Tacos from a dessert shop?

Today we went to Tropicana Paleteris at 21st and Amidon. This appears to be the Mexican food version of Braum’s. 

Upon arriving, I developed a headache. Not an actual headache but my head definitely hurt. This was caused by the decor inside the restaurant. The tiles are dozens of colors, the walls lime green and purple. It looks like a total train wreck and just hurts to look at. But can their tacos overcome the decor?

Their menu is comprised of dozens of dessert items in addition to tortas, tacos and more. There are 3 street tacos on the menu, carne asada, chicken tinga and conchinita pibil. They also have Tacos Dorados which are fried tacos with cabbage, carrots and sour cream on them. 

I ordered one of each taco and Shon ordered the Tacos Dorados to share as there are 4 tacos on that plate. 

I started with the carne asada taco. There was quite a bit of meat but it was over cooked. There was almost a crunch to some of it. It was flavorful but I think they just cooked it a tad too long. This is likely a delicious taco when cooked right, which didn’t happen the day we went. 

The chicken tinga taco caught my attention the second our tacos arrive due to the bright orange color. After the first bite, I am definitely confused. The flavor, and there is plenty of that, is interesting. There is a strange buffalo mixed with taco taste coming from the extremely tender meat. Initially, I wasn’t a fan but the more I think about that taco, the more I think I should go eat a few more of them. 

Next was the conchinita pibil. I don’t know what that means but it is some sort of pork. The first thing that comes to mind about it is the interesting flavor. The meat is extremely tender and there is tons of meat on the taco. The taste is difficult to explain.  It almost tasted like carnitas mixed with an unseasoned wild hog roast. I know that is oddly specific combo but that’s what it tasted like. 

The Tacos Dorado was amazing. They fry the shell and it was light and crispy. Then they smother it in sour cream, cabbage and carrots, which I picked off because that is nasty and has no place on a taco. There was chicken in the one I ate that was super tender. 

In short, I will likely be back for the Tacos Dorado and chicken tinga. That and the amazing desserts. You should probably stop by as well, just to see what I am talking about with the decor. 

Travis - Taco Tour stop #38 - Paleterias Tropicana - 2021 N Amidon

We were SORT of planning in advance this week - somehow the task fell on my shoulders so I looked back to see if anyone following us had recommended somewhere we hadn't been yet. I stumbled onto 2 recommendations and the one that stuck out was Paleterias Tropicana because it was an ice cream shop that also served tacos!  *Unicorn Alert!*  I mean I like both tacos and ice cream, is it possible this place has both?!  So we set out to find out how it was.

Chris arrived a little early and texted us immediately - wondering if we had the right place.  When I arrived it definitely was a unique spot - a long counter running the length of the place definitely gave it that ice cream shop feel. Bold colors and lots of them and weird little bench/booth seats - a unique (odd) atmosphere to say the least.

Anyway, not deterred, we see tacos on the menu so sat and reviewed our choices.  The taco choices were short - but the menu was long.  Lots of options for smoothies and other desserts and a decent selection of hot foods (Mexican) as well.  I opted for 3 tacos for $5.99: carne asada, chicken tinga, and cochinita pibil (pork).  The other two guys ordered the same thing and Shon added a shared plate of 4 tacos dorados (crunchy tacos, cotija cheese, sour cream, avacado, and cabbage).

The tacos came out fairly quickly and even though they look a little bare, the amount of meat and the smell had me predicting good results.  Double tortillas - but they were a darker color. Wheat? Honestly I'm not entirely sure.  LOTS of meat.  The asada had cilantro and onion on the taco but the other two were just meat. However on the side were grilled onions and grilled jalapenos.  I had a good feeling about this!

I dove into the pork first - it was tender and flavorful. I added grilled onions and some sauce but it still seemed like it needed something. Oh, I forgot lime juice - now it was complete.  Overall pretty tasty - the tortillas were a bit odd, but not in a bad way.

Asada was next and I was not disappointed.  It was tender and juicy with a good flavor.  The normal onions and cilantro were expected and I added some red sauce and lime. I definitely enjoyed this taco.

The chicken was last and it had plenty of meat.  The chicken was tender and full of flavor.  It had a little kick to it but not enough to bother me - this taco was pretty good even though the different tortillas still gave it an odd touch.

Last but not least I decided to try one of the shared dorado tacos (sorry, no pic). I am NOT a fan of sour cream or cabbage - and both were drizzled on the outside of the shell.  I dumped off most of it and took a bite. I'm going to say it now, this is the best fried taco we've had on the tour so far. The shell was crispy and light, the flavor was yummy. This was a dang good taco (even with the remnant of sour cream).  I really like this taco!  It makes me wonder what their empanadas are like - but that will have to wait for another visit.

Overall, this place was a bit of a surprise, but it was good.  The odd tortillas stuck out a little but the tacos were still quite enjoyable - especially the fried ones.  The service was friendly and quick and the place was decorated well and looked up beat.  The seats are goofy, but whatever.  Sadly, I decided to try their desserts another time - but that just gives me an excuse to come back.  (And I will definitely be back.)

