Randy and Dominic Yono, who with their family opened Rub BBQ Pub on West Adams Street at the north end of Grand Circus Park in 2011, today debut a neighboring three-level eatery called TAQO Detroit. In addition to featuring cuisine from traditional Mexican recipes and coastal-style dishes, the 195-seat restaurant offers more than 200 varieties of tequila.
Located at 22 West Adams, the restaurant team is led by Chef Eduardo Trevino and Cesar Ochoa, general manager. The pair brings more than two decades of combined experience to TAQO Detroit, culled from their international travels, culinary training, and family history. Many of the recipes are from Ochoa’s grandmother, who cooked for her family while growing up and living in the state of Jalisco, Mexico.
“At TAQO, we are creating traditional recipes and coastal-style dishes that are made from-scratch with the freshest ingredients,” says Ochoa. “We want our guests to experience a fun, vacation-like atmosphere and enjoy great Mexican food that is made by hand with locally-sourced products.”
Menu selections include tortilla chips, guacamole, and salsa made from scratch, in-house, every day. Other offerings include Empapelado Marino, a popular coastal dish of shrimp, scallops, tilapia, and sautéed vegetables served with rice, lettuce, and sour cream; regional dishes like Michoacán-style Carnitas, pork with salsa verde and served with beans, lettuce, guacamole, pico de gallo, and jalapenos; and classics like quesadillas, fajitas, and enchiladas as well as Mexican-style street foods like tacos, carnitas, and flautas.
At the bar, TAQO will offer what is believed to be the largest selection of tequilas in metro Detroit with more than 200 varieties, including ultra-premium and hard-to-find bottles of blanco, anejo, and reposado tequilas. Margaritas, mojitos, and pina coladas are handmade with fresh ingredients (no prepared mixes are used). Signature drinks include a 32-ounce made-from-scratch margarita and pina coladas served in a cored apple.
The bar also carries a wide variety of bottled and draft Mexican beers, including several varieties of micro-brews like Cerveza De Las Muertas and Chili Devil. Traditional cocktails and wine are also available.
The 5,000 square foot restaurant is spread across three levels, with two full-service bars. For sports fans and news junkies, four high-definition flat screen televisions are located on each level. There’s also a 30-seat patio.
The restaurant’s interior was designed after a beachside cantina, while the second floor evokes the glamorous days of air travel with a bar custom-built to look like a vintage airliner.
In related news, Wright & Co., a new restaurant and bar set to occupy the second floor of the Wright Kay building at Woodward and John R in downtown Detroit, will open prior to Labor Day, says Marc Djozlija, chef and proprietor of the 100-seat eatery with Dave Kwiatkowski, owner and head mixologist at Sugar House in Corktown.
