Baba's Pantry

Baba’s Pantry is a Palestinian-American delicatessen and market in Kansas City, Missouri, opened in 2021 by chef Yahia “Baba” Kamal and his family, celebrated for its hummus, dips, and from-scratch Palestinian cuisine and named one of Bon Appétit’s 10 Best New Restaurants of 2022.

Description

Baba’s Pantry is a Palestinian-American delicatessen, market, and restaurant at 1019 E 63rd Street in Kansas City, Missouri. It serves authentic Palestinian cuisine — hummus and other dips and spreads, falafel, shawarma, kebabs, and related dishes — blending traditional family recipes with the founder’s decades of culinary experience. The shop functions as both a counter-service eatery and a pantry stocking prepared foods and Palestinian staples.

Founder and chef Yahia Kamal, known to his family and customers as “Baba,” is widely credited with popularizing hummus and Middle Eastern dips in the Kansas City market, having sold products under the “Yummy’s Choice” label beginning in the early-to-mid 2000s before opening his own storefront. The restaurant has drawn substantial national and regional press, including recognition from Bon Appétit, Southern Living, CBS Saturday Morning, and KCUR.

In early 2025 the family expanded the concept with Baba’s Bakery, a weekend operation showcasing Palestinian baked goods and treats alongside the original pantry. The business is explicitly framed by its owners as a celebration of Palestinian culture, family, and diaspora resilience.

Ownership and history

Baba’s Pantry is owned and operated by the Kamal family. Patriarch Yahia Kamal immigrated to the United States from Palestine (one account places his arrival in 1979; he attended college in Oklahoma before settling in Kansas City). In 1993 he moved with his children to Palestine for several years so they could learn the culture and Arabic language. He spent decades in Kansas City food businesses and began selling his signature hummus and dips commercially in the early 2000s (sources cite 2000 and 2004 for the start of the "Yummy's Choice" line).

The brick-and-mortar Baba’s Pantry opened in July 2021 as a full family venture. Kamal’s wife, Yusra Kamal (also rendered Yusra Abu-Alhassab), and their adult children all partnered in the business: Omar Kamal (sous chef), Yasmine/Jasmine Kamal (baker), Hannah Kamal Nsenki (business operations and social media), and Kamal Kamal (interior design and events, based in New York). In September 2022, Bon Appétit named Baba’s Pantry one of the 10 Best New Restaurants in the United States. In early 2025 the family added Baba’s Bakery.

Tier classification

Tier 1. Baba’s Pantry is a Palestinian immigrant family’s flagship business, built over decades of work in Kansas City food and rooted entirely in the founder’s heritage and the family’s collective labor — the deepest expression of “pride and dedication to roots” the Registry’s top tier measures. National recognition (Bon Appétit) and a multi-generational, all-family operating structure reinforce the placement.

Links

• Website: https://www.babaspantrykc.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/babaspantrykc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/babaspantrykc

See also

• kansas-city-missouri
• brookside
• 63rd-street-corridor
• kc-immigrant-owned-restaurants
• Registry

Menu

Last verified: 2026-07-24 · Source: official menu PDF, babaspantrykc.com (source 7; full capture) · URL(s): https://www.babaspantrykc.com/menu.pdf · https://www.babaspantrykc.com · Confidence: High (complete official published menu with prices; weekend Bakery pastry case rotates and is not itemized on the official menu)

Palestinian-American deli + market. 63rd St corridor, Kansas City MO. Tue–Sat 11am–7pm · Sun 11am–3pm (pantry); Sat–Sun 11am–3pm (Baba’s Bakery) (source 4).

Specialty Sandwiches — choice of pita or wrap, with salata arabi (tomatoes, cucumbers, sumac onions, pickles) and sauce; unlimited toppings on the sandwich free ($0.85 each on the side); make it a combo (fries + drink) +$5.75 (source 7)

• Hummus (VG) — Baba’s famous creamy hummus smeared sandwich with lemon juice, tahini, “and lots of love” — $8.35 (source 7)
• Baba’s Ghannoush (VG) — roasted eggplant spread with fresh mint, herbs and spices — $8.35 (source 7)
• Falafel (VG) — chickpeas ground with fresh herbs and spices, fried crisp, with tahini sauce — $10.45 (source 7)
• Baba’s Falafel (VG) — signature falafel stuffed with sumac onions and parsley, tahini sauce — $11.20 (source 7)
• Chicken Shawarma — halal chicken in house shawarma seasoning, grilled and sliced, tahini sauce — $12.25 (source 7)
• Baba’s Kebab — halal beef and lamb with herbs and spices, made in house, yogurt sauce — $12.25 (source 7)
• Jackfruit Shawarma (V) — jackfruit marinated in shawarma seasoning, herbs and spices, tahini sauce — $12.65 (source 7)

Platters — with choice of 2 pita rounds, pita chips, or cucumber slices; add protein (falafel, Baba’s falafel, chicken, sliced kebab, jackfruit shawarma) +$5.65 (source 7)

• Baba’s Hummus Platter (GF/VG) — 24oz of the famous hummus with pickles, turnips, parsley, olive oil garnish; made fresh daily — $9.35 (source 7)
• Baba’s Ghannoush Platter (GF/VG) — 24oz roasted eggplant spread with pickles, turnips, olives, parsley, olive oil; made fresh daily — $9.35 (source 7)

