Taco Naco owners bring tastes — and sounds and feel — of Mexico to KC location

Excerpt from Kansas City Business Journal - March 13, 2023
Words by Leslie Collins
Photos by Zach Bauman

Taco Naco features a variety of margaritas and cocktails.

Co-founder Brian Goldman Ruiz says patrons had been nudging the taqueria and market to expand, and Westport offered the ideal spot.

Taco Naco has signed a lease to open its second area location inside the former Port Fonda space in Kansas City’s Westport neighborhood. It’s an exciting, yet nerve-racking moment, Taco Naco co-founder Brian Goldman Ruiz said.

“It’s a whole new venture that we’re getting involved in. We’re excited because it’s bringing us more to the culture of Kansas City,” he said. “People were asking for us to grow. The demand’s there. The big question was, ‘Where do we need to go?’”

The answer was Westport, which Ruiz said is melding into a culinary hub filled with chef-driven restaurants. Ruiz started the taqueria and market with his wife, Fernanda Reyes, who’s also the chef. They like the restaurant mix in Westport, and it puts them near chef friends. They want to be part of the area’s culinary momentum.

Fernanda Reyes (left) and Brian Goldman Ruiz are co-founders of Taco Naco.

From school project to reality

Since they met, Ruiz and Reyes have made it a hobby of brainstorming ideas for new restaurants. While working on a master’s in entrepreneurial real estate and real estate development, Ruiz decided to use one of the restaurant ideas for his project management class. He asked Reyes which of their restaurant ideas she was most passionate about so he could craft a business plan.

“Her passion lies with tacos,” he said. “She knows all sorts of cuisines, from Spanish to French. She’s formally trained as a chef, but at the end of the day, her pride comes down to this Mexican food.”

Reyes, who trained at the Instituto Culinario de Mexico in Monterrey, Mexico, later earned a master’s in business administration and nutrition of foods and beverages. Early in her childhood, she got a firsthand look at operating a restaurant through her mother’s family restaurant in Mexico.

Taco Naco celebrates the couple’s Mexican heritage.

“We wanted to bring something that reminded us of our childhoods,” he said.

Taco Naco features a variety of artisanal tacos, including vegan options. Pictured is the potato pipian taco, which features russet potatoes in a green pumpkin seed mole topped with sesame, pepita seed and fresh cilantro. The restaurant uses tortillas from local tortilla maker Yoli Tortilleria.

In 2019, Taco Naco started doing popups at festivals and other events and then secured a stall at the Overland Park farmer’s market. In February 2021, Taco Naco opened its brick-and-mortar location in Overland Park inside the former space of one of Ruiz’s favorite Mexican restaurants from his childhood.

“We never thought we would be this popular. That really blindsided us,” he said.

He credits their success to good food, ambiance and customer service and paying attention to the small details.

“Almost everything in the restaurant has a story,” Ruiz said. “Ask us about the color of the wall or why is that corner colored a certain way? We put a lot of thought into everything.”

The entryway features the colors from Frida Kahlo’s house in Mexico, and the restaurant’s vibrant colors mimic the ones painted on buildings in Pueblo Magicos. The artwork also pays homage to Mexico. The music inside Taco Naco covers a variety of Mexican genres, ranging from mid-1800s to today.

“You’ll even hear Mexican 1950s rock and roll. It’s all these things that we don’t really think about in Mexican culture. It’s just as diverse as what it is here in the United States, if not more. We’re just trying to tell that story in whatever way possible,” he said.

One of Taco Naco's quesadilla options.

Plans for Westport

Taco Naco plans to officially open at 4141 Pennsylvania Ave. in mid to late summer. Ahead of the opening, the couple plans to operate a food trailer outside the restaurant starting after the St. Patrick’s Day parade. The food trailer will feature a scaled down menu.

The Westport location will put a bigger focus on the bar program and feature periodic live music. As for food, Taco Naco will serve a variety of artisanal tacos, handcrafted salsas, burritos, quesadillas, loaded nachos and seasonal specials.

The market side will be smaller than Overland Park’s, and the couple still is finalizing the final product mix. Ruiz expects it will at least sell the restaurant’s sauces, margarita mixes, tamales and pozole (a type of hominy stew). The Overland Park location also features dry goods, such as chili peppers and black garlic, spices and hard-to-find hot sauces from Mexico. The couple also likes featuring local products and ones they’ve discovered through participating in festivals and farmer’s markets.

“We like to showcase products we enjoy and the culinary gems we find,” he said.