El Camino Real

The food was great. I loved the steak quesadilla and pork taco. The prices are great and I love how fresh everything tastes.

The theatre closed down on us and it was going on 11pm what’s near that’s open this late and the kitchen is still taking orders. This place!
Unilocal of course helped out in a major way and we rushed here. My friend was a bit skeptical about being here due to the poor lighting in the neighborhood and going through the rudder areas to get here. He parked in the light and dead front of the place to make him feel better. Walking in feels like a Spanish home. Not too big not too small. The host/​manager had to take our orders due to the staff poor English. But that was ok with me if she knows the English on the menu we are good. My friend thought that was the best thing in the world, that he will be getting real Mexican food due to lack of English spoke here. He may have been on to something.
I ordered steak tacos and he got something that was mixed with bacon, beef, and maybe ham under cheese. Tasted good, I love bacon and cheese. The highlight of the night was the guacamole! First the said they didn’t have any and the nice lady came back around with a nice bowl of it. Freshest ever and was amazing I ate it with everything even by itself. Horchata is lacking though wish it had more cinnamon flavor or something to milky.
We will be back. He can’t stop talking about it.

Not the high point of the taco crawl. First, the staff seemed put off at having to push some tables together to accommodate a large group. Also, it was a hot day, and the A/​C wasn’t up to the task.
I was beginning to see the value of pacing oneself on a taco crawl, so I just ordered a couple of tacos. With most of my blood supply in my GI tract instead of my brain, I ordered carne asada when I really wanted al pastor, and regretted it. There wasn’t a lot there, and it was sort of dry and crumbly. The chips and salsa were better; I think they brought 3 different salsas, one was smoky and especially enjoyable.
The service was slow, and not friendly; I got the impression our big group was an imposition, so I probably won’t trouble them again.

What a disappointment. The pastor, what El Camino Real is known for is really going downhill. Dry and minimal. Service also was poor. I didn’t receive my order and had to remind the waitress. I did move after she took my order and let her know, but she didn’t even attempt to bring me anything. I also had to ask multiple times for a water. The menu days they have margaritas, but they don’t. The cops were stale. This place won’t be on my taco rotation.

My favorite taco joint in KC and its usually easier to park here at their Armordale location than the original location on 7^th st.
I have a hard time venturing away from the tacos Al Pastor. They are just that good. This time i also had a pork chop meat taco and it was first class also.
Ask for the salsa verde for a change from the normal sauce they give you, much less intense. The fresh melon drink in the bubbler is also a great treat.

I love their tacos «Al Pastor»! & only for a dollar on the weekends! Fresh made tortillas & salsa! Reminds me of the Mexico City street tacos!

I am torn. I normally have no issue with giving my opinion of places to try in KC, as I want everyone who chooses to visit this site to get an honest and unbiased sense of what they are in for before dropping hard earned dollars on food.
However, when it comes to this place, I am reluctant to say anything, as I want this place to remain the secret that it still is. The last thing I want to see is some Johnson County Denali driven by some blonde housewife with fake breasts waddling her North-​Face-​clad a** up to the door with her 3 toe-​headed-​iPad-​thumbing children in tow. BUT, given where this place is located in the metro, I can’t see that happening.
My wife, myself, and two of our friends who hail from El Paso/​Albuquerque, respectively, decided to give this place a shot after I picked up a
gift certificate from work. Located in the middle of old KCK, this little gem is surrounded by condemned houses, intersections with non-​working street lights, and a slew of stores that serve as check-​cashing counters, cell-​phone minute sales, and bail bondsmen all under one roof.
Aside from everyone turning to look at us when we walked in, we felt more than welcome and comfortable. The waitress didn’t speak much english, but that wasn’t an issue.
I honestly can’t remember what the ladies ordered, but my buddy and I ordered tacos… lots of them. The reason we ordered tacos is because the minute you walk in, you see into the kitchen and there is giant spinning wheel of meat… the most Ron-​Swanson-​esque wheel of meat on God’s great green earth. Literally, it’s the size of a hay bale. That is the pastor (seasoned pork). Had my wife not shot me a look after taco #6, I would have eaten enough to have the waitstaff haul me out the door on a furniture dolly. So yeah… tacos. Try them all. If you know what you are eating and what to expect (i.e. longaniza, lengua, etc.), then you will be nothing but satisfied. Sidebar: Don’t forget the horchata. If you don’t like rice milk sweetened with cinnamon and sugar, then ball up your hand and smash it right in to your dumb face.
The final best part of the place was the tab… for 4 of us to eat until we could hardly walk it cost about $ 30 total.
Bottom line, if you are feeling adventurous on a random afternoon (I wouldn’t recommend that part of town at night), and you have a penchant for real authentic Mexican food, check this place out.

