Scott T.
Yelp
Came on a hunt with a taco aficionado friend looking for one dish, and found it with satisfaction. I'm talking about "the traditional Kansas City Taco," here called "Mucho Tacos." Hold on, gringo, what's that you say?
Story goes like this: in the 1950s Mexican and Italian laborers were aplenty in the city. Out of those years of toiling side by side, friendships, common meals, the need to make the best with what is available came a deep fried taco of beef or chicken (possibly mashed potatoes, just a guess) laced with Romaine lettuce, maybe a bit of cheese, maybe some tomato, and at the end sprinkled heavily with Parmesan cheese. No, silly, not Parmigiano Reggiano you pay an arm and leg for made in only one small area in Italy (yet is a billion dollar industry of fake wheels of it they say), but something as best as they were making in Kansas City in the 1950s. These tacos flourished in the city, long, long before the current street taco scene was ever heard of.
Done right, they are a thing of beauty, and Manny's has been doing them since opening in (I think) the early 1980s. When I started my new quest to visit all of the places in town still doing them, I was mystified until biting into my first at Margarita's down the street a mile or two. "Oh yea, I remember these now," from early times when I'd just moved to KC in the late 70s.
Maybe half dozen joints still doing them in the city, yet at one time this style was quite common, and they are fine. I'd rate Manny's close to as good as Margaritas but missed the juicy tomatoes which add to all that greasy goodness that'll have you hating yourself a few hours after dining. But what's wrong with that once in awhile? The sauces here though, superior, and three of them come with a basket of chips.
Don't get the 3 star overall rating, and the wallet toting public does not agree with Yelp. Came on a Tuesday and although this is a massive restaurant, the place was hopping. Oh, and the service here is the bomb. The ladies waiting tables are on top of it. And as far as this "is it authentic" in reviews. Who cares, and do the people spouting it really know? Want authentic? Call up your mother and have her make you dinner or fly to Mexico. I think much of this is pretend expertise. All I care: Is the food good, did I enjoy it, was it priced right? Tad high, my opinion, $18 for four tacos and a few beans. Ouch. But this isn't a street taco, and we enjoyed lunch immensely.
Kudos, Manny's, for keeping these on the bill after all these years. It's all I'd ever want if I came back. So I dare you, reader: come here, get four of these tacos and finish them. Oh yea, you'll remember it.
P.S. parking in this area of town can be hell. Lots of folks during the day when we came and found ourselves circling blocks for 10 minutes before finding a single spot. Now, may have to return to check how a margarita or a cerveza goes with a pile of those. Ooof. Manny's, I'm a fan. Keep up the great work.