Iconic KC cafe closed in 2023. Now a restaurant, wine bar and butcher shop will move in
In the summer of 2023, Kansas City’s Cafe Europa — a restaurant and bakery of two decades — closed in the South Plaza neighborhood.
But soon, a South Carolina-based wine bar, restaurant and butcher shop will take over Cafe Europa’s spot at 4928 Main St.
New York Butcher Shoppe will open its first Kansas City area location in the former cafe spot this April or May, said real estate agent Kimberly Tranbarger. Scott Sovereign, a managing partner for the chain, is planning four or five locations in the metro.
Tranbarger said New York Butcher Shoppe is in negotiations for a second location and will begin looking for a third location in February or March.
“I think it’s going to be a really cool concept for Kansas City,” she said.
New York Butcher Shoppe sells deli meats, steaks, pork chops and an extensive list of other meats and cuts.
“The idea is that you can come in, and get your cut of steak that you want, your sides and your wine, and go home and have your dinner in 20 minutes,” Tranbarger said. “Or you can stop in after work at the wine bar and just have it there, if you prefer.”
For customers who dine in, menu options include twice-baked potatoes, eggplant Parmesan, beef stroganoff, prime roast, Italian sausage and more.
The restaurant was founded in 1999 after Billy D’Elia and his family relocated to South Carolina from Brooklyn and discovered a limited number of quality butcher shops in the area.
Today, the restaurant has 34 locations in eight states, including Texas, Ohio, Alabama and Tennessee.
Cafe Europa, on the other hand, began in 2001 in the Crestwood Shops as Europa! Cafe.
Its most recent owner, Ben Cascio, purchased the cafe in 2016 and relocated it to the South Plaza spot in 2022. The old brick building with garage bay doors was once a firehouse.
In late 2023, Cascio opened a scaled-back version of the concept called The Lemon Cake Bakery at 10683 Mission Road in Leawood. It serves several of Cafe Europa’s baked goods, including its signature lemon cake.