Le Champion, the all-day coffee shop and champagne bar at 4149 Pennsylvania Ave. in Westport, will close this month after a little over a year in business. In its place, first-time restaurateurs Gerald Pittman and Bryan Hilgemann plan to open Blurred Bar, an izakaya-style ramen bar built around anime-style decor and references to nerd culture, on Oct. 31.
According to The Kansas City Star, Le Champion will change ownership in a few weeks, closing out a run that began when chef Amante Domingo opened the concept in the former Ça Va space in June 2025. Domingo, who also owns The Russell and Noka, is looking to expand The Russell's operations and has said he could reopen Le Champion in a different space down the line. For the incoming ownership group at 4149 Pennsylvania, he's staying involved as a consultant, providing menu and business advice to Blurred Bar even as he steps back from day-to-day duties at the address.
Ça Va was a Westport champagne bar that marked its tenth anniversary before closing in March for a possible rebrand; it was confirmed permanently closed in September. Domingo's Le Champion then replaced that bistro layout with a vintage sports lounge aesthetic when it opened as a coffee-by-day, champagne-and-small-plates-by-night venue, per KC Daily. Domingo built his reputation in the local dining scene by opening the wood-fired restaurant The Russell on Main Street in 2017 before adding the Japanese farmhouse concept Noka in Midtown in 2023, according to Startland News.
From Security Gigs to Co-Owners of a Ramen Bar
Pittman is developing his first restaurant concept alongside co-owner Hilgemann, who is also new to the hospitality business and works with Square Cow Moovers. The two met while working security, the same account notes, before deciding to team up on Blurred Bar. Broderick Hayes, who previously managed Gram & Dunn, will bring restaurant management and bartending expertise to the new venture, per the Star's report.
Pittman identifies as a blerd, and the bar's name references that term for a Black nerd, according to the Star. He told the paper that Blurred Bar should let people eat, drink and hang out rather than play games, and that diners can get a good bowl of ramen without knowing anime. The bar will also welcome people who are not familiar with anime, the Star reports, positioning the concept as accessible beyond its core theme.
Filling a Gap Left by ReRoll Tavern and Otaku Lounge
Pittman has said he was inspired by ReRoll Tavern and Otaku Lounge, which the Star reports helped build the local nerd community in Kansas City. ReRoll Tavern, a board game bar on Armour Road in North Kansas City that featured more than 700 board games and hosted gaming groups and events, permanently closed at the end of June 2025 due to rising operational costs, according to the RiverNorth District. The Otaku Lounge, meanwhile, continues to operate at 640 E. 18th St. in the Crossroads, hosting weekly themed karaoke, console gaming and local art displays, per Meetup.
The menu leans into that pop-culture identity while keeping ramen central. Blurred Bar plans to serve Sapporo Ichiban topped with house chashu, marinated eggs and corn butter, alongside Neoguri and Buldak ramen, plus chashu sandos on house milk bread. Drinks will center on nonalcoholic options, including matcha, hojicha, hot chocolate and melon soda ice cream floats, with some nonalcoholic drinks available spiked with alcohol for those who want it.
Opening Into a Regulated Nightlife District
Blurred Bar will land in a commercial stretch of Westport, which was founded in 1833. The district also has late-night nightlife rules. According to the City of Kansas City, Chapter 10 of the Code of Ordinances governs local alcohol regulation, including requirements relevant to venues serving alcoholic drinks. It remains to be seen how a nonalcoholic-forward izakaya concept will fare in the district.
Blurred Bar is a niche, theme-driven concept opening around Kansas City. Whether Blurred Bar's anime-and-ramen mashup attracts customers will become clearer once it opens its doors at 4149 Pennsylvania Ave. on Oct. 31.
