Wah Gwan

a Black woman-owned Afro-Caribbean (Jamaican + Nigerian) restaurant at 6228 Troost Ave founded by Jamaica-born chef Tanyech “Tan” Yarbrough, 2025 winner of KC G.I.F.T.’s $100,000 grant; Tier 1 as an owner-operated diaspora kitchen rooted in the Troost corridor.

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Description

Wah Gwan is an Afro-Caribbean restaurant at 6228 Troost Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64110, near 63rd and Troost in the Troost corridor.¹²³ It serves “Jamaican Cuisine With A Taste of Nigeria” — a blend of “smoky jerk, rich curries, and soulful jollof” drawing on both Jamaican and Nigerian cooking traditions.¹ The restaurant offers dine-in and takeout, with posted hours of Mon–Thu 11am–7pm and Fri–Sat 11am–8pm (Sundays temporarily closed).¹

The menu spans Jamaican and Nigerian staples: chicken prepared multiple ways (jerk, brown stew, curry, honey-garlic barbecue wings), oxtail, curry goat (with rice and peas or jollof), coconut curry shrimp, escovitch snapper, Jamaican beef patties, beef suya, egusi soup with fufu, rasta pasta, and honey-garlic barbecue tofu; most entrées pair with Nigerian jollof rice or Jamaican rice and peas.³⁴ Wah Gwan has been recognized by Kansas City Magazine as “Best New Restaurant in KC.”¹

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Ownership and history

Wah Gwan was founded by Tanyech “Tan” Yarbrough, who serves as founder and CEO.²⁵ Yarbrough was born in Jamaica and raised in Brooklyn; her husband is a native of Nigeria, and she added several of his family’s dishes to the menu to distinguish her restaurant from other Jamaican operations.³⁴ She left her job as a district manager for Marshalls in late 2019, had her plans approved in February 2020, and began the build-out as COVID-19 reached Kansas City — Wah Gwan opened in 2020 “as a beacon of flavor, culture, and community.”⁴⁶ Early on, the restaurant was largely a one-woman operation, with Yarbrough handling cooking, service, and front-of-house herself.³

In September 2025, Wah Gwan was named the recipient of KC G.I.F.T. (Generating Income For Tomorrow)‘s $100,000 grant, announced live at the nonprofit’s annual gala in front of 600+ attendees. Yarbrough said the funds will go toward expanding dine-in/takeout and adding an Afro-Caribbean market and juice bar.²⁵ KC G.I.F.T.’s grant criteria required applicants to be at least 51% Black-owned, KC-based, in operation for at least one year, and earning at least $100,000 in annual revenue — Wah Gwan met all four.²⁵

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Links

• Website: https://wahgwantan.com/
• Listings: https://www.yelp.com/biz/wah-gwan-kansas-city · https://www.toasttab.com/local/order/wah-gwan-6228-troost-ave · https://blackrestaurantweeks.com/brw-campaigns/wah-gwan/

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Menu

Last verified: 2026-06-21 · Source: Wah Gwan official menu page (wahgwantan.com); cross-checked against The Pitch + KCUR menu reporting · URL(s): https://wahgwantan.com/menu-drinks/ · https://www.toasttab.com/local/order/wah-gwan-6228-troost-ave · Confidence: High on item names, sections, and prices (pulled directly from the restaurant’s own posted menu page); Medium only on day-of-week availability of rotating items (e.g., curry goat listed Fri & Sat).

Wah Gwan’s menu is organized as “Jamaican Cuisine With A Taste of Nigeria,” split into Nigeria, Jamaica, Vegan, and Seafood entrée sections plus appetizers, mix-and-match sides, and rum cakes; nearly every entrée pairs with Jamaican rice & peas or Nigerian jollof rice.¹⁷

Jamaica (signature dishes)

• Oxtail — braised oxtail with rice & peas or jollof and cabbage. ($33.95)⁷
• Jerk Chicken — smoky jerk chicken with rice & peas or jollof and cabbage. ($20.95)⁷
• Curry Goat — curried goat with rice & peas or jollof; offered Fri & Sat. ($26.95)⁷
• Brown Stew Chicken — brown-stewed chicken with rice & peas or jollof. ($18.95)⁷
• Curry Chicken — curried chicken with rice & peas or jollof. ($18.95)⁷
• Rasta Pasta + Chicken — creamy rasta pasta with chicken and cabbage. ($22.95)⁷

Nigeria

• Egusi + Fufu — egusi (melon-seed) soup served with fufu. ($24.95)⁷
• Okro + Fufu — okra soup with fufu. ($24.95)⁷
• Beef Suya Meal — Nigerian-spiced grilled beef suya. ($22.95)⁷
• Nigerian Chicken Stew — chicken stew with rice & peas or jollof. ($20.95)⁷

