Serving up California-style tacos, El Catrin Taco Shop opens in Lansing
LANSING — Featuring an inviting, colorful sign out front, and a menu of southwest specialties, a shop highlighting California-style tacos has filled an East Michigan Avenue building left vacant when Tannin, an Italian restaurant, closed its doors in August.
El Catrin Taco Shop, 1620 E. Michigan Ave., opened on Dec. 22, and the menu, which includes corn tortilla tacos filled with steak, ground beef, shredded beef stew, marinated pork, grilled chicken or Mexican sausage, offers "something so different from other places," said Marco Escobar, one of the restaurant's owners.
Escobar, a native of San Diego, said the street tacos in his hometown inspired the menu at El Catrin.
Escobar drove by the property after Tannin closed in 2023 and was inspired.
"I saw it and thought, 'This is a good size for a taco shop: California style," he said. "We don't need a lot of space."
El Catrin offers tacos made with a variety of meats and topped with onions, cilantro and guacamole. Dishes include tostadas, burritos, quesadillas, bowls, nachos, a corn tortilla cheese sandwich called mulita, and "loaded fries" topped with cheese dip, onions, cilantro and sour cream.
Appetizers on the menu include choriqueso, made with chorizo, cheese dip, pico de gallo, flour tortillas and corn chips, and elote, which is corn on the cob with mayonnaise, Cotija cheese and Tajin seasoning.
"The food is tasty and fast, and everything's fresh," Escobar said.
Customers order their food at the front counter and take the items to go or dine in. The restaurant has seating for more than 30 people and will add a drive-thru window to serve customers as late as 3 a.m. in the next few weeks, Escobar said.
"That drive-thru is going to be open late," he said. "We're working on that now."
El Catrin's staff of fewer than a dozen will likely grow in the coming months, Escobar said.
"I like being here because we have the college, we have the hospital," he said. "We are trying to do good quality food."
Follow El Catrin Taco Shop on Facebook at "El Catrin Tacos & More."
Contact Rachel Greco at rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, @GrecoatLSJ .
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This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: El Catrin Taco Shop in Lansing serves California-style tacos
