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Two sopes made with blue corn masa set on a round plate. Fatima Syed

Detroit’s Essential Mexican Restaurants

A nixtamal masa program, aguachile de ribeye, Sonoran hot dogs, and more

by Serena Maria Daniels Updated
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by Serena Maria Daniels Updated
Fatima Syed

Mexican food remains one of the most beloved styles of cuisine for good reason. Tacos, burritos, nachos, botana — they’re culinary icons that all provide a source of comfort. But Mexican continues to evolve. In metro Detroit, a growing number of Mexican chefs are striving to showcase the many ways that Mexican ingredients and recipes can be interpreted in a fine dining setting.

Whether you’re cruising around Lincoln Park and want to grab a few tacos from one of the many taquerias Downriver, in the mood for a generous cup of shrimp cocktail served from a food truck, or are are curious about the chef-driven tacos that come from the James Beard Award semifinalist chefs in Berkley and southwest Detroit, there are many ways to enjoy Mexican throughout the region, whether as part of your Cinco de Mayo festivities, Taco Tuesday, or any other day that ends in y.

Where’s your favorite spot for Mexican food in Metro Detroit? Let us know at [email protected].

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Mezcal Mexican Restaurant-Detroit

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Mezcal Mexican Bar & Kitchen has quickly expanded its footprint in metro Detroit, with locations in Ferndale and more recently, Midtown. Diners can expect traditional carnitas, torres de mariscos, birria, and aguachile de ribeye at the Midtown spot, which is more of a fine-dining affair. Both locales carry a variety of tacos, as well as a huge selection of agave-based spirits.

51 W Forest Ave, Detroit, MI 48202
(313) 974-7441
(313) 974-7441

Also featured in:

Vecino

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Situated in a near century-old corner building in the Cass Corridor, Vecino is your neighborhood spot for modern Mexican food and agave-forward cocktails. Featuring the city’s only nixtamal masa program in a restaurant, expect handmade tortillas, sopes topped with crunch bits of pork belly, a variety of fiery aguachiles, and generous entrees like whole fried snapper and carne asada — all cooked over an open flame.

4100 3rd Avenue, Detroit, MI
(313) 500-1615
(313) 500-1615
Two sopes made with blue corn masa set on a round plate. Fatima Syed

Also featured in:

Antojitos Southwest

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Detroit has been a leader in the Midwest birria game for generations, but in 2021 Antojitos Southwest landed what is likely the city’s first birria-specific food truck at the intersection of Wabash and Bagley in Corktown. The operators focus on birria de res dishes, including quesabirria (with consomé for $1 extra, for dipping) and birria ramen, which combines the best of both worlds — a cup of noodles with broth and birria meat. Carne asada fries and drinks are also available.

2100 Bagley St, Detroit, MI 48216
(313) 854-5239
(313) 854-5239

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Tamaleria Nuevo Leon

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Mexicantown carryout restaurant Tamaleria Nuevo Leon has been serving tamales to Detroiters since the 1950s. The restaurant keeps the menu simple with fast, friendly service. During the week of Cinco de Mayo, all varies of tamales are available. Expect fillings like pork and chicken alongside rotating specials such as cheese-jalapeno. This spot is cash-only.

2669 Vernor Hwy, Detroit, MI 48216
(313) 962-8066
(313) 962-8066
A girl in a white shirt and black jeans is shown mid-air jumping to hit a purple piñata in front of the white and red Tamaleria Nuevo Leon restaurant.
A girl breaks a piñata in front of Tamaleria Nuevo Leon.
Michelle and Chris Gerard

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La Jalisciense Supermercado Y Taqueria

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It’s a supermarket with a bountiful butcher’s counter and house-made chicharrones. But La Jalisciense has also made a name for itself as a dining destination. The restaurant features standbys like tacos, quesadillas, and tortas, along with a decent breakfast menu with Mexican favorites like huevos rancheros, birria de chivo (goat), and a full-service bar. The multi-generational family-owned business also pays attention to the latest trends in Mexican cuisine. Recent specials have included a quesadilla made by hand with freshly-prepared masa and a michelada infused with house-made blueberry juice.

