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Ting’s Filipino Bistro is a Filipino restaurant in Kansas City’s Historic City Market (River Market), serving traditional family recipes — adobo, pancit, lumpia — from owner Theresa “Ting” Santos-Spencer, who was born in the Philippines and moved to Kansas City in 1998.12

Description

Ting’s Filipino Bistro is a Filipino restaurant located in Kansas City’s Historic City Market, in the River Market neighborhood, serving traditional dishes inspired by family recipes and Filipino home cooking.1 The menu features Filipino staples including chicken and pork adobo, pancit noodles, lumpia, and grilled skewers.13 Many of the dishes come directly from the meals owner Ting Santos grew up eating, inspired by the cooking of her parents and grandmother.1 The bistro offers both indoor and outdoor seating, online ordering, and takeout, providing a relaxed setting for authentic Filipino cuisine steps from the City Market farmers market.1

Ownership and history

Ting’s Filipino Bistro is owned by Theresa “Ting” Santos-Spencer, who was born in the Philippines and moved to Kansas City in 1998 to advance her career as a restaurant consultant, refining her skills in management and communication.2 Her menu features recipes passed down from her late mother and grandmother, with a strong emphasis on family bonds and ancestral history.2 Santos described the venture as a dream to “open a small bistro and pay homage to my Mom & Dad and my grandma.”1

She opened the first Ting’s Filipino Bistro inside Parlor’s food hall in January 2022.2 The City Market location at 405 Main St — described by Santos as a second “dream” location — opened Sept. 13, 2022.4 At the time, she was also expanding into the Khalia’s Pizzeria business, on track to own multiple metro restaurants by the end of 2022.4

Sources

Disputes

None at this time.

Footnotes

  1. Ting’s Filipino Bistro — official website. https://www.tingsbistrokc.com/ (asserts: name; 405 Main St, Kansas City, MO 64105 address; Filipino cuisine and menu items; owner Ting Santos; family-recipe concept and “homage” quote; current hours and June 1–July 31, 2026 extended hours; open status; indoor/outdoor seating and online ordering.) ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  2. “For Theresa Santos, opening Ting’s Filipino Bistro in Kansas City is an ‘homage’ to her family” — KCUR, Feb. 25, 2022. https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2022-02-25/for-theresa-santos-opening-tings-filipino-bistro-in-kansas-city-is-an-homage-to-her-family (asserts: owner Theresa “Ting” Santos-Spencer; born in the Philippines; moved to Kansas City in 1998 as a restaurant consultant; recipes from late mother and grandmother; first location opened in Parlor food hall January 2022.) ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  3. “Ting’s Filipino Bistro” — Yelp listing (Updated February 2026, 41 reviews, 91 photos), 405 Main St, Kansas City, MO. https://www.yelp.com/biz/tings-filipino-bistro-kansas-city-2 (asserts: Filipino classification; 405 Main St address; signature adobo dishes; active recent reviews confirming operating status as of Feb. 2026.) ↩

  4. “Ting’s takes a page from grandma’s cookbook, bringing Filipino fare to KC; second ‘dream’ location coming to 39th Street” — Startland News, Feb. 2022. https://www.startlandnews.com/2022/02/tings-filipino-bistro-2/ (asserts: City Market location at 405 Main St opening Sept. 13, 2022; second “dream” location; expansion plans across the metro.) ↩ ↩2

See also

Categories
  • Locally owned
  • Filipino
  • River Market