Seafood

• Snapper Escovitch (2 lb) — escovitch-style snapper with rice & peas or jollof. ($34.95)⁷
• Snapper Escovitch (3/4 lb) — smaller escovitch snapper with rice & peas or jollof. ($24.95)⁷
• Coconut Curry Shrimp — shrimp in coconut curry with rice & peas or jollof. ($18.95)⁷
• Rasta Pasta + Shrimp — rasta pasta with shrimp. ($24.95)⁷

Vegan

• Honey Garlic Tofu — honey-garlic tofu with rice & peas or jollof. ($20.95)⁷
• Coconut Curry Peas — coconut curry peas with rice & peas or jollof. ($18.95)⁷
• Rasta Pasta — vegan rasta pasta. ($16.95)⁷

Appetizers

• Beef Pattie — Jamaican beef patty. ($3.75)⁷
• Curry Chicken Pattie — Jamaican curry-chicken patty. ($3.75)⁷
• Beef Suya Skewer — single beef suya skewer. ($4.25)⁷

Sides (mix & match) & desserts

• Jollof Rice ($6.95) · Rice & Peas ($5.95) · Fried Plantain (4 for $3.95 / 12 for $7.95) · Steamed Cabbage & Carrot ($5.95)⁷
• Cookie Butter Cake — rum cookie-butter cake. ($5.50)⁷
• Lemon-Raspberry Cake — rum lemon-raspberry cake. ($5.50)⁷

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Sources

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Disputes

(None active.)

Footnotes

1. Wah Gwan official site. https://wahgwantan.com/ — asserts: address 6228 Troost Ave; “Jamaican Cuisine With A Taste of Nigeria”; jerk/curries/jollof; dine-in + takeout; hours; “Best New Restaurant in KC” (KC Magazine). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

2. KCTV5 — “Kansas City restaurant wins $100K grant to expand operations on Troost Avenue.” Published 2025-10-06. https://www.kctv5.com/2025/10/06/kansas-city-restaurant-wins-100k-grant-expand-operations-troost-avenue/ — asserts: Wah Gwan won $100K KC G.I.F.T. grant; 6228 Troost; founder/CEO Tanyech Yarbrough; plans for Afro-Caribbean market + juice bar; grant criteria. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

3. The Pitch — “Wah Gwan’s culinary cross-pollination will leave you speechless.” https://www.thepitchkc.com/wah-gwans-culinary-cross-pollination-will-leave-you-speechless/ — asserts: Yarbrough as chef-founder/one-woman operation; 63rd & Troost; menu (oxtail, jerk chicken, curry goat, escovitch fish, beef suya, egusi/fufu, beef patties, rasta pasta); jollof or rice-and-peas pairings. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

4. KCUR — “Along Troost Avenue, Kansas City’s new restaurant row emerges.” Published 2024-03-10. https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2024-03-10/troost-avenue-kansas-city-new-restaurant-row — asserts: Yarbrough born in Jamaica, raised in Brooklyn, mother of four; Nigerian husband; menu detail; opened after late-2019 departure from Marshalls, Feb-2020 approval, COVID build-out; “protected space” framing. ↩ ↩² ↩³

5. Startland News — “KC GIFT orders a full meal with $100K Wah Gwan grant.” Published 2025-10. https://www.startlandnews.com/2025/10/wah-gwan-kc-gift/ — asserts: Yarbrough founder/CEO with Jamaican + Nigerian heritage; 6228 Troost; grant plans; mission statement; active operation. ↩ ↩² ↩³

6. Wah Gwan — About page. https://wahgwantan.com/kansas-city-wah-gwan-about — asserts: founded ~2020 “as a beacon of flavor, culture, and community.” ↩

7. Wah Gwan — Menu page (official). https://wahgwantan.com/menu-drinks/ — asserts: full current menu with sections (Nigeria, Jamaica, Vegan, Seafood, Appetizers, Sides, Desserts), item names, and prices: oxtail $33.95; jerk chicken $20.95; curry goat $26.95 (Fri & Sat); brown stew chicken $18.95; curry chicken $18.95; rasta pasta + chicken $22.95; egusi + fufu $24.95; okro + fufu $24.95; beef suya meal $22.95; Nigerian chicken stew $20.95; snapper escovitch 2lb $34.95 / 3-4lb $24.95; coconut curry shrimp $18.95; rasta pasta + shrimp $24.95; honey garlic tofu $20.95; coconut curry peas $18.95; vegan rasta pasta $16.95; beef pattie $3.75; curry chicken pattie $3.75; beef suya skewer $4.25; jollof $6.95; rice & peas $5.95; fried plantain $3.95/$7.95; cabbage & carrot $5.95; cookie butter cake $5.50; lemon-raspberry cake $5.50. Cross-checked against Toast online ordering (toasttab.com). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³ ↩²⁴