Longboards has opened in Mission, so book a lunch date

Longboards Wraps & Bowls has finally opened in Mission (5415 Johnson Drive), so you’ll want to plan that lunch date you’ve been putting off. The self-described “California grub shack,” with additional locations in North Kansas City and Liberty, invents wraps that a stoned surfer would love — and we mean that in a good way.

Take Da Buffalo Soldier, a grilled wrap stuffed with spicy chicken, waffle fries, pepper jack cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo, and jalapeño chipotle ranch. You’ll wonder why everyone doesn’t put fries on their sandwiches. Then there’s the Tijuana Steak Cartel, another grilled wrap that unites carne asada, shrimp, pepper jack, guacamole, hard-boiled eggs, and homemade jalapeño ranch in an orgy of flavors.

Not crazy enough? Longboards’ sandwich shamans have stuffed wraps with Spam, macaroni and cheese, and entire rolls of sushi. If you see one of these culinary unicorns, you’d better cram it into your face hole ASAP. Specials vary by location, and they’re always changing.

So which regular-menu wrap should you try first? On a recent visit to the Liberty Longboards, I asked an employee that question. He recommended the Wow Kung Pao. The grilled wheat-tortilla wrap was warm and savory, with semi-spicy shredded chicken, melted pepper jack, peanuts, rice and veggies creating a complementary medley of textures. The addition of Sriracha was a nice touch. In fact, the sauce-to-meat ratio is so perfect that this is a wrap you could eat in the car. 

Longboards also offers cold wraps, so I tried the Orange Chicken (a spinach tortilla stuffed with chicken, mozzarella, veggies, lettuce and orange sauce). It tasted like leftover Chinese food folded into a sandwich — meaning, it was pretty damn good. Still, I preferred the hot wraps.

No matter what you try at Longboards, it won’t be boring. And, at least for your 20-minute lunch break, this coastal chow might make you forget that you’re in Kansas.