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14 Essential Restaurants for Great Latin Food in Metro Detroit

Here’s where to find arepas, pupusas, lomo saltado, empanadas, and more

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Metro Detroit is known for its robust array of Mexican food, thanks to the waves of migration from Mexico for more than a century and proprietors who continue to invest in regional cooking styles from around the country. However, there’s so much more to Latin cuisine than tacos, burritos, and botanas. Metro Detroit is also home to a sizable number of folks with roots in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, all over Central America, and South America.

In fact, relative newcomer, Barda, an Argentine restaurant in Detroit’s Core City neighborhood turned heads earlier this year when the eatery was named a James Beard Award finalist for Best New Restaurant, suggesting that we’ve only scratched the surface in terms of ways to celebrate the region’s vast offerings of Latin American cuisine.

Whether you’re in the mood for cheesy pupusas, filling Venezuelan arepas stuffed with shredded beef, Guatemalan-style fried chicken, arroz con gandules, or a big plate of Peruvian lomo saltado, here’s a guide to some of the most compelling Latin American restaurants in metro Detroit.

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Campestre Chicken

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Campestre Chicken offers charcoal-roasted rotisserie chicken with flavors from El Salvador, Peru, and Mexico. Guests can choose from tacos, burritos, quesadillas, pupusas filled with beans, cheese, or chicharrones, plantains with pureed black beans and sour cream, or go big by ordering a whole Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken with a choice of sides.

El Rey de las Arepas

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This family-owned Venezuelan restaurant has a loyal following among locals and Major League Baseball players alike for its arepas — wonderfully deep-fried maize cakes filled with everything from cheese to shredded beef to avocado. El Rey’s affordable dishes including cilantro aioli and salsa rosa-slathered french fries are served in a casual atmosphere. Carryout and dine-in options are available.

Pupuseria Y Restaurante Salvadoreno

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This laid-back spot on Livernois has for years helped to introduce Detroiters unfamiliar with Salvadoran food to the beauty of the country’s ubiquitous pupusa. The thick, handmade griddled cornmeal or rice flour tortillas are filled with choice of cheese, beans, chicharrones, jalepeños, loroco or other ingredients and come with complementary curtido (a Salvadoran cabbage slaw) and a red tomato salsa. Order one (or three) for a meal by itself or as a side to go with one of Pupuseria Y Restaurante Salvadoreno’s hearty caldos.

Pollo Chapin

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This small, family-run Guatemalan restaurant set inside a yellow house in southwest Detroit pulls inspiration from Central America’s most beloved fast-food fried chicken chain, Pollo Campero. Guests can expect deep-fried skin on the outside with juicy, tender meat with every bite. Both American and Guatemalan sides include dinner roles, coleslaw, mashed potatoes, as well as complementary chicken noodle soup for customers who dine in, tamales wrapped in banana leaves, and chicken flautas.

Fried chicken on a plate with black beans, a roll, and purple cabbage slaw. Brenna Houck

Antojitos El Catracho Restaurant

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This Honduran diner serves a range of filling comfort foods from pupusas with loroco flower, pork tamales, fried yucca, baleadas, and a variety of Central American breakfast staples like platanos, beans, crema, and queso fresco, as well as pupusas, fluffy tamales, and chorizo and eggs. To drink, find unique beverages like Banana Tropical and Kolashampan sodas and warm atol de elote — ideal when it’s chilly in Detroit.

Tamales and pupusas on plates at Antojitos El Catracho.
Tamales and pupusas on plates at Honduran restaurant Antojitos El Catracho in southwest Detroit.
Michelle and Chris Gerard

Rincon Tropical

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This southwest Detroit Puerto Rican restaurant serves a menu filled with treats like savory mofongo bowls, meat-stuffed empanadillas, bolitas de yuca, tostones, and jibaritos — the bread-less sandwich with roots in both Chicago and Puerto Rico that’s held together by long slices of crisp, seasoned plantain stuffed with a choice of chicken, beef, or pork, melty cheese, lettuce, and tomato. Guests can also enjoy tropical cocktails, homemade flan, and nightclub vibes at the spot’s frequent special events like karaoke, reggaeton nights, and pool.

Asty Time Dominican Cuisine

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For serious Dominican vibes, Asty’s Dominican Cuisine on McGraw hits all the marks. Its on-point menu features classics like rice with gandules, starchy, garlicky mofongo enhanced with bits of fried pork, crunchy chicharron de pollo, and the sofrito-infused guisados — available in beef, chicken, pork, and other proteins.

Vicente’s Cuban Cuisine

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This longtime downtown staple has been giving Detroiters a taste of Cuban food since 2005. The Library Street eatery is perfect for date nights on the outdoor patio, traditional cubano sandwiches for a power lunch, or after-work tapas and house-made sangrias. Vicente’s also serves four styles of sharable paella.

