This profile is in active compilation — some details are awaiting a cited source.

Lilico’s Taverna is a Spanish-style tinned-fish taverna in the Crossroads Arts District, opened in late 2025 by longtime Kansas City restaurateur Shawn McClenny and his wife Carolina, and named for Carolina’s late father, a Spanish-born, Cuba-raised immigrant to Kansas.

Description

Lilico’s Taverna is a Spanish-style informal cafe and “taverna” located at 1615 Oak Street in the Crossroads Arts District of Kansas City, Missouri, in a roughly 3,000-square-foot space that was formerly home to The Pairing: Wine & Grocer. The concept is built around the “sangria, tins and snacks” format — canned (tinned) seafood such as sardines, anchovies, sea bass, scallops, tuna, and mussels, served alongside charcuterie, pinchos skewers, cocktails, sangria, and small snacks.

The restaurant leans into the Spanish tradition of sobremesa — lingering at the table after a meal — and positions itself as a social, no-reservations gathering spot. Coverage notes a deliberate appeal to a younger, social-media-native (“TikTok generation”) audience and a décor sensibility influenced by the surrealist artist Salvador Dalí.

The food and identity reflect a Spanish-Cuban family heritage, tying the tinned-fish-taverna trend to the owners’ personal lineage.

Ownership and history

Lilico’s Taverna is owned by Shawn McClenny, a longtime Kansas City restaurateur, and his wife Carolina McClenny, whose family is of Spanish-Cuban heritage. The restaurant’s name honors Carolina’s late father, Orlando “Lilico” Cortes (pronounced Lee-lee-co), who was born in Spain and lived in Cuba before he and his wife Manuela were helped by a church to relocate to Kansas amid Fidel Castro’s revolution.

Shawn McClenny’s prior Kansas City ventures include Hogshead (opened 2017 on the Country Club Plaza in partnership with chef Clark Grant; closed after about two years in 2019) and One Block South (a large Johnson County entertainment complex that did not survive the pandemic, with its lease ending in 2021). Lilico’s was reported as opening around mid-to-late November 2025.

Tier classification

Tier 1. Lilico’s Taverna is an owner-operated, locally owned restaurant run by a longtime KC restaurateur and his wife, with a concept rooted directly in their family’s Spanish-Cuban heritage and named for a family member — a personal, KC-grounded venture with no chain affiliation. That direct tie between the owners’ own roots and the restaurant’s identity is exactly what Tier 1 measures.

See also

Sources

  1. KCUR — “Kansas City dips into tinned fish trend at new Crossroads restaurant” (2025-10-05) — https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2025-10-05/kansas-city-tinned-fish-crossroads-lilicos-restaurant — accessed 2026-05-30 (concept, address, owners, Lilico name origin / Spanish-Cuban heritage)
  2. Startland News — “Fresh in the tin: Crossroads cafe targets TikTok generation for laid-back canned seafood cuisine” (2025-10) — https://startlandnews.com/2025/10/lilicos-taverna/ — accessed 2026-05-30 (~Nov 2025 opening, address, former The Pairing space, McClenny prior ventures Hogshead & One Block South, Dalí décor)
  3. The Pitch — “Lilico’s Taverna offers a social atmosphere for snacks, sangria & sobremesa” — https://www.thepitchkc.com/lilicos-taverna-offers-a-social-atmosphere-for-snacks-sangria-sobremesa/ — accessed 2026-05-30 (sobremesa concept, social atmosphere)
  4. IN Kansas City — “In Culinary News: Lilico’s Taverna” — https://www.inkansascity.com/eat-drink/news/in-culinary-news-lilicos-taverna/ — accessed 2026-05-30 (concept confirmation)

Verification

Drafted 2026-05-30 from web research; 4 sources. Owner confirmed as Shawn McClenny (with wife Carolina) per base-data hypothesis. Exact opening date flagged provisional (sources report ~November 2025). Instagram (@lilicoskc) confirmed; no public Facebook page located — flagged “not found.”

See also

  • Registry
Categories
  • Locally owned