Photo by Christian Gooden (Post-Dispatch)
Mission Taco Joint
With three locations and a food truck in St. Louis, a fourth in the works for St. Charles and a satellite planned for Kansas City, Mission Taco Joint is well on its way to empire status, but it hasn’t sacrificed the quality of its California-accented Mexican cuisine as it expands. Tacos are the centerpiece of the menu. My favorites shift with every meal. On recent visits, I’ve especially dug the shrimp in a 4 Hands Brewing Co. Incarnation IPA beer batter and the roasted duck with an ancho-agave glaze and pork-belly carnitas. And for a queso hound like myself, no meal here is complete without Mission’s version mixed with beer, serrano chiles and housemade chorizo.
Hours: Lunch and dinner daily
Opened: 2013
Must order: BBQ duck taco ($3.50)