After nearly three years of welcoming guests in Kansas City’s Crossroads, Kata Nori is bringing its elevated hand-roll experience to Leawood.
The restaurant was created around a simple idea that sushi can be refined and exceptional without feeling formal or intimidating. Built around an intimate, interactive counter experience, Kata Nori puts guests front and center as chefs prepare each hand roll to order.
“We felt like Kansas City was missing an elevated sushi restaurant. Kata Nori is the first of its kind—an elevated sushi experience that focuses on quality ingredients, but still maintains an approachable, energetic and unique experience,” says Executive Chef and owner Bass Pham.
Hand-roll bars are popular in larger coastal cities, but Pham saw an opportunity to introduce the concept to Kansas City in a way that felt distinctly local. The restaurant's success in the Crossroads helped pave the way for its next chapter.
“Many of our guests travel from outside of downtown to visit us, so Leawood felt like a natural next step to meet them where they’re at and introduce Kata Nori to a new part of the city. The heart of the restaurant will still be hand rolls, but we’re excited to introduce new flavor combinations and experiences at the Leawood location.”
For guests unfamiliar with a hand-roll bar, the experience is designed to be both interactive and approachable. Rather than receiving a plate of sushi all at once, each hand roll is prepared individually and served immediately, allowing diners to experience the progression of flavors one roll at a time. Servers are trained to guide guests through everything from the composition of crudos, to the best way to enjoy sashimi. Timing is especially important.
“The contrast between warm, seasoned rice, cool fresh seafood, and crisp nori is a huge part of what makes it special. Our nori is meant to stay crispy from the first bite to the very last despite the other ingredients.”
Each hand roll is made individually by Kata Nori’s temaki chefs and placed on a black slate for the guest. Pham says diners should eat it within seconds, while the nori is at its crispiest.
“One of the most satisfying, ASMR parts of eating our rolls is hearing the literal crunch from the nori,” he says. “It sounds like a small detail, but to us it’s a game changer and enhances the overall experience.”
Quality begins long before the hand roll reaches the counter. Pham has maintained a close relationship with one of his favorite seafood suppliers since 2013, allowing Kata Nori to work with Japanese seafood throughout the seasons.
“What’s available and at its peak changes throughout the year, which keeps things interesting for both our chefs and our guests. An exceptional product means the seafood remains the star.”
That philosophy carries through to the restaurant’s other offerings, including crudos and small plates. One dish Pham is particularly excited for Leawood diners to try is the Hamachi Crudo, which pays homage to Kansas City’s barbecue and smoking culture. He cures the hamachi before giving it a series of cold smokes, then layers the fish with seasonal oranges, pickled shallots, fresh serrano peppers and micro greens, finishing it with ponzu.
While the food takes center stage, hospitality is equally important to the Kata Nori experience. One of the restaurant’s core values is omotenashi, a Japanese approach to wholehearted hospitality and anticipating a guest’s needs without making the experience feel forced.
“We want guests to feel taken care of from the moment they walk in. Great sushi can sometimes feel inaccessible, especially if you're unfamiliar with certain fish or ingredients. We pride ourselves in having one of the most welcoming teams in the Crossroads and train them to make each guest’s experience educational and engaging.”
The Leawood location will carry that same philosophy while allowing Kata Nori to evolve. Another core value, kaizen, centers on continual improvement, a fitting approach as the restaurant enters its next chapter.
“The Leawood restaurant isn’t about duplicating our first location. We are going to take everything we have learned from these past three years in the Crossroads, listening to our guests and our team, and use that feedback to create the next evolution of Kata Nori.”
As they expand to Leawood, Pham hopes to continue challenging expectations around what a sushi experience can be while keeping the restaurant welcoming and approachable.
“We want to keep pushing the creativity of what a sushi experience can look like in Kansas City while preserving the things that made people connect with us in the first place: exceptional ingredients, genuine hospitality and a dining experience that's refined without taking itself too seriously. We can’t wait to welcome you at our new location later this year!”
Visit Kata Nori in the Crossroads at 404 East 18th Street in Kansas City, and later this year at 4929 West 119th Street in Overland Park. For more information, visit katanorikc.com.
Kata Nori is the first of its kind—an elevated sushi experience that focuses on quality ingredients, but still maintains an approachable, energetic and unique experience,