New Kansas City coastal Mexican restaurant opens: cocktails, raw bar, more
Todd Schulte and Cory Dannehl are no strangers to the Kansas City dining scene — but they wanted to do something different with Sea Capitán Cocina Costera.
For one, their other two restaurants — Earl’s Premier and Bacaro Primo — could fit inside the new space at 5070 Main St. And while there are an abundance of Mexican restaurants, and even a few seafood restaurants, coastal Mexican concepts aren’t as common.
So, they conceived Sea Capitán: a spot meant to satisfy all of Kansas City’s fish taco cravings.
The South Plaza restaurant opened on Friday, Aug. 1, at 5 p.m. By 5:03 p.m., the bar was full, said Tony Glamcevski, director of operations at the restaurant.
“It was pretty incredible,” he said.
According to him, menu favorites have been the grilled shrimp, any of the tacos (there’s about a half-dozen to choose from) or the frozen margaritas.
The carefully crafted cocktail section on the back of the menu is where the “extra love” went, one waiter said. A few include La Tormenta (Raicilla, Xtabentún, pasilla pepper, pineapple and lime) and Plaza Blanca (Mezcal, tepache, coconut milk and mandarin).
And then there’s the desserts: a tequila and lime tarta, tres leches flan, chocolate and meringue, and a cheesecake (the dish was especially recommended by a server).
Like Earl’s Premier, Sea Capitán has a raw seafood bar. That section of the menu offers oysters on the half shell, aguachile, ceviche and more.
Schulte and Dannehl (and perhaps with a little design help from their wives) transformed the former Blu HWY spot into its current form as a modern Mexican restaurant. Wooden decor and fish mounts hang from the walls. Pops of light blue brighten the space here and there — furthering the aquatic feel.
“It’s a very updated, modern aesthetic and feel,” Glamcevski said.
The space is roughly 5,000 square feet.
When Schulte first spoke with The Star about the restaurant a few months ago, he said he was most excited about the size of the restaurant, which includes a horseshoe-shaped bar.
“It’s gonna be awesome,” he said at the time.
Several more customers can sit on the restaurant’s patio. An outdoor bar with a sliding window serves tropical drinks.
While the look and feel of Sea Capitán differs from intimate oyster bar Earl’s Premier and Italian-inspired Bacaro Primo, Glamcevski said the customer service will remain the same.
He hopes the spot in the South Plaza neighborhood will become a destination for nearby residents.
“It was so great to have so many come in this weekend and just mention how they walked right down the hill from the neighboring condos,” Glamcevski said.
It’s been a busy few months on Main Street.
Mildred’s opened at the beginning of the year right next to Sea Capitán. In May, New York Butcher Shoppe opened a few doors down, and Martin City Tavern made its appearance in the area in July.
Farther east by Earl’s Premier, Schulte and Dannehl recently opened Earl’s Provisions, 649 E. 59th St.
The grab-and-go spot serves coffee, sandwiches and coastal favorites to-go.
The pair recently purchased the building that Earl’s Premier lives in and decided to expand the space by opening their sister concept in the adjoining space.
“We’re in the hospitality business because we like being around people and try to show them a good time,” Schulte told The Star in a previous interview. “Hopefully they like what we do and keep coming back.”
Plus, even more Modern Mexican food is coming to the area. At Leawood’s Park Place, the old Session Taco space is undergoing transformation to become Lapez Mod Mex — a full-service, somewhat upscale Mexican restaurant.
Next year, the owners of ice cream bar company Palacana plan to open an authentic, upscale Mexican cantina called Urbana Sur in the Pennway Point district.
This story was originally published July 28, 2025 at 7:03 PM.