After beloved downtown Kansas City restaurant closed, bar and grill replaces it
Matthew Hill has a 344-inch screen in his downtown Kansas City bar.
And honestly, he said, it’s still not enough screen space for his liking. He wants to add more TVs to make it 688 inches in all — impressive even as far as sports bars go.
Hill’s new spot, AJ’s Bar & Grill, opened a week ago in the former KC Daiquiri Shop space at 1116 Grand Blvd. He’s partnering with his fiancee, Larissa Grayson, to open the spot.
Grayson’s family member, Diana Ogilvie, is also an owner. The bar is named after Ogilvie’s and Hill’s middle initials.
Hill knew the owners of KC Daiquiri Shop, Calvin Vick and Kinley Strickland. When he saw they closed down in December 2024, he decided to open his first restaurant concept.
“It’s the perfect location,” Hill said of his new restaurant just down the street from the T-Mobile Center.
The bar will sell all the typical bar drinks — lemon drops, Long Islands and margaritas — plus a full food menu centered on loaded potatoes.
AJ’s offers steak potatoes, brisket potatoes, shrimp potatoes and more. Another item on the menu that Hill is especially proud of: the Philly cheesesteaks.
“We want your potatoes to be something that you’ll never forget,” Hill said. “People love our Philly cheesesteak.”
The business is proving successful so far. They had a full house on Sunday for the last NBA Finals game.
“I want it to be a community place that people can come eat, feel good … and just laugh,” he said. “We want it to be all cultures in here, just a fun place.”
AJ’s is open from 10 a.m. to midnight Mondays through Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays.
KC Daquiri Shop was open for nearly six years when it shut down. The Cajun bar and restaurant lived in the old Qudos Cigar and Cognac Bar. It sold wings, po’boys, deep fried chicken, frozen daiquiris, gumbo and more.
“We have faced a slow economy, challenges with local and state government and ongoing legal battles with neighboring businesses that have been less than supportive,” the restaurant announced on social media at the time.
Strickland and Vick also opened KC Daiquiri Shop Bistreaux at 8725 Metcalf Ave. in Overland Park. It was one of the city’s first Black-owned restaurants.
The Johnson County spot closed in October 2023. It recently reopened as Don Chuy’s Fresh Mex & Cantina.