Brookside-based Plate Restaurant officially opened its second location at 11655 Ash Street in Leawood’s Park Place this week.
The modern Italian restaurant kicked off the launch with an open house Saturday night, where customers enjoyed light hors d’oeuvres and an exclusive sneak peak at the new restaurant, before officially opening the location for regular service Tuesday morning.
Located on the site of a former California Pizza Kitchen, Plate’s second location has been in the works for quite some time, owner and creator Christian Joseph said.
He said when he opened the first Plate in 2015 in Kansas City’s Brookside neighborhood, he always imagined it would expand into more than one location. However, a string of unfortunate events — including a fire and the COVID-19 pandemic — postponed that ambition.
Less than two year after opening the original restaurant on 63rd Street in Brookside, a fire destroyed it in April 2017.
Then, within a year of reopening following the fire, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, upending the restaurant industry.
Yet, Joseph remained intrigued about opening another location, especially after Park Place’s owners and managers approached him to pitch the outdoor shopping area as a spot for Plate’s expansion.
Joseph said Park Place, which sits right across the street from the former Sprint campus near 119th Street and Nall Avenue and directly north of Town Center Plaza, was seen as a good option for Plate’s expansion.
“We feel like Leawood, specifically Park Place, really supports local business and is committed to our success,” he said. “We are so excited to opening the new location.”
A take on modern Italian food, Joseph said the new restaurant is similar to the Brookside location, except it offers more lunch options.
Plate offers a variety of dishes, such as homemade pasta, pizza, steak and seafood options. It also serves different types of bruschetta, including white bean and pear.
