Novel Restaurant

Okay, Novel is EXPENSIVE. Haha, it's probably overpriced for what it is. But, I will say that I had a really good experience. Here's what I ordered ($59 before tax+tip):1. Bread Service (chocolate cherry bread with cultured butter) -- I love bread in general, but I was actually more impressed with the cultured butter. If I was splurging, I would order this again. 2. Spanish Octopus (w/ black bean aioli) -- This was super tasty! The octopus was cooked PERFECTLY, and you guys, that's hard to do! 3. Lobster Ravioli -- I was pretty underwhelmed at first. The sorghum (some might mistake it for tiny popcorn) seemed too hard for the overall texture of the dish. The more I ate it, the more it grew on me. It was definitely a more subtle dish, because once you took your time with the sauce and sorghum, all the flavors complemented each other. Would I order it again? Hm... For $26, I'm not sure.4. Pistachio Cream Pie -- I'd never had pistachio cream pie before, but this definitely reminded me of the artificial pistachio flavor you'd find in ice cream. It was quite nostalgic somehow, so I'm not saying the flavor was a bad thing. I thought it was actually pretty good. Would I order it again? Hm... I'd probably try a different dessert next time just to try out their other options, but I would eat it if it was ordered by the table to share. What was most outstanding was not the food, but the service. The waitstaff we had were phenomenal! Professional, kind, personable, and attentive. They honestly made this review go from a 4-star review to a 5-star review. Quick tips: Make a reservation! For parking, they do have a tiny, off-street lot, but you'll most likely have to find street parking. Portions are smaller than your typical chain-restaurant, but typical for fine-dining.

Sat at the bar since we had no reservations for a Saturday night. Super cute and aesthetic decor, great for a girls night or date night! Staff were kind and attentive.Ordered the octopus app, lobster ravioli, and scallops. They were all good but wished the portions were a bit larger. The octopus had a few pieces of meat but it was mostly potatoes, and not much lobster in the ravioli. Scallops were my favorite part and they were perfectly cooked.For dessert we got the pistachio pie and pineapple upsidedown carrot cake. These both were amazing and a great way to end the meal! I thought the pie would feel heavy but it was very light. Same for the carrot cake - the cream cheese sherbet was a wonderful tart and refreshing contrast to the sweet cake. Personally I would totally come back for just the dessert!

Nick the server is worth coming for on his own-- the entire menu's deliciousness is just a bonus!This new American restaurant has an open dining room & beautiful, open, clean kitchen. I've eaten here solo at the bar up to a table for 6, and the food and experience are 100% just as amazing in both cases. Items rotate seasonally, so you may not get exactly the same offerings every time. Historical favorites for me - curry coconut margarita, seasonal squash soup, Brussels sprout salad, crispy farm egg, hamachi crudo, gnoccheti, and literally every pasta they've ever served. The ramen variety with yuzu was my favorite so far. And permanent menu resident is 100% delicious and worth a try- the duck neck agnolotti. Enjoy!

First, the space is lovely and welcoming. Love a good 360ish bar with seating. The food is special and prepared with care. Our favorites this go around were the beef tartare and scallops! The butter!! The desserts were a tad underwhelming but the cocktails hit the spot. Novel is a popular place for good reason. When all the reservations were snagged weeks in advance of restaurant week 2025, I knew I had to keep an eye on cancellations. Luckily we got one and added Novel to our RW tour. Glad we did!

What a lovely experience!!! My wife and I dined here early on a Wednesday at 5 pm. Nate, our server was excellent. The restaurant has a lovely modern bistro ambiance. Loved it! The tile work is special. We started with the honey butter squash soup, which was divine. The heirloom tomato salad with watermelon was just lovely. The ramen dish was interesting. A little small for the price, but nice. My wife had the Alaskan Halibut with a smoked cream sauce that was magical!My pork chop was charred and just perfect. It was accompanied by spetzel and spicy pork belly. Just wonderful! We were too full for dessert. We will absolutely be back!! 5 stars!!

The menu is remarkable and drinks are excellent. Trey was my server and he explained everything on the menu is great detail to help myself and my girlfriend pick the perfect dishes for us. Easily some of the best service I've had in Kansas City and I can highly recommend getting the duroc pork. Give Novel a shot soon, you won't regret it.

Novel came highly regarded by friends and was good but just didn't feel worth the hype or value. The vibe is clean, bright, simple, standard expensive American. The service was great. Friendly, engaged, was willing to explain everything on the menu, frequently checking on us. Overall great service. The appetizers started off strong. The brussel sprout salad, fried sunchokes and crispy egg. The flavors were really flavorful, unique and balanced. Then we got the rest the ramen which Eaters insisted you needed to get if available and the gnocchetta. The server did say that the flavor was mild and changed recipe recently but honestly it was disappointing with how flavorless it was. The gnocchetta was good but nothing to write home about. The pistachio pie was good. Overall it was a bit lack luster for the price which is disappointing considering the friends and reviews.

PENROSE COFFEE COUNTERThere's not a yelp account for Novel's new little coffee counter so I'm leaving one here. Cute little walk up coffee place with delicate little pastries and classic espresso/coffee drinks. Nice outside seating area for a little treat!

My friend and I stumbled upon this restaurant by mistake and we were glad we did. They were completely booked but allowed bar seating. So we sat at the bar. Great friendly service. Attentive servers/bartenders. Cute little place. GREAT cocktails AND even better mocktails. And good food. I'd definitely go back to try more items.

We had an absolutely lovely experience at Novel! The service is awesome! Our server was so helpful and knowledgeable with recommendations. Our meal was perfectly paced. We were celebrating our anniversary, and they gave us a card signed by the chef and our server! What a lovely touch. I can't say enough about how wonderful the service was!The drink menu is superb. They have tons of wine and cocktail options, and even a good mocktail list! The food was stunning. This is a great place to share several small plates and small pasta dishes if you're not into stunt meat entrees. The crispy egg appetizer was so intriguing (savory boba!!) and made me excited to come back for more. I am devastated that the pasta of the moment from our weekend won't be around for ever -- tender ricotta gnocchi with Green Dirt Farm cheese and lamb sausage. It was perfection! The duck agnolotti was also very sweet and savory and comforting. 2 appetizers, 2 pastas, and 2 desserts was a great big meal for 2. They have a small parking lot next to the restaurant, and it's very conveniently located by the Crossroads streetcar stop. It's also a relatively quiet part of crossroads if you need to search for street parking. This is a great date night spot! and a great fancy spot to share small plates with friends and family!