Chingu fried chicken will return as part of reimagined Kansas City taproom

Alma Mader Brewing is moving its taproom operations to a neighboring spot along Southwest Boulevard, bringing its beer and a well-known Korean fried chicken concept to a bigger space.

The brewery’s team announced in a press release Tuesday the expansion and a partnership with the crew behind Chingu, a beloved Korean restaurant that shut down last year in Westport.

The new taproom opens this fall at 2617 Southwest Blvd., just next door to the current Alma Mader Brewery space. The current taproom will become strictly a space for production, while the new spot specifically will serve guests its craft beer, like the Not Far Away juicy pale ale and the Nava Mexican-style lager.

Inside the 3,000-square-foot space, there will be two bars, one at the center of the taproom and the other up some stairs. The taproom can fit up to 105 guests inside in a variety of ways, depending on if they prefer cozier bar seats, intimate banquette seating or the more traditional beer hall tables.

There will also be two outdoor patios, one covered for three-season seating and the other an uncovered beer garden, fitting around 60 guests. The space will also be able to accommodate more community and private events, said Nick Mader, who co-owns the brewery with his wife, Tania Hewett-Mader.

Also new to the space is a permanent food option from Chingu, specifically its popular Korean fried chicken and other bites that pair well with beer. The nameless concept (for now) is coming to Alma Mader from Chef Keeyoung Kim — also behind Sura Eats, Chingu Coffee and the Korean-Mexican fusion Casita de Lil’ Chingu — and partners Jesus and Gil Zavala.

Kim said in the press release he wanted to bring to Alma Mader a concept called “Chimaek,” which pairs chicken and beer at restaurants in South Korea.

“This natural pairing has become a social tradition in Korea, and we hope to bring that tradition under one roof with Alma Mader,” Kim said.

Kim and Alma Mader didn’t share specific menu items but said guests can expect fried chicken, grilled chicken, rice bowls, bar food and shareable family-style options.

“We really pride ourselves on the quality of our beer, so we knew if we were going to incorporate food into this concept, it needed to be great and unique,” Mader said.

Kim has held pop-ups at Alma Mader before, and Mader and his wife are fans of his Chingu concepts, so entering into a partnership felt natural, Mader said. It’ll also be nice, Mader added, to bring back the dearly missed Chingu fried chicken to Kansas City diners.

Mader said they’re especially excited to roll out one feature at the future taproom: a Czech-inspired tank beer service that hooks up directly to the taps and pours a “super fresh” lager. There will be four tanks, which Mader said will allow them to offer a “wider spectrum of lagers” and show off their team’s beer-pouring skills.

“It’s something that we take a lot of pride in here,” Mader said.

But the taproom also hopes to be a place that meets the needs of guests who don’t want to drink a beer. Alma Mader will continue to offer their Look West ciders, wine, non-alcoholic options and beverages from their frozen drink machine, but make those alternatives more known to guests than Alma Mader has in the past.

The Chingu chicken concept will be open every day Alma Mader is operating, likely Wednesday through Sunday for now, and Mader said they are considering expanding hours so that customers can take advantage of lunch and dinner service.

Kim’s Korean concepts throughout the years have been met with much fanfare from KC Diners, especially his former restaurant, Chingu, which closed in 2025. Currently the Chingu Collective runs several concepts: Sura Eats is now a sauce brand, Chingu Coffee offers Korean-inspired drinks in the West Plaza, and Casita de Lil’ Chingu is now available as breakfast at Garden House Coffee and dinner at Sagebrush.

Alma Mader opened in 2019 and represented a homecoming for Mader, who got his start in the craft beer industry at Boulevard Brewing Company — located not even half a mile away from Alma Mader — before working out west at breweries, Feast Magazine reported back in 2019. The team has won multiple beer awards and been praised by local media, and Alma Mader beers are available at multiple area restaurants.