A Kansas City, Kansas taquería at 7901 State Ave. is closing its doors this weekend. Taqueria Arandas, open at 7901 State Ave. since 2000, will serve its last plates at that location on Sunday, ending a 26-year run.
Owner Nestor Aranda, whose father opened the restaurant, grew up working in its kitchen and is now the business's owner, according to the Kansas City Star. Aranda told the paper that economic strain and shifting consumer habits have made times tight for the taquería in recent years. He has not ruled out reopening Taqueria Arandas someday, though he said the timing and location of any future comeback remain unclear.
Taking over the 7,075-square-foot retail space, per property listing details on LoopNet, will be Papi's Tacos, a mobile food truck vendor that has operated in the Kansas City metro since 2023. Owner Raul Holguin purchased the space directly from Aranda, who praised Papi's Tacos for its conduct throughout the negotiations, the Star reported. Papi's Tacos is expected to open its first permanent location at the address around mid-October.
A Family Recipe From Chihuahua
Papi's Tacos is run by Holguin alongside Jessica Holguin, Marco Sr. Holguin and Marco Jr. Holguin, a family that hails from Chihuahua, Mexico. The business draws on cooking experience and recipes from that region for its menu of customizable Mexican street tacos, along with specialty items like birria tacos and birria pizza. Holguin described the taste of Chihuahua as different and delicious, and said he believes bringing that region's hospitality and flavors to Kansas City could have a positive impact on the community, per the Star's report.
Before locking down the State Avenue building, Holguin built a track record in local small-business circles. He was selected as a pitch competitor at the Mid-Continent Public Library's Square One Small Business Center pitch competition during FoodBizCon 2026, a bilingual conference for regional food entrepreneurs held at K-State Olathe in March, according to the Kansas City Area Chamber of Commerce. Papi's Tacos had purchased its first restaurant or commercial building.
A State Avenue Changeover
The changeover marks a new chapter for the State Avenue address. Taqueria Arandas is listed in local tourism material, with menu categories including parrillada taquitos and tacos al carbón. That trail spans roughly 60 taquerias and Mexican eateries across Wyandotte County, according to reporting from KCUR.
The recognition extends well beyond the county line. Forbes designated Kansas City, Kansas as America's Taco Capital in March 2021, citing its dense network of authentic, family-run taquerias and markets along thoroughfares like State Avenue. Visit Kansas City, Kansas has a KCK Taco Trail mobile passport program. The agency also partners with Red Machine Party Bus to run guided KCK Taco Trail bus tours built around specialties like Queso-Birria tacos — the same style of dish Papi's Tacos is bringing to its new brick-and-mortar home.
Tight Margins Behind the Turnover
Aranda's comments about economic strain point to financial pressures facing the taquería. He also cited shifting consumer habits.
For now, the closure marks the end of Taqueria Arandas' 26-year run on State Avenue, even as the address's next chapter is already lining up behind it. Papi's Tacos plans to open its doors at the 7901 State Ave. address around mid-October, carrying forward the strip's identity as a proving ground for family-run Mexican food while Aranda keeps the door open, however uncertain, to bringing Taqueria Arandas back someday.
