La Jalisciense Brings Its Chilaquiles and Tacos to Downriver

For more than a decade, the generously portioned chilaquiles verdes accompanied by flavorful cecina and platters of tacos from La Jalisciense Supermercado y Taqueria have provided Southwest Detroit with a sense of comfort. Colorful papel picado fills a spacious dining room decorated with Mexican tchotchkes and family photos. Sweet and spicy Mexican candies and rosary beads surround the cashier’s counter. The butcher counter with tender cuts of arrachera, a cooler section stocked with icy chelas, and bags of chicharrones made fresh daily provide the makings of a vibey backyard carne asada with the compas. Founded in 2014 by Jose Manuel Vargas Orozco, his children, who include Jose, the culinary director; Leslie, who manages operations; and Juan, who heads the market and retail side, now lead the charge for the future of the family-run business. On Monday, Cinco de Mayo, as throngs of Detroiters made their annual pilgrimage to West Vernor Highway to take in a taste of Motor City Mexican, La Jalisciense was an obvious stopping point for folks in search of salt-rimmed margaritas and chips and salsa. On the same day, in the Downriver community of Taylor, where Vargas raised his children, the family welcomed the first customers of their second location, called La Jali, the taqueria’s nickname, at 9411 Telegraph Road. “We had a full restaurant all day long since the first customer got there at 9:40 a.m. and we opened doors at 10 a.m., so it was [a relief] having that feeling of customers waiting for the doors to open and be able to provide good food,” Vargas tells Eater on Tuesday, May 6. [Image: https://platform.detroit.eater.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25986876/La_Jali_Taylor__Opening_Photos__2_of_8_.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] [Image: https://platform.detroit.eater.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25986874/La_Jali_Taylor__Opening_Photos__4_of_8_.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] Inside a single-story space formerly occupied by another Mexican restaurant called Poncho’s, the new location offers many of the classics on the menu at the original spot, like tacos, chilaquiles, and tortas, along with a self-serve area where folks can pick up those bags of chicharrones and a small selection of packaged pantry items imported from Mexico. Vargas says the menu is a bit abbreviated from the original — items like menudo or camarones rancheros are not available, for now. Vargas says staff may adjust the menu after hearing what new customers want. The new location also features a full bar with a large variety of agave spirits, along with wines, beers, cocktails, nonalcoholic beverages, and aguas frescas. Vargas says the ownership behind Poncho’s contacted the family after closing in January 2024 to tell them that a restaurant space was available. They spent the next several months navigating construction and working with the city to obtain the necessary permits to open. In addition to giving the place some fresh coats of paint, replacing some kitchen equipment, and adding rustic touches throughout the space, the Vargases also had all of the dining room seating custom-made and imported from Guadalajara, Jalisco, where the family is originally from. The opening in Taylor is not the family’s first foray into expansion. In 2023, the family announced plans to open a small location on the east side in a storefront space in a two-story Art Deco building at 16703 E. Warren Avenue, a property owned by developers Brandon Hodges and Damon Dickerson. They led a community engagement initiative to ask residents what kinds of food businesses they felt were lacking in the community and what they wanted to be installed in the building. An overwhelming majority of the 150 or so people who responded to an online survey revealed that eastsiders want more Mexican food in closer proximity. Vargas says that construction for the east side location is still ongoing, and he hopes the family will be able to open sometime in 2026. Over the decades, as the largely Mexican and Chicano communities of Southwest Detroit have flocked to the suburban area southwest of the city, so too have many of the area’s longtime restaurants, such as El Camino Real, which years ago relocated from its original spot on Central to new environs in Wyandotte. Meanwhile, restaurateurs like the Diaz family behind the Eater Award-winning La Palapa del Parian are taking over restaurants in Allen Park, Roseville, and other suburban areas that may not have the concentration of Mexican offerings as are available in Southwest. As for the Vargases, the family feels just about as at home in Taylor as they do in the Vernor Highway space they grew up in. “This location is about seven minutes away from our home. I grew up in Taylor, I graduated from Taylor High School, so I’m very familiar with the area,” says Vargas. La Jali, 9411 Telegraph Road in Taylor, open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.