When Penny Mufuka opened Bamboo Penny’s—her third Kansas City restaurant following Thai House and KC Thai—in 2021, she wanted the menu to inspire family togetherness enjoyed over a fresh, upscale meal.
“We opened during Covid, and we wanted to be able to bring that memorable experience of sitting down, enjoying a family-style meal, and having conversations over the meal,” Mufusa says. “We wanted to bring in upscale Thai food because you don’t see that anywhere else in the Kansas City area.”
Located next to Park Place’s Barkley Square, Mufusa saw an opportunity to extend that family togetherness past the walls of the restaurant with a curated Grab & Go menu. Every item on the new menu is perfect for enjoying during Park Place’s weekly summer events such as Guitars & Games, Movies in the Square, and the Summer Concert Series on Barkley Square.
“All the dishes—such as the Thai sausage and papaya salad—are really good for the summer, and not too heavy,” Mufusa says. “It’s a little like Thai street food.”
With grab-and-go options such as Thai sausage roll-ups, moo yang, Penny’s veggie pad Thai, fresh spring rolls, and Thai-spice popcorn, it’s easy to take the Bamboo Penny experience outside. Plus, you can order specialty cocktails, beer, or wine that’s the only alcohol allowed on Barkley Square during community events.