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

Sushi Kodawari is an eight-seat, reservation-only omakase sushi counter at 2100 Central St, Suite #12 in the Crossroads Arts District, in the historic Meriden Creamery building. Chef-owner Karson Thompson — a Kansas native who left a law career in Austin to train in sushi in Japan — runs a ~15-course edomae-style set menu at $200 per person plus tax, two seatings a night (6:00pm and 8:30pm, Thursday–Sunday), fish sourced largely from Japanese waters and dry-aged in-house. Billed on opening as Kansas City’s first omakase restaurant. Tier 1 — locally owner-operated, single location.1234567

Description

Sushi Kodawari is a counter-only omakase room: no à la carte ordering, no menu selection by the guest. First-party copy describes a space “dedicated entirely to an eight-seat hinoki sushi counter,” with the set menu built each day from whatever ingredients are at their best. The style is edomae — the Tokyo sushi tradition developed roughly 200 years ago — with rice “boldly seasoned with aged Japanese red vinegar” and many fish dry-aged, cured, pickled, or preserved. The house framing is that edomae is “about serving food when it is best, not when it is ‘freshest,’” while explicitly reserving room for contemporary preparations and ingredients unavailable to Edo-era itamae.2

Operationally it is unusually tight even for a tasting-menu room. The whole counter is seated simultaneously and service begins at the reservation time; latecomers miss courses. The meal runs about two hours. Reservations release at noon on the first of the month for the following month. The restaurant is cashless, does not accept tips or levy a service charge, and — because of the centrality of raw fish, rice, seaweed, and soy, and the size of the room — states it cannot accommodate vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free/Celiac, or seafood/shellfish restrictions. Outside wine carries a $35 corkage per 750ml bottle for bottles not on the list.34

Ownership and history

Chef-owner Karson Thompson is a Kansas native who practiced law in Austin before encountering omakase dining, attending a sushi-focused culinary program, and training in Japan. He and his wife relocated to Kansas City — to be nearer family and to open his first restaurant — and announced the concept in 2023 for the Creamery building at 2100 Central. Coverage at announcement (Flatland, August 2023; Kansas City Magazine, September 2023) targeted a late-2023 opening; the room actually opened in June 2024. By IN Kansas City’s August 1, 2024 review it was operating as the metro’s newest edomae room, then Wednesday–Saturday with 6:00pm and 8:30pm seatings; current first-party booking runs Thursday–Sunday.6754

Thompson’s stated sourcing model is direct contact with suppliers at the Tokyo fish market for catch-of-the-day selection and rapid air freight to Kansas City, with fish then dry-aged in a cabinet visible from the dining room — white fish for around a week, heartier fish considerably longer.56

No second location, franchise, or parent group is documented; the business presents as a single owner-operated room. Legal entity name and registration.

Note on the discovery brief: this page was queued as “Sushi Kodwari, opened June 2026.” The trade name is Sushi Kodawari (first-party spelling) and the opening year is 2024 — the misspelling and the year both appear to trace to an undated Visit KC seasonal round-up.

menu_status: verified — first-party only.

  • Omakase set menu: approximately 15 courses, $200 per person plus tax. No service fee; tips not accepted. $100 per person deposit at booking, credited to the bill.4
  • First-party sample menu (PDF, marked “subject to change”): Oyster (kumamoto) · Chawanmushi (steamed egg) · Sake (ora king salmon) · Gindara (black cod) · Kohada (gizzard shad) · Kinmedai (golden eye snapper) · Masu (ocean trout) · Aji (horse mackerel) · Akami (lean tuna) · Chutoro (mid-fatty tuna) · Iwashi (sardine) · Toro-taku Temaki · Anago (sea eel) · Tamago · Dessert.8
  • Beverage: a first-party wine/sake/beer list with a pairing option. Priced by glass/bottle — e.g. Prost Mosel Riesling Feinherb 12/36, Tommasi “Le Fornaci” Lugana 18/54, Hubert Brochard Sancerre Tradition 28/84, Laurenz V Grüner Veltliner 25/75, bottle-only Burgundies from Domaine Guy Robin Chablis Vieilles Vignes 110 up to Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru ‘22 800. Corkage $35/750ml.93

No aggregator pricing has been imported.

