This profile is in active compilation — some details are awaiting a cited source.

El Rinconcito Salvadoreño (“The Little Corner”) is a family-run Salvadoran restaurant founded by Rosa Cardoza, serving handmade pupusas, tamales, and yuca frita across two metro locations — the original on Parallel Parkway in Kansas City, KS (2021) and a second in Lenexa in the former Le Peep space (January 2023).12

Locations

LocationAddressPhoneOpened
Lenexa (#2 / Quivira)7936 Quivira Rd, Lenexa, KS 66215(913) 242-7107January 2023
Kansas City, KS (#1 / Parallel)4741 Parallel Pkwy, Kansas City, KS 66104(913) 400-21122021

Both locations operate as El Rinconcito Salvadoreño de Kansas City; the Lenexa restaurant is signed “#2.”134

Description

El Rinconcito Salvadoreño — Spanish for “The Little Corner” — specializes in the cuisine of El Salvador, anchored by handmade pupusas (thick stuffed griddle cakes) made with high-quality cheese, alongside tamales and yuca frita (fried cassava).12 The menu draws additional influence from Cuban, Nicaraguan, and Colombian cooking, and includes empanadas de plátano (plantain dessert empanadas) and seasonal offerings such as caldos (soups), carne asada, and pollo en crema.2 Owner Rosa Cardoza describes the kitchen’s approach as “We do everything handmade and homemade,” aiming to keep dishes “authentic to El Salvador” while incorporating her own recipes.2 Gluten-free pupusas are available.5 The Lenexa dining room occupies the long-running former Le Peep breakfast space and is decorated with colorful Salvadoran signage; reviewers describe an atmosphere “very much like you would see in El Salvador.”25

Ownership and history

The restaurant is owned by Rosa Cardoza, who lives in Shawnee and previously worked for 14 years as kitchen manager at El Pulgarcito Salvadoran Restaurant in Merriam before opening her own business.2 El Rinconcito is run as a family operation: her son Franklin handles ingredient sourcing, daughter Sarai (an accounting-degree holder) manages finances and serves as translator, and sister Josefina and niece Anna work in the kitchen.2 Cardoza opened the first location near 47th Street and Parallel Parkway in Kansas City, KS in 2021, then expanded to Lenexa at 7936 Quivira Rd — the former Le Peep, which had operated for decades before closing in 2018 — opening there in January 2023.2

Sources

Disputes

None known.

Footnotes

  1. Official site — El Rinconcito Salvadoreño de Kansas City. https://www.elrinconcitosalvadorenokc.com/ — asserts: restaurant name and meaning (“The Little Corner”); two locations with addresses (4741 Parallel Pkwy, KCK 66104, (913) 400-2112; 7936 Quivira Rd, Lenexa 66215, (913) 242-7107). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  2. Johnson County Post, “Family-run Salvadoran restaurant has made old Lenexa Le Peep its home,” May 18, 2023. https://johnsoncountypost.com/2023/05/18/el-rinconcito-lenexa-open-201994/ — asserts: owner Rosa Cardoza and family (Franklin, Sarai, Josefina, Anna); her 14 years at El Pulgarcito in Merriam; residence in Shawnee; KCK original opened 2021, Lenexa opened January 2023 in former Le Peep (closed 2018); cuisine and influences; signature dishes; “handmade and homemade” quote. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8

  3. Yelp — El Rinconcito Salvadoreño de Kansas City, 4741 Parallel Pkwy, Kansas City, KS. https://www.yelp.com/biz/el-rinconcito-salvadore%C3%B1o-de-kansas-city-kansas-city-3 — asserts: KCK location address; listing updated February 2026 (operating). ↩

  4. Yelp — El Rinconcito Salvadoreño #2, 7936 Quivira Rd, Lenexa, KS. https://www.yelp.com/biz/el-rinconcito-salvadore%C3%B1o-2-lenexa — asserts: Lenexa address; listing updated June 2026; hours; “#2” signage. ↩

  5. Atly — El Rinconcito Salvadoreño #2 gluten-free listing, Lenexa. https://www.atly.com/gluten-free/location/El-Rinconcito-Salvadore%C3%B1o-2 — asserts: gluten-free pupusas available; dining-room/atmosphere description. ↩ ↩2

See also

  • Registry
  • Owner-And-History-Research-Toolchain
Categories
  • Kansas City–owned
  • Salvadoran
  • Lenexa Ks