Restaurant Profile

by Charis Patires, newsroom@lakesunonline.com Cal-Mex served up at new hotspot

There’s a new hotspot on the water serving up authentic Mexican food and the coldest cervezas on the Lake. Located on the Bagnell Dam Strip, and at the 0-mile marker by water, Neon Taco is the newest hotspot decked out in bright colors with a Mexican flair.

General manager Adam Purke has 15 years of experience in the restaurant business. He left his job in San Diego as an executive chef of the No. 1 restaurant group in California to bring his expertise to the Lake and has played a role in getting Neon Taco up and running. Doors opened at the end of April.

“Fresh is our theme,” Purke says. “We are striving to have great service, even though we are new. The food is delicious and the staff is great.”

The menu has a selection of authentic Mexican with an American twist. The most popular appetizer is the Cali-Fries, made of carne asada, queso, salsa fresca, shoestring fries, guacamole and lime crema. Tacos are a best-seller with other items including burritos and bowls. Plans are to expand the menu to offer a larger selection.

The cocktail menu is made up of unique margaritas and frozen drinks such as the Cadillac Margarita, White Claw Margarita, Neon Calada and others made with fresh-squeezed fruit.

Purke says their goal is to stand out and break away from the mold of what you might typically find at Lake bars.

“We do not want to do what everyone else does,” he said.

Unique offerings such as the Flaming Cheeto Taco, made-fromscratch salsa and fresh-squeezed juices for their cocktails proves their commitment to being different.

Even their distributor for flour and corn tortillas is a small Missouri-based business that sells exclusively to Neon Taco.

Indoor and outdoor dining is available. The covered upper deck has a great view of the Lake and Bagnell Dam. Inside the restaurant there is a bar and air-conditioned seating. On the lower level an outdoor bar and band stage is the perfect spot when live DJs provide entertainment on Fridays (5-11 p.m.) and Saturdays (11 a.m-4 p.m. and 5-11 p.m.).

There are plenty of dock slips and dock hands to help you come in by boat. Dock slips are open to anyone wanting to walk the Lake Ozark Strip at no charge, the only public waterfront access available.

Construction is underway to build an outdoor bar at the streetlevel where there will be even more views of the Lake. The bar will serve drinks only.

Before leaving, make sure to check out the selection T-shirts and other merchandise which are big sellers among customers.

The restaurant is owned by George Tucker, who also owns Tucker’s Shuckers, The Malted Monkey, Franky & Louie’s and Paradise.

1076 Bagnell Dam Blvd., Lake Ozark 0-MM | Open Daily at 11 a.m., close 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 12 p.m. Friday & Saturday | www.theneontaco.com, Neon Taco on Facebook, neon_taco on Instagram