35 essential Latino-owned restaurants in Detroit you should have tried by now

By Metro Times editorial staff on Fri, Sep 18, 2020 at 10:05 am

We have four words for you: SUPPORT LATINO-OWNED BUSINESSES. We're not sorry for yelling because those of us who live here know that Detroit is a rich tapestry of cultural influences from all over the world, including those from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Puerto Rico, and, of course, Mexico. We're lucky enough to have had so many Latino entrepreneurs open up shop in Detroit as a means to share their love of family and generational cuisine with the hungry Motor City masses. While we know we're only giving a small glimpse of the popular spots around town, we hope this slideshow offers some ideas of places — old and new — to support ASAP.

For more information on Detroit's Hispanic Heritage Month festivities, visit SouthwestDetroit.com.

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La Gloria Bakery

3345 Bagley Ave., Detroit; 313-842-5722; Facebook.com/lagloriabakery
While in Mexicantown, one would be remiss to forget stocking up on sweet treats, which is exactly what longstanding La Gloria Bakery specializes in. Established in the 1970s by Ruben Gonzeles, La Gloria Bakery has become a must-stop shop for handmade sugar skulls, churros, and other authentic Mexican baked goods.

Photo via GoogleMaps

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Antojitos El Catracho

4627 W. Vernor Hwy., Detroit; 313-784-9361; Facebook.com/AntojitosElCatracho
As far as Southwest Detroit’s Honduran and Salvadoran restaurants go, Antojitos El Catracho is a great place to get schooled on the beauty of plantains and pupusas.

Photo via GoogleMaps

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Asty Time

7340 McGraw Ave., Detroit; 313-285-9390; astytime.com
Chef Asty Acosta arrived from the Dominican Republic by way of New York City and, eventually, moved to Southwest Detroit, where he and wife Diedra started working in a factory. Before long, the pair began preparing and selling food to coworkers, which evolved to an early version of Asty Time that ran out of a Southwest home, and in 2017, the Acosta family launched their brick-and-mortar location. Of Asty Time’s offerings, dishes like salami con tostones, a dish of stir-fried salami and bell peppers in a piquant sauce, is a standout, as is carne de res guisada, a dish of stewed beef soaked in a small puddle of sofrito-based sauce.

Photo via GoogleMaps

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El Rancho Restaurant

5900 Vernor Hwy, Detroit; 313-843-2151; elranchomexrest.com
El Rancho Mexican Restaurant opened in 1983, offering traditional Mexican cuisine via family recipes, some of which are secret.

Photo by Juan Carlos Dueweke-Perez of Featherstone

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Bodega Cat

1312 Springwells St., Detroit; 313-297-2360; bodegacatdetroit.com
Known for its tamales, Bodega Cat is also a Mexican convenience store and grocery.

Photo via Bodega Cat/Facebook

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El Barzon Restaurante

3710 Junction Ave., Detroit; 313-894-2070; elbarzonrestaurant.com
Fusing traditional Mexican and Italian dishes, El Barzon established itself as a unique and high-end offering in Southwest Detroit in 2007. Chef Norberto Garita, a native of Pueblo, worked in New York as a primarily Italian-oriented chef and relocated to Southfield to help the kitchen at Il Posto Ristorante before opening El Barzon, where you can get Mexican and Italian specialties, with some crossover between dishes.

Photo via GoogleMaps

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El Rey de a las Arepas

7701 McGraw St., Detroit; 313-307-2210; Facebook.com/El Rey de a las Arepas
Though El Rey de a las Arepas translates to “the king of arepas,” when it comes to Detroit’s first Venezuelan restaurant, it’s all about the queen — as in Zoraida Gutierrez, from Caracas. Her son Rayner, owner of El Rey da a las Arepas, says Zoraida begins work every morning at 7 to start on the arepas, cachapas, and pabellones which has made a mark on Detroit’s culinary scene with its authentic fare and lowkey environment. For the uninitiated, an arepa is the Venezuelan version of the empanada, made from ground corn flour shaped into a circle, grilled, split like a biscuit, then filled.

Photo via GoogleMaps

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Evie’s Tamales

3454 Bagley St, Detroit; 313-843-5056; Facebook.com/EviesTamales
Evie's Tamales has been serving its corn husk-wrapped tamales for nearly four decades. Initially, Evie's began inside Honey Bee Market. Eventually, business took off, and in 1982, owner Evelyn Grimaldo decided to move out and open her own store at a time when there was just one other Southwest business doing tamales. Beyond Evie's signature tamales, the 99-cent breakfast burritos draw a lot of attention, too.

Photo via GoogleMaps

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La Noria Wood-Fired Bistro

5517 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-338-3545; Lanoriawood-fired bistro.com
Before opening El Barzon — a high-end restaurant fusing modern and traditional Mexican and Italian cuisine — Norberto Garita, a native of Pueblo, worked in New York as a primarily Italian-oriented chef and relocated to Southfield to help the kitchen at Il Posto Ristorante in Southfield. El Barzon’s sister restaurant, La Noria Wood-Fired Bistro, debuted in 2018, offering a similar Pueblan concept — there’s a pizza topped with sauteed grasshoppers — with slightly more casual environment and menu pricing.

