This fusion brunch spot will replace closing Kansas City Westport restaurant
Once beloved Kansas City Korean restaurant Chingu closes in Westport, a brunch spot will replace it.
AR’s Breakfast & Brunch, a Mexican-American restaurant that drew huge line when it started near downtown Overland Park, plans to open its first Kansas City location at 4117 Pennsylvania Ave. in mid-June.
Chingu told The Star on Wednesday that it will close in the space May 24.
Oscar Romero, owner of AR’s, said he and his team are excited to bring their cuisine to a new spot in the metro, especially one concentrated with other popular restaurants and bars.
“We’re excited to be in Westport … to see what the community is all about,” Romero said. “We’re so thankful for all our customers. I know there’s a lot of them that come from Missouri.”
The new spot will be similar to the other location at 8021 Metcalf Ave., only a little bigger (Romero isn’t sure of the exact square-footage comparison). It will bear the same design as the original: bright colors, neon signs, grass walls, etc.
The original AR’s opened just two years ago, serving horchata waffles, chorizo bowls, churro pancakes, mimosas and other brunch items with a Mexican flair.
When it first opened, customers consistently waited in lines down the sidewalk. Things were going so well, Romero opened another spot later that same year, 2023, in Olathe at 105 S. Clairborne Road.
The Olathe spot closed at the end of last year because of the Interstate 35 and Santa Fe corridor project, which displaced several other businesses.
Romero said he is still hoping to open another location in Olathe but said he has nothing to announce at the time.
His new Mexican street food concept, Snack Bar, opened in Lenexa at 7789 Quivira Road. It sells elote, Mexican shaved ice, ice cream, tortas and more.
Chingu was a popular spot for the three years it was in Westport, serving dishes like pajeon (a savory pancake), mandu bokkem (pork dumplings with veggies and gochujang-garlic sauce), kimchi fries and Korean fried chicken.
Chef-owner KeeYoung Kim told The Star the decision was “one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make — but also one I know is necessary.”
“It’s no secret that the restaurant industry is incredibly tough, and we went in with eyes wide open and ready,” Kim said. “Certain things we could control, and we did so exceptionally as a team, but factors largely beyond our control from the start until now, we could not ignore.”
Kim said he also recently became a father and realized the importance of prioritizing family and mental health.