Rikos Kitchen is the answer to anyone who doesn't want to decide between pizza and tacos serving both on the menu alongside other comforts like smash burgers and chicken wings.

Rikos provides the food while Bar Twelve 16, which shares the space, keeps the lagers and wine flowing for another great duo.

The large dining room has a wraparound bar centre stage while an actual stage at the back of the restaurant is there for live music nights.

James Lee enlisted Jorge Florido, a chef of 20 years, and paired up with Brandon Long, owner of the bar, brunch companion and fellow longtime Etobicoke resident, in order to open this hub for za and tacos.

Jorge runs the kitchen and whips up the pizzas with ease having operated a pizza joint in New Jersey, Tuto's Pizza, with his brother 25 years ago.

The pizzas come in sizes ranging from 10- to 16-inch pies depending on how many slices you're looking for and are each prepared with hand-rolled dough and homemade tomato sauce.

The classic Margherita (10-inch: $11) gets the tomato sauce, creamy bocconcini balls, basil and some olive oil. It's best enjoyed with a side of creamy garlic dip. 

If you're looking to stray from the red sauce, the pizza a la carbonara (10-inch: $15) provides an option with alfredo sauce, which is also made fresh, in its place.

Coming rimmed by thin crispy crust like you'd find in Jersey or New York, the carbonara doesn't skimp on the cream with bacon, mozzarella and chicken ($4) adding on flavour.There are five types of tacos on the menu that each come with a side of homemade salsa verde, salsa roja and fried corn tortilla chips.

Korean tacos ($21) are a favourite. The three tacos are topped with mozzarella, thinly sliced and grilled bulgogi-style beef and kimchi from Owl of Minerva, which Lee's family happens to own. 

The bulgogi meat, made in a mix of soy, garlic, sugar and sesame oil, is subtly sweet and intensely flavourful, especially paired with the spicy pickled cabbage.

You can also get birria stuffed into a taco or a quesadilla ($17). 

Although traditionally made from goat meat, the birria is prepared here with beef and is marinated in a combination of chili peppers before joining mozzarella and cheddar in a warm tortilla.

A few other comfort foods join the list of offerings, which means you can start your meal off with fried calamari or an order of wings. They also make smash burgers like the Rikos burger ($17), which has two beef patties, cheese, bacon, caramelized onions and their house sauce. 

Whether you come to Rikos Kitchen for the tacos, pizza, or a bit of both, any one of the meals is best enjoyed out on the patio, which the Lees say is one of the largest in the west end.