A new and a newly reopened Detroit restaurant have been listed on the New York Times “Restaurant List.”
The prestigious publication plucked east-side Detroit Polish restaurant Roses and Central Southwest Mexican destination Tacos Wuey for their collection of “our 50 favorite places in America right now.”
Both chef-driven restaurants feature family recipes and locally sourced cuisine. Roses and Tacos Wuey have earned a ton of local accolades, too.
Among the big full-color features Roses has gotten include a glowing 3-star review from The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press’ restaurant of the year, both in February. Molly Mitchell’s 28-seat spot is a love letter to diner culture with a sophisticated European twist. Think pickle martinis and pierogi with caviar.
Tacos Wuey is a new restaurant on Vernor Hwy. in Southwest Detroit.
“Eating in this circa-1964 space, with its green walls and pink and orange curtains, feels a bit like having a meal in Grandma’s sunroom, but the wax-drenched candlesticks standing watch like peacocks and the colorful bouquets plucked from the parking lot garden out back keep it fresh and modern,” wrote Sara Bonistell, one of 16 editors and reporters on the scouting team that created this list.
Chef Eddie Vargas opened Tacos Wuey in July 2025 to much fanfare. The seasoned chef and beverage professional uses his family recipe for birria. In the past year, the restaurant has been listed as a best new restaurant in several Detroit publications, including this one.
We’ll quibble a bit with writer Brett Anderson’s description of Tacos Wuey, which calls it Vargas’ first restaurant. He was a partner at Peso in Hubbard Richard pre-pandemic.
The New York Times recently name-dropped another Detroit restaurant, Vecino, on their list of “41 of the Greatest Mexican Restaurants Across the United States.”
mbaetens@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Two Detroit favorites make New York Times’ 2026 Restaurant List
Dining and Cooking