New downtown Topeka restaurant will offer margaritas on tap, Mexican food

TOPEKA (KSNT) - The eagerly anticipated opening of the Capital City's newest restaurant in the downtown area is coming closer.

27 News spoke with Kyle Menaugh, general manager of Ta Co. Topeka's downtown location, on July 10 about what people can expect about the restaurant and when it is expected to open. He said the opening date will be sometime in August, moving it about a month back from the July opening date hinted at in a previous story with Seth Wagoner, CEO/CFO of Aim Strategies, LLC.

"So, we're part of the Downtown Revitalization project to get this area booming and get more foot traffic here and help all the businesses out, not just our own businesses, but everyone else with the additional foot traffic," Menaugh said. "And so, we're part of that effort here, really in Topeka to revitalize this area."

The restaurant's layout remains mostly the same with three floors available once it opens. Each space offers customers slightly different venues with the top and bottom floors consisting of bar areas with seating while the second floor is more of an event space.

"It focuses more on tacos, burritos, rice bowls and things like that rather than your standard traditional Mexican [restaurant]," Menaugh said. "For the bar program, it's high end cocktails, margaritas on tap things like that."

Menaugh said the restaurant will have more than 30 different kinds of tequilas to choose from, highlighting the bar aspects of Ta Co. while also insisting it has plenty to offer families. One change from the original designs for the restaurant is on the top floor which, while no longer open air, will have skylights and windows that can be opened for guests to take advantage of nice weather. Murals also cover many of the walls inside the restaurant.

"We did commission some murals to be made throughout the restaurant and we wanted to really be kind of a laid-back classy appeal but also with some pops of color," Menaugh said. "We don't want the area to be up-tight, we want it to look very nice. We want it to be a causal environment that you have a lot of fun in."

Following a soft-opening period, Menaugh said the restaurant will begin offering catering services and allowing people to rent out space for events and get-togethers.

"We appreciate everyone's patience and support," Menaugh said. "We're really just excited to open up down here and I know a lot of people have been waiting for it."

You may be familiar with Ta Co. due to its location at West Ridge Mall which opened late last year, allowing locals to try out the food as the downtown location was built from the ground up. Topeka's City Council approved demolition of the previous building occupying Ta Co.'s new location in August 2022 to make way for the new business.

Ta Co.'s downtown address is at 735 South Kansas Avenue. AIM Strategies, LLC is owned by Cody Foster, one of the founders of Advisors Excel. The group manages other properties in the downtown area such as The Pennant, the Cyrus Hotel and Iron Rail Brewing. You can learn more about AIM Strategies, LLC by clicking here.

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