The Wade Brothers had a vision for Tiki Taco on West 39th Street.
Brothers Lyndon and Lindsey Wade are local photographers and video artists known worldwide for commercial work on behalf of A-list clients like Nike and Google. They took over this vaguely tropical Mexican restaurant (1710 W. 39th St., KCMO) as a placemaking project that came with the solemn obligation to sate after-bar crowds with cheap tacos.
To handle the culinary side, they tapped former Westport Cafe co-owner Richard Wiles, who supplemented classic ground beef in crunchy shells with fare like these Thai fried chicken tacos.
The chicken is fried in a tempura batter seasoned with a spice blend that includes ancho chili, paprika and cumin and then gets a nice kick from a dousing of Thai chili sauce. It comes in a perfect Yoli tortilla for $4. It’s double the size of most street tacos and available from the to-go window out front so you can grab one on your way to the next spot.
Looking for more great KC tacos? We published a list of the 35 best in the city after eating hundreds to find them.