Out of 5 tacos, here are my ratings:

Food Taste:
Value:
Cleanliness:
Service:
Overall:
Likelihood to return:

Shon's Take - Taco Tour Stop #38 - Peleterias Tropicana - 2021 N Amidon Ave Ste 115

A few weeks back a conversation started on our page about places to go and someone had mentioned that we needed to hit Peleterias Tropicana. Honestly, when I initially looked into it, I put this one on the back burner because everything I could find on it talked about deserts and drinks and NOTHING about tacos. But, we trusted our followers, and on Travis' suggestion, we decided to check them out last week. In the end, I was glad that we did!


Peleterias is in the strip mall on the southwest corner of 21st St N and Amidon, kinda tucked back on the south side of the parking lot. My first impression when I entered was that this was an ice cream shop - there were tons of tasty deserts and drinks posted everywhere. The bright colored décor definitely screamed "ice cream shop!" But, on one side of the menu, the place had a listing for tortas, tacos, and other food items. The taco menu is pretty straight forward: soft shell tacos with steak, chicken or pork. You could get a plate of 3 soft tacos for $5.99 and they also had the El Dorado Tacos plate, which was 6 fried shell tacos, for $6.99. Of course I wanted to try them all, so I ordered one of each of the soft tacos and then ordered a plate of the El Dorados to share with Thing 1 and Thing 2.


Our tacos came out after just a few minutes, with two salsas and grilled onion on the side. I started with the steak tacos. The steak was pretty good, lots of tender meat. Kind of a plain taco, but not too bad with some salsa and onion on it. Next up was the pork taco. This one had a little bit more flavor to it and was a good taco with a nice handful of seasoned pork. Last was the chicken - this one was the definite winner for today. The chicken had a nice flavorful spicy kick to it. Not hot by any means, but really juicy and lots of seasoned meat. The El Dorado tacos were basically hard shelled versions of what I just described. But the shells were really light and almost flaky. They were topped with avocado, sour cream, and lettuce (all of which the other two goofs took off, but which I really enjoyed.) When we were done, I think we were unanimous that finally found some really good fried shell tacos. Finally.


In the end, I felt bad that we hadn't made it here sooner. The tacos were tasty, the service was simple but quick, and price wise it wasn't too bad of a deal. Plus I'm looking forward to going back and getting a taste of some of the deserts some time soon. My overall rankings on the 5 Taco Scale are below.


Food Quality - 4.0 Tacos
Price - $
Value - 4.0 Tacos
Cleanliness - 4.5 Tacos
Service - 3.5 Tacos
Overall Experience - 4.0 Tacos
Likelihood To Return - 5.0 Tacos

Shon's Take - Taco Tour Stop #37 - Connie's Mexican Cafe - 2227 N Broadway

So, I've noticed something weird. If you ask Wichitans "Where's a great place to get Mexican food?" quite a few people will mention Connie's on North Broadway. But if you ask "Where's a great place to get tacos?" it seems like they rarely get mentioned..... and yesterday when we hit the place up for the Tour, we found out why.


I've driven by Connie's a bunch and even though I've lived here for 18 years, I've never actually eaten there. When I arrived I had good feelings, initially: the place is in a janky building on the north side of town and it had that "Mom and Pop, Hole-in-the-wall" kind of vibe going that usually results in great tacos. Not to mention a decent lunch crowd already in the building at 1130am. We found a booth (no tables, and definitely no BIG booths, so don't plan on getting a party of more than 4 people together here) and were greeted immediately with chips and salsa. I really enjoyed the hot salsa here, finally something with more than just a little kick to it. Great start until..... taco menu. Two tacos. Ground beef and chicken. Fried flour shells. That's it. At $3.50/each. Bummer. So, I did the only thing I could and ordered one of each.


The tacos got there FAST! Which was a major plus if you're there for lunch. Standard lettuce and tomato on top. No cheese which we thought was odd, since Chrissy ordered his "kiddie style" and got cheese on his. Anyway, I started with my ground beef taco. Travis seemed to have issues with his shell (all the time, so I'm starting to think it may be him that's the problem) but mine actually stayed together. I thought the ground beef taco was ok. The beef seemed a little short on flavor and there were peas and potatoes in the mixture which seemed to be more of a filler than a flavor enhancer. But I thought the chicken taco was really pretty good. Nice flavor, juicy, plenty of meat. Really a pretty good taco.


Overall, the visit left me a little.... wanting. Wanting more taco choices, etc. But I wouldn't say that anything happened that would keep me from coming back. The service was great, the chips and salsa were excellent, and the chicken was tasty. And there seemed to be a lot of happy people in the joint. But when I come back, I will probably be looking for a chicken burrito or some enchiladas. My overall ratings on the 5-Taco Scale are below.


Food Quality - Beef - 2.0 Tacos Chicken - 4.0 Tacos
Price - $-$$
Value - 2.5 Tacos
Cleanliness - 4.0 Tacos
Service - 4.5 Tacos
Overall Experience - 3.0 Tacos
Likelihood to Return - 3.5 Tacos

Travis - Taco Tour stop #37 - Connie's Mexico Cafe - 2227 N Broadway

I kind of have this funny feeling this review won't go over well with some of our followers... Anyway, this week we hit a long-standing Wichita restaurant - Connie's Mexico Cafe on N Broadway.

