Here’s a list of five Wichita tacos you must try
Cinco de Mayo was this week, and as usual, all the Mexican restaurants were crowded and busy.
If you missed your chance to celebrate on Wednesday, do it this weekend. Wichita is a good place to get a great taco, and I certainly have my favorites. To list them all would take more time than any of us have, so in honor of Cinco de Mayo, I’m going to list five of my favorites.
1. The “Transmission-Style” carne asada taco at Pollo Express, 2501 W. Pawnee: There’s a tiny, 26-seat restaurant at the corner of Pawnee and Meridian that, if you haven’t tried, you should — especially because it recently reopened after a long closure. It makes great tacos, and my favorite is the carne asada taco served “transmission style.” This taco got its name from a longtime customer, an auto mechanic who told the owners he wanted a greasy taco topped with grilled onions. (Note: The tacos at Pollo Express are so good that a group of buddies who made it their goal to find Wichita’s best taco named this restaurant the winner. A plaque still hangs on the wall.)
2. Fried shrimp pirata at Molino’s Taqueria, 2035 N. Rock Road: Molino’s has long been known as the local purveyor of the pirata — a giant taco filled with goodness and grilled until the exterior of the flour tortilla is crispy. I’ve been eating piratas for years, ever since owner Mario Quiroz ran a different restaurant called Frida’s. But Quiroz’s east-side taqueria, which opened in 2018 with a build-your-own concept, has a filling that the main Molino’s at 1064 N. Waco doesn’t: fried shrimp. At the taqueria, piratas are made with tortillas cooked right in front of you, and I always fill mine with fried shrimp, cilantro, spicy pickled onions, queso fresco, cilantro and a spicy orange sauce, and it’s heaven. Treat yourself to a side of Molino’s excellent elote while you’re at it.
3. Loaded tacos at Taco Locale, 2721 E. Central: I fell in love with these tacos years ago, when chef Carlos Vera was selling them out of a weekly popup at a tortilla factory. He now has his own tiny restaurant in Revolutsia, the shipping container mall at Central and Volutsia, and he now serves the tacos every day but Monday. What makes them special? For starters, it’s the fillings — beef, pork and chicken that Vera sources from local farms and cooks to perfection. But mainly it’s the toppings, a colorful assortment of pickled veggies, herbs and sauces plus queso fresco. The restaurant also serves nachos, bowls and even breakfast tacos.
4. Cheese-shelled tacos at Tacos tj 664, 1014 N. West St.: All the tacos at Tacos tj are good — in fact, all the food there is good. But the restaurant offers one that’s extra unique and decadent. It’s a taco served not on a tortilla but on a disc of melted cheese. If you haven’t tried it, you must. And now, you have more room to do so since the restaurant recently relocated to a bigger space.
5. Chicken tacos at El Pollo Dorado al Carbon, 128 W. 21st St. North: This restaurant is unique for many reasons, one of which is that it’s a completely outdoors operation. Year round, owners are outside grilling up the most delicious barbecue chickens over a fire made with mesquite charcoal, and they serve the chickens whole or shredded up inside tacos, quesadillas and burritos. The restaurant also has al pastor (pork) cooking on a spit, and people can add its excellent rice and beans to their orders, too. You can order ahead at 316-559-4359.
Up-and-comer award: Another taco you might want to try is one made at Kiko’s, a new restaurant in the former Mo’s Hut space at 2800 E. Central that’s getting a lot of buzz. Kiko’s, which started in Newton, bills itself as a “carne asada specialist” and even painted those words prominently on the outside of its building recently. Over the weekend, I gave them a try and the carne asada was indeed special. Kiko’s also sells loaded carne asada fries, quesadillas and burritos, and it loves to top dishes with Hot Cheetos.
This story was originally published May 5, 2021 at 11:08 AM.
.jpg)