A new place to “practice happiness” — along with have a cup of coffee or a meal with friends — will soon arrive in Johnson County.
That’s Claudia Luna West’s vision for her new Argentinian cafe and eatery, Buenos Aires Restaurante, opening soon in downtown Shawnee.
The longtime caterer will open her new cafe to customers on Aug. 17, with a grand opening event planned for 5 p.m. that evening.
Buenos Aires will operate at 10919 Johnson Dr.
- The restaurant will operate in downtown Shawnee, just off Nieman Road and Johnson Drive.
- Tech store Avies previously occupied the space.
- Buenos Aires will open near fellow eateries Pegah’s Family Restaurant and McLain’s Market, along with local boutique ShananiGanns.
Buenos Aires will serve cuisine from multiple cultures
The restaurant will offer a range of dishes from various cultures — with Argentinian, Italian, French, Spanish and American dishes featured throughout the menu.
Some of those dishes include Cuban sandwiches, “Argentinian” style chicken fried steak, and shrimp cocktail, as well as appetizers like empanadas, tamales and potato croquettes.
Buenos Aires will also have a cafe and bakery, serving coffee and desserts, such as crepes, coconut cream pie and chocolate truffles.
For on-the-go customers, the restaurant will offer grab-and-go options like ready-to-bake empanadas and homemade lasagnas.
With a diverse menu, Luna West said she aims to cater to the local Argentinian community (and local gourmands in general) who can’t easily find their culture’s fare in Kansas.
“There’s a lot of people that like Argentinian cuisine, but they don’t have access to it,” she said. “That’s the reason why I wanted to do it.”
The owner’s culinary history goes back a long ways
Luna West is no stranger to the local culinary scene. She grew up in the restaurant world, helping her father run various eateries.
For the past 20 years, she’s also run her own catering company Claudia Luna Catering, providing international cuisine for events all over Johnson County.
She and her husband Douglas West also own and operate local empanada company Mom’s Empanadas, which can be found on the shelves of the recently-opened World Fresh Market in Overland Park.
Her goal with opening Buenos Aires, she said, is to create a “destination restaurant” that introduces Johnson Countians to a range of new cultures. With events like trivia nights, wine tastings and karaoke nights, she hopes it will become a place for people to connect with one another.
“This going to be a place to be,” she said. “Full of interesting things and activities, and delicious food and coffee from all over the world.”
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