New Kansas City brunch restaurant opens in former Westport bar
Kansas City’s newest brunch restaurant and bar has opened, replacing a former (perhaps notorious) bar, Westport Ale House.
Holy Brunch has taken over the 4128 Broadway Blvd. spot, serving chicken and waffles, Philly cheesesteaks, breakfast pizza, French toast, waffle ice cream sandwiches and more.
The colorful spot with neon accents, screens around the dining room and faux florals opened over the weekend.
Owner Drue Stewart said they still have some opening kinks to work out, but he’s looking forward to serving the neighborhood.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” he said about opening weekend. “The whole place was packed all day. It’s feeling good, honestly.”
The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays. It serves breakfast and brunch all day.
On the bar menu: a house bloody Mary, espresso martini, cinnamon toast (cinnamon-infused Wild Turkey 101, cinnamon maple syrup, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch milk) and more.
The restaurant is a relocation of Holy Brunch’s former digs at 204 Westport Road, which Stewart opened last year. Before then, he operated his concept out of a food truck.
He still has the former brunch space, though he’s planning on turning it into a new concept called Holy Ghost, serving hibachi burritos, bowls and more.
Like its predecessor, Holy Brunch has a rooftop bar. Downstairs, Stewart is planning a sister concept called Freak Show, which will offer private parties and events.
Westport Ale House closed last year, two years after a shooting at the bar left one dead and five injured.
In a Facebook post, the owners of Westport Ale House said inflation contributed to the bar’s closure.
Last year, the building was the center of a $70 million lawsuit and a lengthy landlord-tenant dispute between building owner Hal Brody and a prospective tenant, who marketed a concept similar to Westport Ale House.
Brody told The Star in a previous interview that he wanted to lease the space to a quieter tenant after ongoing safety concerns with the former bar.
This story was originally published July 31, 2025 at 12:14 PM.