3923 Vernor Hwy, Detroit, MI 48216
(313) 551-0522
(313) 551-0522

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La Michoacana

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This Southwest Detroit dessert parlor that faces Clark Park is exceptionally popular on sunny days as families and kids stop in for scoops of ice cream, fruta loca cups loaded with choice of fruit and garnished with chile powder, chamoy, and a tamarind straw, and cream or water-based paletas made daily in house. Neveria La Michoacana also offers Mexican street food snacks like Dorilocos, refreshing aguas frescas, and strawberries and cream.

4336 Vernor Hwy, Detroit, MI 48209
(313) 438-6341
(313) 438-6341
Three people holding up red, yellow and green colorful fruit popsicles
The parlor is popular on warm days, a perfect time for a fruit popsicle.
Courtesy of La Michoacana

Also featured in:

Nepantla Cafe and Food Trailer

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Vegan Mexican, meets zero-ABV mocktails, juices, and coffee at Nepantla, a cafe/food truck situated next to the long-vacant Charlie Clark’s Bar on West Vernor Highway. Founder Rocky Coronado was named a 2024 semifinalist for a James Beard Award in the Emerging Chef category. As Coronado builds out the bar to be Nepantla’s permanent home, in the meantime, customers can order vegan delicacies, which have included tacos with fried avocado and Baja-style fish tacos made with battered banana blossoms, and a variety of beverages like Vietnamese coffee, matcha lattes, and housemade agua frescas. Be sure to check Nepantla’s social media for updates.

5410 West Vernor Highway, Detroit, Michigan 48209
(313) 207-6287
(313) 207-6287

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El Palenque Restaurant

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Everything that comes out of the kitchen of this humble cash-only spot is made with love. The slender burros are filled with tender guisado de res, its earthy red mole with chicken is rich in flavor, and during the 2022 Southwest Detroit Restaurant Week, owners Carol and José Luis Durán developed a special green mole, which we’re hoping will make more frequent appearances.

5426 Vernor Hwy, Detroit, MI 48209
(313) 849-1319
(313) 849-1319

Tienda Mexicana

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One of metro Detroit’s best-kept taqueria secrets is tucked inside a Mexican market in a strip mall off John R. Road. While most patrons go for the corn tacos that are served with the standard cilantro, onion, and lime accoutrements, the restaurant’s enormous tortas are some of the best sandwiches in town.

John R Square, 31642 John R Rd, Madison Heights, MI 48071
(248) 801-9279
(248) 801-9279

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El Barzon

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Chef Norberto Garita is just as adept at making mushroom and ricotta ravioli as he is with mole poblano, which makes for a one-of-a-kind experience at El Barzon Restaurante. This fine dining institution pays homage to the cuisines of Italy and Puebla, Mexico, in an upscale atmosphere that includes an expansive wine list, great cocktails, and a lovely brick patio. In recent years, Garita’s efforts have been getting national attention and earlier this year, he was named a semifinalist for a James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Great Lakes region.

3710 Junction St, Detroit, MI 48210
(313) 894-2070
(313) 894-2070
An empty dining room with a flag of Mexico on the wall Michelle and Chris Gerard

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Loncheria El Parian

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El Parian has a fleet of do-not-miss taco trucks in six locations throughout the neighborhood. For a sit-down meal and a full bar offering margaritas, pop by La Palapa del Parian, its brick-and-mortar spot, for four-for-$7 Taco Tuesdays, live mariachi performers every Sunday, and an expanded cocktail menu.

4802 Vernor Hwy, Detroit, MI 48209
The trailer for Loncheria El Parian on a sunny day on West Vernor.
One of the trailers for Loncheria El Parian on West Vernor.
Brenna Houck

Also featured in:

Los Altos Restaurant

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Named after the highlands region of Jalisco, Los Altos offers a variety of shareable appetizers like queso flameado, guacamole, asada fries, as well tacos, tortas, gorditas, fajitas — all with diners’ choice of meats — seafood platters, and soothing caldos like birria and caldo de res. A full bar features cantaritos, micheladas, interesting takes on margaritas, and Mexican beers.