Much of my experience here may be explained by the fact that I probably haven’t eaten at many truly authentic Mexican restaurants.
With that being said. Here is my take.
Located in downtown KCK, the environment is a little lackluster. The greeting was pretty chilly upon entering, and the salsa was downright confusing (dry, large chunks of onion, tomato and green peppers in a little bowl.) There was some sauce in a plastic squeeze bottle on the side that I wish I wouldn’t have tried — as much as I love to be reminded of my childhood by the smell of a dusty old barn, I don’t exactly enjoy tasting it.
The meal itself was okay. Yeah … just okay. Again, maybe I just don’t know real Mexican food when I taste it. Or maybe I just ordered the wrong thing. I had the Tacos de Rajas. My boyfriend ordered Huevos Rancheros (which was not on the menu, so it was pretty cool that they made it for him.) He thought his was «surprisingly good for being an unfamiliar color of salsa.»
I did LOVE having an ice cold, glass bottled Coca-​Cola to drink, and my guy equally enthusiastically LOVED having an ice cold glass bottled Juarritos (his favorite bubbly.)
Will we return? Me: likely, no. Him: he’d probably go back /shrug./
Finally, considering the fact that this was quite affordable for not being a total bust, I consider El Camino Real A-​OK in my book.

We went today for breakfast and were given lunch/​dinner menus. We asked if breakfast was available and were told, «You can have eggs.» Uhhhh, okay. I think if you’re going to be open for breakfast, you should have a breakfast menu, but maybe that’s just me being demanding.
The food was good… the tacos al pastor were as good as the ones at the original location; generous sides of beans and rice, lots of great drink options, including agua fresca, horchata and glass-​bottled coke.
Service was chaotic at best; they missed one of our orders, but it didn’t turn up on the bill and we had plenty of food, so in the end, it didn’t really matter.

El Camino Real,
It is with great sadness that I sit to write this review today. I’ve been a fan and one of your best word-​of-​mouth advertisers since the day we met. However, yesterday in a moment of weakness (read laziness) I decided to not make dinner and treat myself to some tacos and a sope.
Firstly, I will address the food. The sope (which was your saving grace!) was exactly what a sope should be, something that I’ve found the 7^th street location can not perfect but you have! The tacos though were only ok, the meat was extra fatty and the tortillas cold. YOU KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THE TORTILLA IS! Why would you do that? It’s heart-​wrenching!
Secondly, and most importantly, the service was awful! So AWFUL indeed that I walked out of the restaurant and let my hubs pay because I didn’t think that I could wipe the scowl off my face. We’ll start with the waitress, that took 5 minutes to bring us our menu even though we were the only other table in the place. And then took another 5 to get us our chips and salsa. AND another 5 after that for our drinks, which consisted of water and uncapping a soda. But let’s not forget about the little boy that was there ringing a bell until I had to look at him and say «No.» Then came the food which has already been covered.
I am so disappointed. This won’t deter me from going to El Camino Real anymore I’ll just make sure to drive a few extra minutes to the 7^th Street location, they are consistent! Get it together, please! I’d hate to have someone I’ve directed to your establishment experience what we did last night.

