Rudy's Tenampa Taqueria (Lenexa)

Rudy’s Tenampa Taqueria in Lenexa is the second location of the Garcia family’s Westport taqueria, opened in October 2018 in the former Panzon’s at Country Hill Shopping Center, 87th Street and Lackman Road. It is a 5,000-square-foot room with a patio and full bar, run by relatives — founder Rudy Garcia Sr.’s son Anthony as co-owner and nephew BJ Garcia as managing partner — serving the same fish tacos, fried Tenampa tacos, tamales and fajitas as the original. It was a Best Mexican Restaurant finalist in the Johnson County Post’s 2024 readers’ poll. Open Monday–Saturday; closed Sundays. See rudys-tenampa-taqueria for the family history.

Description

The Lenexa restaurant carries the Westport menu into Johnson County: “Rudy’s Originals” (Tacos Tenampa, the Tijuana fish tacos, Tamales Especial, Rudy’s Tenderloin), “Rudy’s Favorites” (carnitas, bistec a la Mexicana, carne asada Aztlán, chile con carne), “Margie’s Sizzling Fajitas,” street tacos, burritos, a build-your-own vegetarian plate, and a weekday lunch board of $9.99-or-less plates. Happy-hour appetizers and $6 house margaritas ($20 pitchers) run daily, and the catering menu offers taco, fajita, flauta and street-taco bars for groups of ten or more.¹ The family’s website is built around this location — the site title is “Must-Visit Mexican Restaurant in Lenexa” — with separate event, drink and specials pages.²

Ownership and history

Rudy Garcia Sr., who opened the original Rudy’s on Westport Road with his wife Margie in 1993, announced the Lenexa expansion in June 2018, taking the former Panzon’s at Country Hill Shopping Center because the space’s history as a Mexican restaurant — and its staff, whom he intended to hire — made it a fit, and because, as he told Feast, “I didn’t want my second location to be in the middle of chain restaurants.” He also cited the developing Lenexa City Center nearby.³⁴ The restaurant opened in October 2018 after a longer-than-planned build-out, co-owned by Rudy Sr. and his son Anthony Garcia, with nephew BJ Garcia as managing partner, BJ’s wife Regina and Rudy’s grandson Dominic in the operation. “This is a great community; a lot of families,” Rudy Sr. said. “I personally want the Lenexa community to know that we are a true family-owned and family-run business.”⁵ The family business passed to Rudy Garcia Jr. and his wife Melissa around 2024, with Anthony and his sisters JoAnn and Antoinette alongside; how the two locations are divided among them is not reported.⁶ In 2024 the Lenexa restaurant was a finalist for Best Mexican Restaurant in the Johnson County Post’s readers’ poll.⁷

Links

• Website: https://rudystenampa.com/ · Locations: https://rudystenampa.com/locations
• Menu: https://rudystenampa.com/lenexa-rudy-s-tenampa-lenexa-food-menu · Specials/events pages on the same site
• Online ordering: https://lenexa.orderrudystenampataqueria.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rudystenampalenexa/
• Original location: rudys-tenampa-taqueria

Menu

Last verified: 2026-08-28 · Source: the family’s own Lenexa food-menu page · Confidence: High. Selected items; the full list (about 120 items with lunch, happy-hour and catering menus) is on the page.¹

