Mexican restaurant in Brookside and south Kansas City plans a ‘cool’ third location
Barrio KC is expanding to the Northland.
The Kansas City-based company will take the 5,000-square-foot former building of another Mexican restaurant, Jose Pepper’s Border Grill & Cantina, in The Village at Briarcliff. It will be remodeled with a coastal theme and garage doors that will open to the surrounding patio, which will be extended and include fireplaces.
An early 2022 opening is scheduled for the new Barrio Mexican Bar + Kitchen location. It will have about 50 employees.
Chris Ridler and Luke Pickett are the founders and owners. They opened in Brookside in 2018 and in the Red Bridge Shopping Center in south Kansas City in 2019.
“I do have a culinary background, went to culinary school, and we have a good eye for business,” Pickett said. “Having a great outdoor space gives it a cool indoor-outdoor feel, a California feel here in the Midwest. We also like to keep it very casual.”
The Barrio restaurants serve classic Mexican dishes and specialty tacos, made from scratch, including burnt end quesadillas, shrimp lettuce wraps, ceviche, steak nachos and jackfruit nachos, jalapeno crab cakes, enchiladas, kebabs, chimichangas and salads.
They have an extensive tequila list and specialty margaritas.
Daily specials include $5.95 burritos on Mondays and $2 tacos on Tuesdays. Happy hour is from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, and 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. Fridays. They also serve brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.
Jose Pepper’s closed at 4125 N. Mulberry Drive in Briarcliff in mid-2020 after six years.
“We’re excited to be in Briarcliff. It is beautiful out there,” Pickett said.