Missing the Choco Taco? This Kansas City spot might have your fix. Meet the Tiki Choco
Kansas City may be the first place in the country where the much-beloved Choco Taco is making a comeback after being discontinued earlier this summer. Midtown taco joint Tiki Taco has created a locally-sourced homage to this nostalgic treat: the Tiki Choco.
The original Choco Taco is made from three key ingredients: a crispy waffle “taco shell,” an ice cream filling, and a hardened chocolate topping to hold the ice cream inside. Tiki Taco’s new creation features cinnamon churro ice cream from High Hopes, a scoop shop on Troost Avenue near University of Missouri-Kansas City with a cult following of students and Brookside neighbors alike.
“All the tasting and sugar comas we endured made a national disaster a huge LOCAL win for both Tiki Taco & High Hopes,” spokeswoman Meredith Schulte told the Star in an email. “Our partnership is so very proud to announce the Tiki Choco.”
The Tiki Choco is now available at Tiki Taco’s Volker location at 1710 W. 39th St., and will be on the menu at the shop’s forthcoming second location near UMKC.
The idea for the Tiki Choco came to owner Lyndon Wade when he saw one of his managers eating a Choco Taco. After an unsuccessful attempt to partner with ice cream giant Klondike and carry the dessert in Tiki Taco locations, Wade realized he could do even better: create a dessert taco of his own using locally made ice cream instead.
The project was already underway when Klondike announced it was discontinuing the original Choco Taco last month. The Tiki Choco is now available to satisfy Kansas Citians’ dessert taco nostalgia.
Do you have more questions about small businesses in Kansas City? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
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