Restaurants in Independence

KC Grill ‘N Kabob’s owner, Hamid Tafreshi, is proud of his feature on Check, Please! Kansas City because it has raised awareness about Persian and Iranian cooking. The piece also shared nuggets of information about the eatery, including the fact that chefs there marinate halal lamb, chicken, and filet mignon kebabs for anywhere from 12–24 hours in turmeric, ginger, saffron, and cumin.

In the eatery, the aromas of grilling onions and tomatoes swirl up past a gleeful clutter of photographs, from which Iranian soccer players, cooks, and families grin. Skewered morsels of flame-kissed salmon and gyros draped with a thin lace of tzatziki sauce cover tables. After dipping bread in cool bowls of hummus and baba ghanouj, guests can venture to the all-you-can-eat weekend buffet to practice before competitive-eating contests or visits from detectives looking for candy smugglers.

One autumn day, 13-year-old Shanita McAfee wandered through her local apple orchard, plucking the reddest, plumpest apples. The budding chef then toted her bounty to her kitchen and began laying out ingredients for her inaugural apple pie. The oldest of four kids, Shanita was charged with task of cooking meals for her siblings, and what began as a chore blossomed into a lifelong passion.

Though McAfee’s tastes have expanded from apple pie to a dinner menu, her cooking philosophy remains the same: fresh, seasonal ingredients prepared with love. Now at Magnolia’s, McAfee showcases traditional Southern cuisine, sprinkling Cajun seasonings on New Orleans–style shrimp and pan-seared seafood. Additionally, McAfee’s culinary team caters any event, from weddings to family-style dinners.

Windows covering the wall let floods of natural light pour across servers who bear trays of pastas and pizzas through Sutera's Italian Restaurant, which has been in business for three decades. As night falls, domed hanging lights glow overhead like hovering spacecraft, illuminating a weathered wooden bar where wall compartments backed in vibrant red contain ranks of bottled wines. At tables, patrons tear into meatball subs and burgers with italian seasoning, causing traders in napkin futures to pull out their cell phones.

Earthy aromas from fresh-brewed beverages greet guests at the door of Le Peep, hinting at the espresso-based creations that await inside—Colombian house coffee, specialty blends, or the flavor of the day. Beyond coffee, the staff also sweetens cups with fruit smoothies. These handcrafted drinks accompany a menu of breakfast and lunch fare dominated by omelets and sandwiches. Whipped eggs arrive studded with fresh veggies or chorizo sausage, and half-pound burgers come layered with Cajun bacon, weighing down tables so that they don't have to be anchored in place by linens made of iron.

Located inside Hikari Japanese Steakhouse, Joy Luck Chinese Restaurant’s chefs look across the East China Sea for inspiration in crafting a menu of Chinese cuisine. Entrees include seafood dishes such as cashew shrimp and a seafood bird nest, mixed in with fusion meals including teriyaki filet mignon. Nodding to their host, the chefs whip up sushi rolls, including the Spider Roll—which wraps up tempura soft-shell crab—and the Yummy Roll—which pairs tempura shrimp with crabmeat, drizzled in eel sauce. The restaurant also feeds large groups with catering services, which churn out platters to accommodate company gatherings, family reunions, or pandas’ first dates.

Dancing flames erupt from teppan grills, illuminating the captivated faces of diners seated around the tabletop grill. The roaring fires are tamed by Sakura's highly skilled chefs, who playfully flip spatulas in the air before sizzling up plump morsels of teppanyaki steak, chicken, and seafood. Behind the sushi bar, chefs fold fresh fish into both raw and cooked specialty rolls, which reporters from Tucson Weekly lauded as "some of the most delicious seaweed, sweet vinegar rice and raw fish concoctions imaginable."

Kimono-clad waitresses glide through the lively dining rooms, bearing plates of sushi, vegetarian and vegan dishes, and colorful specialty cocktails. In the sports bar, the walls grasp massive flat screens and hundreds of pictures of the owner posing with local celebrities—from weather girls to the neighborhood grocery’s bag boy of the month. Towering chrome heaters warm the tabletops of the expansive outdoor patio, where colorful lights and hanging flags set the stage for live music performances each night.