Taqueria "La Palapa" — Restaurant in Detroit

The atmosphere was very festive and friendly. We parked in the back and walked into an outdoor covered area,where people were sitting. Found out this was another eating area, very casual. There was a door to access the inside. Love the inside decor, huge bar area, long counter for carry out orders, lots of seating, wall art. We choose to sit outside, very cute wooden booths seating - four people. It's next to the street and flanked by the sidewalk so expect some sounds. Still we loved sitting outside. Our first waitress didn't speak English, and I speak a little Spanish. She has another waitress who was not only fluent in English but extremely knowledgeable about the restaurant, the food & drink menu, their awards, and a super cool person. I wish I could remember her name it sounded so beautiful when she told us. It was a special occasion so I selected a beverage called La Llorona for my foster daughters birthday. The bartender, who was was super friendly and really knows how to make a beverage, served it at the table in a wooden box, when he opened the lid smoke poured out. The drink mug was covered with a savory syrup on one side, needless to say it was beautiful and tasty. My daughter is vegetarian so they accommodated her by removing meat and adding roasted fresh jalapeno, and onions to the order. I had their award winning Birria tacos, very meaty, marinated and delicious. Definitely worth the trip to Detroit. Love, love, loved the experience! Looking forward to...

We visited El Parían on July 18 to celebrate my mother’s 72nd birthday. While I’ve always loved their taco truck, the dine-in restaurant experience left room for improvement. We were a large group, but surprisingly, despite seeing several servers walking around, hardly anyone checked in on us. I asked for a simple water refill that never came, and others at the table had similar service concerns.

The biggest letdown was the food temperature—several of us were served rice that was noticeably cold to the touch. It’s unfortunate because the flavor was actually good, but when food isn’t served hot, it really affects the overall experience.

Additionally, we were surprised to find that an automatic tip had already been charged to our credit card—without any notice. Had we not caught it, we would’ve accidentally tipped twice. We had to request our additional tip back, which felt awkward and could have easily been avoided with clear communication.

Overall, the restaurant has potential because the food itself is flavorful, but the service and transparency need serious attention—especially when it comes to handling large parties. I hope they improve because I still believe in their food, just not the way it was...

First things first is I love wicho & his work in the food industry! I will always support him & his family, definitely great people! But business has been going down hill . Food isn’t the same anymore . LA Palapa , been here 3 times now & food has been pretty Alr . 2 days ago I came in w/ my bf & father in law . Service was terrible ! Waitress was literally the worst & I’m a manager at a restaurant & I’m very patient & very understanding. But this girl just seemed liked she didn’t care abt working nor attending us . We were very nice & considerate w/ her but she continued to forget abt almost everything we asked for , didn’t bring us water , didn’t bring us our appetizer until all the food came out , food was cold like if it was sitting on the window for awhile , fajitas were bland , my steak was literally all fat & chewy . My father In law orders the alambres and they were all veggies barely any meat or chicken . All our tortillas were cold as hell & when we wanted more napkins & refills she completely disappeared, not once did she come back after our food came out . I honestly believe she went on break or something bc she didn’t come back until we were all done &...