Moon Bar

Moon Bar opened permanently May 27, 2026 at 911 E. 5th St in Columbus Park — a 30-seat Japanese-inspired cocktail bar built on two years of monthly pop-ups by Saranya Hubbard, formerly Head Bartender at Bangkok’s Ku Bar (Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2018). The bar shares its space with Tian Tea House, the daytime Chinese tea concept the Hubbards run in the same room. One space, two identities.

Description

Moon Bar is Saranya Hubbard’s 30-seat Japanese-inspired cocktail bar in Columbus Park — the evening face of Tian Tea House, the Chinese slow-bar concept she and husband Zachary run in the same space by day. Saranya spent years as Head Bartender at Ku Bar in Bangkok (ranked among Asia’s 50 Best Bars in 2018), relocated to Kansas City in 2020, and built her reputation through bar stints at Swordfish Tom’s and SOT before launching monthly Moon Bar pop-ups. The permanent bar opened May 27, 2026, after roughly two years of sold-out pop-up nights at Café Cà Phê, Swordfish Tom’s, Chingu, and Triune. The menu draws on Japanese bartending craft (omotenashi hospitality; precise technique; Asian spirits — sake, soju, Japanese whiskey) combined with Saranya’s Thai-Chinese heritage and a strong commitment to tea as an ingredient. Almost every cocktail has a tea component.

Tier classification

Tier 2 — KC-dedicated transplant creative. Saranya Hubbard was born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand — not KC-born/raised.¹ She relocated to Kansas City in 2020 and has spent six years building her presence here, including a multi-year pop-up series that created demand for the permanent bar. Zachary Hubbard’s KC origins are unconfirmed in any press source (“). Saranya is the driving creative force; her roots are Thai, not KC-metro. Tier 2 on KC-dedicated grounds. Women-led creative direction (Saranya).

Menu

Last verified: 2026-06-29 (menu content) · 2026-07-24 (Firecrawl website check) · Sources: local press (The Pitch, Axios KC, IN Kansas City)²³ + moonbarkc.com · menu_status: partial · Confidence: Medium (cocktails confirmed with prices from press; snacks partial). A Firecrawl capture of moonbarkc.com (2026-07-24) found no on-site priced menu page — the Squarespace site routes to Exploretock for reservations and publishes no itemized food/drink menu, so no first-party priced source is available to reach verified. Prices below are from press review coverage.³

Cocktails (tea-forward; $13–$16)

• Oolong dry Manhattan — $15³
• Pandan coconut cocktail — $16³
• Yadong (straight Thai herbal spirit with maple syrup) — $7³
• Roselle Wasabi — sake + grappa, horseradish, “intensely refreshing”³
• Green and White — Japanese whiskey, whisked matcha, white chocolate, Thai jasmine rice syrup, puffed rice³
• Rotating seasonal menu; additional cocktails from pop-up era: Glitter and Gold (gin, osmanthus, tonic), Cold Soba (gin, sesame-washed rum, buckwheat, rice vinegar, wasabi), Hot Earl Grey (rye, milk foam, rosebud powder)³

Small plates / snacks (served until 10:45pm)

• Local bites plate — $12³
• Thai deviled eggs — $6³
• Masala popcorn — $5³
• Tea jelly — $5³
• Ume cream cheese and nori — price³

Dual concept note

Moon Bar occupies the same space as Tian Tea House (daytime Chinese tea; closes 3pm). The two concepts share ownership and location but operate separately: tea by day, cocktails by night.

Sources

Links

• Official website: https://moonbarkc.com

Footnotes

1. Waldo Thai — Saranya Hubbard biography page — https://www.waldothai.com/saranya-hubbard — Confirms: Bangkok born and raised; Ku Bar Bangkok (Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2018) where she rose to Head Bartender; relocated to KC 2020; Swordfish Tom’s + SOT bar experience; Thai-Chinese heritage. Zachary Hubbard background — no press source covers his hometown. ↩

2. Axios Kansas City — “Moon Bar brings Japanese-style cocktails to KC” (May 27, 2026) — https://www.axios.com/local/kansas-city/2026/05/27/moon-bar-japanese-style-cocktails-kc — Confirms: permanent opening May 27, 2026; 30 seats; Wed–Sat; Columbus Park address; Saranya + Zachary Hubbard co-owners; dual concept with Tian Tea House. Also: The Pitch KC — “Columbus Park tea house now moonlights as a Japanese-style bar” — https://www.thepitchkc.com/columbus-park-tea-house-now-moonlights-as-a-japanese-style-bar/; KC Magazine — “Japanese-Inspired Pop-Up Bar Moon Bar Is Planting Roots” (July 2024) — https://kansascitymag.com/japanese-inspired-pop-up-bar-moon-bar-is-planting-roots/ ↩

3. IN Kansas City — “Moments of Eclipse Make Moon Bar Worth It” (review) — https://www.inkansascity.com/eat-drink/bars/moon-bar-kansas-city-review — Confirms: cocktail names + prices (oolong Manhattan $15, pandan coconut $16, yadong $7, Roselle Wasabi, Green and White); snack menu (local bites $12, Thai deviled eggs $6, masala popcorn $5, tea jelly $5, ume cream cheese + nori); omotenashi hospitality concept; Asian spirits focus. The Pitch KC pop-up profile — https://www.thepitchkc.com/wax-wane-moon-bars-unique-flavors-and-attention-to-detail-shine-bright-at-monthly-pop-ups/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³