Sources

Footnotes

  1. Sushi Kodawari — official site (homepage) (accessed 2026-08-13). Asserts: trade name “Sushi Kodawari”; “the historic meriden creamery building — 2100 Central Street — kansas city, mo”; contact 2100 Central Street, Suite #12, Kansas City, MO 64108; info@sushikodawari.com; Instagram @sushikodawari; reservations via Tock. ↩

  2. Sushi Kodawari — “Info.” (accessed 2026-08-13). Asserts: “intimate dining space dedicated entirely to an eight-seat hinoki sushi counter”; omakase-style set menu, no ordering; fish sourced as much as possible from the waters of Japan; edomae style developed in old Tokyo 200 years ago; rice seasoned with aged Japanese red vinegar; fish dry-aged, cured, pickled or preserved; “serving food when it is best, not when it is ‘freshest’”; omotenashi framing; links the sample menu PDF. ↩ ↩2

  3. Sushi Kodawari — Tock reservation page (the restaurant’s own booking page, linked from its site) and FAQ exploretock.com (accessed 2026-08-13). Asserts: “Kansas City, MO · Sushi · $$$$”; “An 8-seat omakase sushi counter inspired by the edomae style of old Tokyo. By reservation only.”; 2100 Central St., Ste #12, Kansas City, MO 64108; same-day hours 6:00 PM–10:00 PM on 2026-08-13; reservations release at noon on the first of the month for the following month; entire counter seated simultaneously; meal approx. two hours; cashless; no tipping or service charge; corkage $35/750ml; cannot accommodate vegan/vegetarian/gluten-free/shellfish restrictions; DA Morr garage recommended for parking; non-refundable deposits and 48-hour cancellation policy. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  4. Sushi Kodawari — “Omakase Sushi Counter Experience 2026,” Tock (accessed 2026-08-13). Asserts: “Seatings available at 6:00pm and 8:30pm Thurs-Sun.”; “Our omakase menu features approximately 15 courses”; “The menu price is $200pp plus tax. There are no service fees or tips accepted.”; reservations for parties of 1 to 6; $100 deposit per person; the 2026 experience is live and bookable. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  5. Jenny Vergara, “Reservation for One: Sushi Kodawari,” IN Kansas City Magazine, August 1, 2024 — asserts: Sushi Kodawari is “Kansas City’s newest restaurant to offer the Edomae-style” of sushi service; Karson Thompson is chef/owner and gave up a law career to study sushi making in Japan; he, his wife and triplets moved to Kansas City to be closer to family; eight seats, two seatings a night (6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.), four nights a week (Wednesday through Saturday) as of Aug 2024; 15-course dinner, menu unique each night, progressing from light white fish to red and blue fish flown in from Japan and dry-aged in a cabinet visible in the dining room. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  6. “Sushi Kodawari to Bring Omakase Dining to Crossroads,” Flatland KC, August 10, 2023 — asserts: owner Karson Thompson; 2100 Central St., Crossroads; 8 counter seats with 2 reserved seatings per night; Thompson practiced law in Austin before training in Tokyo and relocating to KC; concept described as a format of sushi KC hadn’t seen; opening then targeted for late fall 2023. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  7. “KC’s First Omakase-Style Restaurant Will Soon Open In The Crossroads — And It Will Only Seat Eight,” Kansas City Magazine, September 25, 2023 — asserts: 2100 Central St, the Creamery building, first floor; eight seats; chef’s-choice omakase with no guest selection; fish sourced from Tokyo’s fish market; sake, wine and Japanese beer program; dinner only, two seatings per night; ~1,800 sq ft space; Thompson a Kansas native and former Austin attorney. ↩ ↩2

  8. Sushi Kodawari — “Sample Menu – Subject to Change” (PDF) (accessed 2026-08-13). Asserts: the 15-item course sequence transcribed above, from Oyster (kumamoto) through Dessert; raw/undercooked-food advisory. ↩

  9. Sushi Kodawari — beverage list (PDF, “Kodawari Wine List,” Oct-25 revision) (accessed 2026-08-13). Asserts: three-page wine/sake/beer list with by-the-glass and bottle prices, including Prost Mosel Riesling Feinherb 12/36; Tommasi Le Fornaci Lugana 18/54; Hubert Brochard Sancerre Tradition 28/84; Laurenz V Charming Grüner Veltliner 25/75; Domaine Guy Robin Chablis Vieilles Vignes 110; Domaine Clos de la Chapelle Meursault ‘Les Vignes Blanches’ ‘23 200; Domaine Alvina Pernot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru 450; Domaine Marchand-Tawse Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru ‘22 800. ↩

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On the record — ks.city/registry/sushi-kodawari · record updated 2026-08-13