet confirmed that the Current Landing restaurant has opened.

Where Parlor's Kitchens Are Headed

The seven Parlor vendors are the operators most likely to need built-out space. Some of them want to stay close. As of Oct. 3, none has announced a confirmed new address.

1. Sideshow Sliders and Ladybird Taqueria. Goldberg has eight workers and hopes to relocate nearby, to "a food hall or counter service with beer and wine, something like that."
2. The Laos House. Chef Kay Pe opened the Southeast Asian fusion concept in October 2025 and plans to pursue a brick-and-mortar location.
3. Elephant Wings. Ameet Malhotra called the closing "the universe telling me it is time to have my own place" and is looking for a small restaurant space in Johnson County. Until then, his plans include private dinners, catering and pop-ups.
4. Sido's Mediterranean Cuisine. The Abu-Zareefeh family moved Sido's into Parlor after closing its Overland Park restaurant in 2025. No new location has been reported.
5. Mother Clucker. The Parlor kitchen was a franchise location. Founders Derrick and Kylie Foster are still running their Shawnee restaurant at 5930 Nieman Rd.

Goldberg and Mendez are describing the same kind of space: counter service, beer and wine, a kitchen that's already built. The Crossroads lost three of those this summer.

Who Is Asking the Owners

The district has started a formal process to find out what's driving these moves. Rick Usher, executive director of the Crossroads CID, told KCTV the group "formed recently a business retention and attraction committee, where we will be interviewing business owners about what challenges they're having in the neighborhood." Fourth District Councilmember Crispin Rea said he works with every business that contacts his office to solve problems, and that the city is working on ways to help.

The Next Few Weeks on the Calendar

Some of the next changes are already scheduled:

• First Fridays run 5 to 9 p.m. on the first Friday of each month, so the next one is Nov. 6. The Crossroads Community Association describes the food-truck plaza at 1907 Grand Blvd. as an April-through-October feature, so the Oct. 2 event was its last for the season. This year the CCA partnered with Art Garden KC to manage artist-vendor spaces in the Art Alleys.
• Tiki Taco at 412 E. 18th St., directly across from the former Session Taco, had a late September to early October target in August coverage. Its website still listed the shop as "coming soon" in early October.
• Pitchside Coffee's Current Landing shop is expected in early November.
• Madrina Vegana's lease at 1881 Main ends in November.

The empty kitchens at 1707 Locust, 409 E. 18th and 1610 Main have no announced tenants, while Madrina Vegana, Sideshow Sliders and The Laos House are all looking for a permanent space.

If you own property in the Crossroads and want to talk through what this season's closings and openings mean for your block, The Gamble Group follows these addresses closely and is glad to share what we're seeing. Schedule a Consultation whenever you're ready.