I arrived just before 11:30 and Chris was already seated, had 3 waters on the table and chips and salsa already in his mouth.  This place has been here a long time - I'm not even sure how long.  I think I've been here long ago but not for quite awhile - and not since I've become a self-proclaimed taco snob.  It's a quaint little place with a few booths that are apparently built for guys smaller than me.  The chips and salsa were good - crunchy and a nice kick to the salsa.  The waitress was quick, friendly, and attentive.  My Dew arrived quickly and Shon showed up shortly after me. The taco selection is disappointing - only 2 different deep-fried flour tacos (beef and chicken).  No street tacos.  #sadface

I ordered 1 of each just like the other 2 guys (except Chris's kid-friendly versions).  They arrived very fast - maybe even the fastest service we've had on the tour to date!  The weird thing is Chris's looked a little different - loads of cheese and ours didn't. Still not sure why but oh well.

I went to work on the beef taco first.  For as fast as this thing arrived it hadn't sat long but yet it was still a little soggy and frankly a little disappointing.  As I continued to take bites, I wasn't impressed - especially when I realized it has peas on it.  Peas... on a taco.  Why?  Anyway, deep fried flour, beef, peas, lettuce, and apparently potatoes... I just didn't think much of it.  A bit soggy, a bit bland. It wasn't bad, but I've had better deep fried tacos at a bar.  I expected better.

The next taco was the chicken. Honestly it wasn't bad - and it wasn't as soggy as the beef.  The flavor of the chicken was decent.  The chicken was tender and not dry.  I'd prefer this taco instead of the beef if I come back.  But overall it wasn't enough for me to remember this place for their tacos.

From a pure taco tour standpoint, this place will not rank high.  However before all of our followers revolt, I know this place has really good Mexican food - I just don't feel like the tacos are a strength.  Also, even though she forgot to charge me for my drink, I still paid over $9 with tax & tip for 2 tacos.  So the value wasn't great either.

I want to come back here again and get something else besides tacos. I know I won't be disappointed - but if you're after tacos only, just go elsewhere.  Sorry, Connie's is just barely among the average for that.  Disclaimer: I am giving them a higher "likelihood to return" score, because I know they're better than this for other food.

Out of 5 tacos, here are my rankings:

Food Taste:
Value:
Cleanliness:
Service:
Overall:
Likelihood to return:

Shon's Take - Taco Tour Stop #36 - Angela's Cafe - 21st and Amidon

Let me start by apologizing up front, as I've been a little slow on the uploads lately. After being out of town last week with Thing 1 and Thing 2, (and not finding any decent tacos on the road), we basically took last week off. Then, I remembered huh.... I actually hadn't posted my review from the week before either. So, time to catch up on my notes from a long time local favorite: Angela's Café.


When speaking with people about Angela's they always seem to recommend the downtown location (now closed) or the one at Kellogg and Greenwich (is it even open?). Since we were all out west, we actually decided to hit the location at 21st and Amidon. My first impression was that it was a decent little mom and pop place. But for a spot that people always seem to talk about it, it was incredibly dead for a midweek lunch hour. I think we only saw 4 other people come in the whole time. Anyway, we were greeted immediately by our waitress who did a pretty decent job of keeping our drinks and chips filled. They chips and salsa here are pretty good, but I would recommend going with the "hot" salsa which was really more of a good "medium" and provided a nice kick. We placed our order (I went with the barbacoa, asada, al pastor, and a ground beef taco on a fried flour shell) and waited. Chris about pitched a fit as it took nearly a half hour to get our tacos and he was getting extremely HANGRY. Considering that the place was basically empty, that's wholly unacceptable. But our waitress at least did her part to make the service as good as it could be.


When the tacos finally arrived, they didn't look half bad. I started with the ground beef. Honestly, I don't know why I bother ordering them anymore, but I do. But really, they all seem to taste about the same. Nothing special about it: meat, lettuce, cheese, tomato. Better with a little salsa on it. The barbacoa was decent. Not a horrible taco, but a little light on flavor. But the meat was plentiful and tender. The asada was also a decent taco, I would rate it slightly above average compared to the other asada tacos we've had. Lastly was the al pastor. Finally a redeeming taco! I thought this taco was quite tasty and had a nice peppery flavor to it. Decent amount of tender, tasty pork. Definitely the best of the bunch.


Overall, I would say the tacos were ok, with a nice surprise in the al pastor. I could definitely see myself stopping in for a plate full of pastor tacos. I but I would make sure you're not in a hurry. My overall  rankings on the 5-Taco scale are below.


Food Quality - 3.0 Tacos
Price - $
Value - 3.5 Tacos
Cleanliness - 2.5 Tacos
Service - Waitress - 5.0 Tacos Cook - 1.5 Tacos
Overall Experience - 3.0 Tacos
Likelihood to Return - 3.0 Tacos