KC Thai restaurant expanding to JoCo with a more tropical menu — and rooftop tiki bar

Since Doug and Penny Mufuka opened Thai House in south Kansas City in early 2013, they’ve served the surrounding market and built a loyal Johnson County following.

Soon those JoCo customers won’t have to travel as far.

The Mufukas are opening Bamboo Penny’s, a more upscale version of Thai House, in Leawood’s Park Place, 5270 W. 116th Place. An early 2021 opening is scheduled.

The family-friendly restaurant will have a tiki bar on the rooftop that will be open until midnight during warmer weather.

Penny Mufuka has worked in Thai restaurants in the metro for nearly 25 years. The couple also owned a Thai House in Overland Park in 2018 before selling it to family friends.

Their Bamboo Penny’s menu will emphasize tropical fruits — from pineapple fried rice to mango crab Rangoons — and a crab dish served in the shell. Some of their more popular Thai House dishes such as pad Thai will be on Bamboo Penny’s menu, as well as Thai House off-the-menu items such as a whole tilapia and whole red snapper.

In lease negotiations, John Hoefer at Newmark Grubb Zimmer represented Bamboo Penny’s and Matt Rau of CBRE represented Park Place.

The Grille At Park Place previously operated in the space.

This story was originally published October 14, 2020 at 5:00 AM.