Koki’s Tortillas are something of a niche find. They’re not just an Ohio business, they’re from right here in Columbus, made out on Sullivant Avenue. Although produced nearby, the tortillas went unnoticed until a friend recommended them.
This friend is a tortilla snob, and the term is meant affectionately. For our purposes, it refers to someone whose palate does not appreciate shelf-stable wraps found in Big Box stores and made by Big Box manufacturers. A tortilla snob is someone who seeks out and advocates for smaller, more refined tortilla offerings.
And of course, that advocacy aspect means that others are converted to snob status, after being shown the light that is Koki’s.
Koki’s Tortillas are as inexpensive as Big Box tortillas. A couple bucks is going to go a long way. And, because they’re local and refrigerated, Koki’s offerings could probably qualify as something “artisanal.”
That said, it’s hard to use that crafty term in the presence of a package that holds something like 1,000 tortillas. That’s a big wad of artistry right there. And even if it’s only 36 tortillas, it still looks like 1,000.
The appeal of Koki’s tortillas is pretty universal. They are, as promised, finer and more delicate than Big Box versions. Warmed up on the grill, you can smell the aroma of toasty corn wafting up. While the tortillas have that delicate feel, they still hold together just fine in all test-kitchen taco and quesadilla efforts. They also wreck you for shelf-stable versions; in contrast, the latter come off as vaguely tasteless and rubbery.
Koki’s runs a fully-equipped operation out on the Westside, cranking out tortillas in variations that include yellow corn, white corn and bigger flour tortillas. It also hosts a website with a little more information about its products: kokistortillas.com. The default language on its website is Spanish, but you can get things translated by pushing the “English” button. Koki’s can be found at 2992 Sullivant Ave., and you can also find its tortillas in the refrigerated section of Lucky’s Market.