This Kansas City business has closed. KS.City keeps its page on the record.

Medina family, Westside KCMO, 1978–2026. Closed January 31, 2026. Per Business-Wiki-Page-Schema-And-IA, closed-business pages persist permanently as historical record; La Fonda joins the In Memoriam set alongside Jalisco Restaurant.

| Stare coverage | Multiple closure tributes (KCUR, KSHB, Kansas City Star, KMBC, Feb 2026) | published | | Awards | In Memoriam — Best Mexican in KC, Spring 2027 (Year 1 inaugural inclusion, paired with Jalisco) | pending Award publication |

Description

La Fonda El Taquito operated at 800 Southwest Boulevard in Kansas City, Missouri’s Westside neighborhood from the late 1970s until its permanent closure on January 31, 2026. The Medina family ran the restaurant continuously for 47–48 years, making it one of the longest-tenured family-owned Mexican restaurants on the Westside at the time of its closing.12

Originally opened in 1978 as the small counter-service El Taquito at 17th and Summit by Agustin “Chino” Medina (a former professional soccer player from León, Mexico) and his wife Teresa Garcia Medina, the business grew from a tiny space that could seat roughly 20 people into a beloved community anchor. After a closure in 1989 and a brief period in Westport, the restaurant returned to the Westside on Southwest Boulevard under the name La Fonda El Taquito, with day-to-day operations passing to daughters Sandra “Sandy” Medina and Maria Theresa Medina Chaurand.13

The restaurant became known for consistency of flavor across decades, homemade tortillas in its early years, and dishes that reminded many customers of their own abuelitas’ cooking — especially the chicken soup, smothered burritos, and ground beef fried tacos (an American-Mexican adaptation of the toothpick-secured fiesta tacos the family’s great-grandmothers once made for church fundraisers).1

Ownership and history

Ownership timeline

PeriodOperationStatus
1978 – 1989El Taquito (17th & Summit, Westside) — Agustin “Chino” & Teresa Garcia MedinaClosed / relocated
~1989 – ~1990sTemporary Westport locationClosed
~1990s – 2026-01-31La Fonda El Taquito (800 Southwest Blvd) — Medina daughters Sandra & Maria take primary operationPermanently closed
2026-01-31 onwardEl Taquito Tortilleria (KCK) continues as separate family businessActive (post-restaurant)

The Medina sisters ran the restaurant for more than three decades after their parents stepped back.

Founding narrative

Agustin Medina retired from professional soccer in Mexico in the late 1970s and, with his wife Teresa (who grew up on the Westside), opened a small taqueria they initially called El Taquito. The original location at 17th and Summit was tiny. Sandra Medina began working the grill at age 18. The family made tortillas from scratch and served a limited menu rooted in recipes from Agustin’s León background and Teresa’s Jalisco family heritage.

Notable developments

  • 1978 — El Taquito opens at 17th & Summit in the Westside.
  • 1989 — Original El Taquito location closes; temporary move to Westport.
  • 1990s onward — Reopens on Southwest Boulevard as La Fonda El Taquito; daughters Sandra and Maria assume primary management.
  • Early 2026 (Jan) — Sisters announce retirement and closure; final day set for January 31, 2026.
  • Jan 31, 2026 — Last day of operations. Community gathers for music, dancing, and final meals. No food served on the very last day per the sisters’ plan.

The family’s tortilla business (El Taquito Tortilleria) continued separately in Kansas City, Kansas.

Lineage context

La Fonda El Taquito was a core part of the Westside (KCMO) Mexican-American food tradition. Along with its 2026 closure counterpart Jalisco Restaurant in KCK (Hernandez family, 1965–2026), the two operations represented the institutional, multi-generation spine of the metro’s Mexican family-restaurant heritage that year.

In Memoriam recognition

La Fonda El Taquito is honored in the In Memoriam track of the inaugural Best Mexican in KC, Spring 2027 Award, paired with Jalisco Restaurant. The track recognizes the two major 2026 closures of long-tenured, multi-generation Mexican family restaurants that had been Westside / KCK anchors for decades.

Sources

Disputes

(No active disputes as of draft date.)

Footnotes

  1. KCUR — “As beloved Kansas City restaurant closes, customers say goodbye to their ‘family from the Westside’.” Published 2026-01-29. https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2026-01-29/as-beloved-kansas-city-restaurant-closes-customers-say-goodbye-to-their-family-from-the-westside. Detailed account: 1978 founding as El Taquito at 17th & Summit by Agustin “Chino” Medina and Teresa Garcia Medina; daughters Sandra “Sandy” Medina and Maria Theresa Medina Chaurand ran it for more than three decades; recipes from León and Jalisco heritage; ground beef fried tacos as American adaptation of great-grandmothers’ fiesta tacos; final day January 31, 2026; community “Mexican Cheers” atmosphere; El Taquito Tortilleria continues. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  2. KSHB 41 — “Kansas City bids adios to La Fonda, a Westside staple for nearly half a century.” Published ~Jan 28, 2026. https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/kansas-city-bids-adios-to-la-fonda-a-westside-staple-for-nearly-half-a-century. Confirms 47 years; small original kitchen seating ~20; Agustin’s background as former pro soccer player in Mexico; move to Southwest Blvd; sisters’ retirement decision; final day Jan 31 with music/dancing; customer memories. ↩

  3. Kansas City Star — “KC Mexican favorite La Fonda to close after 47 years in KC.” Published Jan 5, 2026. https://www.kansascity.com/news/business/openings-closings/article314182932.html. Additional family photos and context on the Medina sisters (Maria Medina Chaurand, Sandy Medina, Cris Medina referenced). ↩

See also

  • Registry
  • jalisco-restaurant
  • Best-Mexican-In-KC-Spring-2027-Shortlist-Synthesis
  • Best-Mexican-In-Memoriam-Jalisco-Tribute-Draft
Categories
  • Locally owned
  • Mexican
  • Westside