If you’re in Grand Rapids and are searching for tacos, fresh margaritas, and a healthy selection of tequila, look no further than Donkey Taqueria. Located inconspicuously in a 1920’s service station — there’s not even a sign on the building — it’s not only a neighborhood meeting point, but a dining destination.

We had the pleasure of chatting with Emily Savageau to learn more about the ins-and-outs of Donkey Taqueria, named Best Latin American Restaurant by Grand Rapids Magazine.

Before digging into a plate of tacos, Donkey Taqueria has some great botanas, or appetizers, to try. Their homemade chips and guacamole are quite popular, as well as the Queso Fundido de Chorizo. The latter is served warm with fresh corn tortillas, but it’s also great for dipping their crispy tortilla chips. It’s like a Mexican comfort food; we enjoyed it immensely.

If “taqueria” is in your name, you better make a damn good taco. Donkey Taqueria delivers. Their tacos are high-quality creations — Tacos Pastor and the Fish Tacos are the most popular — because everything is made from scratch.

“They’re in the back making tortillas as we speak,” mentioned Savageau.

You might expect to see a burrito or two on the menu, but they only offer one during brunch, available every Saturday and Sunday from 10 AM – 2 PM. We appreciate and respect that they stick to what the do best: Tacos. After all, why mess up a good thing?

What is a proper Mexican food experience without a margarita? We are fairly big margarita fans, so it was nice to their selection on the menu. All of their margaritas are served on the rocks — no fake frozen-fruit ones here — and feature mixes made fresh in-house.

At the recommendation of our gracious host, we ordered the Guava Margarita, which was recently replaced on the menu with the White Peach Margarita. Savageau kicked up the heat by mixing half jalapeno tequila and half regular tequila. Based on how good it was, we think they should bring it back! It was out of this world, as was the Classic Margarita we sipped.

What type of atmosphere can you expect when chowing down on tacos and guzzling margaritas at Donkey Taqueria? We would describe it as unpretentiously cool.

The interior is decidedly contemporary, yet simply stated, so it felt comfortable to us. Even better, they have a large patio for outdoor dining in the summer. What’s better than a margarita on a steamy summer day in Michigan?

While our February experience at Donkey Taqueria was a great one, we can only imagine it will get better in the summer. We’ll certainly be back to confirm our theory!