El Globo Restaurant, 2019 Division Ave S, Grand Rapids ~ 3/21/18

We discovered a Mexican restaurant we had never been to so today we ventured in. It wasn't clear if it was just counter service because there were a lot of people clustered in the back by the counter. But we took a seat to find out. Soon enough a friendly server brought us our menus along with a small serving of tortilla chips, salsa, and two sauces, one slightly hot and the other a delicious mysterious avocado concoction.

Wednesdays are $1 Taco days, yup $1, so it was busy. Most people came in for take-out but there were a few other booths occupied. Unfortunately, one other couple sat behind me and every time he leaned back, our shared booth wall pushed me a couple of inches forward.

The restaurant is long and fairly good-sized with booths along one wall and tables filling up the rest of the space. The decor is simple and the walls are covered with large paper posters. It's all tasteful.

Being Taco Day, it's what we had to go with: steak, pork, and tongue.

And Gorditas being a favorite, we had to try one of those, here along with a chicken taco.

We added sauce to all of them, the chicken was slightly dry without it (and the sauces were great), but the ample cilantro, fresh tortillas, and all of the other ingredients made up a fantastic lunch. And don't mind an occasional typo. It won't take away from your enjoyment of the food.

Our bill had to be paid back at the counter where everyone was picking up their take-out orders. There is also a back entrance which opens onto a city parking lot which we used. Parking is limited on Division at this location so just park behind the building. Service was great with a very friendly and informative server, and the place is clean, including restrooms.

Depending on when you come, especially on a Wednesday, you may have a wait. But if speed is what you want, you can always head to Taco Bell. If you want delicious tacos, this place will be worth your while.
 
 

Garibaldi, 3375 S Division Ave ~ 7/22/16

This place is not the easiest to locate but the food will make it worth your while. From what we could find, this is the third location for this restaurant, all of them being on Division (1627, 2850). When we hit 34th Street we knew we missed it, so we circled back and took a turn down this driveway.

The entry was less than welcoming and we couldn't tell if it was even open.

It was, and we saw this huge old space that was mostly empty, populated here and there with businesses, some shuttered, some manned. But we found what we were looking for.

There were a few people in the place and we picked a table and checked out the counter menu that had not too many English translations (know your Spanish).

Gorditas were our choice, along with a guacamole start. And this guacamole, chunks of avocado, chopped tomatoes, and cilantro, was accompanied by homemade pita bread chips. It was a great beginning!

It looked like a family business and the food was made and served with care. Nothing was rushed and everything was obviously homemade.

The rice needs special mention as it contained chopped vegetables and had more flavor than you'd find in most (any?) Mexican restaurants. The steak gorditas were just as great. We loved this food located in a place that shares the space with two other ongoing businesses.

We'd like to come back to try the pupuserias and more from Garibaldi but the venue is a little iffy. We wandered through the "mall" on our way out and it was eerie.

It looked like a multi-purpose space but with no people around today.

So check it out if you want some great, homemade food in kind of a shady space where people will stare at you and you'll be looking over your shoulder. Garibaldi does have its own entrance if you want to skip the empty mall walk, and like we said, the food is fantastic.

Taqueria Maravatio, 1100 Chicago Ave SW

Today we drove on a whim down Grandville/Chicago Avenue to see if we could find a small, unknown, local restaurant ~ because we love doing that. We happened on this place straddling a corner at Chicago Drive and Godfrey, across from Holy Name of Jesus Parish on Godfrey and a McDonalds on Chicago Drive.

Aztec or Mayan art decorates portions of the six-sided building but around back it's plain with the parking lot and two entrances.

When we walked in it looked like it was counter service and we did the awkward looking-around-trying-to-figure-out-the-place-thing with the locals staring at us. But we spotted a woman waiting on a table so we grabbed two menus off the very large counter and took a seat.

The place holds about 11 tables/booths wrapped along the exterior wall which is lined with windows so everyone has an outside view, except for this table for two. And there's a big booth down at the end.

The kitchen is open from the counter view and we spotted two men working there. The one and only server was continually cleaning when not waiting on customers. And the place is spotless. When I later walked into the Ladies' Room I saw washing your hands instructions in Spanish and English, along with the old washed-the-floor water. Well, at least it was washed.

We were quickly served chips and salsas, green and red, and both with a nice kick.

Water took a bit longer to come by and unfortunately arrived in large styrofoam, lidded cups. But the food did not disappoint. We selected from a simple two-page menu, complete with a hamburger with yellow cheese :-)

We each picked two tacos and a gordita. Steak, Chorizo, and Barbacoa tacos, and steak Gorditas. There was absolutely nothing to complain about. Fresh cilantro, plenty of limes, and other vegetables accompanied our food.

