KANSAS CITY, Kan. — If you've ever wanted to eat your way through every taco spot in town, you might get close with the KCK Taco Trail.
The KCK Convention & Visitors Bureau launched this event, a mouthwatering culinary trip, through nearly 50 taquerias for people to try.
To travel the Taco Trail, you can access a list of participating taquerias on the website. The more restaurants you visit, the more prizes you can win.
Alan Carr with the KCK Convention Business Bureau said the taco trail is a great way to boost tourism after some of the restaurants struggled with COVID-19 set-backs.
"A lot of these are really small businesses, a lot of these are mom-and-pop businesses, a lot of these are immigrant-owned businesses," Carr said. "So it's a great way to support those local businesses and experience the unique culture here in Kansas City, Kansas."
El Camino Real, a downtown KCK favorite, is on the list.
Armando Martinez is the owner. He said he didn't notice many Mexican restaurants in the area when he opened the restaurant in 2000.
"Sometimes, we had to work as a family without paychecks and my family didn't get any paycheck" Martinez said. "Only we pay the employees. Just surviving, keep working every day without stopping, including my whole family, my mom, my dad, my brothers."
They were selling tacos at baseball fields and grocery store parking lots. Soon, it became obvious that their "al pastor" taco would be a top seller.
"Kansas City, Kansas has such a great Latino community," Carr said. "We think that this is one of the most concentrated places in the metro where you can go and find those authentic taquerias, so it just makes sense for us to launch a Taco Trail."
The event runs until Oct. 31, 2021.
