Dish and Drink KC: Entity Coffee Lounge’s upscale coffee bar and tacos at El Rey Del Taco

Iced Lavender Latte at Entity Coffee Lounge // Photo By Tiffany Watts

Entity Coffee Lounge

As a woman who grew up in the booming era of Sex and the City, I looked forward to the time when I could indulge in a coffee at a cafe during the day and then cocktails in a lounge after dark… The elusive “day to night” situation that the fashion magazines promised. Lucky for me, when I entered adulthood, coffee shop owners were already reimagining the future of coffee. Out of their ideating, coffee bars were born.

While Kansas City already has a few amazing hybrid coffee shops, there can never be too many. That’s why I was wildly excited to hear about Entity Lounge opening its doors in Overland Park, Kansas. 

During the day, Entity is a glamorous cafe that offers coffee drinks, smoothies, teas, and baked goodies. In the evening, Entity transforms into an upscale lounge that serves an array of cocktails, wine, and beer. 

Bar at Entity Coffee Lounge // Photo By Tiffany Watts

While I am a lover of well-made handcrafted cocktails, I opted to visit Entity during its cafe hours so that I could ooh and aww at the decor in the sunlight. Ooh and aww I did. Elegance oozes from every corner of the cafe and with the well-placed lights and red rose bouquets thoughtfully scattered throughout the lounge, I can only imagine the ambiance of the space in the evening. 

When I approached the counter to order my coffee, I browsed the menu and landed on an iced lavender latte with oat milk ($7.75). It was an unusual order for me since I don’t tend to lean towards floral coffee drinks, but I decided to give it a try. Plus, it was a hot day and having an iced drink felt like the proper way to cool down.

Impressed with how the lavender and espresso married so well together, I sat, sipped, and quickly grew curious about whether or not, like a regular cafe, I could turn half a table into a workspace for a few hours. According to the manager, it’s both welcomed and encouraged.

So don’t let the glam fool you. During cafe hours, you can also use the strong wifi and portable chargers, and drink all the coffee you’ll need to zone in and get some work done.

Now this is the kind of coffee shop I can get used to.

Entity Coffee Lounge is at 11216 Switzer Road, Overland Park, KS 66210.

Tacos at El Rey Del Taco // Photo By Tiffany Watts

El Rey Del Taco

Now on to something a lot more savory and a lot less elegant—tacos. Not just any tacos though. Authentic street tacos from El Rey Del Taco.

Typically I save my tacos for Tuesdays so that I can take advantage of the Taco Tuesday prices, but at El Rey Del Taco, I only paid $2.25 for each taco so I’m always getting a deal. The trip there from the northland isn’t bad either. While I will travel for food, it’s only a 25-minute drive and that’s basically down the street when you’re a native Kansas Citian. 

When I arrived, I skipped the drive-thru and walked inside to place my order. Since it was a day of stepping outside of my comfort zone, I bypassed the pollo and ordered two pastor tacos and two tripa tacos. Pastor is pork and tripa, meaning chitterlings or small intestines. 

With so much food packed into one taco, I knew I was in for a treat. 

El Rey Del Taco // Photo By Tiffany Watts

Each taco is made up of two delicious corn tortillas and stuffed with meat, cilantro, and onions. On the side is lime, grilled onions, and your choice of sauce. I like my food spicy so I added hot sauce to every single taco.  

At first bite, the pastor taco, also known as the Mexican gyro, was bursting with flavor. Obviously marinated to perfection, the juicy meat was heavenly and I unabashedly ate them both. Next, I tasted the tripa taco. Not quite knowing what to expect, I found myself enjoying what seemed to be pan-fried meat with a crispy outer layer and tender meat inside.

As much as I wanted to save a taco or two for later, none of them lived to see another day.

If tacos aren’t quite your thing, El Rey Del Taco offers other Mexican dishes such as tortas, burritos, and quesadillas. And in a city full of Tex-Mex, you need at least one authentic Mexican restaurant on your list of go-tos. Why not this one?

El Rey Del Taco is at 6450 E Truman Rd Kansas City, MO 64126.