7056 Vernor Hwy, Detroit, MI 48209
(313) 841-3109
(313) 841-3109

Also featured in:

El Asador Steakhouse

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This Southwest Detroit gem is great to splurge on a steak flavored with poblano pepper or savor a plate of grilled fish tacos. Reservations are not required, but highly recommended for indoor dining or for seating — parties of four or more — in one of the all-season, enclosed outdoor luminarias. Trays to go at this all-halal spot are perfect for large parties.

1312 Springwells St, Detroit, MI 48209
(313) 297-2360
(313) 297-2360
Plates of rice, steak fajitas, and three bowls of soup with crisp tortilla curls on top sit at the window at El Asador steakhouse
El Asador serves rice, steak fajitas, and soup with crisp tortillas.
Michelle and Chris Gerard

Also featured in:

Taqueria El Nacimiento

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This family-owned establishment is a Southwest neighborhood mainstay, not the least because it stays open late on weekends. True to the town of El Nacimiento, for which it’s named, the restaurant serves Mexican food in a family-friendly atmosphere. Strong cocktails, including enormous micheladas, also are served alongside options like ceviche-stuffed oysters, traditional breakfast specials, and whole fried fish.

7400 Vernor Hwy, Detroit, MI 48209
(313) 554-1790
(313) 554-1790
Booth seats surround wooden tables along a wall at Taqueria El Nacimiento. The booths are separated by plexiglass. Christian Gerard

Also featured in:

Mi Pueblo

Copy Link

Mi Pueblo, a Detroit stalwart, started off years ago as an informal weekends-only taqueria in a house but has become a destination for its vast menu, friendly atmosphere, and colorful decor. Staples include weekend-only birria, pozole, and menudo, bountiful tortas, and house-made chicharrones served with red salsa.

7278 Dix St, Detroit, MI 48209
(313) 841-3315
(313) 841-3315
A hand places grilled onion into a tortilla above a plate of grilled chicken, rice, beans, and guacamole. Michelle Gerard

Also featured in:

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Sheila’s Bakery

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The pastry institution is a destination for a quick breakfast snack and a coffee, or a special occasion. Load up on all manner of fresh pan dulces — seasonal pan de muerto available around Dia de los Muertos, chocolate-dipped orejas, gingerbread cochinitos, and more. 

2142 Springwells St, Detroit, MI 48209
(313) 841-8480
(313) 841-8480
An assortment of baked goods from Sheila’s Bakery in southwest Detroit, Michigan. Rosa Maria Zamarrón

Also featured in:

Mangonadas Del Barrio

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A mangonada, the treat that the shop is named after, is a chilled fruit drink comprising of mangos, chamoy, chile powder, and lime juice, but the shop also offers ice creams, aguas frescas, and Mexican street foods like Dorilocos. If you like sweet and decadent, take out the Gloria mangonada, which contains eggnog and sweetened milk. The fruit in the cup is as fresh as it gets. The sweet, spicy, and salty Mangonada Queen and Elote contains mangos, chile powder, lime and chamoy, with crushed Flaming Hot Cheetos.

1210 Lawndale St, Detroit, MI 48209
(313) 724-6074
(313) 724-6074
mangonada with chilled mango and what looks like chili powder and lime juice Courtesy of Mangonadas

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La Terraza

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For fine Mexican dining or a special occasion, head to La Terraza, which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. La Terraza is known for its seafood, like tostadas topped with ceviche or shrimp, and its molcajete de mariscos filled with a mix of octopus, shellfish, and cucumber, all in a chile-lime marinade. The West Vernor Highway establishment is also popular for its birria as well as a full bar, and a stage that regularly hosts regional Mexican musical performances.

8445 Vernor Hwy, Detroit, MI 48209
(313) 843-1433
(313) 843-1433
White plates of brick red birria stew and and crispy fried tacos surrounded by sliced limes, red onions, and slices of radish. Michelle Gerard

Also featured in:

O.W.L.

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This 24/7 Royal Oak diner puts a creative spin on Mexican American comfort food. Think chorizo sausage and cheese sandwich, eggs with cilantro potatoes and Texas toast, and choco flan for dessert.

