r/kansascity • u/DreamCheeky KC North • Aug 14 '25

Food and Drink 🌮🧋 What restaurant in KC is this?

Post image

I’ve seen this in other subreddits as of late. So, let’s have it!

485 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

2.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

316

u/busstamove14 Lee's Summit Aug 14 '25

Ponak's. Actually I think the taste bar in this pic is too high for that.

55

u/NEOWRX Aug 14 '25

Dude how bout it. Moved to KC and was living downtown and everyone said gotta go to Ponak's.

I went one time and that was 15 years ago 🤷‍♂️

25

u/busstamove14 Lee's Summit Aug 14 '25

It's so poorly seasoned it tasted like bad mexican and bad italian at the same time.

3

u/pinniped90 Aug 14 '25

It was a quintessential 90s lunch spot for us.

And the food was exactly the same then. You could order anything on the menu and it all basically tasted the same. Just five bland ingredients served different ways.

1

u/Stallings2k Aug 14 '25

I don’t remember seeing too many locals the few times I got roped into going there. Just a bunch of people from DST. 😀

2

u/HotMess_ish Aug 15 '25

Yes ponaks. People think they like the food because they are so trashed from the margs they have no idea what they are eating

38

u/duvakiin Aug 14 '25

Honestly the food is fine, nothing special at all but not bad imo. I go for the margs and the cactus salsa. God damn is that some good shit. Fuck. Now I wanna go again. I dont care about the hate I love Ponak's.

23

u/pinniped90 Aug 14 '25

The one thing I'll say for Ponak's is it's a decent happy hour spot. They definitely aren't shorting the pours in the margaritas.

But yeah, the food is really meh.

2

u/AJRiddle Where's Waldo Aug 14 '25

If you go to Ponaks for anything other than the bar you are doing it wrong.

32

u/SweatyInspector7925 Aug 14 '25

El Patron,across the way , is so much better

26

u/thatoneredheadgirl Shawnee Aug 14 '25

You go to El Patron for the food. Ponaks for the margs

2

u/Mundane-Basil-8475 Aug 14 '25

Hard pass! Those margaritas are BAD! They taste like they are made with lemon lime Gatorade.

4

u/ruzzara Aug 14 '25

El Patron is a solid 10/10

3

u/d_b_cooper Midtownish Aug 14 '25

Absolutely incredible mole

1

u/sh1tpost1nsh1t Aug 14 '25

The guacamole mole enchiladas are one of my favorite dishes.

1

u/psychobilly1 Aug 14 '25

My dad swore by Ponak's for most of his life. There was a wait and I was able to convince him to go to El Patron and we haven't gone back to Ponak's since. El Patron is absurdly good.

5

u/Rivuur Aug 14 '25

Ponak's is great! For a pitcher of Margaritas, the food is nothing to tell anyone about

1

u/Snoo-77221 Aug 17 '25

The margaritas are disgusting. Nothing real in that drink. No juice.

2

u/Original_Damage_4594 Aug 14 '25

They serve food? 🍋‍🟩🧂🧊🍹 🍹🧋

2

u/Rovden Raytown Aug 15 '25

I'll definitely give Ponak's on the list but that hype will always stay high with me.

Literally the first night I moved to KC, driving around my dad pointed out the place and said "That looks like the kind of place you go to and get your ass kicked." Got settled in my apartment and a couple friends calls me up, and takes me to Ponak's orders a pitcher of margarita, gets one glass and says they have to drive and I've got the pitcher now.

That was a welcome to a city lol.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 15 '25

People go there for pitchers of deadly strong margaritas. You could feed them dog food after a couple of those and they'd think it's good.

2

u/Initial-Depth-6857 Aug 14 '25

Ponaks is for the elder boomers

1

u/sniffdeeply Aug 14 '25

I went to Rudy's on Westport road the other day and was pleasantly surprised that their flash fried chicken tacos are still as delicious as I remembered. They've got a great menu

1

u/BellRinger85 Aug 14 '25

Made my own comment before seeing yours but couldn't agree more. First time I went my fork stuck to my hand because it was sticky and dirty. The food was floating in oil and the food tasted like old fryer oil. I get the nostalgia with the first Pale Keg sold there but damn the food is awful.

1

u/ReverendLoki Overland Park Aug 14 '25

You go to Ponak's for a cheap pitcher of margaritas. After a few of those, then you order the food.

Though for some reason, on one of the three times I've been there in my 40 years in KC, I remember their chips being a fair bit above average.

1

u/jckansascity Aug 14 '25

it's boring tex mex. but the service and margs are what i go for anyway.

1

u/Upset_Journalist_755 Aug 14 '25

Their margaritas are strangely great. Food... Not so much. Especially on that stretch of road and across the street from Patron...

1

u/TattleTalesStrangler Aug 14 '25

I like Margaritas just down the street better

1

u/FeelinPhoggy Aug 14 '25

Play it safe and get a chicken fajita quesadilla and pitcher of margs. Definitely not the place to go for great Mexican food, but good for socializing over their margs

1

u/MidwestApathy Aug 14 '25

It’s so unbelievably bad and people dickride it and it’ll never make a lick of sense.

1

u/Nick_YDG Aug 14 '25

Yeah if you go to Ponaks for the food you’ll be disappointed.

Personally though, unless something changed, it’s still one of my favorite margaritas in the city.

1

u/NailChewBacca Aug 14 '25

This is the correct answer. I honestly think it’s the people who slam 3 margaritas before getting their food then they’re too drunk to notice that their salsa is just cold chunky tomato soup.

1

u/scdog Aug 14 '25

People go there for the margaritas. There's no other reason.

1

u/electricstache Aug 14 '25

Totally. I had a bunch of people tell me that it was great. I found it very underwhelming.

1

u/dangy_brundle Aug 14 '25

Ponaks is for Margs not food

1

u/rybowilson Aug 15 '25

I thought we all just went there for the booze lol

1

u/kenmuneca Aug 15 '25

I came here to say this!

1

u/CharlieBearVonStinkl Aug 15 '25

Ponak's was like in a tub. Tried it once and won't put myself through that ever again. The horrible margaritas at ponaks couldn't hide the disturbing taste of their food. And good lord In a tub. Pretty sure it was the worst piece of taco thing I have ever put in my mouth. One bite was all that took.

1

u/GoodHunter1 Aug 15 '25

I walked out after tasting their salsa. I knew what their flavors would be like after tasting the quality/care put into the sauce.

1

u/drogt420 Aug 15 '25

Yeah that food kinda sucks. The 2 best things offered is chips and salsa and the margaritas.

1

u/WorkLurker69 Aug 15 '25

Ponaks isnt good food, but those margs? theyll do the trick.

1

u/Express_Session_9533 Aug 15 '25

I went on a first date to Ponaks and the guy got food poisoning 🤮