Latin Fusion
Fusion: The process or result of joining two or more things together to form a single entity or referring to food or cooking that incorporates elements of diverse cuisines.
Fusion: The process or result of joining two or more things together to form a single entity or referring to food or cooking that incorporates elements of diverse cuisines.
After discovering Latin Fusion's menu, I thought both of those definitions worked just fine to describe the dishes I experienced. The explosion of fresh tastes and ingredients could definitely be comparable to a nuclear reaction!
When Kevin and Liana Figueroa opened Latin Fusion at 1520 S. Main Street in Joplin, they took the well-known local staple of Mexican food and added the flavors of Kevin’s homeland of Honduras. Honduran food is a new culinary experience for many Joplinites. I know it was for me! Where has this been all my life?!
Growing up in Honduras as the son of a single mom, Kevin says he remembers his mom working hard to support the family, but she always found time to cook good meals for him. “That is what it’s all about,” says Kevin, “Spending time with family and enjoying good food.”
Kevin honed his culinary skills while serving on Royal Caribbean cruise ships. It was on a ship that he made a lifelong friend from Pittsburg, KS. Coming to this area to visit his friend’s family, Kevin fell in love with the Four States and moved here to work in a Mexican restaurant in Carthage. It was at the restaurant that he met his future wife, a co-worker named Liana.
Using their combined cuisines, the couple opened Latin Fusion in early 2024. I regret that I waited until August of 2025 to finally make a visit to enjoy one of the best restaurant experiences I have had in Joplin.
I had a gift certificate, so I invited my cousin Mimi to join me. Before I go any further, let me say that Mimi should open her own restaurant. That girl can cook! So when she likes something, you better believe it is fantastic.
The space was small, and we were seated at one of the tables adjacent to a wooden bench that ran along most of the restaurant's length. The décor was bright and cheerful with Latin American flavor and colors. The wall-mounted TV played a video loop of beautiful, sunny beach scenes, so I felt like I had stepped into a Caribbean resort café.
Seating is tight inside, so we were close enough to the neighboring table to ooh and ahh as their plates were brought to their table. I leaned over and asked them what they had ordered. Particularly lovely was the lady’s Honduran Tour plate, which held one papusa, one pastilito, one baleada, and green banana chips. I have never seen banana chips in Joplin before!
Intrigued, Mimi and I ordered margaritas – traditional for me and mango for her – while we studied the menu. The large, salt-rimmed glasses held a very fresh and perfectly balanced margarita. We took some time deciding what to order, as the menu had a lot of intriguing options.
I decided on the shrimp tacos, which surprisingly came with a small spinach salad with a wisp of crema dressing. That cool salad was the perfect complement to my warm, spicy tacos. My extra side of refried black beans came in a little bowl made from a fresh corn tortilla. Super cute!
Mimi chose the pork enchiladas with extra queso a cute little tortilla bowl of refried black beans. Her beans were mashed, whereas mine were whole, which was a mystery. Regardless, they were fantastic, and the tortilla bowl made for a delicious treat after soaking up all the bean juice.
Throughout the meal, we kept talking about how fresh and delicious everything was, and we sampled from each other’s plates. We just could not get over how good it was and kept talking about it all the way home and several times over the next few weeks. So, you better believe we took time off from work a few weeks later to visit the restaurant’s Latin American Independence Day celebration!
This go-around, I ordered the Sabroso burrito with grilled chicken. Boy, did it live up to its Spanish name, which is an adjective meaning “tasty, delicious, and flavorful.” I don’t know how they grilled those thin, tender strips of chicken, but it was a taste sensation in my mouth! It was also very pretty with the garnish of red and yellow cabbage. I sadly came late in life to appreciating a nice, cold cabbage with my Mexican food, and it gave the burrito a crisp crunch. The side was grilled plantain chips, which were tender and somewhat sweet. They may look like bananas, but they do not taste the same!
Mimi ordered the shrimp cocktail, which was similar to how other local Mexican restaurants serve shrimp ceviche. This meant it was a giant cocktail bowl filled with shrimp, avocado slices, and clamato mixed with pico, and served with crackers. It was such a big serving that she couldn’t finish it, and she loved my burrito enough to order one for herself to go! Of course, we had to have another one of those fresh margaritas to go with our meals.
Both visits have included a sit-down conversation with Kevin, who makes time for all his guests as he flits from table to table delivering orders. He loves talking about his life and his food. He told us that he would never reveal his recipes and that if he returned to Honduras, the restaurant would not be for sale but instead would close. I hope that day never comes!