And most importantly, the tortillas are made in-house and that was obvious. This place rivals San Jose Taqueria and should definitely be visited. We needed to go back to the counter to pay, and that took a while on the old cash register. While I was waiting, the cook put a huge bowl of soup/stew on the counter and I asked our cashier/server if that was for her. She said it was and it was a concoction of meat and vegetables and soup, and she hadn't eaten all day. It was steaming hot and looked delicious! Hey, that wasn't on the menu...

There are two TVs back to back but nothing was playing, just a low-key music soundtrack. Decor consisted of a picture of John Paul II and a painting of a pope with Mary. But with all those windows, there isn't room for much more.

The tables are numbered by a taped up paper number. Not so classy but whatever works.

There were crazy locks on the way out, modified during the day by tape.

There's not much internet information available about this place but it looks like it used to be the El Kiosco Tapatio Restaurante. What is was before that we have no idea. It looks like it was some sort of fast food chain. But this is a lovely reincarnation of a unique building and an obvious local favorite from what we observed. Freshly prepared food in a clean, local restaurant with house-made tortillas - what more could you ask?
  

Tacos El Caporal, 1717 28th St SW - 11/19/13

Cruising southwest for a new restaurant, we came upon this one claiming to be “chief (alright, foreman) of the tacos.” How could we resist? Two entrances make it a little confusing ~ one opens into a dining room and the other into a smaller dining area with a take-out counter and waiting area. The smaller room holds about 8 booths along with the open kitchen, and the dining room holds about twice as much seating area.

It was busy this lunch hour, complete with dining-in Wyoming police, and we had to wait a bit for service. Our first server brought us menus, and shortly thereafter, tortilla chips and very spicy red (hotter than the green) and green salsa. Unfortunately, we didn’t get small plates on which to enjoy them but had to apply salsa individually to each chip.  Also unfortunately, there’s a lot of styrofoam used here along with plastic silverware.

Another server came to take our order, neither of them spoke much English, and both seemed a little ill at ease with us and we’re not sure why. We decided on beef gorditas for our first dish: onions, cilantro, beans, lettuce tomatoes, cheese, with a touch of sour cream, and a side of rice and beans.

The rice and beans came out along the grilled vegetables ~ radishes, green onions, jalapeno, and limes ~ and then came the main dishes; the second of which was tacos dorados: 4 crisp beef tacos with beans, rice, lettuce tomato, avocado, and sour cream. With both the gorditas and tacos coming with lightly fried tortillas, we couldn’t judge the tortilla freshness but we were both very satisfied with our selections, particularly with the prominently featured cilantro and avocado ingredients.

The food was flavorful and all house-made ~ you can watch the cook at work.  We don’t like to use the over-used-in-restaurant-reviews-word “authentic” but this is fresh, well-prepared food with no Americanized versions of Mexican food on the menu. The atmosphere is simple, stark, and clean, and the food is delightfully delicious, including the rice and beans being above average. Go for the food, but not the ambiance.

Taqueria San Jose, 1338 S Division - 5/1/12

Recommended by a friend (thanks, Sarah!), we drove south on Division to find this little restaurant. When we spotted it, we realized that we’ve driven past it dozens of times but always thought it was a vacant, run-down, old drive-in restaurant space (maybe a previous life as an A&W?). We pulled into the parking lot, and almost bailed on the place because it looked like take-out only. But we were told there was indoor seating so we decided to check it out.

The small area seats 16 at best (4 tables for 3, and 1 for four) and ordering takes place at the window. (Outside in the old drive-in serving area are a few picnic tables to be enjoyed in good weather.) Two tables inside were taken and another customer was at the window, so we had a few minutes to check out the posted menu while we waited. 

If you need definitions of Mexican dishes, you won’t find them here. So look up birria de chivo, gorditas, tortas and/or menudo before you go. And having said that, after asking for gorditas and being told it would be a 20 minute wait, we went conservative and carnivore, and ordered asada tacos and quesadillas. Both arrived with cilantro, onions, tomatoes, and a grilled jalapeno, and we think they may be the best we’ve had in Grand Rapids. The jalapeno is grilled long enough to not burn your eyes.

 

What looked to be three family members (mother, father, daughter) could be seen working in the kitchen behind the window; the daughter took our order and delivered it to us at our table. All of them were incredibly friendly and we could see the mother making tortillas - how fresh can you get. The father came into the restaurant to talk to another customer, checked out our food, and brought us an unnamed sauce that should be used with the quesadillas - nice. 


Don’t bypass this amazing little place, and leave your tips in the jar. Some books can’t be judged by their covers and we’ll be back, specifically to try the gorditas. You’ll also get to watch Mexican soap operas on T.V.

There’s no website or twitter presence but there is a facebook created account, for whatever that’s worth. Look for the sign on Division and stop in.