Succotash

Succotash is a long-running breakfast-and-brunch cafe in the Longfellow neighborhood of Kansas City, Missouri, owned by chef Beth Barden. Open since 2001, it is known for inventive, vegetarian- and vegan-friendly American comfort cooking, a quirky hometown vibe, and a wave of national attention after Barden befriended the cast of Netflix’s Queer Eye during its Kansas City season.

Description

Succotash is a breakfast-and-lunch cafe at 2601 Holmes Street in Kansas City, Missouri, serving “hearty American eats” in what its own marketing calls “a hip, quirky vibe.”¹ The kitchen leans into home-style cooking with local and organic ingredients and a menu built to serve vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and omnivore guests alike.² Signature plates include big buttermilk pancakes, French toast, the “Modern Elvis,” the “Southwest Sink,” and a smoked salmon Benedict.¹

The restaurant operates as a counter-order, no-reservations spot: guests line up to order, then find a table inside or in the outdoor seating area.² Current hours are Monday 8:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m., Thursday through Sunday 8:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m., and closed Tuesday and Wednesday.³

Beyond its local following, Succotash has drawn national coverage. Owner Beth Barden formed a close friendship with the Queer Eye cast during the Netflix series’ Kansas City filming and later worked as food stylist on the show’s coffee-table book, Queer Eye: Love Yourself, Love Your Life.⁴ The restaurant has also been featured on Food Network programming, and its French toast was publicly praised by Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.⁵

Ownership and history

Succotash was founded in 2001 by chef Beth Barden, who opened it as a small “bruncheonette” stall in Kansas City’s City Market — by her account, started “for the price of a used car and a $25 electric plug-in home stove.”⁴⁶ After roughly eight years in the City Market, Barden moved the business in November 2009 to its current, larger home at 26th and Holmes in the Longfellow neighborhood, a two-story brick building that had historically housed a Meiners grocery store and later the Dutch Hill Bar and Grill.⁶ Barden — who taught sex education before becoming a restaurateur — renovated the space with her partner Marco Pascolini, uncovering original architectural features, restoring pressed-tin ceilings, and adding new storefront windows.⁶ A signature 8-layer neon rainbow cake has been on offer since the restaurant’s earliest days.⁴

Menu

Last verified: 2026-06-17 · Source: Succotash official website (Toast ordering menu) · URL(s): https://succotashkcmo.com/kansas-city-succotash-food-menu · Confidence: High

Signatures

• Modern Elvis (vegan) — 3 pieces of vegan French toast topped with caramelized bananas and vegan caramel; $16⁷
• Southwest Sink (GF) — eggs with chorizo, peppers, and onions; $16⁷
• Smoked Salmon Benedict — poached eggs and smoked salmon; $16.50⁷
• Big Buttermilk Pancakes — 2 giant buttermilk pancakes served with a side of bacon; $14⁷
• French Toast — 3 pieces with powdered sugar, served with eggs and bacon (the dish Travis Kelce called “magical”); $15⁷

Pancakes & Sweet Plates

• Buttermilk Short Stack Platter — 2 pancakes with bacon and eggs; $14⁷
• Cake & a Smile — giant pancake with eggs, butter, and a bacon smile; $12⁷
• Burrito of Love — eggs, bacon, and cheddar wrapped in a giant pancake; $14⁷
• Swedish Pancakes — crepe-like pancakes with lingonberries; $16⁷
• Pigs in a Blanket — 4 sausages in crepe-like pancakes; $14⁷
• Gluten-free and vegan short stack platters; vegan French toast⁷

Eggs, Skillets & Hashes

• Farmstand — two eggs, two pieces of bacon, home fries, and choice of toast; $14⁷
• Kitchen / Veggie / Vegan / Body Builder Sinks — egg (or vegan) skillets with various proteins and vegetables; $14–$15⁷
• Pork Hash — slow-roasted pork hashed with home fries; $16⁷
• Corned Beef Hash — $16⁷
• Mushroom Benedict ($14) and Ham Benedict ($15)⁷
• Build Your Own omelet, scramble, or burrito with choice of 3 ingredients; $13–$15⁷
• Biscuits & Sausage Gravy / Biscuits & Mushroom Gravy — half $5.75 / full $9⁷

