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Cafe Europa, longtime Brookside fixture, eyes summer opening for new Leawood restaurant

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Cafe Europa, a popular Brookside-based eatery, is eyeing an opening in late July or early August for its new Leawood location, according to owner Ben Cascio.

Where exactly? Set to be located at 4343 W. 119th Street, Cafe Europa in Leawood is taking over a section in the Town Center Crossing complex that was formerly Zoe’s Kitchen.

Key quote: “We’re super excited,” Cascio said. “We have a customer base that traditionally for years and years has driven in from south Kansas City to our location in Crestwood, so we already have a large client base out there that’s really invested in Cafe Europa.”

Background: The original Cafe Europa has been a fixture inside Kanas City’s Crestwood Shops in Brookside for two decades.

  • However, after the start of the pandemic, Cascio said he began to play around with the idea of relocating the restaurant’s flagship space to South Plaza in Kansas City.
  • Now, he said, the company is working on opening this new space at 4928 Main Street by the end of June, in addition to opening the Leawood location the following month.
  • Cascio said the original Crestwood location will continue to operate as “an annex” store with grab-and-go options.

Menu: Cascio says the Leawood restaurant will be full service, complete with a bakery, casual dining and grab-and-go options.

  • For food, Cafe Europa serves soups, salads, sandwiches, quiches, fried chicken and more for lunch and dinner.
  • The in-house bakery features a well-known lemon cake, whole pies, quiches and cookies.

More than a restaurant: In addition to serving up meals, both of Cafe Europa’s newest locations will have a market that sells a variety of foods, including olive oils, pastas, olives and all types of cheeses.

  • “It’s going to be a very interactive store,” Cascio said. “When you come in, you’re going to have people there that know all products and can tell you how to cook with them.”
  • There will also be a home goods section that will feature items like cutting boards and hand-painted Italian tableware.

About the author

Nikki Lansford
Nikki Lansford

Hi! I’m Nikki, and I cover the city of Overland Park.

I grew up in southern Overland Park and graduated from Olathe East before going on to earn a degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. At Mizzou, I worked as a reporter and editor at the Columbia Missourian. Prior to joining the Post, I had also done work for the Northeast News, PolitiFact Missouri and Kaiser Health News.

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