La Cuscatleca Inc

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This Salvadoran market and eatery serves as a gathering place for the city’s Central American diaspora, complete with grocery staples like Salvadoran and Honduran-style cheeses and cream, Latin American sodas, sweets, baked goods like milhojas salvadoreñas, and banana leaf-wrapped tamales stuffed with chicken made fresh. Pupusas, yuca frita, chicharrones, and steamy cups of atol de elote round out the menu. Grab your food to go or take a seat in the limited dining area.

Argentinian restaurant Barda has been impressing Detroiters with its meats, seafood, and vegetables all grilled on an open fire since opening in spring 2021. Set in the former Magnet space in Detroit’s Core City neighborhood, Barda exudes chill vibes with its moody lighting, emphasis on Argentinian wines, South American-inspired libations, craft beers, and ferne-spiked cocktails. Though meat like Argentinian-style chorizo, roasted short rib, and bone marrow are obvious favorites, chef Javier Bardauil’s veggie-friendly dishes like the glazed beets with ajoblanco and raspberries are the types of unexpected signature menu items that garnered Barda recognition as a finalist for Best New Restaurant by the James Beard Awards.

Culantro

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Culantro — an herb native to Central and South America — is also the word that Peruvians use for cilantro, which is featured prominently on many of the dishes at this family-owned casual restaurant. To start, try the ceviche, featuring fresh, raw fish that’s cured in the citrus acids of limes and garnished with onions, lettuce, peppers and spices, and accompanied by Peruvian corn and sweet potatoes. The rotisserie chicken comes out with an intensely flavorful, smoky sensation. The lomo saltado is a great sharable option, with marinated strip steak stir-fried with onions, tomato, soy sauce, and aji amarillo. To drink, try maracuya juice or an Inca Cola.

El Guanaco Troy Restaurant

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With locations in Troy and Auburn Hills, El Guanaco marries the flavors of Mexican and Salvadoran food. On the Salvadoran side, fans flock to this restaurant and market for its pupusas, fried yuca, and breakfast platters with eggs, black beans and rice, fried plantains, and sour cream. For Mexican comforts, the menu features tacos, quesadillas, and tortas. Plus, here you have a chance to familiarize yourself with the nuances of Mexican and Salvadoran-style tamales and empanadas.

Pura Vida Jamaican and Costa Rican Cuisine

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This takeout-friendly spot in Pontiac celebrates the splendor of Caribbean food, with specialties like the arroz con pollo, tamales, empanadas, fried whole red snapper, curry goat, and bochinche de casado — described as Costa Rican spaghetti with steak, avocado, salad and plantains.

Rositas Treats

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Possibly Michigan’s only Colombian restaurant, Rosita’s Treats in Shelby Township specializes in Colombian-style empanadas. The cornmeal hand pies are stuffed with both traditional and creative savory or sweet fillings like pulled pork, guava and cheese, chocolate and peanut butter, Korean beef barbecue, and even kimchi. For a more rounded out meal, try the oxtail cooked low and slow or the patacones con carne — plantains smashed flat and fried and topped with shredded beef and melted mozzarella.

Campestre Chicken

Campestre Chicken offers charcoal-roasted rotisserie chicken with flavors from El Salvador, Peru, and Mexico. Guests can choose from tacos, burritos, quesadillas, pupusas filled with beans, cheese, or chicharrones, plantains with pureed black beans and sour cream, or go big by ordering a whole Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken with a choice of sides.

El Rey de las Arepas

This family-owned Venezuelan restaurant has a loyal following among locals and Major League Baseball players alike for its arepas — wonderfully deep-fried maize cakes filled with everything from cheese to shredded beef to avocado. El Rey’s affordable dishes including cilantro aioli and salsa rosa-slathered french fries are served in a casual atmosphere. Carryout and dine-in options are available.

Pupuseria Y Restaurante Salvadoreno

This laid-back spot on Livernois has for years helped to introduce Detroiters unfamiliar with Salvadoran food to the beauty of the country’s ubiquitous pupusa. The thick, handmade griddled cornmeal or rice flour tortillas are filled with choice of cheese, beans, chicharrones, jalepeños, loroco or other ingredients and come with complementary curtido (a Salvadoran cabbage slaw) and a red tomato salsa. Order one (or three) for a meal by itself or as a side to go with one of Pupuseria Y Restaurante Salvadoreno’s hearty caldos.

Pollo Chapin

This small, family-run Guatemalan restaurant set inside a yellow house in southwest Detroit pulls inspiration from Central America’s most beloved fast-food fried chicken chain, Pollo Campero. Guests can expect deep-fried skin on the outside with juicy, tender meat with every bite. Both American and Guatemalan sides include dinner roles, coleslaw, mashed potatoes, as well as complementary chicken noodle soup for customers who dine in, tamales wrapped in banana leaves, and chicken flautas.

