A fast-growing local taco shop has unveiled its newest Johnson County spot.
Kansas City, Missouri-based Tiki Taco officially opened its new downtown Shawnee location Tuesday, following a sneak peek for select customers over the weekend.
Part of the proceeds from the restaurant’s soft opening went to Shawnee-based child advocacy organization Sunflower House.
Tiki Taco opened at 11200 Johnson Drive
- The restaurant moved into a space on the northwest corner of Johnson Drive and Barton Avenue, in between Flying Cow Gelato and Shawnee City Hall.
- Fellow local taco shop Al Chile occupied that space for roughly three years before it closed.
- Tiki Taco’s regular hours in Shawnee are the same as its downtown Overland Park location — 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday.
Tiki Taco offers tacos and other “Cal-Mex style” fare
Tiki Taco’s tacos come in a variety of flavors, from sweet chili shrimp and Korean beef to Thai fried chicken and tempura fried avocado.
Outside of tacos, the restaurant also serves other items like burritos, nachos, , loaded “tiki” fries and chips and dip.
Tiki Taco also serves cocktails like margaritas, mai tais and palomas.
“Here, it’s the same flavors, same quality, made from scratch,” CEO Eric Knott said about the Shawnee location’s menu.
As for the Shawnee space itself, Knott said the Tiki Taco team took the former Al Chile space “down to the studs” to transform it into what it is now.
The interior now features the same bright yellow and red walls and neon decor that customers see at Tiki Taco’s other locations.
The restaurant also has a new covered patio outside with the capacity for up to 60 customers — nearly triple what the previous patio seated, Knott said. Customers can also access the patio through a newly-installed garage bay door.
With everything from burgers at Hank’s Garage and breakfast at Pegah’s and McLain’s Market to pizza at Old Shawnee Pizza, Knott said bringing Tiki Taco felt like filling the last gap in terms of local cuisine in downtown Shawnee.
“We’re really excited to be here,” he said. “If you look around, there’s not a ton of Mexican cuisine in this general vicinity. I just think we kind of close off that loop downtown in terms of cuisine.”
This marks the third Tiki Taco in Johnson County
The company opened its first Johnson County location in downtown Overland Park early last year.
Another Johnson County spot followed in May 2025, at the Olathe Pointe shopping center.
Beyond that, Knott said Tiki Taco aims to further expand into other parts of the Kansas City metro.
They’re also also eyeing southern Overland Park — though nothing is set in stone yet.
That’s not the end of the line for Tiki Taco’s growth. The brand recently opened a pop-up shop at KU Health System’s main campus in Kansas City, Kansas, which Knott said was only the beginning of Tiki Taco’s “off premise pop-up” expansion.
KU football fans can also now find Tiki Taco at the newly renovated David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, with another new spot to follow at Allen Fieldhouse.
In the midst of all of that, though, Knott said the Tiki Taco team is excited to be putting down roots in downtown Shawnee.
“Being here in downtown, right next to City Hall on the corner, you have all these amazing local mom and pop-style restaurants and bars,” he said. “It’s very walkable — lots of diversity with food and drink. (Tiki Taco) just kind of fits the vibe.”
More food and drink news: KCMO-based eatery Taste of Brazil debuts in Overland Park
