In Your Cocktail: Taco Naco
Excerpt from IN Kansas City Magazine - In Your Cocktail: Taco Naco
Words by Jenny Vergara
Photos by Corie English
Spicy Pineapple Margarita
The 100-watt smile on the chef Fernanda Reyes’s face can be seen from across the room as she delivers her signature street tacos and trays of crispy tortilla chips and fresh guacamole to tables filled with guests at her new Westport cantina she co-owns with husband, Brian Goldman Ruiz. After one meal there, it is clear the rumors are true. The vibes are just as good at Taco Naco, number two.
The business plan for Taco Naco was built while Ruiz was studying to get his master’s in entrepreneurial real estate development. He used the restaurant as a project for one of his classes, and together (Reyes also has a master’s degree in business administration and nutrition) they saw an opportunity to take her culinary training and his passion for real estate and apply it to opening their own taqueria.
By 2019, they were selling street tacos out of a tent at the Overland Park Farmers Market, and in 2021 they had opened their first brick-and-mortar location in a small strip center near downtown Overland Park. Now in 2023, they have made the move across the state line to Missouri, opening their second location in Westport in the former Port Fonda location.
Gone are Port Fonda’s reclaimed wood walls and red letters, replaced with hot-pink paint and native Mexican art. The former private dining area is now a Latin-inspired grab-and-go market stocked with Taco Naco house-made hot sauces, dips, sauces, margarita mixes, and more. Instead of table service at the Westport location, guests will find counter service instead, a move Reyes hopes will get more people in and out of her restaurant quickly and mirrors the operation at her original Overland Park location.
The menu remains identical to their Overland Park outlet with all their most popular items, including carne asada chimichurri tacos and potato and pipián vegan tacos on the menu, along with the current crowd favorite, the quesabirria taco platter served with a side of hot and spicy broth or consumé. If you are feeling spicy, you can order her six-salsa sampler to help you identify your level of heat.
Behind the bar is another familiar face, Diana Condori, the talented bartender who ran Cóndor’s Cove tiki drink pop-ups around Kansas City before she left for California a year or two ago. She says she has returned for a chance to head up the bar program for another talented Latina business owner whom she deeply admires.
While Diana works to add her own signature drinks and agave-based spirits to the mix, guests will find a cocktail menu full of plenty of delicious and fruity margaritas created by Reyes and Ruiz, including their favorite, the Spicy Pineapple Margarita.
“I love this drink. This margarita was one of the first cocktails that Brian and I created when we started our first location in Overland Park, Kansas,” says Reyes. “I recommend you pair it with our taco al pastor with the fresh pineapple relish. In Westport, we make our al pastor in the traditional way using a vertical oven called a trompo, where we slice off the roasted meat into each tortilla to order. It is a perfect pairing.”
Spicy Pineapple Margarita
1.5 ounces pineapple and jalapeño-infused tequila blanco
1 ounce orange liqueur
1 ounce simple syrup
1 ounce pineapple juice
1.5 ounces lime juice
Splash of lime soda
Put all ingredients into a shaker with ice, shake vigorously, then strain into a rocks glass that has been garnished on the rim with sweet and savory Chamoy Carmona and rolled in Tajin. Add a slice each of fresh pineapple and jalapeño. Cheers!