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Have you tried tacos from any of these new KC-area restaurants?

Stories by Kansas City Star journalists, with AI summarization

Looking for a new taco night spot? Try a few of these Kansas City icons and new concepts:

Tiki Taco is expanding into Johnson County, planning additional metro locations. Meanwhile, LaPez Mod Mex is opening in the old Session Taco space. It offers a full-service dining experience with modern Mexican dishes.

In-A-Tub maintains its local fast-food legacy by serving unique deep-fried tacos dusted with powdered cheese. It challenges bigger chains with one-of-a-kind menu options. Sea Capitán Cocina Costera introduces coastal Mexican flavors in South Plaza. It features a raw bar and carefully crafted cocktails like La Tormenta.

Tiki Taco serves a Thai fried chicken taco, left, abuela pastor taco, Korean beef taco and more. By Emily Curiel

NO. 1: ONE JOHNSON COUNTY TACO RESTAURANT CLOSES, AND ANOTHER WILL REPLACE IT. MORE ON THE WAY

One of the “hottest startup fast-casuals” in the country is opening another location in Johnson County. | Published March 25, 2025 | Read Full Story by Jenna Thompson

Session Taco, formerly Mission Taco Joint, will close permanently in Leawood’s Park Place on Sunday. By David Hudnall

NO. 2: RECENTLY CLOSED JOHNSON COUNTY RESTAURANT RELAUNCHING AS NEW CONCEPT

Here are the changes the owners are cooking up. | Published May 15, 2025 | Read Full Story by Jenna Thompson

Mexican restaurant Urbana Sur will open in 2026.

NO. 3: COMING TO KANSAS CITY: MEXICAN RESTAURANT ‘NEVER SEEN BEFORE’ IN THE AREA

“This concept is gonna be an explosion here in Kansas City,” the owner. “Like you never have seen it before in KC.” | Published May 19, 2025 | Read Full Story by Jenna Thompson

Best known for its powder cheese-dusted tacos, In-A-Tub has become a fast food staple in the Northland. By Rachel Schlueter

NO. 4: WHY IN-A-TUB’S FRIED TACOS — POWDERED CHEESE & ALL — REMAIN KC DRIVE-THRU ROYALTY

Powdered cheese and all, these oily treats embody the glutinous — and storied — Midwestern spirit. | Published July 18, 2025 | Read Full Story by Rachel Schlueter

Fish tacos are one of several coastal Mexican items on a new South Plaza restaurant’s menu. By Jenna Thompson

NO. 5: NEW KANSAS CITY COASTAL MEXICAN RESTAURANT OPENS: COCKTAILS, RAW BAR, MORE

Todd Schulte and Cory Dannehl are no strangers to the Kansas City dining scene — but they wanted to do something different with Sea Capitán Cocina Costera. | Published July 29, 2025 | Read Full Story by Jenna Thompson

Shrimp and grits, enchiladas and duck sopes are on the menu at LaPez. By Jenna Thompson

NO. 6: LOCAL TACO CHAIN REOPENS JOCO SPOT AS ‘MODERN’ UPSCALE MEXICAN RESTAURANT

The old Session Taco space in Leawood’s Park Place shopping center has been dark for the past several months. | Published September 19, 2025 | Read Full Story by Jenna Thompson

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.