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Ophelia’s Restaurant & Inn is an Independence Square fine-dining restaurant and boutique inn founded by Ken and Cindy McClain, widely credited as the anchor that sparked the revitalization of the historic Square.

Description

Ophelia’s Restaurant & Inn occupies a restored historic building on the northwest corner of the Independence Square in Independence, Missouri. The restaurant serves contemporary, eclectic American cuisine with globally inspired flavors, and is known for weekend brunch (Saturday 11 a.m.–2 p.m., Sunday 10:30 a.m.–2 p.m.). Signature plates include the Monte Carlo (shaved ham, white cheddar, fried eggs, and bacon on a cinnamon-roll bun) and a short-rib birria with guajillo jus and patatas bravas.

Above the restaurant, the “Inn” component offers eight individualized boutique guest rooms tucked into the upper level of the building, making Ophelia’s a combined restaurant-and-inn on the Square. Stays include a freshly prepared breakfast in the restaurant.[6]

The building itself carries a layered Independence history: the front section was built circa 1907 as a hardware store, and a rear addition came in 1948 as part of a Katz Drugstore expansion — a large operation with roughly 175 employees and 13 departments, including a soda fountain and snack bar, that ran until about 1974. The building then sat vacant until the McClains acquired it.

Ownership and history

Ophelia’s was created by Ken and Cindy McClain, who purchased their first boarded-up building on the then-blighted Independence Square in 1998 and opened the restaurant around 1998–1999. (The restaurant’s own about page states 1999; press coverage references the 1998 building purchase — the one-year gap likely reflects buy-versus-open dates.) “

The McClains did not set out to be restaurateurs; they opened Ophelia’s specifically as a catalyst to revive the Truman-era historic Square, reasoning that a restaurant could become a destination. The name comes from the book Reviving Ophelia, which Cindy was reading during the naming process — chosen deliberately to symbolize reviving both the restaurant and the surrounding district. Executive Chef Robert “Chef Bobby” Stearns, a Johnson County Community College graduate who previously cooked at Taste and Café Verona, has led the kitchen since 2012.

Ophelia’s became the anchor of a much larger revitalization effort: the McClains have since grown their footprint on and around the Square to roughly 16–18 businesses, including nine food concepts ranging from upscale-casual dining to neighborhood pizza, a coffee shop, and an old-school soda fountain.

Last verified: 2026-06-17 · Source: Ophelia’s Restaurant official site (Lunch & Dinner / Brunch menus) · URL(s): https://opheliasrestaurant.com/menu/ · Confidence: High

Contemporary American cuisine with a steak-and-seafood spine, globally inspired starters, and a separate weekend brunch service. Menu rotates seasonally and runs limited-time specials (e.g., holiday features), so individual items shift. Prices below were sourced directly from the official menu as of the last-verified date.

Signatures

  • Fried Chicken Then & Now — half chicken prepared with Harry Truman’s fried-chicken recipe, the other half breaded with an ancho-honey glaze; a nod to the restaurant’s Independence/Truman roots ($28).[5]
  • Short Rib Stroganoff — six-hour braised red-wine boneless beef short rib, caramelized onions, mushrooms, pappardelle ($31).[5]
  • Bison Meatloaf — smoked gouda and cheddar fusilli, crispy Brussels with apples, red pepper jelly, garlic-thyme jus ($33).[5]

Starters

  • Lobster Rangoon Rolls — crispy phyllo, sweet soy glaze, chili crunch, cilantro ($16).[5]
  • Lump Crab Cakes — arugula, capers, prosciutto, citrus salad, preserved-lemon cream, red pepper remi sauce ($25).[5]
  • Smoked Chicken & Chorizo Dip — roasted poblano, onions, cotija, cilantro, blue-corn Tajín chips ($14).[5]
  • Crispy Fried Brussels & Cauliflower — green apples, bacon lardons, toasted pistachio crumbs, sweet cider gastrique, house hot sauce ($13).[5]
  • Shrimp Tempura — sweet garlic chili sauce, pickled vegetables, citrus greens ($19).[5]