DUDE. And I don’t use that word lightly. I’m a little reluctant to draw attention to this little gem because it’s…remote. And… amazing. The tiniest tacos I’ve ever seen, so naturally I could probably eat a dozen, but I think last time I was there I stopped at 4 or 5. My favorite favorite is the one with just onion and cheese in it, but they were all great. When we ordered guacamole, they just walked over to the kitchen, and we watched her cut up avocados and all the fixin’s, mix it all up, and bring it over. It was like being in someone’s home.
The first time we went, the air conditioning was out, so they brought us all a round of beers.
Again, I feel like I should be greedy about this place, but in such an untraveled area (for me anyway) I want to see them stay open!

I decided to hunt down the #2 because Tiger stated there was more parking. I soon realized I’ve past this location many times. Although more parking it’s on a V corner and still a pain. I rather parallel park at #1.
As for the al pastor tacos here are just not the same as #1 either. I mean, I was handed lemons. Huh??? No, I am not making lemon aid tacos. Sorry, but I believe this will be the last time, I shall visit this one.
For all those that have only been to this one. You are missing out so much more. There is a reason it is #1. enough said…

I lucked into discovering El Camino Real by accident during a previous trip to KC. Now, the trip is no longer complete without at least one visit to El Camino.
I have worked my way through almost all the tacos offered. The pastor is phenominal, as previously stated, but the tacos longaniza, (Mexican sausage, but different than chorizo) are a unique treat. The meat is fried just to a crisp with just the right amount of fat. Like chorizo but with less spice.
Tacos de cabeza, lengua, barbacoa, pescado… all great.
Tacos de Rajas (roasted peppers, onions and cheese) are almost good enough to keep me from ordering the delicious meat filled offerings, just not today.
I get at least one carnitas taco every time. I agree with Joe H., they were a bit dry today (we were there in the afternoon of ¹¹⁄₇) but they have been cooked perfectly during my other visits, and have been the highlight of previous meals, so don’t rule them out.
The discovery of the day, today, was their version of the tamale. It was awesome! Perfect. The pork had a subtle sweetness and spice (hint of cinnamon) and the masa tasted like real corn. They have the best tacos I have ever had, but I would have traded them all for more tamales.
We also splurged on a Mexican shrimp cocktail, or Coctel de Camerron. We had seen many other customers… most, in fact, ordering the dish, so we figured there must be something to it. It was also very, very good. Not be confused with american style shrimp cocktail, this version has a balanced sweetness using what we suspect was orange juice. It was filled with plenty of nicely cooked and cleaned shrimp, topped with several slices of fresh avocado. Definitely worth a try.
What a gem you have in KC!

I wasn’t sure whether to go 4 or 5 on this place. Maybe 4.5.
Anyway, I’ve heard so many good things about El Camino Real (really the other location but whatever) and was glad I’d be in the area to sample the fare.
I, accompanied by our two kids, went in this very afternoon for some of the tacos I’ve heard so much about. Most of the reviews mention the pastor so I had to have one of those, but I couldn’t just eat pastor no matter how delicious. I also got carnitas, barbacoa, pollo, longaniza, and my son got the asada. As the other reviews said, the pastor was delicious, but I thought the longaniza and the asada were both very delicious. The carnitas and barbacoa were both good but a little dry. The chicken was fine but nothing remarkable.
The service was quite good. I would definitely recommend El Camino Real without hesitation.

Last time I went to my favorite Kansas City taco place — the downtown branch of ECR — I picked up a card that told me about Tacqueria #2: even closer to my 39^th Street KCMO neighborhood, on Argentine. I finally made it (after waiting a whole week) last week, and it’s my new fave.
Al the things I said about downtown apply here, including the caveats about my own «range»: I’ve only ordered the tacos, don’t eat pork, etc. My server didn’t speak English, but who cares — and her handsome co-​worker a few feet stepped forward when my companion asked something she found inscrutable.
It’s not just being a few minutes closer to home that I’ll probably go back to this place, all else being equal: it’s more heymish, as we say in Yiddish — «homelike,» cozy. Smaller, uncrowded — and it has a modest parking lot (instead of just the street). My companion always orders a side of beans and rice (which I consider odd, since it reduces one’s capacity for the fabulous tacos, but he’s quirky), and he says these are better downtown, at ECR #1.
Whatever! Go to either, go to both; my stomach growls just thinking about it…