TACO NACO KC — Restaurant in Kansas City

This is just my thoughts be kind

First if all, the atmosphere and vibe of the location was awesome. The decoration really stands out and even in the bathroom. You feel the touches of being Mexican and they have a little side corner store, super cute.

Next, the staff was friendly, right away I was greeted and the staff asked me if I’ve been here before. I said no, the staff members quickly stared suggesting food items, talking about the different drinks they offered and it was very informative. Didn’t feel like the staff was rushing me.

Now, each taco was $3.75 (I understand inflation) and I know this restaurant is offering more than a street corner taco place so I can understand the price difference but I’m so use to at most paying 2.25 - 2.50 for a taco. Usually with $20 dollars I can get 4 to 5 tacos and a horchata. For me and my boyfriend it was a total of 50.36 which included 2 tacos of al pastor/ 3 queso birria/ 1 berry margarita / 1 frozen horchata with alcohol ( we didn’t ask what type of liquor was being used and the staff didn’t ask us what type of liquor we wanted ) MAKE SURE TO ASK, we also ordered an elote esquite

Now the tacos were good, once again nothing like a street taco, it’s very much a modern fusion. Taco taste was 3/5 but I don’t personally think I would crave them again. Now the drinks were super strong so if you’re looking to get lit quick this is the spot they go heavy or I’m just a light weight but my boyfriend could not drink his frozen horchata because once again who knows what type of liquor was used but I didn’t have the most pleasant taste. We left both of our drinks full honestly and we just drank water. Now the most disappointing thing was the elote esquite, I was expecting something once again that you get from a street vendor, you know the corn with the warm juice of it, butter or mayo/ Cotija cheese with tagin but umm no. Part was my fault for not reading the description but umm yeah it felt like I was eating nacho toppings without the chips. Their version of an esquite was white nacho cheese, corn and I’m assuming it was pico de gallo. Wasn’t my favorite and that side disappointed me, I don’t know if there’s a certain place in Mexico where they eat it like that but I mean from what I know and the places I’ve been to in Mexico I’ve never seen it made like that. It wasn’t bad like I would eat it as nachos but that is not what I was expecting.

Overall the vibes are there and the food or at least the tacos where decent, drinks were strong AF so if you want to get lit go on take yours there. I wouldn’t go again unless someone is paying for me.

Thank you...

Taco Naco has a very bright and colorful atmosphere. The service was friendly and helpful. They serve food in a casual self service counter order style.

They offer an assortment of tacos, nachos, burritos, tamales and a few other items.

We tried the Six Salsa Sampler, which was quite tasty with a variety of flavors that start with no heat and get progressively hotter. I think my favorite was the Tamatillo Jalapeno verde. The Peanut Matcha salsa was very tasty, but getting up to the unpleasantly hot level for most people. The SO liked the Creamy Jalapeno. They will let you choose your assortment, so you can go milder. Unfortunately they are all served in small plastic to go containers, so a lot of plastic.

Cantina Rojo (mild) Tex Mex Rojo (mild) Pico de Gallo (mild) Tamatillo Jalapeno (medium) Creamy Jalapeno (spicy) Peanut Matcha (very spicy) Roasted Fuego (very spicy) Habanero (Presumably the hottest)

The Potato Pipian taco was quite tasty, especially topped with the flavorful salsa that we each choose.

The Mushroom Mole was alright, personally I thought the mole sauce was very bland and it didn't stand out, plus the mushrooms were kind of mushy - it was workable but not my favorite. The SO did quite enjoy them though, so take it with a grain of salt.

The tacos are small, so if you are hungry you would probably need to order 3-4+, unless you have some sides in there. Reasonably priced, but they do add up easily.

The place is half-bar, if alcohol is or is not your thing. Drinks are mostly soda or alcoholic, although they may have had some sort of a fresh house made tea or juice based drink.

They have a line of outdoor bar seating facing the street if the weather is nice or there is a festival going on.

All in all it was a pleasant visit with good food and company. Will definitely check it out again sometime. They have a few sides we haven't had a...

I normally never review or rate places. I get it, customer service is hard but this made me really feel I needed to say something. I probably order from here at least once every other week but have been extremely disappointed the last few times I’ve visited. The food is incredible and so are the drinks, but the last few times I have visited before close on a weekend I have had a bad experience. First, I was told they were to-go only 30 minutes before close. Sure, cool. Then a couple of weeks later I was told they are to-go only an hour before close. I asked to at least have my drink there as it was an hour before close. I was told I would be able to at the few still open seats (the rest were stacked onto the tables and mopped underneath). Then against what I was told, my drink was delivered in a to-go cup and poorly mixed for almost $10. I ate outside and watched an already sat group sitting at one of the few available tables inside be literally mopped entirely around and be stared at until they left, looking very uncomfortable again more than 30 minutes before close on a weekend. I saw people continually show up for food while the staff chased folks away by locking up outside. I definitely get pre-closing on slow nights or for cost saving but the unreliable, unposted information on this and the corresponding worse quality in their products has made this local place I really love feel more and more unwelcoming...