Openings & Closings

Southern restaurant and bar opening first Kansas City area location this summer

Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen serves dusted fried chicken and other Southern treats.
Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen serves dusted fried chicken and other Southern treats. Charlotte Observer

North Carolina-based Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar first announced it was coming to the Kansas City area in August 2023.

Now it finally has an opening date.

The 16720 City Center Drive restaurant in Lenexa’s Restaurant Row development will open July 15, according to a media release.

Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar specializes in made-from-scratch Southern and Appalachian food.
Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar specializes in made-from-scratch Southern and Appalachian food. Provided

With a headquarters in Asheville, Tupelo Honey serves chicken and waffles, scratch-made beef and chorizo meatloaf, sweet potato pancakes, buttermilk fried chicken tenders and other Southern-style comfort meals.

“As we think about where to build our newest Tupelo Honey locations, we always consider the communities that are growing and thriving in a big way – and that’s Lenexa,” chief operating officer Caroline Skinner said in a press release. “We can’t wait to join the Lenexa and greater Kansas City area communities in the coming weeks.”

The 5,600 square-foot restaurant, with an additional 1,500 square feet of outdoor seating, will also have an extensive bar program.

Another location of Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar is in Lexington, Kentucky.
Another location of Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar is in Lexington, Kentucky. Provided

Cocktails include “Peach, Don’t Kill My Vibe,” a peach and pineapple sangria with orange liqueur and the color-changing “Magic Lemonade,” with Tito’s Handmade Vodka, butterfly pea flower syrup and fresh lemonade.

The location will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

The growing Lenexa City Center area has seen more restaurants open in the past several months, including Cactus Grill and Enjoy Pure Food + Drink.

More restaurant and retail tenants are planned at 87th Street and Renner Boulevard, near the new AdventHealth Hospital. Those tenants have yet to be announced.

Related Stories from Kansas City Star
Jenna Thompson
The Kansas City Star
Jenna Thompson covers retail news for The Kansas City Star. A native of Lincoln, Nebraska, she previously reported for the Lincoln Journal Star and graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she studied journalism and English.
Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER