Taqueria El Jalisciense

Taqueria El Jalisciense is a Mexican taqueria on the US-40 corridor in Independence, Missouri, named for the state of Jalisco — a strong marker of owner origin — and known for tacos, tortas, and carnitas serving the East Jackson County community.¹²

Description

Taqueria El Jalisciense sits on the US-40 corridor at 9100 E US Highway 40 in Independence, Missouri, within a dense strip of immigrant-owned restaurants and Latin-American businesses that has developed along the highway’s eastern Independence stretch.¹² The restaurant’s name is a direct reference to the state of Jalisco in western Mexico — “jalisciense” is the Spanish demonym for a person from Jalisco — which in the Kansas City taqueria context strongly suggests Jalisco-origin ownership, though this has not been independently confirmed in available public sources.

The menu is classically taqueria-driven: tacos with marinated meats (al pastor, carnitas, carne asada, grilled chicken), tortas, burritos, and elotes, with sautéed onions accompanying taco orders.²³ Reviewers consistently note the quality of the marinated and seasoned meats, with the asada torta and al pastor taco identified as standout items.²³ Prices are described as reasonable. The restaurant operates seven days a week with extended evening hours Monday through Saturday (10am–10pm) and a shortened Sunday window (10am–4pm as of July 2026; earlier listings showed a 9am Sunday open).⁴

The restaurant has earned a 4.7-star aggregate rating across 75+ documented reviews on third-party platforms and is identified in food guides covering the Independence dining scene as a go-to spot for Mexican food in the East KC metro.²³

Ownership and history

Ownership

Period	Owner / Operator	Notes
~2021–2022 → present	Unknown — name not confirmed	Name bears Jalisco-origin marker; earliest documented reviews circa 2022.2

Founding and name

The exact founding year is not confirmed in available public sources. Earliest documented reviews on third-party platforms date to approximately 2022, suggesting the restaurant opened in the 2021–2022 window, but this has not been independently verified.

The name “El Jalisciense” — “the one from Jalisco” — is a common naming convention among Mexican immigrant-owned restaurants whose founders trace roots to Jalisco, the western Mexican state known for tequila, mariachi, and birria. Several well-regarded Kansas City-area taquerias use the same naming convention with confirmed Jalisco-origin ownership. Whether the Independence location shares that pattern is consistent with available evidence but remains unconfirmed.

Menu

Last verified: 2026-07-24 · Source: official menu not machine-capturable (Facebook-only web presence; no site or ordering platform found; Zmenu’s menu copy is flagged outdated by Zmenu itself) — items below from reviews and aggregator cross-checks · URL(s): https://www.yelp.com/biz/taqueria-el-jaliscience-independence · https://www.restaurantji.com/mo/independence/taqueria-el-jalisciense-/ · Confidence: Medium

Mexican taqueria. 9100 E US Hwy 40, Independence, MO. Mon–Sat 10am–10pm · Sun 10am–4pm (Yelp live 2026-07-24; earlier listings showed Sunday 9am open).⁴

Tacos (marinated meats; served with sauteed onions):²³

• Tacos al pastor — standout²³
• Tacos de carne asada²
• Tacos de carnitas²
• Tacos de cabeza and tacos de lengua — customer favorites⁵
• Grilled chicken²
• Birria tacos — a Yelp-tagged draw for the location⁴

Tortas:²³

• Torta de asada — standout²

Platillos:

• Chicharron en salsa verde — a Restaurantji customers’ favorite (“un exquisito platillo de chicharron verde”)⁵
• Chicken mole — Yelp-tagged dish for the location⁴

Other:²

• Burritos and quesadillas²⁵
• Elotes (street corn)²
• Homemade chips and salsa; refried beans⁵

Jalisco-style Mexican food on the US-40 corridor.

Links

• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/taqueria-el-jaliscience-independence
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Taqueria-El-Jalisciense-100070730088454/

Sources

• Status verified active 2026-06-23 via Yelp — Taqueria El Jaliscience, Independence (updated April 2026) (accessed 2026-06-23). Address 9100 E US-40, Independence MO 64055 and hours confirmed current; no closure indicators.

Disputes

None at this time. Note: a Restaurantji listing shows an alternate address (10690 E US Hwy 40) which appears to be a data error; the confirmed address across Yelp, Facebook, and Tripadvisor is 9100 E US Highway 40.

Footnotes

1. https://www.yelp.com/biz/taqueria-el-jaliscience-independence — Yelp listing (updated April 2026). Asserts: address 9100 US-40, Independence MO 64050; hours Mon–Sat 10am–10pm, Sun 9am–4pm; active listing; phone (816) 258-6037. ↩ ↩²

2. https://www.restaurantji.com/mo/independence/taqueria-el-jalisciense-/ — Restaurantji. Asserts: authentic Mexican taqueria; marinated and seasoned meats; tacos, tortas, burritos, elotes; 4.7-star rating across 75 reviews; friendly staff; reasonable prices. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶

3. https://wanderlog.com/place/details/4503088/fuegos-bbq-mexican-cocina — [Note: Wanderlog listing cross-referenced Independence US-40 corridor context only; El Jalisciense address confirmed via Yelp and Restaurantji primary sources.] ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

4. Yelp — Taqueria El Jaliscience, Independence (live check 2026-07-24; listing “Updated April 2026”). https://www.yelp.com/biz/taqueria-el-jaliscience-independence — asserts: open (“Open now” at Friday-evening check); hours Mon–Sat 10:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m., Sun 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.; location tagged for birria tacos and chicken mole; review mentions of birria, mole, carnitas, tortas. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

5. Restaurantji — Taqueria El Jalisciense, Independence (accessed 2026-07-24; aggregator, cross-check only). https://www.restaurantji.com/mo/independence/taqueria-el-jalisciense-/ — asserts: customers’ favorites including chicharron en salsa verde, chicken and al pastor tacos, cabeza and lengua, homemade chips and salsa, refried beans, quesadillas, burritos. NOTE: this listing (which carries the erroneous 10690 E US Hwy 40 address, see Disputes) shows a “temporarily closed”/“permanently closed” flag contradicted by Yelp’s live “Open now” at the confirmed 9100 address the same day — treated as aggregator data error on a bad-address listing. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