If you’re a food lover who lives in Shreveport-Bossier, chances are you’re already familiar with Ki’ Mexico, the small, family-owned Mexican restaurant that opened in September 2015 at 3839 Gilbert Drive in Shreveport. The journey to Ki’ Mexico’s brick-and-mortar location began several years ago, when owner Rodrigo Mondragon and family began selling salsas and tacos in the Shreveport Farmers’ Market’s café area. As Ki’ Mexico’s popularity grew – and it did grow, as anyone who has stood in line for their poblano chicken tacos, salmon tostadas or cochinita-style pork tacos will attest – local food lovers began to clamor for a brick-and-mortar location.
That brick-and-mortar location recently opened and, in my opinion, is as good as it could possibly be. The tacos that earned Ki’ Mexico a rabid fan base are still on the menu, but the restaurant’s culinary team is now able to stretch out, displaying the sort of creativity and sophistication that’d be tough to execute while standing behind a folding table. Some recent examples of specials at the restaurant include plato remolacha ($10.55) – grilled shrimp served over mashed celery root and potato purée with beet salad – and a colorful fish ceviche ($8.50) made with Costa Rican tilapia. Wholly unlike any other Mexican restaurant in Shreveport-Bossier, Ki’ Mexico asks that customers open up their minds and experience something new.
I’d encourage any first-time Ki’ Mexico customers to start with the tacos, especially the shrimp tacos created by Rodrigo Mondragon’s brother, Eleazar. Filled with shrimp, pickled vegetables, mixed greens and spicy mayo, this is a $5 taco that is absolutely worth $5, in my opinion.
Beyond the menu, some other things done correctly here include the interior design, which is both rustic and modern (the neon pink chairs are a wild contrast to the rustic wood surfaces and Edison-style light bulbs that prevail everywhere else, mirroring the way in which the menu combines tradition and creativity) and a small but comfortable bar area serving local craft beer on-tap. As the restaurant is still very new at the time of this blog post (September 14, 2015), there is still a wild, packed-to-the-rafters quality to the place during peak hours such as Saturday lunch. I suspect it’ll mellow out given time, and become the kind of place that it was clearly designed to be – a neighborhood eatery with food that encourages customers to linger longer than they’d planned, ordering another round of tacos or Great Raft brews.
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If you enjoy local eats, download or view the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau’s new brochure, Eat Here: A Food Lover’s Guide to Shreveport-Bossier.
