Set sail for the South Plaza’s Sea Capitán Cocina Costera
Photo by Jordan Baranowski
When BLU HWY shut its doors earlier this year, it left a wide open spot on the corner of 51st and Main. It wouldn’t take long for a new concept to come to port: Sea Capitán Cocina Costera is already doing great business, with prime reservations booked out several days in advance and walk-in bar spots a hot commodity.
The combination of an underserved style of cuisine (coastal Mexican) from a fan-favorite local restaurant group (Sea Capitán comes from the same team behind Earl’s Premier and Bacaro Primo) makes it easy to see why. Tony Glamcevski, Director of Operations for the restaurant group, says they’re thrilled to see how quickly people have taken to the space—and assures us that they’re just getting started.
Glamcevski says that the restaurant owners knew that there was a market for the coastal Mexican-focused menu. “Both Cory [Dannehl] and Todd [Schulte] love eating this style of food,” he says. “There are so many incredible places in Kansas City to get Mexican food, but Mexican seafood is very underrepresented. There’s a definite market for both the style of cooking and the casual-but-upscale vibe we’ve landed on with Sea Capitán.”
Photo by Jordan Baranowski
Drawing on the seafood vendor relationships they’ve cultivated through their other restaurants, inspiration from other local restaurants, and cuisines they’ve enjoyed while traveling, the team has developed a fresh menu at Sea Capitán. Though “coastal Mexican” calls to mind fish tacos and other dishes from the briny depths—and there is still plenty of that—Sea Capitán isn’t all about seafood. The name of the game here is fresh, punchy flavors: the types of dishes that are perfect alongside salty chips and a boozy margarita.
“Our tacos—fish, pork, chicken, beef—have all proven extremely popular,” Glamcevski says. “We use Yoli tortillas, and all our different styles of tacos have great, unique flavors.”
The tacos are an easy-to-manage size, especially if you’re planning on sharing with a friend. Our order of Tacos La Paz (fish tacos) came with four tacos that were very easy to pick up and eat. The tortillas held together, even when they were packed with a sizable piece of fish, slaw, and sauce, and the fish was flaky with a nice crunch on the fried exterior. They’re easy to recommend.
It’s when you branch out into more of Sea Capitán’s specialties that you really start to find treasures.
If you’ve eaten at Earl’s Premier, you’re probably familiar with the quality of their oysters. Sea Capitán brings that same pedigree to their raw bar, offering delicious oysters on the half shell, along with other raw and raw-adjacent preparations like ceviche. Another popular item is El Capitán’s Camarones al Carbon—charcoal-grilled shrimp slathered in chili-garlic butter, citrus, and cilantro. It’s one of those orders that’ll have you licking your fingers clean afterwards. If anyone judges you, it’s only because they haven’t tried it themselves.
Another memorable bite was the camote—sweet potato discs with agave, queso fresco, and mole. It’s surprisingly sweet, reading almost as a dessert, but with just the right amount of savory goodness from the cheese. There’s a really nice depth of flavor from the mole that lends the dish a playfulness and craveability we loved.
Even though the food menu isn’t massive, everything sounds so delicious that it can be difficult to truly set your course for the meal. Those tricky decisions don’t stop there, either: Sea Capitán’s other major draw comes from their bar program.
Photo by Jordan Baranowski
“With our cocktail menu, we really wanted to focus things on agave spirits,” Glamcevski says. “Most people are familiar with tequila and mezcal—and we feature plenty—but we also have cocktails that utilize raicilla, sotol, and bacanora. We’ve partnered with Hugo Gonzalez—a mezcal expert who lives in Kansas City—to help train our staff, develop our cocktails, and curate our selection of spirits. In the future, we plan on holding classes to help people learn how to pair foods with and better appreciate the incredible selection of agave spirits we’ve put together.”
Frozen palomas and margaritas, wine, and a small-but-mighty beer selection are also available, along with a few non-alcoholic specialty drinks like agua fresca. Sea Capitán will also play host to a tequila and mezcal locker program.
Photo by Jordan Baranowski
Glamcevski says that as soon as the menu started falling into place at Sea Capitán, they knew it would resonate. The biggest hurdle is the size of the space—both Earl’s Premier and Bacaro Primo are smaller spaces, helping to focus the serving staff and kitchen. Sea Capitán is significantly larger, but Glamcevski knew the team would be up for the challenge.
“Good food is a key element to any successful restaurant,” he says. “But our guests also expect a level of service at our restaurants. Even though Sea Capitán houses a lot more people, we know we can deliver the same level of hospitality.”
Sea Capitán is open seven days a week (including Sunday brunch), and reservations are accepted, along with designated bar, lounge, and patio space for walk-ins. If you’re planning on visiting during peak hours, you’ll want to plan ahead—as of right now, the people yearn for the sea and reservations are tough to come by. If you do manage to snag a seat, you’ll want to order the camarones. Trust us.
All photos by Jordan Baranowski:
