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Anjin is an intimate, 20-seat Japanese izakaya at 1708 Oak St in Kansas City’s East Crossroads, opened in 2025 as the second restaurant from the team behind The Antler Room — KC-native chef Nick Goellner, wine director Leslie Newsam Goellner, and Antler Room bar manager Drew Little. Built around a U-shaped counter that wraps an open kitchen, Anjin serves handcrafted small plates and grilled skewers alongside a curated list of sake, shochu, and Japanese beer. In its first year it was named a 2026 James Beard “Best New Restaurant” finalist.

Description

Anjin is a small, owner-operated Japanese restaurant at 1708 Oak St in the East Crossroads of Kansas City, Missouri. It is styled as an izakaya — a casual Japanese drinking establishment where handcrafted dishes are served in an intimate setting — and the room is anchored by a roughly 20-seat U-shaped, counter-height bar that wraps around an open kitchen.12

The menu rotates and is ingredient-focused, leaning on grilled skewers (such as chicken thigh with shiso, tsukune, and ventricle with pickled ume), a pork-collar tonkatsu sandwich on shokupan, raw and tataki preparations (hiramasa, melon tataki), composed salads, and seasonal specials, with a pandan soft-serve dessert.2 The beverage program centers on a curated selection of sake, shochu, and Japanese beer.1

The name “Anjin” means “pilot” in Japanese; per Axios, it is a tribute to chef Nick Goellner’s grandfather, who married in Japan after World War II.2 Anjin is open Thursday through Sunday and Monday evenings (closed Tuesday–Wednesday), with reservations taken via Tock.1

Ownership and history

Anjin is independently owned and owner-operated. There is no corporate parent. It is the second restaurant from the team behind The Antler Room, the acclaimed Longfellow/Crossroads-adjacent fine-dining restaurant the same group opened in 2016.3

The ownership group comprises Nick Goellner (chef-owner), a Kansas City native and multiple-time James Beard “Best Chef: Midwest” honoree; Leslie Newsam Goellner (co-owner and wine director), Nick’s wife and a longtime hospitality professional; and Drew Little, The Antler Room’s bar manager, who is a co-owner of Anjin.32

The Goellners first announced the concept as a Japanese-inspired “cool neighborhood restaurant,” initially hoping to open by spring 2025.3 The restaurant opened in 2025 — reported as a July 2025 opening, with press coverage of the open space appearing that September.42 Anjin arrived as part of a wave of new Japanese dining in the metro alongside Akoya Omakase.4 In its first year, Anjin was named a finalist for “Best New Restaurant” in the 2026 James Beard Awards.5

See also

Sources

Footnotes

  1. Anjin (official site), homepage. https://www.anjinkc.com/ — izakaya concept; address (1708 Oak St, KC, MO 64108); phone (816.603.2228); hours; sake/shochu/Japanese-beer program; Tock reservations. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  2. Axios Kansas City, “KC’s new izakaya Anjin serves up intimacy — and just 20 seats” (Sept. 8, 2025). https://www.axios.com/local/kansas-city/2025/09/08/anjin-izakaya-kansas-city — owners (Nick Goellner, Leslie Goellner, Drew Little); 20-seat U-shaped counter / open kitchen; East Crossroads; menu details; name meaning (“pilot”) and grandfather tribute; Antler Room relationship. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  3. Kansas City Magazine, “Owners Of The Antler Room Are Opening Anjin: A Japanese-Inspired ‘Cool Neighborhood Restaurant.’” https://kansascitymag.com/owners-of-the-antler-room-are-opening-anjin-a-japanese-inspired-cool-neighborhood-restaurant/ — confirms Anjin is the Goellners’ second concept; Drew Little co-owner; izakaya inspiration; initial spring-2025 target. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  4. Kansas City Magazine, “With the opening of Akoya Omakase and Anjin, Kansas City’s Japanese dining scene is raw, refined and heating up the metro.” https://kansascitymag.com/with-the-opening-of-akoya-omakase-and-anjin-kansas-citys-japanese-dining-scene-is-raw-refined-and-heating-up-the-metro/ — 2025 opening context; KC Japanese-dining wave. ↩ ↩2

  5. KCUR, “Kansas City’s Anjin named Best New Restaurant finalist in 2026 James Beard Awards” (Mar. 31, 2026). https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2026-03-31/kansas-citys-anjin-named-best-new-restaurant-finalist-in-2026-james-beard-awards — 2026 James Beard “Best New Restaurant” finalist; active status. ↩

See also

Categories
  • Locally owned
  • Japanese
  • Crossroads