Muni

Muni is a late-night neighborhood bar and eatery in the River Market serving a nontraditional Mexican–Thai mash-up — birria dumplings, Thai tacos, a Thai-style smash burger — with a cocktail-forward bar open until 1:30 a.m. It opened in March 2024 from Ted and Pam Liberda, the team behind Waldo Thai and Buck Tui BBQ.¹²

Description

Muni is a casual neighborhood bar and eatery in Kansas City’s River Market specializing in nontraditional Mexican and Thai dishes.¹ The menu blends the two cuisines across shareable small plates and entrees — Thai tacos, a Thai-style smash burger, birria dumplings, Thai basil (“gapow”) beef empanadas, Thai sticky ribs, Thom Yum pozole, and chorizo rangoon among them.¹² The cocktail program was built by bar manager and mixologist Eric Schmidt.¹ The space features a 24-seat bar and an outdoor patio, with weekend brunch added to the schedule.² The name “Muni” combines the nicknames of the owners’ two daughters.¹

Ownership and history

Muni is owned by Ted and Pam Liberda, the husband-and-wife restaurateurs behind Waldo Thai and Buck Tui BBQ.¹ The restaurant opened in March 2024 in the former Tribe Street Kitchen space at 316 Delaware St. in the River Market.¹³ The concept was positioned from the outset as a late-night neighborhood destination pairing the Liberdas’ Thai cooking background with Mexican formats and a dedicated cocktail bar.¹²

Menu

Last verified: 2026-06-23 · Source: MuNi KC official website (menu page) · URL(s): https://munikc.com/menu · Confidence: Medium (dish lineup verified from official menu; per-item prices not published on any verifiable source — see note)

MuNi runs a nontraditional Mexican–Thai mash-up across shareable small plates, a couple of sandwiches, and bowls, with a separate weekend brunch and a cocktail-forward bar.⁴

Small plates

• Birria Dumplings — fried dumplings, parmesan crust, queso chihuahua, cilantro, beef consommé (the house signature).⁴
• Chorizo Rangoons — fried wontons, chorizo, cream cheese, scallion, sweet-and-sour sauce.⁴
• Gapow Beef Empanada — fried empanada, beef, Thai basil, serrano, jasmine rice, creamy tiger-cry sauce.⁴
• Cheesesteak Egg Rolls — beef, three-cheese blend, onion, bell pepper, dragon sauce.⁴
• Chive Cakes (GF) — chipotle-soy vinaigrette, fried onion, cilantro.⁴
• MuNi Wings (GF) — fried garlic/pepper wings, creamy tiger-cry, sweet chili.⁴
• Fried Honey-Glazed Ribs — braised pork ribs, honey-hoisin glaze, spicy peanut crunch, pickles.⁴
• Elotes (GF), KC Loaded Nachos (GF, braised pork), Tom Yum Pozole (GF — spicy pork soup, hominy, galangal, lemongrass, Thai chili, guajillo), and a Southwest-Asian Salad (GF, V) round out the section.⁴

Sandwiches

• Smash Dat MuNi — two quarter-pound smash patties, chili-jam caramelized onion, American/Provolone, spicy mayo, brioche, fries.⁴
• Hot Honey Chicken Sandwich — battered fried chicken, Thai-chili hot honey, Asian slaw, brioche, spicy mayo, fries.⁴

Big plates & bowls

• Kow Soi Carne Asada — Northern Thai coconut curry, carne asada, egg noodle, pickled onion, crispy egg noodle.⁴
• Tri Thai Tacos — three tacos with tiger-cry sauce.⁴
• Panang Curry Chicken Mole — quarter roasted chicken in panang-curry mole.⁴
• Camarones a la Diabla — shrimp, spicy chili sauce, cilantro, jasmine rice.⁴

Weekend brunch (Sat–Sun, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.)

