On Metcalf Avenue, the taco can be a small handmade tortilla with barbacoa and a deliberately chosen salsa, or a chef’s composition built around brisket, mole or pipián. Farther south on Antioch Road, a trompo and a broad choice of cuts give the meal a different direction. Overland Park has enough range to choose a style of cooking before choosing a restaurant.
This selection brings together El Fogón, TACO NACO KC and Taqueria La Nueva. Each offers individual tacos, but the kitchens differ in technique, accompanying sauces and service. Their histories also tell different stories: a made-to-order neighborhood counter, a market-born regional menu and a family food truck that became a restaurant.
El Fogón: let the salsa finish the taco
At 10450 Metcalf, tortillas and salsa are made on site. Asada, chicken, pastor, chorizo, barbacoa and carnitas give a mixed order several starting points. Onion and cilantro keep the taco simple, while the salsa selection moves through mild tomatillo and red, roasted medium, hot green and very hot orange.
Barbacoa is a recurring favorite in customer accounts. Diablitos add a crisp, cheese-topped tostada to the same range of fillings. A taco combo includes rice, charro beans and a drink. Monday–Saturday closing is 8 p.m., with carryout ending half an hour earlier; Sunday is closed.
TACO NACO: a wider regional vocabulary
Chef Fernanda Reyes’s downtown El Mercadito grew out of catering and farmers’ market service. Its brisket quesabirria brings cheese and consommé together, while cochinita pibil, asada with chimichurri, mushroom mole and potato pipián allow a comparison between recipes rather than only meats.
Yoli nixtamal tortillas and house salsas form the base. The current menu also offers guisados in northern-style flour burritos and street tacos with tripa, buche or deshebrada. Overland Park opens Tuesday–Sunday; the Westport and State Line restaurants are separate regional alternatives with their own hours, collected in the profile.
La Nueva: Jalisco roots on Antioch Road
Juan Lozano’s cooking comes from near Arandas, Jalisco. With Julia Rohrer, he began in a food truck in 2019 before opening the Overland Park restaurant. Pastor from the trompo remains the house specialty, and cheesy beef quesabirria became a leading order early in the business’s life.
Lengua, cachete, tripa and suadero broaden the taco list, while mini quesadillas, tortas and meat by the pound let a group change format. The Antioch restaurant has the latest regular closing here: 10 p.m. Sunday–Thursday and 11 p.m. Friday–Saturday. Its full bar and indoor seating make it a different proposition from a roadside truck.
Choose El Fogón for the handmade-tortilla-and-salsa combination, TACO NACO for regional recipes and vegetables, or La Nueva for trompo pastor and a longer evening.
Options to compare
These options relate to the question. Read each profile and check current details before deciding.
Metcalf Avenue tacos on handmade tortillas, with barbacoa, pastor, charro beans and a salsa range running from mild tomatillo to very hot orange.
Metcalf Avenue tacos on handmade tortillas, with barbacoa, pastor, charro beans and a salsa range running from mild tomatillo to very hot orange.
Chef Fernanda Reyes’s downtown market and taqueria, with brisket quesabirria, cochinita pibil, mushroom mole and potato pipián on nixtamal tortillas.
Chef Fernanda Reyes’s downtown market and taqueria, with brisket quesabirria, cochinita pibil, mushroom mole and potato pipián on nixtamal tortillas.
Juan Lozano and Julia Rohrer’s Arandas-style counter, known for trompo pastor and cheesy beef quesabirria, with lengua, cachete and suadero also available.
Juan Lozano and Julia Rohrer’s Arandas-style counter, known for trompo pastor and cheesy beef quesabirria, with lengua, cachete and suadero also available.
Sources & references
Sources for the information and reporting discussed in this guide.
- El Fogón: tortillas, salsas and hours / El Fogón: tortillas, salsas y horario ↗ Primary source www.elfogonkc.com · Accessed November 5, 2026
- TACO NACO: current regional menu / TACO NACO: carta regional actual ↗ Primary source taconacokc.com · Accessed November 5, 2026
- Chef Fernanda Reyes’s background / Trayectoria de Fernanda Reyes ↗ Primary source taconacokc.com · Accessed November 5, 2026
- TACO NACO: branches and hours / TACO NACO: sedes y horarios ↗ Primary source taconacokc.com · Accessed November 5, 2026
- La Nueva: current service and contact / La Nueva: servicio y contacto ↗ Primary source www.tacoslanueva.net · Accessed November 5, 2026
- La Nueva: fillings / La Nueva: rellenos ↗ Primary source www.taquerialanueva.com · Accessed November 5, 2026
- El Fogón: preparations and accompaniments / El Fogón: preparaciones y acompañamientos ↗ Secondary source www.allmenus.com · Accessed November 5, 2026
- El Fogón: public feedback and local listing / El Fogón: comentarios y ficha local ↗ Secondary source www.restaurantji.com · Accessed November 5, 2026
- La Nueva: opening and family history / La Nueva: apertura e historia familiar ↗ Secondary source johnsoncountypost.com · Accessed November 5, 2026
- La Nueva: founder and Westport expansion / La Nueva: fundador y expansión en Westport ↗ Secondary source www.kansascity.com · Accessed November 5, 2026