Detroit Taco Company

If there was something lower than a 1 I would give it to this place.
The staff is rude and the food is salty. It is a disgrace to the name Detroit tacos. I will never be back. Their hottest sauce has zero heat and even less flavor.

I love this place! Great food, great customer service! I love the fish tacos, bbq pork tacos, and steak tacos. Fresh food, fresh ingredients. Super busy on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Met the owner today and I can tell he’s proud of his restaurant! Juice bar coming soon from what I see!

When will Zumba’s come back?!
Zumba’s, I miss you so much. This place is good, but it’s not Zumba’s and their magical salsa bar and perfectly simple and delicious menu. Whatever they changed on their fish taco makes me sad. The staff has always been cordial, so not a single complaint there, but the tacos went from incredible to pretty good since our beloved Zumba’s left.

I’m really happy with my experience at Detroit Taco Company. First off, the guy behind the counter was very friendly and seemed happy to be helping me, which is so rare at this type of «fast food» establishment. The food all looked good, healthy, and fresh. The salsa options are a little more interesting than q’doba or similar places — the green extra hot sauce is really hot and delicious. I got a bean and rice burrito which was delicious. And I also got the street corn which was awesome!

Throughout college I ate Chipotle 4 – 5 times a day, many times twice a day. Because of that I always have been a burrito snob — in my mind Chipotle was untouchable. However, I was highly impressed with Detroit Taco Company.
I’ve tried both burritos and burrito bowls here — I usually opt for the bowl now. I appreciate the expanded choices here as opposed to Chipotle. The queso is good — much better than Qdoba’s — and a nice addition.
The chicken is my go-​to meat, but I’ve heard the others are equally as good. If you like hot salsa, get the hot green one (can’t remember the name for the life of me) — this one is crack.

The food is alright, but the prices are ridiculous. I went there with wife & son for a bite to eat. I had a burrito, others had a few tacos, soft drinks and chips: $ 45?!
I don’t know why it cost that much — my guess is they nickel & dime you on stuff you put on items. Also, interior is extremely utilitarian & unappealing.

I don’t understand the negative reviews here. The staff is super nice (Alfredo!), the owner is friendly, the food is delicious, and they have taco Tuesdays! There is also a Thursday special with burritos that we haven’t tried. We usually get a trio of tacos or the quesadilla with 2 salsas (chipotle and black corn yum!). I like the glass pop bottles and usually get one of those too. There is ample seating and the location, in the old Zumba, which itself was in the old Oberweis, is great.
The last time we were there Alfredo and the owner hooked us up with their secret soon to be trialed fried ice cream with raspberry and agave! It was just the thing — can’t wait to have it once it’s on the regular menu. If I had one complaint, I’d say some of the meats can make the tortillas soggy, but it tastes great anyway! This is not a national chain, so it’ll have its little quirks, and I’d suggest diners think of that before comparing it to Chipotle etc. I mean really — would you go to the Mission district in SF and get a burrito there and compare it to Chipotle, which you find better? Okay, maybe you do, I don’t know your life ;)
If you’re just stopping to take away, there are 15 minute spots so you don’t have to pay for parking. Overall, I think this is a nice addition to the neighborhood.

This is an awesome semi-​fast food place similar to Qdoba and Chipotle, but SO much better! The ingredients are obviously of high quality and the staff was super friendly. I agree with other reviewers regarding the tortillas, which did fall apart fairly easily; but I don’t mind a messy taco that is also delicious.

Honestly I this is my favorite taco place ever. I’ve never been a fan of Chipotle or Qdoba and I assumed this restaurant would be just the same. I was proved wrong.
The interior is Detroit oriented which I enjoy. Also the the chairs are various colors. The staff are genuinely nice as well as the manager who I’ve spoken with all three times I’ve been in.
The food is phenomenal! Taco Tuesday’s offer $ 2 tacos. I enjoy the crispy shrimp and the steak tacos. I’ve also been in on Thursdays; you can get $ 5 bowls, burritos, and nachos.
The owner is an awesome guy who is very charitable and even throws events on Mondays for organizations such as Big Brothers and Big Sisters.
I love this place and if you loved the former place I recommend at least giving this place a chance! :)

Ordered on EAT24 bad idea. They did not have my order ready in the time allotted. Then they would not acknowledge me. Then he told me I had to wait in a long line and it’s nothing they can do to help me. I’m never returning to this establishment. Horrible customer service.

Very disappointed! Zumba was my go to favorite burrito/​taco place and when I saw that the menu was similar I was excited to try Detroit Taco Company. I got a burrito bowl with Mexican chicken black beans and all the fixins. It was flavorless and super soggy.

