One of the first restaurant reviews that I published, back in 2019, was of Dos De Oros, a Mexican restaurant in south Kansas City. They are still one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in Kansas City. They’ve had a sister restaurant, a taqueria called Rey de Oros, around the corner for years. I never visited that location, but when I heard they had plans to move a block, into the old Martin City Coffee space, I’ve followed their progress for the past year.
And now they are open and oh, wow! You gotta check this new place out. I’m already impressed with the food and they’ve done a good job remodeling the space. Rey de Oros has a drive through and an outdoor patio.
I am exploring the metro’s taco scene this year. Last week I announced that I was taking on the KCK Taco Trail. But I want to explore and review other taco restaurants around the metro.
As a lifelong vegetarian, I’m always on the lookout for new takes on the taco format. I also eat seafood irregularly and I’ll get fish tacos as a baseline for comparing Mexican restaurants. On my first visit to Rey de Oros, I got their Taco de Nopalitos and their Cod Fish Taco. As you can see below, two tacos are more than enough for lunch. I always appreciate a restaurant taco that has enough ingredients to fill me up (and add flavors).
I was instantly excited about the grilled cactus taco. Can’t recall ever seeing or having a nopalitos taco. Most vegetarian tacos, if a restaurant offers them at all, are pretty standard: taco shells, yellow cheese, and refried beans. I became a nopales convert, albeit as a side dish, thanks to El Patron (on Southwest Boulevard) and later Rudy’s Tenampa Taqueria. How do you vegetarians feel about nopales? Do you love or hate the texture?
My one criticism of this version of Taco de Nopalitos is that the portions overwhelmed the corn tortillas. It was too messy to pick up with a hand. Perhaps with two corn tortillas, I could divide this into two tacos? Or does there need to be a side of extra tortillas? Corn tortillas definitely pair better nopales than flour tortillas would.
How did the fish taco stack up against recent fish tacos at other restaurants? In the tier list I’m keeping in my head, I’d say that this fish taco was “A” tier. I guess I prefer tilapia-based fish tacos, but all of the cod-centered fish tacos I’ve had lately have been excellent. As I’ve written elsewhere, a good restaurant fish taco has to have more than just fish, tortilla, and salsa. It needs veggies and extra crunch and moisture. As you can see from the list of ingredients below, the cod fish taco achieves this minimum.
Flour tortilla, batter fried cod fish, lettuce, tomatoes, chipotle mayo, onion, and cilantro.
After I ate my tacos, I got an order of chips and salsa. If you know me, one of my desert island foods is the experience of having chips and salsa before the main meal. This is one of my dealbreakers for Mexican restaurants. Fortunately, Rey de Oros has fresh chips and some of the better salsas I’ve tasted in Kansas City. They have a full salsa bar. One of the pictures below shows that the salsa is a step up from typical restaurant salsas.
On my next visits, I plan to try the Veggie Burrito, the Tostada de Ceviche, and the quesadillas.
13115 Holmes Rd, Kansas City, MO 64145
https://www.taqueriadosdeorosks.com/
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