Taqueria Lupita’s
3443 Bagley St.
February 5, 2026
Sometimes, you gotta go back to where it all started.
For me, the first tacos I ever had in southwest Detroit was at Taqueria Lupita’s. It’s a family-owned, cash only joint right on the main strip that has always felt like the most authentic on the block. Like many others on the block, the owners hail from Guadalajara, which dictates the flavors of many Mexican spots throughout southwest Detroit.
Like the Detroit pizza wars I’ve written about before, there’s always this absurd search for the most authentic experiences that’s mainly perpetrated by white millennial diners trying to outdo one another by finding a more obscure food truck in a more obscure parking lot.
If you ask, “who has the best tacos in southwest Detroit?”, it’s like asking people for car advice in Detroit. You’ll get ten different answers and every response will annoy you.
What about a spot just being good and maintaining its integrity on a strip that’s grown into a tourist hub? Serving up quality tacos at insanely affordable prices, making it one of the all-time low risk first date spots I’ve ever been in my life?
That’s mainly because the other spots have grown massive with giant margaritas, while Lupita’s remains a tiny spot with delicious food and always great music playing. On this visit, it was the popular Mexican cumbia group Simba Musical’s “Oasis De Amor” playing through the speakers that caught my ear.
I wasn’t feeling great and needed some comfort food. Lupita’s was right next door from the doctors office. It reminded me of coming home sick from school, and my mom preparing something special for me to make me feel better. How much more praise can I give a place?
Two carne asada tacos, two marinated al pastor tacos with beans and rice. The color on these marinated al pastor tacos lets me know we’ve got quality here. It had been years since I had sat in one of these booths – and truly nothing has changed. If anything, the quality of these tacos has only gone up. The soft corn tortilla, the flavorful rice and beans, the crisp shredded lettuce giving all the coolness and texture you’ll need to balance out the marinated proteins.
On their website, Lupita’s brags about being one of the first places to bring this style of street taco to southwest Detroit. It wouldn’t be complete without a cold Coke poured over ice. Chips and salsa forever. It’s exactly what I needed; the perfect cure for what ails me. Do you know how good it feels to walk out of here after eating all of that, a bill for $13.77 and slapping a $20 on the table and walking out? It is one of the top dining experiences in the city.
If you’re trying to find something that’s authentic, you don’t have to look far. After a few years away, Taqueria Lupita’s is still the best in the bustling Mexicantown of southwest Detroit.