27302 Woodward Ave #0927, Royal Oak, MI 48067
(248) 808-6244
(248) 808-6244
A man and a woman with red hair sit at stools along the metal counter overlooking the kitchen at Owl. Michelle and Chris Gerard

Also featured in:

M Cantina

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Chef-owner Junior Merino brought this refined Nuevo Latino street food restaurant to Dearborn in 2017, and it became a sleeper hit. M Cantina serves a variety of tacos and tortas with fillings like duck carnitas and braised short rib alongside snacks like grilled elotes. The menu is halal and showcases a variety of fresh juices. Merino also happens to be a celebrated mixologist so cocktails — both boozy and n/a — are on point here.

13214 Michigan Ave, Dearborn, MI 48126
(313) 399-9117
(313) 399-9117
soft tacos loaded with meat, lime and guacamole M Cantina/Facebook

Also featured in:

Galindo's A Taste of Mexico

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Downriver arguably has some of the state’s best Mexican food, thanks to the steady migration of Mexican Americans from Southwest Detroit to the suburbs. Chef Galindo serves up a specialty of his hometown of Mexico City: the torta. Served in big, flaky bolillo, the monstrous tortas are prepared in a dozen different varieties, including El Chapo — which comes with breaded chicken, pork, American cheese, queso Oaxaca, and pineapple. Other Mexican classics like tacos, burritos, and quesadillas are also available.

13754 Fort St, Southgate, MI 48195
(734) 324-1141
(734) 324-1141

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Casa Amado Taqueria

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Residents of Berkley can rejoice because they’ve got access to award-winning tacos and other Mexican specialties in an unexpected space. Chef Amado Lopez was named a semifinalist in the Emerging Chef category for the 2023 James Beard Awards for his work during the pandemic to transform the community’s Atomic Dawg hot dog restaurant from fledgling diner to a pop-up operation, and eventually a full-time taqueria. The specialty here is braised meats, such as the pork braised in red chiles, as well as vegetarian and vegan options, like the mushroom taco or vegan beans and rice. Guests still thinking about those Atomic Dogs can reminisce while enjoying Amado’s Sonoran hot dogs topped with bacon, green chiles, and garnishes of pickled onion, jalapeño, and roasted chile sauce.

2705 Coolidge Hwy, Berkley, MI 48072
(248) 398-3294
(248) 398-3294

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Serena Maria Daniels is a Chicana journalist and the city editor for Eater Detroit. A recovering daily newspaper reporter with nearly 20 years experience, she is also the founder and Chingona-in-Chief of Tostada Magazine.

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Mezcal Mexican Restaurant-Detroit

51 W Forest Ave, Detroit, MI 48202

Mezcal Mexican Bar & Kitchen has quickly expanded its footprint in metro Detroit, with locations in Ferndale and more recently, Midtown. Diners can expect traditional carnitas, torres de mariscos, birria, and aguachile de ribeye at the Midtown spot, which is more of a fine-dining affair. Both locales carry a variety of tacos, as well as a huge selection of agave-based spirits.

51 W Forest Ave, Detroit, MI 48202
(313) 974-7441
(313) 974-7441

Vecino

4100 3rd Avenue, Detroit, MI

Situated in a near century-old corner building in the Cass Corridor, Vecino is your neighborhood spot for modern Mexican food and agave-forward cocktails. Featuring the city’s only nixtamal masa program in a restaurant, expect handmade tortillas, sopes topped with crunch bits of pork belly, a variety of fiery aguachiles, and generous entrees like whole fried snapper and carne asada — all cooked over an open flame.

4100 3rd Avenue, Detroit, MI
(313) 500-1615
(313) 500-1615
Two sopes made with blue corn masa set on a round plate. Fatima Syed

Antojitos Southwest

2100 Bagley St, Detroit, MI 48216

Detroit has been a leader in the Midwest birria game for generations, but in 2021 Antojitos Southwest landed what is likely the city’s first birria-specific food truck at the intersection of Wabash and Bagley in Corktown. The operators focus on birria de res dishes, including quesabirria (with consomé for $1 extra, for dipping) and birria ramen, which combines the best of both worlds — a cup of noodles with broth and birria meat. Carne asada fries and drinks are also available.