Saturday at about 630, we stopped here before catching a movie.
First off, the line moved sloooow. 3 people in line, 3 people behind the counter— 5 minutes wait. It was like watching a typical burrito place on quaaludes. «Would…you like… refried… Or black beans?»
Prices are in line with other assembly line burrito joints, and the system is the same. Detroit apparently has decided that it’s taco company will not be in Detroit, but will be a lesser Chipotle.
The burrito itself was wet. Not wet as in sauce on top, and not soggy as though some extra juices softened the tortilla. Literally spoonfuls of meat water poured first into the foil wrapper, then the table, and finally onto an extra carry-​out lid (I had asked for a plate).
Even after switching to a fork, the pile of glop on my lid/​plate was better suited to a spoon. After 5 minutes, I gave up. One of the worst experiences I’ve had that didn’t involve food poisoning (though I should maybe wait for that…).
Awful. Just awful.

I’ve had 5 different tacos and they are all terribly soggy. I’ve never had so much water in a taco how is this possible. Chips and salsa are pretty weak you only get about 2 spoonfuls of salsa for a half bag of chips.
Water cups are an embarrassment I’m not going to take advantage of the free water I promise.
Staff is nice and place is clean but won’t be back until I hear they fixed the flood in their tacos.

I was craving Zumba, and when I pulled up to see it was gone, I freaked out a little more than a human should over a business not being there when they were craving it. However, I quickly jumped on Unilocal to see what the deal was with the new place and saw the menu was pretty similar. I gave it a chance, and seriously, it’s pretty much Zumba without a salsa bar.
I got the veggie bowlrito that I would normally get from Zumba. Still with rice and black beans, and it still came with chips. You have the option of different salsas, the only thing is you don’t get to scoop them yourself. I got the pico and asked for extra. He showed me the normal amount they give, and it’s plenty for most people, but I love pico so I had him add more. I also wanted some spice to it, so I asked for the medium-​hot salsa too. This I was charged for as well as the sour cream I asked to have added. You also get a choice of queso or regular cheese, as well as the other options Zumba had (cilantro onions, lettuce, guac, etc.). However, jalapenos were missing.
Everything tasted exactly like I wanted it to with the addition of queso — yum! It was $ 6 out the door for my lunch, which I’m pretty sure is at least a buck or two cheaper than what I used to pay at Zumba. Yes, getting charged for all the additional things sucks, but it’s nice for people like me who don’t need a ton of extras or 4 different salsas. I’d rather it be cheap to start so that I’m not paying two dollars more for the guy in front of me to ladle up 10 scoops of salsa.
I can’t say what the tacos are like if that’s what they claim their specialty is, but I’ll be back for sure so maybe there will be a taco review in the future.

Sitting here in the restaurant writing this review wishing I went to Ferndale for much better Mexican. Wife and I are watching a movie tonight and figured to try this place out. Wished I tried Unilocal first. Don’t get me wrong, it’s clean and not terrible. However national fast food Mexican is better and more affordable.
Specifically my tacos were a soggy mess. Not fresh (but not stale) chips that tasted like the were fresh from the grocery isle.
I would give 2.5 stars if I could but rounded down as there is virtually no parking for this spot. I also thought the water cups are a joke at maybe holding 4oz. I don’t feel like being a second class citizen because I don’t drink pop /​soda.
I imagine it’s only going to get business from the people that live above it and foot traffic from the theater.
I also realized tonight that whenever I see «Detroit» in a company name I always think it’s going to be awesome. LOL
BTW staff is friendly.

Had to leave. No parking available. 4 – 5 spots??? Are you kidding me. If you can’t park your car how can you go in to eat? Boo
Found a spot and tried it today.
No more salsa bar. Boo. Extra charge for a different salsa. Boo. Extra charge for jalapeño. Boo. Loved Zumba. Have to find a new spot now.

Hey haters… if Zumba was so great, then why did both of their locations close?
I didn’t dislike Zumba, but I did feel like it was a little too pricey without really being that much better than the chains.
The Detroit Taco is fairly similar. I mean, it’s mexican so there’s only so much you can do without going in a fusion or hard core traditional direction.
I stopped in for a quick lunchy snack. I picked out 2 tacos, Baja Fish and Mexican Chicken. It was about $ 6 which felt a little pricey for the size. Throw in a few tortilla chips and I would have felt a little better about it. Or some combo option maybe…
But the most important part is the flavor. And these tacos had it. I was a little concerned when I saw them magically make a fried fish stick appear within seconds. And although it could have had a little more fresh fried crunch to it, the Chipotle crema saved the day.
The chicken was tasty. Not mind blowing, but decent flavor. I liked that they used a good quality corn tortilla and gave it a quick toast before making the taco.
The salsas looked fresh. I tried the Verde and roasted tomato Chipotle. Both had good distinct flavor.
I’ll definitely go back. $ 2 taco Tuesday seems like a solid deal. If I have an experience where I feel a little more value, then this could go to 5 stars.
And the fool that gave them 1 star ONLY because of parking… it’s in a giant parking lot. They have 4 or 5 FREE spots. It’s down town Royal Oak. Get over it and don’t hold it against the business. It’s a dick move to give a new upstart a one star review because you weren’t willing to spend $.50 on parking.
I’ll definitely go back. Good luck guys.

