Arrow Dart Club sinks into Crossroads with 10 throwing lanes, elevated Kansas City culinary team
A new, multi-level Crossroads entertainment venue combines the nostalgia of basement darts with tech-driven scoring, elevated eats, and a subterranean wine bar. It’s an experience that feels familiar, but hits a whole new target, said owners Atit and Jugal Patel.
The cousins behind Kansas City favorite Cosmo Burger are planning a Thursday, Oct. 16 opening for Arrow Dart Club at 1817 Locust St. (next door to the popular burger bar).
With 10 throwing lanes, signature cocktails, and a menu that includes such flair as fried chicken with gochujang honey, the club echoes experiential spaces like Chicken N Pickle and Topgolf — operations that blend entertainment, dining and “competitive socializing” no matter what skill level — so they appeal to a wide customer base.
“We saw this concept in other cities. It is unique and fun and everybody can be part of it,” Atit Patel explained. “I think experiential is the new trend that is key to the future of the restaurant industry. It’s what Topgolf did for the driving range. Add technology to make it fun and everyone can come. People want to do more than sit at the bar and have food and drinks.”
Arrow Dart Club was 2.5 years in the idea stage, a year-and-a-half in planning and execution.
Under 916 Hospitality, the Patels also own Dodson’s Bar & Commons with a Cosmo Burger kitchen in Waldo, and Goat & Rabbit on 39th Street’s Restaurant Row in Midtown. Their Cosmo Burger XR opened in July at 1815 Locust, next to the new Arrow Dart Club.
Now they are more than doubling their total Crossroads square footage with the 8,300-square-foot venue.
Dart players are advised to reserve a lane for 90-minutes of game play ($20 per person), and while walk-ins will be welcome they should expect to wait.
Executive chef Christian Castillo’s menu includes such Sharables as battered fries, fried pickles, tacos, and Chile Rellenos. Chips N’ Dips include esquites with tortilla chips, and Not Very French Onion Dip with cream cheese, red onion and ginger with Salt & Vinegar chips. Also on the menu, charred wings, and Buns (sliders) such as the fried chicken with gochujang honey and Kewpie Mayonnaise.
Castillo previously worked at Lazia at the Crossroads Hotel Kansas City, The Town Company at the Hotel Kansas City, and the former Cafe Sebastienne inside the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art.
General manager Kara Anderson had been with the Crossroads Hotel, Verbena restaurant in Prairie Village, and The Restaurant at 1900 in Mission Woods.
Beverage director Mari Matsumoto’s specialty cocktails will include the Sharp Shooter (with lemongrass, Tom’s Town Distilling Co’s botanical gin, basil syrup and lime), and the Perfect Aim (with lemon peel vodka, lavender syrup and lemon juice, topped off with sparkling wine).
The venue is expected to offer buckets of ice with six cans or bottles of beer for watch parties and the like, as well as seltzers.
The subterranean Sunken Cork, a wine-only bar with its own menu of snacks and sharebables, is scheduled to open in two or three weeks.
Within its exposed brick walls — below Locust Street — the ghost of a former front door draws speculation (Jugal Patel wonders if the building was once street level). A rooming house operated on the site more than a century ago, then it was the longtime home of the American Spring Co.
A second floor mezzanine overlooks the first floor bar and the wine bar. The cousins hope to add a patio in the spring.
Hours are set for 4 p.m. to midnight Mondays through Thursdays; 4 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Fridays; 11 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. Saturdays; and 11 a.m. to midnight Sundays. The Patels are already booking some private events.
The Patels also have a 3,000-square-foot space at 1813 Locust for lease. But if a few months go by, they may put in a third concept.
“You get over your skis if you go too fast,” Atit Patel said.
Startland News contributor Joyce Smith covered local restaurants and retail for nearly 40 years with The Kansas City Star. Click here to follow her on Bluesky, here for X (formerly Twitter), here for Facebook, here for Instagram, and by following #joyceinkc on Threads.