2100 Bagley St, Detroit, MI 48216
(313) 854-5239
(313) 854-5239

Tamaleria Nuevo Leon

2669 Vernor Hwy, Detroit, MI 48216

Mexicantown carryout restaurant Tamaleria Nuevo Leon has been serving tamales to Detroiters since the 1950s. The restaurant keeps the menu simple with fast, friendly service. During the week of Cinco de Mayo, all varies of tamales are available. Expect fillings like pork and chicken alongside rotating specials such as cheese-jalapeno. This spot is cash-only.

2669 Vernor Hwy, Detroit, MI 48216
(313) 962-8066
(313) 962-8066
A girl in a white shirt and black jeans is shown mid-air jumping to hit a purple piñata in front of the white and red Tamaleria Nuevo Leon restaurant.
A girl breaks a piñata in front of Tamaleria Nuevo Leon.
Michelle and Chris Gerard

La Jalisciense Supermercado Y Taqueria

3923 Vernor Hwy, Detroit, MI 48216

It’s a supermarket with a bountiful butcher’s counter and house-made chicharrones. But La Jalisciense has also made a name for itself as a dining destination. The restaurant features standbys like tacos, quesadillas, and tortas, along with a decent breakfast menu with Mexican favorites like huevos rancheros, birria de chivo (goat), and a full-service bar. The multi-generational family-owned business also pays attention to the latest trends in Mexican cuisine. Recent specials have included a quesadilla made by hand with freshly-prepared masa and a michelada infused with house-made blueberry juice.

3923 Vernor Hwy, Detroit, MI 48216
(313) 551-0522
(313) 551-0522

La Michoacana

4336 Vernor Hwy, Detroit, MI 48209

This Southwest Detroit dessert parlor that faces Clark Park is exceptionally popular on sunny days as families and kids stop in for scoops of ice cream, fruta loca cups loaded with choice of fruit and garnished with chile powder, chamoy, and a tamarind straw, and cream or water-based paletas made daily in house. Neveria La Michoacana also offers Mexican street food snacks like Dorilocos, refreshing aguas frescas, and strawberries and cream.

4336 Vernor Hwy, Detroit, MI 48209
(313) 438-6341
(313) 438-6341
Three people holding up red, yellow and green colorful fruit popsicles
The parlor is popular on warm days, a perfect time for a fruit popsicle.
Courtesy of La Michoacana

Nepantla Cafe and Food Trailer

5410 West Vernor Highway, Detroit, Michigan 48209

Vegan Mexican, meets zero-ABV mocktails, juices, and coffee at Nepantla, a cafe/food truck situated next to the long-vacant Charlie Clark’s Bar on West Vernor Highway. Founder Rocky Coronado was named a 2024 semifinalist for a James Beard Award in the Emerging Chef category. As Coronado builds out the bar to be Nepantla’s permanent home, in the meantime, customers can order vegan delicacies, which have included tacos with fried avocado and Baja-style fish tacos made with battered banana blossoms, and a variety of beverages like Vietnamese coffee, matcha lattes, and housemade agua frescas. Be sure to check Nepantla’s social media for updates.

5410 West Vernor Highway, Detroit, Michigan 48209
(313) 207-6287
(313) 207-6287

El Palenque Restaurant

5426 Vernor Hwy, Detroit, MI 48209

Everything that comes out of the kitchen of this humble cash-only spot is made with love. The slender burros are filled with tender guisado de res, its earthy red mole with chicken is rich in flavor, and during the 2022 Southwest Detroit Restaurant Week, owners Carol and José Luis Durán developed a special green mole, which we’re hoping will make more frequent appearances.

5426 Vernor Hwy, Detroit, MI 48209
(313) 849-1319
(313) 849-1319

Tienda Mexicana

John R Square, 31642 John R Rd, Madison Heights, MI 48071

One of metro Detroit’s best-kept taqueria secrets is tucked inside a Mexican market in a strip mall off John R. Road. While most patrons go for the corn tacos that are served with the standard cilantro, onion, and lime accoutrements, the restaurant’s enormous tortas are some of the best sandwiches in town.

