Southwest Boulevard and Kansas Avenue hold some of the best Mexican food in the Midwest. Here's where to go for tacos, birria, Gulf seafood and a margarita.
Part butcher shop, part tortilla factory, part taqueria, and in 2026 Tasting Table picked it as the best Mexican restaurant in Kansas. Tortillas are made in house and the salsa bar is generous.
Chef Carlos Falcon grew up on the Gulf coast of Veracruz and cooks that coastline in a small blue building off I-70. The setting is casual; the seafood is exceptional and flown in fresh.
Winner of the 2023 James Beard Award for Outstanding Bakery for its stone-ground corn and Sonoran-style flour tortillas. The Westside shop sells tortillas and salsas and runs food specials and pop-ups.
A longtime KCK taqueria where the al pastor is the order and a full meal costs very little. Expect a casual room, quick service and a line of regulars.
A Boulevard institution since 1975. Ponak's is where Kansas Citians go for margaritas, combination plates and a sit-down dinner with family. The Sonoran-style taco is the house specialty.
A small, beloved taqueria on the Boulevard serving classic street tacos at street prices. The carnitas are the standout.
A big menu and some of the city's best quesabirria, with crispy, lightly charred tortillas. There's a drive-thru that sells margaritas to go.
Chickens roast over wood right in front of you, and they come with tortillas, rice, beans and salsa. Few meals in town are this good for this little money.
A Westport mainstay with a long menu, live music on a regular schedule and a lively crowd. The grilled fish taco is the move.
Known for street tacos, breakfast tacos and enormous burritos. A good pick when you want something quick on the south side.
The after-bar taco stop for Westport. The birria comes with a consommé good enough to drink by itself, and the tortillas hold up to it.
Running since 1985, Margarita's is the definition of a KC Tex-Mex night out. The original on the Boulevard has the most character, and the happy hour is a local tradition.
A family-run favorite at the edge of the Crossroads, open for decades and always busy. It's the classic choice before a game or a show downtown.
Not traditional and not trying to be. The River Market shop builds tacos from all over the map, and it's an easy stop on a City Market Saturday.
A newer downtown spot serving birria, street tacos and ramen. Kansas City magazine called it the best in town for the cheese pull.