The shipping container mall, Revolutsia, continues to grow and grow. With spots like Boards, Little Lion Cafe and Prost, it’s time to add more food into the fold.
Introducing Taco Locale. Some of you may be familiar with them after their win at Wichita Taco Fest or their appearances at pop-ups and farmers markets around town. I loved their Pinole Blue pop-ups and was one of the voters who blindly picked them to win at Taco Fest. Surely I had to stop by to check out their new digs.
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2721 E Central Ave
Wichita, KS 67214
Tuesday – Thursday: 11am – 8pm
Friday – Saturday: 11am – 9pm
Sunday: 9am – 2pm
Closed on Monday
Cash/Card Accepted
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They will be opening inside one of the shipping containers in the lower level at Revolutsia on Tuesday, September 17. But I was able to get a first look at what to expect.
Unlike Prost and Little Lion Cafe, there will not be any seating inside Taco Locale. It’s a small narrow space that currently just accommodates the kitchen, counter space and just enough room for customers to line up to order.
What differentiates Taco Locale from other taco spots the most is literally in their name. All the tacos on their rotating menu are filled with meat sourced locally in Kansas. They will also cater to the vegan/vegetarian crowd as well.
Once you order your tacos, there’s a little station where you can dress up your tacos with cilantro, lime, salsas made there, pickled vegetables, sweet & sour slaw, onion, and other locally sourced toppings. I’m such a huge fan of their pickled onions and sweet & sour slaw. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’d buy jars of it if they were available.
There were three different tacos on the menu: Grass fed beef with salsa verde, roasted adobo chicken, and curried corn & blistered shashito peppers. The end result was a beautiful colorful display of tacos that were equally delicious. I’ve never shied away from the fact that I really love their tacos. While they were all fantastic, I had a favorite. There was a huge difference in the grass fed beef taco; much more flavorful and tender than any other beef taco I’ve had in town. You could tell the uptick in quality with the first bite. Don’t get me wrong, I love some tacos from rundown taco truck on north Broadway but their beef doesn’t compare at all.
One thing to note, these are not your Tex-Mex tacos, your fast food cheap meat tacos or your standard street tacos found in little hole in the walls or taco trucks. This is almost like a fourth category of high quality locally sourced tacos.
But having higher quality ingredients that are locally sourced does come at a price. While their pop-ups were originally priced at $2, the tacos here are $4 a piece now that they have rent and utilities to pay. That could be a steep price for some people to pay but I really believe the proof is in the pudding….or tacos in this instance. I’m not going to say better taco because there are plenty of great options around town but you’re certainly getting a cleaner and higher quality option. And on the east side of town, there aren’t too many options for tacos besides fast food. Was it worth it to me? Yes. I had plenty of tacos but three were more than enough for me. Plus I’m never against paying more for quality. If you’re into the whole eating local along with locally sourced food, this will be a great option for you.
They are definitely worth checking out when they open.
Here’s the menu they had available the day I stopped by:
Happy Dining,
Eddy
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