Kin Lin

Kin Lin is a small, family-run Chinese restaurant near the UMKC campus, just east of the Country Club Plaza, known for serving dim sum and small plates all day rather than only at weekend brunch.¹²

Description

Kin Lin is a small, family-run Chinese restaurant located at 314 E 51st Street, across from the University of Missouri–Kansas City campus near 51st and Brookside Boulevard, in the UMKC/Rockhill area just east of the Country Club Plaza.¹² Its kitchen leans Hunan, and its defining feature is that dim sum and small plates appear under the appetizer section and are available throughout the day — not confined to a separate weekend brunch service as at most dim sum houses in the metro.¹ Local food writing singles out the marinated cucumber as a hot-weather crowd favorite, alongside sesame sweet rice balls and spicy marinated pig ears for more adventurous diners.¹ The menu is broad, with a large set of vegetarian and vegan options noted by long-time reviewers.² The restaurant is open daily 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.³

Ownership and history

Kin Lin is consistently described in local coverage as a small, family-run restaurant.¹² Aggregated business listings identify the owners as Jeff and Joanna Ruan and a founding year of 1990; these specific details have not yet been confirmed against a primary source and are flagged accordingly.⁴ The restaurant’s longevity is independently corroborated: one local reviewer reports patronizing it for 15-plus years since 2003, and a customer cited on the restaurant’s own site claims a relationship of “close to 30 years,” consistent with an early-1990s opening.²⁵ The business is reported to have expanded its space several years ago.²

Menu

Last verified: 2026-06-20 · Source: Kin Lin official site (food menu) + KCUR feature + Grubhub/DoorDash listings · URL(s): https://kinlinkcmo.com/food-menu · https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2024-02-03/dim-sum-kansas-city-best-asian-restaurants-chinese-taiwanese-food · https://www.grubhub.com/restaurant/kin-lin-314-e-51st-st-kansas-city/2666705 · Confidence: High

Kin Lin’s kitchen leans Hunan with a strong Szechuan/American-Chinese spread; its defining feature is all-day dim sum and small plates listed under appetizers rather than confined to a weekend service.¹⁶

Signatures

• Spicy Crispy Chicken, Kin Lin Style — the house namesake dish; crispy chicken in a spicy-sweet glaze (~$18.49)⁶
• Szechuan boiled fish — fish of the day in aromatic hot chili oil / spicy black bean sauce, a Szechuan-style centerpiece⁶⁷
• Marinated cucumber — cold small plate, a hot-weather crowd favorite¹
• Sesame sweet rice balls — sweet dim sum item noted in local coverage¹
• Spicy marinated pig ears — adventurous cold small plate¹

Dim sum & appetizers (all-day)

• Fried or boiled dumplings (8) — ~$10.02⁶
• Fried crab rangoon (6) — ~$4.88; spring rolls (3) — ~$2.83; egg roll — ~$2.31⁶
• Cumin tofu / cumin beef skewers — ~$5.91 / ~$8.17⁶
• Scallion pancake ($6.42), pork bun ($2.83), fried chicken strips (~$9.51)⁶

Soups

• Hot & sour soup ($3.60), egg drop soup ($3.03), wonton soup (~$4.06)⁶
• Winter melon & rib soup ($14.14), pork & pi dan porridge ($10.23), plain porridge (~$5.40)⁶

Entrées (chicken, beef, seafood, vegetarian)

• Sesame chicken — breaded chicken in a sweet brown sauce with sesame seeds; General Tso’s chicken (~$14.39–$17.48)⁶
• Mongolian beef (spicy), beef with broccoli, sesame beef, beef with black pepper (~$14.39–$19.52)⁶
• Kung Pao shrimp, salt & pepper crispy shrimp (~$20.55), mussels with black bean sauce⁶
• Eggplant with tofu — fried tofu in a sweet garlic sauce; broad vegetarian/vegan selection⁶²

Noodles & rice

• Lo mein ($15.41–$17.99), rice noodles ($15.41–$16.44)⁶
• Authentic noodle soups ($15.16–$17.22), fried rice ($13.36–$17.47)⁶

Prices are from the official online-menu listing as of June 2026 and may vary by service/platform; treat as approximate.

Links

• Official site: https://kinlinkcmo.com/
• Online ordering: https://www.kinlinkcmo.com/order
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kinlinrestaurant

Sources

Disputes

None recorded.

Footnotes

1. KCUR, “Looking for dim sum in Kansas City? These are the restaurants and stores you want to try” (Feb 3, 2024). https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2024-02-03/dim-sum-kansas-city-best-asian-restaurants-chinese-taiwanese-food — asserts: Kin Lin is a small family-run restaurant near UMKC serving Hunan cuisine; dim sum listed under appetizers and available all day; marinated cucumber, sesame sweet rice balls, and pig ears noted. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

2. The Brazen Gourmets (chuckeatskc.com), “Kin Lin.” https://chuckeatskc.com/kin-lin/ — asserts: long-running Chinese restaurant at 314 E 51st St near UMKC; reviewer a patron 15+ years since 2003; extensive vegetarian/vegan menu; restaurant expanded several years ago. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

3. Beyond Menu, Kin Lin Chinese Restaurant info & hours. https://www.beyondmenu.com/23725/kansas-city/kin-lin-chinese-restaurant-kansas-city-64112/info.aspx — asserts: 314 E 51st St, KC, MO 64112; phone (816) 561-4334; hours daily 11:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m. ↩

4. Aggregated business/search listings (Yelp/Grubhub/restaurant directories). https://www.yelp.com/biz/kin-lin-chinese-restaurant-kansas-city — asserts (unverified): owners Jeff & Joanna Ruan; established 1990. Flagged pending primary confirmation. ↩

5. Kin Lin official site. https://kinlinkcmo.com/ — asserts: 314 E 51st St, KC, MO 64112; hours 11:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m. daily; phone (816) 561-4334; customer review citing ~30-year patronage. ↩

6. Kin Lin official online food menu. https://kinlinkcmo.com/food-menu — asserts (menu, June 2026): all-day dim sum/appetizers (dumplings, crab rangoon, spring rolls, skewers, scallion pancake); signature Spicy Crispy Chicken Kin Lin Style (~$18.49); sesame chicken, General Tso’s, Mongolian beef, beef with black pepper, Kung Pao/salt-and-pepper shrimp, mussels in black bean sauce, eggplant with tofu; lo mein, rice noodles, fried rice, noodle soups; listed prices as noted. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵

7. Kin Lin overview/menu listing (NovaCircle / DoorDash / Grubhub aggregated delivery menus). https://www.novacircle.com/spots/north-america/united-states/missouri/kansas-city/kansas-city-mo/kin-lin-chinese-restaurant-31ce57/menu · https://www.grubhub.com/restaurant/kin-lin-314-e-51st-st-kansas-city/2666705 — asserts: signature Szechuan boiled fish in aromatic hot chili oil; spicy crispy chicken Kin Lin style; curry/Kung Pao chicken; crab rangoon and spring rolls; confirms Szechuan/American-Chinese spread. ↩