New Johnson County garage-themed bar and grill is opening soon. Take a peek inside
On a sunny Monday afternoon, Eric Flanagan sat on the patio of his new restaurant, cars whooshing down Nieman Road.
What was he most looking forward to about the opening of Hank’s Garage? He motioned to the long wooden tables and turf with Hank’s-branded cornhole boards.
“It’s looking like what I thought I wanted it to look in my head,” Flanagan said. “To see people out here, enjoying some burgers and beers and watching the game … having some young families and kids running around.”
Especially on days like that afternoon: slightly breezy and 75 degrees.
His bar and grill celebrated its grand opening Thursday at 5801 Nieman Road in Shawnee, taking over an old auto garage built in the 1960s. Diners can sit inside and munch on their burgers, hot dogs, pasta and other dishes.
Garage doors connect to the dining room to its spacious outdoor seating area with long tables.
The paved patio is covered by an added-on gas station-style canopy — “We tried to make it look like it’s always been here,” Flanagan said. A shipping-container-turned-bar ensures customers won’t have to leave the fresh air for a cocktail.
You may have eaten at one of Flanagan’s other bars and restaurants. He opened two in the Crossroads: first King G in 2021, then Jim’s Alley Bar in late 2022. The two concepts neighbor each other at 500 E. 18th St.
With Hank’s, however, he wanted to create something that matched the building’s history and quirks. Plus, why give Kansas Citians something they’ve already seen?
Two neon Mobil pegaguses — or is it pegasi? — glow against the backsplash of the interior bar. Lined up against it are powder-blue bar stools reminiscent of an old diner. Wood paneling lines the walls.
Amid the vintage decor, several televisions hang inside and out. Hank’s aims to be a go-to spot for downtown Shawnee residents to watch games. It’s within walking distance from several apartments just down the street.
“We’re just trying to be a neighborhood bar,” Flanagan said.
Hank’s Garage menu
Flanagan’s team — which includes local chefs Howard Hanna and Zac Sachs — didn’t want to make the menu unapproachable. You won’t find overcomplicated dishes no one’s heard of, but the food isn’t run of the mill, either.
Smash burgers are popular at bars, and many claim to do it best. But in order to validate that claim, Sachs traveled to the smash burger’s birthplace of El Reno, Oklahoma, to learn the perfect technique. (Thinly sliced, lightly crisped onions are key.)
A few others on the menu: Chicago-style hotdogs, roasted pork with broccoli rabe, lasagne and Italian sliders.
“Almost everything we do is from scratch,” Sachs said. “Fresh, we tried to find as much local as we could.”
Hanna, whose family hails from Samoa, is bringing a Pacific Islander favorite to the menu: Spam fries. Served in a cut-open can, the sliced and batter-fried Spam are served with banana ketchup.
On the drink side of the menu, Hank’s is offering beer, mixed drinks and wine. Eric Simbeck is operating the bar program.
His cocktails include the Zero to Sixty (vodka, coffee liquor, amaro, vanilla, house brew and nitrogen), Seventy-Seven (rye whiskey and house lemon-lime soda) and Painkiller (rum, pineapple, coconut, orange juice and nutmeg).
Joining downtown Shawnee
While Flanagan is confident the metro will embrace the new concept, he never set out to open another bar.
But more than a year ago, while Flanagan and his wife were walking out of Wild Child post-date night, they strolled past the old Shawnee Auto Garage with a “for lease” sign out front.
“That’s when the wheels started turning,” Flanagan said. Pun intended.
Now, Hank’s is part of a growing suburban downtown with award-winning bars Drastic Measures and Wild Child nearby. Tapas bar Gilda’s is also looking to open soon at 5815 Nieman Road.
“I like when people come in and you can tell they’re genuinely excited that you’re open …” Flanagan said. “Like, ‘Wow, I’m glad this place is in my neighborhood.’ I think that makes my team proud.”
This story was originally published March 18, 2025 at 10:51 AM.