• Appetizers: Guacamole $9.99 · Chile con Queso $7.99 · Espinaca Dip $7.99 · Bocadillos $10.99 · Cuetes $9.49 · Quesadillas from $7.99 · Cocktel de Camarones $15.99 · Tostada Nachos from $11.49 · Ceviche $9.99 · Beef or Chicken Taco Sliders $9.49
• Rudy’s Favorites: Rudy’s Carnitas $13.99 · Tacos al Pastor $13.99 · Bistec a la Mexicana $14.49 · Tacos al Carbón $14.49 · Chile a la Mexica $13.99 · Carne Asada Aztlán $17.99 · Juanito’s Chimichanga from $13.49 · Chile con Carne $12.99 · Cuatro Taquitos from $13.49 · Rudy’s Burrito Bowl from $10.99 · Chicken Monterey $12.99 · David Special $12.49 · Rudy’s Street Tacos from $10.99
• Rudy’s Originals: Tacos Tenampa $12.49 · Trio Sabroso $13.99 · Tijuana Tacos from $12.49 · Fiesta de Flautas $13.49 · Huevos con Chorizo $9.99 · Nachos Tenampa $13.99 · Plato Relleno $14.99 · Enchiladas Aztecas from $12.49 · Rudy’s Tenderloin $10.99 · Tamales Especial $12.99
• Margie’s Sizzling Fajitas: Steak or Chicken from $17.99 · Shrimp from $19.99 · Trio from $21.99 · Veggie from $13.99 · Portobello from $16.99
• Tacos y Enchiladas: El Rey $13.99 · Rudy’s Soft Tacos $15.49 · Plato Mestizo $15.49 · La Reyna $12.99 · El Charro $14.99 · Puros Tacos $16.49 · El Padrino $17.99 · Tacos No Carne $12.99
• Burritos: Alegre $12.99 · Dorado $14.99 · Del Rancho $16.49 · Baja from $13.99 · Enchilada Burrito $13.49 · Vegetarian $10.99
• Vegetarian: Create Your Own Plate from $11.99 (bean taco, bean tostada, bean-and-cheese burrito, chile relleno, veggie fajita, cheese-and-onion enchilada, guacamole tostada, portobello fajita, taco no carne)
• Desserts: Churros $7.50 · Fried Ice Cream $7.50 · Mini Chimis $6 · Sopapillas $6 · Churro Cake $7.50
• Lunch (Mon–Sat 11–2): El Azteca $10.99 · Tres Amigos $10.99 · Los Primos $9.49 · Tenderloin $9.49 · Las Gemelas $8.99 · Plato Maya $9.49 · Platito de Enchiladas $9.49 · lunch burritos $6.99–11.99 · à la carte tacos $2.25–5.99 · fish taco $6.49
• Happy hour: Papas Calientes $7 · Espinaca Dip $6 · Rudy’s Sliders $8 · Tostada Nachos $9 · Cuetes $8 · Mini Chicken Flautas $7 · Ceviche Tostadas $8 · house margaritas $6 / $20 pitcher · skinny margarita $7 · draft beer $3.50–4.50 · wells $4 · sangria $5

Sources

Footnotes

1. Rudy’s Tenampa — official website, Lenexa food menu. Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: every item and price in the Menu section, including lunch, happy-hour and catering menus. ↩ ↩²

2. Rudy’s Tenampa — official website, home page (“Must-Visit Mexican Restaurant in Lenexa”). Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: both addresses; hours and holiday hours; phone; email tenampalenexa@yahoo.com; Instagram @rudystenampalenexa; Facebook; nav (Menu, Drinks, Specials, Events, Online Ordering, Private Parties, Catering, Jobs, Locations). ↩

3. Jay Senter, “Rudy’s Tenampa Taqueria coming to former Panzon’s space in Lenexa,” Johnson County Post, 2018-06-18. Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: former Panzon’s at Country Hill Shopping Center, 87th & Lackman; mid-August 2018 target; Panzon’s employees to be hired; family members named; September 1993 founding on Dora’s recipes. ↩

4. Jenny Vergara, “Rudy’s Tenampa Taqueria to Open Second Location in Lenexa by Mid-August,” Feast Magazine, 2018-07-12. Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: 5,000 sq ft, patio and full bar; “didn’t want my second location to be in the middle of chain restaurants”; Lenexa City Center proximity; Panzon’s staff and customers inherited; “my entire restaurant is run by relatives.” ↩

5. Leah Wankum, “Long-awaited Rudy’s Tenampa Taqueria opens in former Panzon’s space in Lenexa,” Johnson County Post, 2018-10-09. Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: October 2018 opening; Rudy and Anthony Garcia co-owners; BJ Garcia managing partner; Regina and Dominic Garcia; “true family-owned and family-run business” quote. ↩

6. Joseph Hernandez, “Everything’s great at 30-year-old KC Mexican spot. But this dish keeps bringing me back,” The Kansas City Star, 2024-04-30 (via Yahoo). Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: Rudy Garcia Jr. and Melissa took ownership from his father; siblings Anthony, JoAnn, Antoinette; second location at 8710 Lackman Road, Lenexa. ↩

7. “Best of Johnson County 2024 Food & Restaurants winners,” Johnson County Post, 2024. Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: Best Mexican Restaurant winner Mi Ranchito; finalists K-Macho’s, Jose Pepper’s, Rudy’s Tenampa, Taco Naco KC, Campesino. ↩