Courtesy Kiki-Riki
Brothers Jesus Jaimes and Javier Geminiano launched Kiki-Riki Pollos Asados on April 25. The grilled chicken concept is an offshoot of their restaurant, Mas Tequila Cantina, shares the same address (708 N. Second on Laclede's Landing), and currently offers weekly pickups every Saturday.
Jesus Jaimes says it’s a project that he and Javier have wanted to do for a few years. Jaimes has been perfecting his skills grilling pollos asados al carbon (charcoal-grilled chicken) since his teenage years. At age 14, he started in the kitchen of a popular pollo asado restaurant in Puebla, Mexico. Over several years, he graduated from prepping the chickens to the actual business of grilling. “Those guys sold a lot of chickens, weekdays and on the weekends, for over 20 years,” Jaimes says. “I learned about the whole business there.”
Jaimes he’s grilling the Kiki-Riki chickens using exactly the same method and standards that he learned in Puebla. “If you travel to Mexico and you try the same chicken, you won’t see a big difference,” he says. “Everything is cooked in the moment. It’s not frozen or cooked two or three days early. It has to be fresh, because I don’t want any difference in quality.”
The chickens are spatchcocked and cooked whole over a charcoal grill outside Mas Tequila Cantina. After searching high and low for a suitable grill, Jesus decided they would have to build one themselves to fit their own specifications.
Courtesy Kiki-Riki
Kiki-Riki’s pollos asados are cooked in the Sinaloa style found on Mexico’s Pacific Coast. Two options are available: regular and spicy. They are marinated for an hour before cooking. Jesus says the key flavors come from fresh garlic, peppers, and a mix of spices.
The initial menu is simple: a whole chicken meal for $30 or two chickens for $50. Each meal is accompanied by rice, beans, tortillas, salad, fresh salsa, and hot sauce. “In the future, we’ll probably sell a half chicken for $15 or $16,” Jesus says.
Courtesy Kiki-Riki
At present, Kiki-Riki’s pollo asado is only available on Saturdays from noon–6 p.m.
Mas Tequila is currently open for curbside pickup on its regular menu from 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Call 314-877-1700 to place an order, or contact the restaurant via the private message function on the restaurant’s Facebook or Instagram (@kikirikipollosasados) pages.
If the concept proves successful, Jaimes says he and Javier will look to find a dedicated location for Kiki-Riki.
Oh, and the name? “Kiki-riki” is the sound the rooster makes every morning in Mexico.