Sandwiches & Lunch

• Favorite Breakfast Sandwich — eggs, muenster, bacon, tomato on brioche; $14⁷
• Monte Cristo / Maggie Cristo — ham and cheese (or ham, goat cheese, lingonberries) on French-toasted bread; $14⁷
• Corned Beef Reuben — $15⁷
• Cuban — slow-roasted pork, ham, swiss, pickles, creamy dijon; $14⁷
• Fancy B Grilled Cheese ($13), Tuna Melt ($14), Turkey Pimento Club ($14)⁷
• Cobb and Smoked Salmon salads ($16); Tomato Bisque (cup $4.50 / bowl $7)⁷

Notes

• Menu is broadly vegan-, vegetarian-, and gluten-free-friendly, with dedicated vegan and GF versions of signature plates.⁷ A long-running 8-layer neon rainbow layer cake has been a house signature since the restaurant’s earliest days.⁴
• Prices reflect the official Toast ordering menu as of the verified date and are subject to change.

Links

• Official site: https://succotashkcmo.com/
• Menu: https://succotashkcmo.com/kansas-city-succotash-food-menu
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/succotashkcmo/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/succotashkc/

Sources

Disputes

• None known. The brief’s “Columbus Park” tag was corrected to Longfellow per sourcing.

Footnotes

1. Succotash official website — https://succotashkcmo.com/ — asserts: “Breakfast-&-lunch joint… hearty American eats & a hip, quirky vibe,” address 2601 Holmes St, KC MO 64108, and signature dishes (buttermilk pancakes, French toast, Modern Elvis, Southwest Sink, smoked salmon Benedict). ↩ ↩²

2. Restaurantji — Succotash, Kansas City — https://www.restaurantji.com/mo/kansas-city/succotash-/ — asserts: established 2001, began as a small City Market stall; local/organic, vegan/vegetarian/gluten-free/omnivore menu; counter-order, no-reservations format. ↩ ↩²

3. Succotash official website (hours) — https://succotashkcmo.com/ — asserts: Monday 8–2; Thursday–Sunday 8–3; closed Tuesday/Wednesday. ↩

4. KCUR, “How The Queer Eye Guys Fell In Love With A Kansas City Chef” — https://www.kcur.org/post/how-queer-eye-guys-fell-love-kansas-city-chef — asserts: Beth Barden owns Succotash, befriended Queer Eye cast, was food stylist for the Queer Eye book; opened restaurant “for the price of a used car and a $25 electric plug-in home stove”; 8-layer rainbow cake since opening. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

5. Yahoo Entertainment, “All About Succotash, the Kansas City Brunch Spot with French Toast That Travis Kelce Describes as ‘Magical’” — https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/succotash-kansas-city-brunch-spot-191202537.html — asserts: Travis Kelce praised the French toast; national/TV attention. ↩

6. The Pitch, “Our critic is a sucker for Succotash, thanks to its new location and new staff” — https://www.thepitchkc.com/our-critic-is-a-sucker-for-succotash-thanks-to-its-new-location-and-new-staff/ — asserts: opened in City Market, operated ~8 years, moved to 26th & Holmes in November 2009; building formerly Meiners grocery and Dutch Hill Bar and Grill; Barden taught sex ed; renovated with partner Marco Pascolini. ↩ ↩² ↩³

7. Succotash official website — “Food Menu” (Toast online-ordering menu), accessed 2026-06-17 — https://succotashkcmo.com/kansas-city-succotash-food-menu — asserts: current menu sections and dishes with prices (Big Buttermilk Pancakes $14, French Toast $15, Modern Elvis $16, Southwest Sink $16, Smoked Salmon Benedict $16.50, Pork Hash $16, Cuban $14, Corned Beef Reuben $15, Tomato Bisque, plus vegan/GF variants). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³ ↩²⁴ ↩²⁵