Eat This Now: Buffet at Pardo’s Grand Buffet Mexicano Restaurant and Taqueria

Whole tilapia at Prado’s // Photo by Nika Renee

Pardo’s Grand Buffet Mexicano Restaurant and Taqueria on Southwest Blvd. is a unique dining experience. There is such an impressive variety of dishes that unless you were raised on traditional Mexican food, this cuisine may only be suitable for the adventurous foodie. 

They offer carryout and delivery options, but to get the true Pardo’s experience, it is necessary to take the all-you-can-eat buffet route. The buffet ticket will run you about $20 but you can consider the price an excursion into authentic Mexican flavor. I imagine eating at Pardo’s buffet is what it would be like to visit a Mexican grandparent’s house and have her fill your belly with delicious traditional comfort food. 

My preferred method for navigating the buffet is to start with a sample plate spooning a tiny dollop of each dish like a Spanish tapas plate and go back for more of what I enjoyed most. 

There are a few signature dishes that are always available. Two standouts are the cinnamon sweet potatoes and the whole tilapia fish. 

Pardo’s Grand Buffet Mexicano Restaurant & Taqueria // Photo by Nika Renee

These large chunks of sliced sweet potatoes are decadent, and covered in a thick, sweet cinnamon syrup. You can still see the whole cinnamon sticks they were cooked with in the sauce. This is a great side dish for any of the entrees on the buffet though I think they deserve a plate of their own. They can also be enjoyed as a desert alongside the sweet rice. 

The whole tilapia is an experience in and of itself. If you have never lovingly gazed into the eyes of your fish then you have not really lived yet. The fish is best with a few garnishments of lime, hot sauce, and coarse salt. It’s very messy, so napkins are a required tool for this experience, as it’s easier to ditch the fork and go all in with your hands to separate the meat from the bone. 

You can enjoy a selection of vegetables and fruit including watermelon, fresh cucumbers, and pineapple at the salad bar section of the buffet along with pasta salad and garnishes such as fresh lime, shredded lettuce, and salsas.

There are a variety of aguas frescas and sodas available as drink options at an additional charge to the buffet price. I would highly recommend the Agua de Horchata, a sweetened cinnamon rice milk beverage. 

Pardo’s Grand Buffet Mexicano Restaurant and Taqueria is located at 904 Southwest Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64108.