John R Square, 31642 John R Rd, Madison Heights, MI 48071
(248) 801-9279
(248) 801-9279

El Barzon

3710 Junction St, Detroit, MI 48210

Chef Norberto Garita is just as adept at making mushroom and ricotta ravioli as he is with mole poblano, which makes for a one-of-a-kind experience at El Barzon Restaurante. This fine dining institution pays homage to the cuisines of Italy and Puebla, Mexico, in an upscale atmosphere that includes an expansive wine list, great cocktails, and a lovely brick patio. In recent years, Garita’s efforts have been getting national attention and earlier this year, he was named a semifinalist for a James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Great Lakes region.

3710 Junction St, Detroit, MI 48210
(313) 894-2070
(313) 894-2070
An empty dining room with a flag of Mexico on the wall Michelle and Chris Gerard

Loncheria El Parian

4802 Vernor Hwy, Detroit, MI 48209

El Parian has a fleet of do-not-miss taco trucks in six locations throughout the neighborhood. For a sit-down meal and a full bar offering margaritas, pop by La Palapa del Parian, its brick-and-mortar spot, for four-for-$7 Taco Tuesdays, live mariachi performers every Sunday, and an expanded cocktail menu.

4802 Vernor Hwy, Detroit, MI 48209
The trailer for Loncheria El Parian on a sunny day on West Vernor.
One of the trailers for Loncheria El Parian on West Vernor.
Brenna Houck

Los Altos Restaurant

7056 Vernor Hwy, Detroit, MI 48209

Named after the highlands region of Jalisco, Los Altos offers a variety of shareable appetizers like queso flameado, guacamole, asada fries, as well tacos, tortas, gorditas, fajitas — all with diners’ choice of meats — seafood platters, and soothing caldos like birria and caldo de res. A full bar features cantaritos, micheladas, interesting takes on margaritas, and Mexican beers.

7056 Vernor Hwy, Detroit, MI 48209
(313) 841-3109
(313) 841-3109

El Asador Steakhouse

1312 Springwells St, Detroit, MI 48209

This Southwest Detroit gem is great to splurge on a steak flavored with poblano pepper or savor a plate of grilled fish tacos. Reservations are not required, but highly recommended for indoor dining or for seating — parties of four or more — in one of the all-season, enclosed outdoor luminarias. Trays to go at this all-halal spot are perfect for large parties.

1312 Springwells St, Detroit, MI 48209
(313) 297-2360
(313) 297-2360
Plates of rice, steak fajitas, and three bowls of soup with crisp tortilla curls on top sit at the window at El Asador steakhouse
El Asador serves rice, steak fajitas, and soup with crisp tortillas.
Michelle and Chris Gerard

Taqueria El Nacimiento

7400 Vernor Hwy, Detroit, MI 48209

This family-owned establishment is a Southwest neighborhood mainstay, not the least because it stays open late on weekends. True to the town of El Nacimiento, for which it’s named, the restaurant serves Mexican food in a family-friendly atmosphere. Strong cocktails, including enormous micheladas, also are served alongside options like ceviche-stuffed oysters, traditional breakfast specials, and whole fried fish.

7400 Vernor Hwy, Detroit, MI 48209
(313) 554-1790
(313) 554-1790
Booth seats surround wooden tables along a wall at Taqueria El Nacimiento. The booths are separated by plexiglass. Christian Gerard

Mi Pueblo

7278 Dix St, Detroit, MI 48209

Mi Pueblo, a Detroit stalwart, started off years ago as an informal weekends-only taqueria in a house but has become a destination for its vast menu, friendly atmosphere, and colorful decor. Staples include weekend-only birria, pozole, and menudo, bountiful tortas, and house-made chicharrones served with red salsa.

7278 Dix St, Detroit, MI 48209
(313) 841-3315
(313) 841-3315
A hand places grilled onion into a tortilla above a plate of grilled chicken, rice, beans, and guacamole. Michelle Gerard

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Sheila’s Bakery

2142 Springwells St, Detroit, MI 48209

The pastry institution is a destination for a quick breakfast snack and a coffee, or a special occasion. Load up on all manner of fresh pan dulces — seasonal pan de muerto available around Dia de los Muertos, chocolate-dipped orejas, gingerbread cochinitos, and more. 