• MuNi Breakfast Burrito, Chinoquiles (curry-salsa chilaquiles with pulled pork and sunny eggs), Fried Chicken Biscuit & Gravy (Thai-sausage gravy), Pork Belly Breakfast Sando (char-siu), Grilled Banana French Toast (coconut-milk, spicy candied bacon, peanut butter), and a KC Classic Breakfast.⁴

Bar

• Cocktail-forward program by bar manager Eric Schmidt: house MuNi Margarita (pineapple/serrano tequila, dry curaçao, lime), Fist of Fury (Thai chili/basil vodka, falernum, ginger beer), Electric Boogaloo, and a tiki-leaning list, plus a full zero-proof menu and brunch cocktails (mimosa pitchers, michelada, Thai-basil-chili Bloody Mary).⁴¹

Price tier: Medium. Per-item prices are not published on the official site, and the Toast/DoorDash ordering pages are not machine-accessible for verification — one Yelp reviewer notes two small plates (birria dumplings + Tri Thai tacos) ran north of $30 combined, consistent with a mid-priced shareable-plates format.⁵ Individual menu prices are and should be confirmed before publication.

Links

• River Market merchant directory: https://kcrivermarket.com/member/muni/
• Online ordering (Toast): https://www.toasttab.com/local/muni-kc-316-djkm/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/muni.kansascity/

Sources

• Status verified active 2026-06-23 via official site — current hours, no closure notice and Yelp — MuNi, updated June 2026 (accessed 2026-06-23).

Disputes

None on record.

Footnotes

1. Kansas City Magazine, “Muni: A Mexican Thai Restaurant & Bar is opening in the River Market” — https://kansascitymag.com/muni-a-mexican-thai-place-opening/ — asserts: owners Ted and Pam Liberda (also Waldo Thai, Buck Tui BBQ); opening March 2024; address 316 Delaware St., KCMO; nontraditional Mexican–Thai concept; signature dishes (Thai tacos, Thai smash burger, birria dumplings, Thai basil empanadas); former Tribe Street Kitchen space; bar manager Eric Schmidt; name from daughters’ nicknames; hours Tue–Sun 4 p.m.–1:30 a.m. with kitchen to midnight. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

2. The Pitch KC, “Dish & Drink KC: Nights out and about at MuNi and Gram & Dun” — https://www.thepitchkc.com/dish-drink-kc-nights-out-and-about-at-muni-and-gram-dun/ — asserts: late-night River Market food-and-drink concept; menu items including birria dumplings, gapow beef empanadas, Thom Yum pozole; 24-seat bar and patio; weekend brunch. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

3. KC River Market merchant directory, “Muni” — https://kcrivermarket.com/member/muni/ — asserts: current/active River Market member; address 316 Delaware Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64105; site munikc.com. ↩

4. MuNi KC official website — Menu page — https://munikc.com/menu — asserts: current menu lineup — small plates (Birria Dumplings, Chorizo Rangoons, Gapow Beef Empanada, Cheesesteak Egg Rolls, Chive Cakes, MuNi Wings, Fried Honey-Glazed Ribs, Elotes, KC Loaded Nachos, Tom Yum Pozole, Southwest-Asian Salad), sandwiches (Smash Dat MuNi, Hot Honey Chicken), big plates/bowls (Kow Soi Carne Asada, Tri Thai Tacos, Panang Curry Chicken Mole, Camarones a la Diabla), weekend brunch (Breakfast Burrito, Chinoquiles, Fried Chicken Biscuit & Gravy, Pork Belly Sando, Grilled Banana French Toast, KC Classic Breakfast), and cocktail/zero-proof/brunch-drink lists; dinner Tue–Sun 4 p.m.–12 a.m., brunch Sat–Sun 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Menu page does not publish per-item prices. Verified 2026-06-23. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷

5. Yelp, “MUNI — Updated June 2026” — https://www.yelp.com/biz/muni-kansas-city — asserts: listing updated June 2026; 373 photos, 148 reviews; address 316 Delaware St, Kansas City, MO; Tue–Sun hours 4 p.m.–1:30 a.m. (10 a.m. weekend open), closed Mondays — indicates currently open; reviewer note that two small plates (birria dumplings + Tri Thai tacos) ran over $30 combined (price-tier reference only, not item prices). ↩