I Replicated Travis & Taylor’s Date Night Spot In Kansas City

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are the universal Roman empire right now, with fans dissecting everything from their Instagram activity to their highly-publicized date nights. Given Kelce’s position on the Chiefs, a lot of the couple’s courtship has taken place in Kansas City, Missouri, including the restaurant where “Traylor” went on one of their earliest dates: Piropos, which means a flirtatious compliment in Spanish. When I had a chance to visit Kansas City to interview Mama Kelce at the Nov. 20 Chiefs versus Eagles game, I made a reservation with my boyfriend to see how the Argentinian date night spot (apparently one of Travis’ favorite restaurants) stacked up IRL.

As a foodie who loves eating her way through any travel destination, checking out a pivotal restaurant in Taylor and Travis’ early love story was at the top of my Missouri bucket list. Surprisingly, it was pretty easy to get a reservation for the Sunday night before the big game, and I packed a Taylor-coded ‘fit — a brown leather skirt with black leather boots, a cream sweater, and red lips, of course. It was a little harder convincing my boyfriend to take some cues from Travis’ colorful style, so I went along with the all-black jeans and sweater he picked out.

Piropos Had Lots Of Playful Decor & Art

On the way to Piropos, about 10 minutes from our hotel in downtown KC, the Uber driver told us that Travis used to live close by — until he had to move to a suburb in Kansas with more security post-dating Taylor. Driving into the Briarcliff West area, it felt like a quieter neighborhood that had a more suburban vibe compared to downtown. For example, Piropos was attached to some endodontics and packaging businesses.

From the outside, the massive, multi-story restaurant — decked out in holiday lights — looked like something I couldn’t find in a city like Chicago or New York just due to how big the building was. Walking in, there was a huge darkened bottom floor that looked like it was solely for events. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the 16-person banquet room where Taylor and Travis reportedly dined in. We were a little apprehensive that the first floor was completely empty at 7:30 p.m. — prime dinner time — but climbing up the staircase, we were greeted with lots of light, the sound of diners, and the delicious aroma of cooking food.

It looked like there were three main dining rooms on the second floor, and each was decorated with quirky art and wooden sculptures. My boyfriend took a picture with two wooden ladies seated on a bench at the entrance, and I surreptitiously took some photos of the decor while we were led to what looked like the most formal dining room. The combo of dark wood crown molding, Mediterranean-inspired sconces, a roaring fireplace, and a balcony with arched doorways set a cozy ambiance. The crowd — mostly families and older couples — was dressed up for dinner.

My Piropos Meal Was Peak Comfort Food & The Portions Were Huge

An eyewitness previously told Entertainment Tonight that Travis and Taylor enjoyed the “restaurant's breads and signature salsas, lobster risotto, and more” during their two-hour visit in October, so I tried to replicate their order. The waitress confirmed that Travis and his mom Donna came to eat at Piropos often, starting us off with the salsa platter of chimichurri, criolla (a sauce made with onions, peppers, and celery), and a garlic aioli, which was served with bread. I especially liked the chimichurri, which I dug into while looking at the menu.

Looking at the menu, I was surprised that there was such a mix of different kinds of cuisines, with Italian and French dishes alongside Argentinian and American ones. For starters, I saw empanadas next to a French Brie en croute appetizer and caesar salad, as well as more American dishes like a burger, loaded baked potato, and “broasted” chicken.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t any fresh lobster risotto that night, but based on the waitress’ suggestion, we split an Italian seafood pasta with shrimp and scallops as well as the Argentinian rack of lamb. We also opted for a bottle of regular Malbec, even though the waitress said they had a rare white Malbec that the restaurant’s owner ordered specially from Argentina. The pasta gave me major comfort food vibes, thanks to the rich and creamy butter sauce and the huge portion size. The scallops and shrimp were cooked perfectly, and I found myself nibbling on them even when I was extremely full. The lamb ended up being my favorite dish, however, because I’d never had anything like it. It was dressed in a sweet lingonberry sauce, which I think paired well with the savory cheesy polenta and blistered tomatoes.

We weren’t able to finish even half of our two dishes, but I was in a major food coma by the time we were ready to go home. I think splitting something was definitely the way to go because of how big the portions were, but everything was delicious. I could just imagine Taylor and Travis falling for each other while sharing some dishes and a bottle of wine at the family-owned restaurant.

Since I still haven’t tried “seemingly ranch” or Taylor’s viral Chiefs game day drink, it was nice to have my own Taylor and Travis date night. Plus, when my boyfriend and I brought it up to Donna Kelce’s sister at the game the next night, she said the restaurant was one of the Kelce family’s favorite places to eat, which made me feel like I’d gotten the true Kansas City experience.