Photo via Google Maps

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La Palapa del Parian

1633 Lawndale St., Detroit; 313-749-7143; Facebook.com/LaPalapaDelParian
The owners of the popular fleet of El Parian taco trucks in Southwest Detroit launched a sit-down restaurant with a patio in 2020, which offers Mexican stews, various huevos dishes, as well as gorditas, tortas, and tamales.

Photo via La Palapa del Parian/Facebook

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Mariscos El Salpicon

8600 Vernor Hwy, Detroit; 313-914-2214; Facebook.com/MariscosElSalpicon
Latin American seafood shines at Mariscos El Salpicon, which opened in 2016 by husband-and-wife duo Aldo Dominguez Perez and Yuriviana Angel, along with friend Esteban Perez. Their goal? Capture the flavors of the Pacific Coast Mexican state of Nayarit, where Aldo hails from. Though they offer dishes like ceviche (served with tostada chips and saltines), fried empanadas, stuffed pineapple (aka Piña Suprema which includes fruit, chilies, lime juice, shrimp, octopus, scallops, cucumber, and onion), their specialties are camarones de cucaracha and Molcajete de Mariscos, which is basically a seafood medley of shrimp, scallops, octopus, mussels, and crab legs.

Photo via Mariscos El Salpicon/Facebook

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La Rosita

7849 McGraw Ave., Detroit; 313-297-3145; Facebook.com/larositamexicanrestaurant
Part Mexican restaurant, part supermarket, La Rosita has been offering traditional Mexican fare and access to authentic ingredients for 15 years. The family-owned and operated multi-use spot started when Dario immigrated to the U.S. and, eventually, landed in Michigan, where he met his wife Angelica. Their children help run La Rosita’s, which specializes in their “famous” gorditas, as well as botanas, tortas, burrito dinners, and a selection of homemade soups, or calados.

Photo via La Rosita/Facebook

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Los Altos Restaurant

7056 Vernor Hwy, Detroit; 313-841-3109; Facebook.com/losaltosrestaurantdetroit
Founded by Adan Lopez nearly 30 years ago, Los Altos Restaurant holds the title for being the area’s first taqueria. Inspired by Jalisco cuisine — the birthplace of tacos al pastor — Los Altos focuses on traditional Mexican dishes, including tacos made with cabeza, buche, lengua, or tripas. They also have Mexican-American favorites, like quesadillas and chimichangas.

Photo via GoogleMaps

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Mexican Village Restaurant

2600 Bagley St., Detroit; 313-237-0333; mexicanvillagefood.com
The oldest Mexican restaurant in Detroit, Mexican Village has been serving up traditional mexican cuisine, including the restaurant’s specialites Caldo Can-can, burritos, steaks, and homemade desserts, for more than 40 years.

Photo via Mexican Village Restaurant/Facebook

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Rincon Tropical

6538 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-334-8526; Facebook.com/rincontropical
If you want mofongo, aka mashed plantains, seek Lizaida and Rick Moreno’s Puerto Rican restaurant, Rincon Tropical. Part nightclub and part authentic Puerto Rican eatery, Rincon Tropical specializes in yucca-facing dishes, as well as empanadillas, sorullitos, relleno, and alcapurria, which take mashed plantains filled with spiced ground beef.

Photo via Google Maps

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Señor Lopez Restaurant

7146 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-551-0685; senorlopezrestaurant.com
Señor Lopez is a real dude. In fact, the restaurant’s namesake, Rafael H. Lopez, is also this Mexican spot’s taste expert. The Mexicantown favorite offers everything from tacos to chile en nogada to several mole dishes.

Photo via GoogleMaps

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Centro Botanero

2303 Campbell St. Detroit; 313-982-7776; Facebook.com/Centro Botanero
For those looking for some Mexican seafood via Nayarit, Centro Botanero has you covered with various ceviches, dishes like shrimp-stuffed poblano peppers, and newly introduced crab boil bags.

Photo by Juan Carlos Dueweke-Perez of Featherstone

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Tamaleria Nuevo Leon

2669 Vernor Hwy., Detroit; 313-962-8066; Facebook.com/TamaleriaNuevoLeon
The carryout-only Tamaleria Nuevo Leon has been making tamales in Detroit since 1957, specializing in tamales that, according to their website, are not “traditional tamale size.” A family-owned, second generation eatery, Tamaleria Nuevo Leon was founded by Pedro and Maria Alicia Villarreal and is celebrated for making tamales by hand each day.

Photo viaTamaleria Nuevo Leon/Facebook

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Taqueria El Caporal

1414 Junction Ave., Detroit; 313-551-4920; elcaporaldetroit.com
In 2018, brother and sister Antonio and Araceli Canchola opened Taqueria El Caporal Y Restaurante, serving up recipes straight from their father’s food cart in Mexico City. Among their traditional offerings, the Cancholas offer homemade favorites, including their popular rotisserie chicken.

Photo via GoogleMaps

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Taqueria El Nacimiento

7400 Vernor Hwy., Detroit; 313-554-1790; Facebook.com/elnacimientorestaurant
Opened in 2001 by Rodrigo Padilla, Taqueria El Nacimiento is home to authentic Mexican food inspired by family recipes as well as dishes from his hometown near Arandas, Jalisco.

Photo via Taqueria El Nacimiento/Facebook

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