"I am not Waldo Thai," David Suwanwisute told the Kansas City Star in August, standing in the room at 8431 Wornall Road that Waldo Thai had filled for seven years. That line works for most of what changed in Waldo this year. Every notable 2026 opening went into a space the neighborhood already knew by another name. A couple of the newcomers kept close to the old routine. The two at 75th and Wornall changed the hours of the day the room serves.
Four Doors, Four Former Tenants
Here's who's behind each door now, from south to north:
- 328 W. 85th St. used to be Second Best Coffee, which had been there since 2014. It closed by November 2025 after a planned sale to two employees fell through. It's now Apparition Coffee, which officially opened Friday, June 26.
- 8431 Wornall Road used to be Waldo Thai, serving Pam Liberda's dishes. It closed in October 2025. It's now Jade & Ember Munchery, which quietly opened for carryout in mid-August.
- 7531 Wornall Road used to be Waldo Cafe, a breakfast and lunch spot. It was sold and had closed by June 30. It's becoming Pegah's Family Restaurant, which is still marked "coming soon."
- 500 W. 75th St. used to be Boru, which had been there since about March 2017. It had a short closure in 2020 and served its last meal February 28, 2026. It's now O'B's, which officially opened in mid-September.
Three of those rooms alone add up to more than a quarter century: about 11 years of Second Best, seven of Waldo Thai and nearly nine of Boru. That history is why each opening reads as a replacement. Anyone walking in compares it with what used to be there, and each new owner has handled that comparison differently.
The Rooms Stayed, the Hours Moved
The clearest way to see this year's change is to look at what each room is open for now, compared with before.
Apparition Coffee is open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. It's closed Sunday. That's a coffee shop on a coffee shop's schedule. The Pitch's opening-week review started by admitting the problem: "Waldo has no shortage of coffee shops, which means opening a new one comes with a challenge: giving people a reason to choose yours." The reviewer pointed to a honey matcha for $6, made "dirty" with a shot of espresso, and a vegan breakfast burrito for $9.50 with soyrizo, black beans, kale and sweet potato. She called the burrito big enough to cover breakfast and lunch. On 85th Street, the morning routine carries on under a new name.
Jade & Ember Munchery is running a trial version of dinner. The Martin City Telegraph reported in late August that it was carryout and DoorDash only for now. The dining room and bar were set to open once staffing ramped up and the liquor license came through. Soft-opening hours at that point were 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday and 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. It's closed Tuesday. The menu keeps Thai food at the center, using Suwanwisute's family recipes, and adds Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese and Korean dishes. Examples include pad Thai for $15, kee mao udon for $14, Japanese poutine for $11, curried mac and cheese for $13 and bulgogi beef for $14. Co-owner Donny Lo described the goal plainly: "Sometimes people are just in the mood for a Pad Thai or fried rice for dinner. We want to be that place for our neighborhood." The last update we found is from August, so check before assuming the dining room is open.
O'B's is the biggest change in hours on the list. The room where Boru served ramen and Asian dishes for nearly nine years is now a bar with darts, big hot dogs and a cocktail list mostly priced from $10 to $13. The piña colada tops the list at $14. The owners recommend the strawberry lemon drop martini at $10, which Eric Schmidt says took 40 vodkas and 20 orange liqueurs to get right. The Sonoran is a bacon-wrapped dog with pinto beans, grilled onions, green salsa, pico and jalapeños on a bolillo roll, for $10. Chef Krista Harr, a name Earl's Premier fans may know, is adding fried chicken. The Star notes the space isn't a dive. It has big windows, plush booths and light wood. The one thing left from Boru is a lucky cat on a bar shelf, still waving its paw.
Pegah's plans to stretch a breakfast-and-lunch room into a full day. Waldo Cafe was known for breakfast and lunch. Pegah's serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, and its own location directory lists the Waldo address at 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Treat those as planned hours, since the Waldo page still says it's coming.
On 85th Street and at 84th and Wornall, the new tenants are building on what those rooms already did. At 75th and Wornall, both rooms are being reworked for later in the day.
Who Is Behind the Counters
Who owns these places explains a lot about why they look the way they do.
O'B's comes from people who already run Waldo businesses. Andy Doohan owns Mike's Wine and Spirits, and Eric Schmidt opened Dodson's. The name is a tribute to Jeff O'Brien, the late Waldo bar-industry figure. Doohan summed up the whole idea in one line:
"We're a bar. We're in Waldo. We want to be a Waldo bar."
Jade & Ember is connected to the River Market. Siblings Donny and Teresa Lo, whose family owns Chinatown Food Market at 202 Grand Blvd., are co-owners with Suwanwisute. The restaurant's name comes from that market's jade-colored dragon mascot. Donny Lo also opened Yoki in City Market in 2014. The partners plan to sell Jade & Ember grab-and-go items at the Chinatown Food Market. So a Wornall Road kitchen will also be feeding a counter downtown.
Pegah's is an established local family chain. Owner Moe Sharifi told the Star he heard in June that the space would be available, signed the lease on a Wednesday at the start of July and met with an architect the same day. He described the opportunity in terms of a gap he sees: "there's no breakfast place really around Waldo, so we don't have any competition either."
The One Door Still Waiting
Pegah's was aiming to open in September. As of early October, the company's Waldo page still reads "PEGAH'S WALDO COMING SOON!" and links to a job application. We found no news report confirming an opening date.
Waldo Cafe's ending happened quickly. When the Star went by at the start of July, a sign said the cafe would be closed Tuesday for a kitchen renovation. Several would-be customers tried the doors anyway. KSHB reported a closure sign dated Tuesday, June 30, 2026, and talked with a former employee. No public reporting has explained why the cafe was sold. The Star got no response when it called.
The Street Outside Was Rebuilt First
The two rooms getting the biggest hours changes sit on a stretch of road that was just rebuilt. Kansas City held a ribbon cutting on October 16, 2025, to mark the finished 75th and Wornall improvements. The work covered Wornall from 74th to 79th: a rebuilt roadway, a trail extension, pedestrian and signal upgrades and water main work. Pegah's address at 7531 Wornall falls inside that stretch, and O'B's is on 75th Street itself. The city's project page still says "Under Construction." Its dated updates say the work was substantially complete, so the label is out of date.
The order of events matters here. The rebuilt sidewalks, signals and trail link were finished in fall 2025. Within a year, two longtime food spaces at the intersection had new owners, and both are being set up for longer or later hours. One is a bar with darts and a $10 martini. The other plans to run from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Wondering how Waldo's changing storefronts at 75th and Wornall affect what homes nearby are worth? Blake & Associates follows neighborhoods down to the address, and we're happy to walk through it with you over a dirty matcha. Get Your Free Home Valuation and we'll show you what your corner of Waldo is worth right now.