I’m disappointed with the change over from Zumba. I was not a huge Zumba fan. I thought Chipotle and Qdoba had more flavorful offerings. Zumba seemed over priced with less quality. What I did like about Zumba were the salsa bar and some of the less common add-​ins (when compared to the chains), like cilantro and olives. Their fish tacos were pretty good, too.
Detroit taco company is a more limited Zumba. They’ve gotten rid of the salsa bar and most of those unique add ons. Most of the food that’s left is the same but it seems lesser than before. I was excited to try the corn but found it to be overcooked and was disappointed that it was only a half of a Cobb. Perhaps I’ve been spoiled by the corn at Imperial, but this was a waste of $ 1.95.

I was a longtime fan of Zumba and was really excited to check this place out. Sad to say, but I was very disappointed. My impression was that instead of beginning an entirely new business, they just took out many of the best qualities of Zumba and changed the name.
I guess my biggest issue is with the food itself. Their vegetarian options are far more limited, with non-​veg «refried» beans instead of pintos. No fresh jalepenos, and the cilantro is an extra charge. No peppers and onions. No salsa bar anymore, either.
I ordered a vegetarian burrito bowl, but the veggies I got – a blend of zucchini summer squash and carrot – were seriously undercooked and tasted like soap. Their seasoned rice is no longer vegetarian, and the veg rice they do offer is plain white rice with corn in it. Mine was under seasoned and over cooked. I also got chips with my bowl, but they were greasy and tasted like chemicals. Though I hope I’m wrong, the roasted tomato salsa that I was served definitely tasted like it was made with chicken stock.
All told, I came here because I got an email anticipating the opening of this restaurant. The marketing team who put it together made the new restaurant seem like a taco-​focused spot that dealt with top quality ingredients and an entirely new approach to fast casual, completely separating itself from Zumba. What I experienced was definitely not that.
I want very badly for this place to succeed, and they definitely have a great space and a dedicated team of employees to make it happen. If they make some changes, it could be good. As it stands, though, they’ve got quite a way to go.

Update:
I went back to DTC last week to see if some kinks had been worked out, and I was surprised and delighted to see the whipped salsa option available once again. If you enjoy spicy food, this elevates any dish there. I got a bowl with both types of chicken offered and was happy to taste a much better product than I expected based on previous experience.
Staff was great as usual, and it looks like the owner is responding to customer feedback.
I have given Detroit Taco Co. two tries since the reboot. The first time I got a bowlritto, and I was disappointed to see fresh jalapeños and cilantro gone, as well as the limited salsa choices. The black beans in the bowl seemed different from the Zumba days, but the salsas were the same. The cojito cheese was a welcome addition to the shredded. A work mate I was there with got steak in his bowl and pulled out two pieces that were just straight up sinewy fat with no meat. My veggie one seemed fine. I chalked it up to the soft opening status and figured the kinks would work out.
The other day I went back to try the tacos, and I ended up getting a couple of the shrimp ones. I was immediately disappointed to see the battered shrimp pulled out of a warming unit. From the taste and texture I am guessing they are a pre-​battered frozen product. Seafood can be tricky in a fresh-​mex place, but I think grilled shrimp either done on the spot or in limited quantities would be a better bet taste wise. The crema topping was on point and the highlight of the tacos. Structurally the corn tortillas fell apart on me pretty quick, so I had to fork all three tacos. Not a big deal, but worth pointing out.
I loved Zumba, and I stopped in there at least once a week since moving to Royal Oak six years ago. Tim’s menu (especially the salsa options) was awesome. I am hoping DTC takes the comments from the cards and on social media and figures out a balance between taste and profit because it’s not quite 100% yet.
I could care less about the atmosphere of a restaurant, especially since my lunches are 90% carry out, but I feel it worth mentioning that the art in DTC is this weird flea market looking air-​brushed pseudo Mexican/​Detroit mashup stuff. It makes me miss the simple look of Zumba, and it looks so empty without the salsa bar :-(.