Kansas City’s restaurant scene is once again in the national spotlight, this time giving recognition to a high-end sushi restaurant.
Eater, a national food publication, included Akoya Omakase in its list of the 15 best new restaurants in the country. The omakase restaurant from chef Peter Hoang was one of three Midwest restaurants to make the list.
“‘You went to Kansas City for sushi?’ I was asked more than once — with some derision — after returning from Missouri, so I can only imagine the uphill battle chef Peter Hoang faces at Akoya Omakase,” the review began from Eater editorial director Missy Frederick.
Akoya opened in August 2025 inside Hotel Phillips with Hoang and his team of sushi chefs behind the counter cutting chu toro (bluefin tuna) and curing snow crab in white miso, as à la carte dishes or as part of a set course menu. To ensure fresh fish and that the food he serves is high-quality, Hoang told The Star he picks up his ingredients six days a week at the airport from longtime trusted vendors…