Specialty Salads — all with lemon–olive oil vinaigrette (source 7)

• Tabouli (VG) — finely hand-chopped parsley, tomatoes, green onions, radishes, bulgur; made day-of in limited amounts (16oz) — $9.50 (source 7)
• Fattoush (VG) — tomatoes, cucumber, sumac onions, turnips, pickles, olives, lettuce, fried pita chips, pomegranate molasses (24oz) — $9.60 (source 7)
• Baba’s Salata (VG/GF) — the big salad: tomatoes, cucumber, sumac onions, pickles, turnips, olives, lettuce, parsley (32oz); add protein +$5.65 — $13.45 (source 7)
• Salata Arabi (VG/GF) — same build, 24oz — $8.95 (source 7)
• Side Salad (VG/GF) — 8oz — $5.56 (source 7)

Signature Sides

• Baba’s Fries (VG) — fries with signature Baba’s Spice — $4.45 (source 7)
• Falafel (VG) — 6 pcs $5.50 / 12 pcs $9.75, with tahini dipping sauce (source 7)
• Baba’s Stuffed Falafel (VG) — stuffed with onions, parsley, sumac; 4 pcs $5.50 / 8 pcs $9.75 (source 7)
• Baklawa (V) — phyllo and ghee layered with walnut-cinnamon-sugar filling, rose water simple syrup — $4.95 (source 7)
• Pita Bread — 3 rounds — $2.70 (source 7)

Signature Toppings (free on sandwiches; $0.88 on the side; all vegan except yogurt sauce): torshi, pickled turnips, olives, shatta, tahini, yogurt sauce, toum garlic sauce (source 7)

Signature Drinks

• Palestinian Turkish Coffee (4oz) — in-house-ground dark roast with cardamom, made to order — $5.20 (source 7)
• Lemonade of the Day (20oz) — fresh daily with a rotating twist — $3.15 (source 7)
• Baba’s Ice Tea (20oz) — floral-infused black tea sweetened with date syrup — $3.15 (source 7)
• Hot Tea (20oz) — rotating flavors — $3.50 (source 7)
• Can Sodas (12oz) — $2.85 (source 7)

Baba’s Bakery (Sat–Sun 11am–3pm; added early 2025): Palestinian baked goods and treats (source 3). The weekend pastry case rotates and is not itemized on the official menu PDF.

Menu notes (source 7): fried items use 100% refined peanut oil; prices include card processing — cash gets a 3.8% discount; catering requires 48-hour notice; third-party (Uber Eats/Grubhub) orders may carry additional fees.

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Sources

1. KCUR — “Kansas City’s hummus king brings together his entire family for Baba’s Pantry” — https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2022-08-14/kansas-citys-hummus-king-brings-together-his-entire-family-for-babas-pantry — accessed 2026-05-30
2. KCUR — “Baba’s Pantry in Kansas City named one of the country’s 10 best new restaurants” — https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2022-09-14/babas-pantry-in-kansas-city-named-one-of-the-countrys-10-best-new-restaurants — accessed 2026-05-30
3. KCUR — “Kansas City welcomed Baba’s Pantry with open arms. A bakery now shows off Palestinian treats” — https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2025-01-31/babas-pantry-bakery-kansas-city-palestinian-food — accessed 2026-05-30
4. Baba’s Pantry official website — https://www.babaspantrykc.com — accessed 2026-05-30
5. Flatland KC — “KC’s Hummus King Turns to Family to Create Baba’s Pantry” — https://flatlandkc.org/eats-drinks/kcs-hummus-king-turns-to-family-to-create-babas-pantry/ — accessed 2026-05-30
6. Yelp — “Baba’s Pantry” business listing (hours, 198 reviews, “Updated June 2026”) — https://www.yelp.com/biz/babas-pantry-kansas-city — accessed 2026-06-23
7. Baba’s Pantry official menu PDF — https://www.babaspantrykc.com/menu.pdf — accessed 2026-07-24 (full menu with prices; sandwiches, platters, salads, sides, toppings, drinks; peanut-oil and cash-discount notes)

Verification

Status re-verified 2026-06-23 (PASS-4): CONFIRMED OPEN / registry_status: active. Official site (https://www.babaspantrykc.com) live with current hours and no closure/relocation notice; Yelp listing “Updated June 2026” with 198 reviews and current operating hours; review activity through February 2026; no “permanently closed” flag found. Address (1019 E 63rd St, KCMO 64110), phone (816) 702-0045, and Tue–Sat 11–7 / Sun 11–3 pantry hours all hold. Bakery weekend operation (added early 2025) still active. Sources: official site, Yelp [#6]. All existing source citations already carry live URLs — no bare/dead links found.

Drafted 2026-05-30 from web research; 5 sources. Confirmed: address (1019 E 63rd St, KCMO 64110), founding (July 2021), owner family (Kamal), Bon Appétit honor, social links, current website. CORRECTED from intake: website is babaspantrykc.com (not babaspantry.com); phone is (816) 702-0045 (intake’s (913) 232-2222 is wrong/unverified); founding is 2021 (not “2010s”); neighborhood is Brookside/63rd St KCMO (not Prairie Village). Unverified: exact immigration year and exact year the hummus line launched (sources vary).