Entrées — steaks & seafood

  • 7 oz Center Cut Filet ($51); 14 oz USDA Choice Boneless Ribeye ($49); 8 oz USDA Choice Sirloin ($28).[5]
  • Steak Frites — sliced grilled sirloin, pecorino, thick-cut frites, crispy Brussels, caramelized-onion mushroom marsala ($29).[5]
  • Crab Crusted Salmon — Norwegian salmon, lump crab, cauliflower gnocchi, grilled broccolini, feta, preserved-lemon butter ($39).[5]
  • Halibut & Shrimp Bucatini — grilled East Coast halibut, jumbo shrimp, spinach, roasted tomatoes, capers, lemon-butter piccata ($38).[5]

Entrées — other

  • Roasted Half Chicken — ancho-honey glaze, crispy Brussels with apples, loaded sweet potatoes ($29).[5]
  • Lemon Brick Chicken — cauliflower gnocchi, feta, grilled broccolini, preserved-lemon basil butter ($22).[5]

Brunch (weekend service)

  • Steak and Eggs — grilled 8 oz house-cut sirloin, over-easy eggs, garlic-scented spinach, house-cut frites ($29).[5]
  • Crab Cake Benedict — toasted English muffins, seared crab cakes, roma tomatoes, avocado, capers, Old Bay hollandaise ($23).[5]
  • Chicken & Waffles Benedict — buttermilk waffles, fried chicken, bacon, poached eggs, hollandaise, chives ($21).[5]
  • Crème Anglaise French Toast — thick-cut brioche, crème brûlée custard, whipped butter, berries, maple syrup ($16).[5]
  • Avocado Toast — whipped everything-spiced cream cheese, roasted baby tomatoes, dressed greens, hot ancho honey, two eggs ($18).[5]

Tier classification

Tier 1. Ophelia’s is locally owned by Independence-area residents Ken and Cindy McClain, and embodies the “pride and dedication to roots” Tier 1 measures at an exceptional level: the McClains built the restaurant explicitly to revive their hometown Square, then expanded that mission into more than a dozen local businesses. Long-tenured, deeply place-rooted, and a documented civic anchor — a clear Tier 1.

See also

  • independence-mo
  • independence-square
  • mcclain-family-independence-square
  • harry-truman-independence
  • katz-drug-store
  • Registry

Sources

  1. Ophelia’s Restaurant — About Us — https://opheliasrestaurant.com/about-us/ — accessed 2026-05-30
  2. The Independent (KC) — “Palatable Pursuits: Trailblazer Cindy McClain” — https://kcindependent.com/palatable-pursuits-trailblazer-cindy-mcclain/ — accessed 2026-05-30
  3. City of Independence, MO — Ophelia’s Restaurant (visitors/fine dining) — https://www.independencemo.gov/visitors/places-eat/fine-dining/ophelias-restaurant — accessed 2026-05-30
  4. Independence Square Association — Ophelia’s Inn property page — https://indepsquare.com/properties/ophelias-inn/ — accessed 2026-05-30
  5. Ophelia’s Restaurant — Lunch & Dinner / Brunch Menu — https://opheliasrestaurant.com/menu/ — accessed 2026-06-17
  6. Yelp — Ophelia’s Restaurant & Inn (Updated May 2026; 8-room inn, hours, address) — https://www.yelp.com/biz/ophelias-restaurant-and-inn-independence — accessed 2026-06-23

Verification

Drafted 2026-05-30 from web research; 4 sources. Confirmed: owners (Ken & Cindy McClain), executive chef (Robert Stearns, 2012), address, cuisine, brunch, building history, revitalization role, social links. Unverified items: exact opening year (1998 vs. 1999), and the number of guest rooms in the inn. Note: base intake listed website as opheliasinn.com; the active, current site is opheliasrestaurant.com — substituted accordingly.

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On the record — ks.city/registry/ophelias-restaurant-inn · record updated 2026-06-24