Combined taqueria and tiki bar aims to ‘add to the party’ of Kansas City nightlife

Chris Seferyn and Chad Troutwine go way back.

They met in the 1990s, when they were neighbors in the Soho West Lofts in downtown Kansas City. Seferyn was the owner of the pioneering Martini Corner bar Velvet Dog, a hotspot in those days, and he’d go on to open several bars and clubs in the area. Troutwine later moved to Los Angeles, where he produced several feature films before circling back to KC. Among other things, he is one of the owners of Torn Label Brewing Co.

Now the two old friends are the proud owners of a two-pronged concept in the Crossroads: a tiki bar called Kon Tiki and a taqueria called Conchita.

“We thought we could add a few new cool things down here in the Crossroads,” Seferyn said at a well-attended soft opening Thursday evening. “We’re huge believers in KC and think it’s steady on the come-up as a city.”

The building — 1922 Baltimore Ave., formerly Beco Flower Shop — has been divided into two distinct spaces, connected via an indoor walkway and staircase.

On the north end is Conchita, which serves a tidy menu of street tacos (al pastor, baja fish, carne asada, vegan) and taco fries from the crew behind Tacos Valentina. It’s counter service, sort of: Customers order from a touchscreen menu and wait for their names to be called. The room has a handful of high tables and a glass garage door that opens out onto a parking lot behind the building.

The taqueria is open late — hours every day are 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. The bar opens at 5 p.m.

“It’s kind of like having a taco truck in the building,” Seferyn said. “The original design was actually to make this look like a real taco truck.”

Down a short flight of stairs is Kon Tiki, a Polynesian-inspired cocktail lounge with bamboo hut booths, colorful ceiling lanterns and other vintage beachy decor. (Troutwine’s wife, Sacha, designed the space.) The staff wears leopard skin, and the drinks are fruity and served in ornate glassware.

Seferyn said the vibe was inspired by island-themed bars in Los Angeles like Duke’s in Malibu and Tiki-Ti in Silver Lake. (There was also once a tiki-themed joint in Kansas City called Kon Tiki, which opened near Main and 32nd streets in 1963. It was later a gay bar.)

“We’ve both spent a lot of time in LA and we thought we could take the best of the tiki bar culture that exists out there and fuse it with mid-century modern architecture and kind of a mod ‘60s-’70s aesthetic,” he said.

Among the drinks: the Paradise Lost (Empress Indigo Gin, blackberry, mint, agave, lime and soda), the Zombie (Appleton Estate Jamaican Rum, Don Q Gold Rum, Don Q 151, falernum, lime and cherry juice) and the Lost at Sea (Bulleit bourbon, marasca cherry, lime and ginger).

The bar also serves traditional cocktails and a small beer list that includes Torn Label Alpha Pale Ale, Busch Light and an Athletic N/A option.

Seferyn, who has been working in digital marketing since selling all his clubs in 2013, said it’s good to be back in the bar business.

“My friend was just saying earlier, ‘The universe isn’t right unless Seferyn owns a cool bar in town,’” he said. “I’m just hoping to add to the party here in KC.”