OUR STORY

How we started

 

Looking for the best Tacos? If you head west from downtown on Fort Street, you’ll pass a lot of abandoned buildings. You can see Detroit’s glory days hanging on the facades of dozens of derelict structures. Keep driving, past the old Cadillac plant on the left, and there, just past the Coney Island on the right, you’ll see a building with “El Roble” (The Oak) painted across the side. The building’s exterior might not be the prettiest, but the restaurant inside more than makes up for it.

In 2010, Arturo Leon opened Taqueria Valente at 6426 W. Fort St., in the building called El Roble. His business is a family affair. Leon oversees the restaurant, his son Valente runs the grill, and his daughters Romelia and Alicia wait tables.

Taqueria Valente is known for its exceptional tacos Al pastor — marinated pork cooked on a spit. Leon has been cooking since he was 13. At 55, he’s a taco artisan. He revels in the details of preparing fresh Jalisco-style tacos and insists on high-quality meat, fresh spices, and tomatillo to make the marinades and salsas. After years of toiling in the competitive taco business in Mexico City, Leon perfected his Al pastor method and brought it to Detroit. Tacos are abundant here, but few have the mouthwatering quality of Taqueria Valente. ''BY MARTINA GUZMÁN // PHOTOGRAPHS BY CYBELLE CODISH''