Mi Lindo Michoacan
3104 Lovers LaneI get pretty curious every time a new Mexican restaurant or food truck pops up in town. It seems like most Mexican places are pretty much the same with a few twists but I just have to try them all looking for the absolutely best tacos in town.
Last spring, a new spot opened up in the Milwood Neighborhood and I’ve been working on getting there ever since. I finally had the time a couple of weeks ago.
Mi Lindo Michoacan is on Lovers Lane in that odd little portion between Cork Street and Portage Street right before Lovers Lane ends. The restaurant is in a building that looks more like a house than a restaurant and shares a parking lot with the Dairy Queen to the south. The building sat empty for quite a few years and underwent an extensive renovation over five years once the new owners purchased it.
The reason it took me so long to order from Mi Lindo Michoacan is because the prices on line. Tacos are listed at $4.68 each which seems obnoxious to me so I kept putting it off. Turns out, the prices online are all higher than if you just go in an order. I didn’t know that so I just picked something else instead of the usual four tacos I would order.
I like the online ordering for a couple of reasons. One, the food is usually ready when I get there so it’s quicker. Two, I didn’t know if this was a counter service place or a full service place. I always hate when I walk in to restaurants just wanting to order some tacos to go and there is no place to do so.
Turns out, this is a counter service restaurant. That counter is near the back of the space in front of the kitchen.
The menu board, with the actual, non-online ordering prices hangs above the counter. It looks like each items is marked up by about $1.20 online. The tacos that were $4.68 to order online were just $3.50 in store. Had I know that, I would have just went in to the store and ordered the tacos I normally get.
I ended up ordering the California Fries. I thought that was how I could get the most bang for my buck. The online ordering really failed me this time though. Not only were the prices higher, but the food wasn’t ready when I got there. I just hung out in the dining area for a few more minutes while the meal was finished. It’s not a huge dining space but it’s got a couple of options with big, comfortable booths and a few table options near the door.
My food was ready about ten minutes after I got there. I grab the box and headed back to work.
The California Fries are French fries topped with steak, yellow cheese, lettuce, sour cream, tomato and jalapeno. The serving is a full to-go Styrofoam container that is filled with frozen food service fries. There was quite a bit of the same steak that would be used on tacos. It was kind of like an American taco on top of fries instead of in a tortilla. This isn’t something I would usually order but I’m actually really glad I did. This was a really hearty, really tasty meal.
The cost for this meal, by ordering online, was right around $15. If I hard ordered in store, it would have been under $14.
If you’re going to order from Mi Lindo Michoacan, just go to the store. It will save you money and, being Mexican food, it won’t take that long to cook. The meal I had was delicious even though it wasn’t my usual four steak taco meal I get from Mexican places. I put off going to this place for so long because I thought the prices were out of line. I’m glad I finally just did it and figured out that the prices really aren’t out of line as long as you bypass the online ordering.
SW Michigan Dining 