Fried chicken on a plate with black beans, a roll, and purple cabbage slaw. Brenna Houck

Antojitos El Catracho Restaurant

This Honduran diner serves a range of filling comfort foods from pupusas with loroco flower, pork tamales, fried yucca, baleadas, and a variety of Central American breakfast staples like platanos, beans, crema, and queso fresco, as well as pupusas, fluffy tamales, and chorizo and eggs. To drink, find unique beverages like Banana Tropical and Kolashampan sodas and warm atol de elote — ideal when it’s chilly in Detroit.

Tamales and pupusas on plates at Antojitos El Catracho.
Tamales and pupusas on plates at Honduran restaurant Antojitos El Catracho in southwest Detroit.
Michelle and Chris Gerard

Rincon Tropical

This southwest Detroit Puerto Rican restaurant serves a menu filled with treats like savory mofongo bowls, meat-stuffed empanadillas, bolitas de yuca, tostones, and jibaritos — the bread-less sandwich with roots in both Chicago and Puerto Rico that’s held together by long slices of crisp, seasoned plantain stuffed with a choice of chicken, beef, or pork, melty cheese, lettuce, and tomato. Guests can also enjoy tropical cocktails, homemade flan, and nightclub vibes at the spot’s frequent special events like karaoke, reggaeton nights, and pool.

Asty Time Dominican Cuisine

For serious Dominican vibes, Asty’s Dominican Cuisine on McGraw hits all the marks. Its on-point menu features classics like rice with gandules, starchy, garlicky mofongo enhanced with bits of fried pork, crunchy chicharron de pollo, and the sofrito-infused guisados — available in beef, chicken, pork, and other proteins.

Vicente’s Cuban Cuisine

This longtime downtown staple has been giving Detroiters a taste of Cuban food since 2005. The Library Street eatery is perfect for date nights on the outdoor patio, traditional cubano sandwiches for a power lunch, or after-work tapas and house-made sangrias. Vicente’s also serves four styles of sharable paella.

La Cuscatleca Inc

This Salvadoran market and eatery serves as a gathering place for the city’s Central American diaspora, complete with grocery staples like Salvadoran and Honduran-style cheeses and cream, Latin American sodas, sweets, baked goods like milhojas salvadoreñas, and banana leaf-wrapped tamales stuffed with chicken made fresh. Pupusas, yuca frita, chicharrones, and steamy cups of atol de elote round out the menu. Grab your food to go or take a seat in the limited dining area.

BARDA

Argentinian restaurant Barda has been impressing Detroiters with its meats, seafood, and vegetables all grilled on an open fire since opening in spring 2021. Set in the former Magnet space in Detroit’s Core City neighborhood, Barda exudes chill vibes with its moody lighting, emphasis on Argentinian wines, South American-inspired libations, craft beers, and ferne-spiked cocktails. Though meat like Argentinian-style chorizo, roasted short rib, and bone marrow are obvious favorites, chef Javier Bardauil’s veggie-friendly dishes like the glazed beets with ajoblanco and raspberries are the types of unexpected signature menu items that garnered Barda recognition as a finalist for Best New Restaurant by the James Beard Awards.

Culantro

Culantro — an herb native to Central and South America — is also the word that Peruvians use for cilantro, which is featured prominently on many of the dishes at this family-owned casual restaurant. To start, try the ceviche, featuring fresh, raw fish that’s cured in the citrus acids of limes and garnished with onions, lettuce, peppers and spices, and accompanied by Peruvian corn and sweet potatoes. The rotisserie chicken comes out with an intensely flavorful, smoky sensation. The lomo saltado is a great sharable option, with marinated strip steak stir-fried with onions, tomato, soy sauce, and aji amarillo. To drink, try maracuya juice or an Inca Cola.

El Guanaco Troy Restaurant

With locations in Troy and Auburn Hills, El Guanaco marries the flavors of Mexican and Salvadoran food. On the Salvadoran side, fans flock to this restaurant and market for its pupusas, fried yuca, and breakfast platters with eggs, black beans and rice, fried plantains, and sour cream. For Mexican comforts, the menu features tacos, quesadillas, and tortas. Plus, here you have a chance to familiarize yourself with the nuances of Mexican and Salvadoran-style tamales and empanadas.

Pura Vida Jamaican and Costa Rican Cuisine

This takeout-friendly spot in Pontiac celebrates the splendor of Caribbean food, with specialties like the arroz con pollo, tamales, empanadas, fried whole red snapper, curry goat, and bochinche de casado — described as Costa Rican spaghetti with steak, avocado, salad and plantains.

Rositas Treats

Possibly Michigan’s only Colombian restaurant, Rosita’s Treats in Shelby Township specializes in Colombian-style empanadas. The cornmeal hand pies are stuffed with both traditional and creative savory or sweet fillings like pulled pork, guava and cheese, chocolate and peanut butter, Korean beef barbecue, and even kimchi. For a more rounded out meal, try the oxtail cooked low and slow or the patacones con carne — plantains smashed flat and fried and topped with shredded beef and melted mozzarella.

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