Southwest Detroit Mexicantown Restaurants Guide

Southwest Detroit Mexicantown restaurants include long-established Mexican kitchens on Bagley Street, a Mexican steakhouse on Springwells and taquerias that have served the neighborhood for years. Eat a taco, a steak and a regional plate in one afternoon, and rate each by the dish.

This page covers the main kinds of stop: sit-down classics, taquerias and a steakhouse approach to Mexican regional cooking. It explains what to order, how to compare tacos and how to plan a day. Hours change, so check before you set out, and ask about the day's specials when you sit down.

Where are the Southwest Detroit Mexicantown restaurants?

Start on Bagley Street, where long-established Mexican kitchens serve classics such as enchiladas, tamales and rice and beans in generous plates meant for sharing.

Next, drive or walk a few minutes to a Mexican steakhouse on Springwells. These kitchens describe dishes made from scratch with regional styles from states such as Puebla, Hidalgo and Veracruz. Look for grilled cuts with poblano sauce and table-side guacamole, and ask about vegetarian options if you need them.

Where do you find Mexicantown tacos?

A long-running taqueria is a staple of the neighborhood, serving charcoal-grilled meats, tacos and simple sides. Addresses can change, so check where it is today.

Order the same taco at two stops and compare the tortilla, the meat and the salsa. The neighborhood has many taquerias, and the quickest way to learn what you like is to try one dish more than once and keep a note. Rate each taco by name and add the tag Great Value or Quick Service, so your list of Mexicantown stops shows at a glance which tortilla and salsa earned the return trip.

What is a Mexican steakhouse in Detroit?

The steakhouse on Springwells is the neighborhood's example. It treats Mexican regional cooking the way a steakhouse would, with grilled cuts, sauces such as poblano and chile butter, and plates made to order.

A steakhouse meal is a good counterpoint to a taco crawl. Share a starter, order one steak, and ask the server which sauce goes with which cut. Note the sauce in your rating. A tag such as Date Night or Group Dining tells friends who follow you what kind of evening it was.

What makes Detroit Mexican food different?

Detroit's Mexican food has a long local history, which is why a dish on Bagley Street can feel like a family recipe. The early restaurants stress that they came first, and the plates tend to be generous and shared.

Southwest Detroit also holds other kitchens, so one afternoon can mix a sit-down meal with a stop for a pastry or a pupusa. Keep a list of what you tried so the next visit starts with something new.

The food also reflects where each kitchen's recipes come from. A plate built on Puebla or Veracruz cooking will taste different from a Tex-Mex-style combination plate, and neither is the wrong choice. Ask the server where a dish comes from, and write that down beside your rating, because it helps the next reader understand why two enchiladas can taste nothing alike.

How do you plan a Southwest Detroit food day?

Start with lunch at a taqueria, walk the neighborhood, then book a later table for a sit-down plate. Parking on the main streets is usually easy, and the stops are a short drive apart. Weekends and evenings are busier.

Give yourself time between stops, because a taco and a steak are very different meals and neither should be rushed. Bring cash as a precaution, since some small places prefer it, and ask about the day's specials. If you are traveling with children, pick a place with a short menu and order a plain taco or quesadilla for them. Note in your rating whether the room suited a family.

Breakfast and weekend specials are worth asking about too. Many Mexican kitchens serve menudo, tamales or a weekend brunch plate that is not on the weekday menu, and a short conversation with the server can turn up a dish you would never find by reading the board.

How do you track Mexicantown food with Mosey?

Rate the dish and the sauce, not only the place. Mosey needs only the place and stars; then you can name the enchilada or the steak, add tags such as Family Friendly, Great Value or Group Dining, and attach a photo. A rating that says "enchilada plate, mild, shared by three" tells the next person what to expect.

Make a list called Southwest Detroit with a taqueria, a steakhouse and a sit-down classic, and invite a friend to add to it with a link. Follow friends to see what they rated and saved, and use the Friends' picks layer on the map to see where they have been. The ratings page explains rating by the dish.

What else should you read?

For more of Detroit, the Eastern Market and coney island guide covers the market and the chili dog, the Corktown guide goes to the west side of downtown, the Greektown guide covers Monroe Street and the Detroit brunch guide covers the morning. See the Detroit page, the Michigan page and the US food guides.

Before your next Southwest Detroit meal, get the Mosey app, rate each plate by the dish and save your favorites to a list.