Story

Welcome to Barbacoa. Barbacoa is a new concept that Kansas City has yet to see: Traditional Mexican cuisine elevated with American barbecue cooking methods. Barbacoa is the Spanish word for barbecue, or to cook with fire. We are from Kansas City, and proud of it. We have barbecue running through us. But our chef is Mexican-American, bringing traditional Mexican cuisine he grew up with along side that barbecue gene. To us, barbecue doesn’t mean sauce like it does for so many Kansas Citians. It means fire. It means slow cooks using smoke. It means searing proteins with real flames. It’s a new kind of barbacue, but stemming from old roots and old worlds.

Our ownership is also the team behind Taco Tank, a taco cart turned food stall. Opened by our executive chef Roman Raya in 2017, the Tank ran its course through festivals, weddings, private parties and brewery crawls. Later to open in Parlor KC and Iron District NKC with our GM Madeline Buechter. The team crushed the taco game, bringing some new ideas to classic meat selections. Think street tacos, but dressed to impress.

Barbacoa is their dream, and these plates and cocktails show their heart. Thank you for being a part of it.