Popular Kansas City cafe opens another location, serving ‘good vibes’ and breakfast
For the past few months, patrons walking by the under-construction Mildred’s location have been stopping to peer in its windows.
It’s a good sign, said brothers Clayton and Evan Ashby. Hopefully those same neighbors will be back when their South Plaza cafe, 5060 Main St., opens Friday. The spot was once home to Mission Taco, which closed in June.
“It’s been really fun to see how excited the neighborhood … is that we’re going in,” Clayton said. “We’ve been grabbing them and saying, ‘Come in, come take a look.’”
At a pre-opening event Thursday, employees served breakfast sandwiches, brioche cinnamon rolls, vanilla lattes and other longtime Mildred’s favorites.
Some menu options: the standard breakfast sandwich (eggs, bacon, Swiss cheese and Dijon mayonnaise), guacamole toast, and the Monte Cristo sandwich.
By the way — Travis Kelce’s Mildred’s order is the chipotle breakfast burrito, a cinnamon roll and a cold brew. The cafe posted a photo of Clayton and Kelce in the cafe in November. “Humble brag,” the post reads.
The Ashby brothers’ goal with their new spot, as with their others, is to deliver “good vibes,” food and service. One of their taglines, “make love and sandwiches,” is painted across a wall in the main seating area. The space is bedecked with warm wood paneling and houseplants.
“You come here having good food, good coffee, good service, and you leave here floating, better than when you came in,” Clayton said.
A mezzanine seating area provides additional seating for customers. Patio space will be available once the temperature rises. Evan is hopeful that the space cafe will be a popular working and hangout space for South Plaza and beyond.
“People are working from home more than ever before, and that’s probably not gonna change and whole, whole lot,” he said.
The new spot is the farthest south Mildred’s has ventured in a while.
Mildred’s opened in the ‘90s in downtown Overland Park. Evan and Clayton’s mother, Debbie Luce Ashby, took over the spot years later, at 7921 Santa Fe Drive (where Lulu’s Thai Noodle Shop is currently).
When the downtown Overland Park spot closed in 2006, Debbie decided to focus on its other locations. At the time, Evan said, it was because the Johnson County market was more favorable to chains and big box stores.
Mildred’s has two other locations: 1901 Wyandotte in the Crossroads and 908 Baltimore Ave., Suite 103.
Are more locations in the works? That’s a possibility, the brothers said. They’re keeping their eyes and ears open. But it’s more of a long-term goal.
“We love bringing more Mildred’s to more people,” Evan said. “We don’t want to spread ourselves too thin. … Right now, we’re really content with these three.”
Mildred’s will be open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
This story was originally published January 9, 2025 at 4:36 PM.