Kansas City, Kansas, taco shop ranked among best Mexican restaurants in the US by Yelp
Forbes named Kansas City, Kansas, the taco capital of the United States in 2021, giving shout-outs to shops like Carnicería y Tortilleria San Antonio and Supermart El Torito.
The city had leaned into its signature cuisine when it introduced the Taco Trail in 2020 as a way to showcase some of the city’s culture and shops as the COVID-19 pandemic prevented people from visiting like they normally would.
Three years later, another KCK favorite on the trail is receiving national recognition.
Restaurant review website Yelp released its list of the top 25 Mexican spots in the United States, and it includes GG’s Birria Barbacoa Cafe, opened in 2019 by husband Gabriel Gonzalez and wife Lourdes Avalos Gonzalez.
Yelp identified businesses in the Mexican category on its platform, then ranked those spots using a number of factors, including the total volume and ratings of reviews. GG’s has a 4.9 out of 5-star rating based on 94 reviews on the website.
The restaurant, 1032 Minnesota Ave., was featured for its quesabirria tacos, which includes smoky barbacoa meat and mozzarella cheese on corn tortillas, then topped with cilantro and chopped onions with a side soup of beef, cilantro and onions.
“This no-frills Mexican-BBQ fusion cafe highlights the best from the state of Tabasco, Mexico,” Yelp says.
A Yelp reviewer said, “The tacos were absolutely delicious, crispy and fresh off the grill, filled with juicy beef and cheese, and served with piping-hot consomé.”
Their menu sticks to their hometown roots. Most of the meat is barbacoa — a slow-cooked beef marinated in a sauce of guajillo and ancho peppers, tomato, onion, cumin, garlic, bay leaves and whole cloves — that Avalos makes herself.
Yelp’s list featured restaurants from places in Las Vegas; Phoenix; Miami; Austin, Texas; and Green River, Utah. Missouri’s Malinche Mexican Culinary Experience was also included, located in Ellisville, a 30-minute drive west of St. Louis.
