Reyna's Mexican Bakery

A no-frills self-serve panaderia on Kansas Avenue where you pick up a cafeteria tray at the door, load it from the display cases and pay at the register. Kansas City magazine says the tamales are in stock year round and come in pork only, and calls them excellent. The Pitch warns that the counter sells out and that the posted hours are loose, so arrive before 1 pm. Order a dozen of the pork, then add conchas and the pig-shaped marranitos on the way past the cases.

Picks from Kansas City magazine and The Pitch