2142 Springwells St, Detroit, MI 48209
(313) 841-8480
(313) 841-8480
An assortment of baked goods from Sheila’s Bakery in southwest Detroit, Michigan. Rosa Maria Zamarrón

Mangonadas Del Barrio

1210 Lawndale St, Detroit, MI 48209

A mangonada, the treat that the shop is named after, is a chilled fruit drink comprising of mangos, chamoy, chile powder, and lime juice, but the shop also offers ice creams, aguas frescas, and Mexican street foods like Dorilocos. If you like sweet and decadent, take out the Gloria mangonada, which contains eggnog and sweetened milk. The fruit in the cup is as fresh as it gets. The sweet, spicy, and salty Mangonada Queen and Elote contains mangos, chile powder, lime and chamoy, with crushed Flaming Hot Cheetos.

1210 Lawndale St, Detroit, MI 48209
(313) 724-6074
(313) 724-6074
mangonada with chilled mango and what looks like chili powder and lime juice Courtesy of Mangonadas

La Terraza

8445 Vernor Hwy, Detroit, MI 48209

For fine Mexican dining or a special occasion, head to La Terraza, which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. La Terraza is known for its seafood, like tostadas topped with ceviche or shrimp, and its molcajete de mariscos filled with a mix of octopus, shellfish, and cucumber, all in a chile-lime marinade. The West Vernor Highway establishment is also popular for its birria as well as a full bar, and a stage that regularly hosts regional Mexican musical performances.

8445 Vernor Hwy, Detroit, MI 48209
(313) 843-1433
(313) 843-1433
White plates of brick red birria stew and and crispy fried tacos surrounded by sliced limes, red onions, and slices of radish. Michelle Gerard

O.W.L.

27302 Woodward Ave #0927, Royal Oak, MI 48067

This 24/7 Royal Oak diner puts a creative spin on Mexican American comfort food. Think chorizo sausage and cheese sandwich, eggs with cilantro potatoes and Texas toast, and choco flan for dessert.

27302 Woodward Ave #0927, Royal Oak, MI 48067
(248) 808-6244
(248) 808-6244
A man and a woman with red hair sit at stools along the metal counter overlooking the kitchen at Owl. Michelle and Chris Gerard

M Cantina

13214 Michigan Ave, Dearborn, MI 48126

Chef-owner Junior Merino brought this refined Nuevo Latino street food restaurant to Dearborn in 2017, and it became a sleeper hit. M Cantina serves a variety of tacos and tortas with fillings like duck carnitas and braised short rib alongside snacks like grilled elotes. The menu is halal and showcases a variety of fresh juices. Merino also happens to be a celebrated mixologist so cocktails — both boozy and n/a — are on point here.

13214 Michigan Ave, Dearborn, MI 48126
(313) 399-9117
(313) 399-9117
soft tacos loaded with meat, lime and guacamole M Cantina/Facebook

Galindo's A Taste of Mexico

13754 Fort St, Southgate, MI 48195

Downriver arguably has some of the state’s best Mexican food, thanks to the steady migration of Mexican Americans from Southwest Detroit to the suburbs. Chef Galindo serves up a specialty of his hometown of Mexico City: the torta. Served in big, flaky bolillo, the monstrous tortas are prepared in a dozen different varieties, including El Chapo — which comes with breaded chicken, pork, American cheese, queso Oaxaca, and pineapple. Other Mexican classics like tacos, burritos, and quesadillas are also available.

13754 Fort St, Southgate, MI 48195
(734) 324-1141
(734) 324-1141

Casa Amado Taqueria

2705 Coolidge Hwy, Berkley, MI 48072

Residents of Berkley can rejoice because they’ve got access to award-winning tacos and other Mexican specialties in an unexpected space. Chef Amado Lopez was named a semifinalist in the Emerging Chef category for the 2023 James Beard Awards for his work during the pandemic to transform the community’s Atomic Dawg hot dog restaurant from fledgling diner to a pop-up operation, and eventually a full-time taqueria. The specialty here is braised meats, such as the pork braised in red chiles, as well as vegetarian and vegan options, like the mushroom taco or vegan beans and rice. Guests still thinking about those Atomic Dogs can reminisce while enjoying Amado’s Sonoran hot dogs topped with bacon, green chiles, and garnishes of pickled onion, jalapeño, and roasted chile sauce.

2705 Coolidge Hwy, Berkley, MI 48072
(248) 398-3294
(248) 398-3294

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