2929 Howard StreetMexican food and pizza. Two classic staples of late night good on college campuses across America.
I’ve worked at a lot of different Universities and whenever I get to town, I look for a late night pizza place or a late night burrito joint that will have tacos.
Kalamazoo really lacked those for a while. The pizza place came in with Hot Slice alongside a Greek joint. Qdoba was open late on West Main on weekends, but something in Campus Pointe would really be a benefit to the campus community.
It seems like over a year ago when signs went up along West Michigan advertising a new Mexican place moving in to Campus Pointe Mall. Recently, that sign was finally changed from “Coming Soon” to “Now Open.”
Que Buenos Fresh Mexican Grill is in the Campus Pointe Mall on the corner of Howard and West Michigan near Western Michigan University’s campus. The restaurant takes over a space between The Den Party Store and what is now Y Bar & Bistro. The last thing I can remember this space being is a Metro PCS store, but there could have been something else in between.
Que Buenos got their start at in Bowling Green, KY near the campus of Western Kentucky University. This store in Kalamazoo looks to be just their second location.
The restaurant is a cross between fast casual and casual Mexican food. It’s counter service with a huge menu. They have things as simple as tacos and burritos for the grab-n-go kind of meal but they also do plates like you’d see at a full service Mexican restaurant with rice and beans on the side.
There is a rather large dining room with pub tables spread throughout. The decor is dark with a faux brick floor. Mexican themed paintings and decorations are hung throughout alongside the TV’s that are hung on the walls.
By far, my favorite thing about Mexican food is tacos. I could easily live on tacos if given the chance. Que Buenos has the option for either Mexican (corn tortilla with Cilantro and onion) or American (flour tortilla with lettuce and cheese) tacos. I chose five Asada Mexican tacos with just the cilantro.
The cashier rang up the order and it came to $27. That wasn’t right. I asked the cashier and he realized he punched the order in as 3 orders of 3 tacos and 2 orders of 1 taco…so 11 in total. He voided out the transaction and punched it in the right way which came out to just over $12.
I grabbed a seat in the dining room and waited a little less than ten minutes for my order to be handed to me. I headed back to the office with a bag that looked much bigger than it should have for five tacos, but I didn’t investigate. I could smell the tacos so I just assumed they were in there.
The extra in the bag was a small paper bag of chips. If you dine in, you get a basket of chips and salsa on the table. They look to include that in carry-out meals as well.
The slightly salty chips come alongside a small cup of a fresh salsa. There’s not quite enough for all the chips if you’re greedy like I am. The thin salsa had a really fresh taste to it with just a little heat.
The tacos were exactly what I was hoping they would be. Each of the tacos comes with two soft corn tortillas that soaks up the juices from the chopped seasoned steak. Each one of the tacos were about half filled with meat with just enough cilantro on top to cover it.
There was a small cup of a green salsa included with the tacos. It was a very thin sauce that had a lot of onions in it. I was hesitant at first…because I don’t like onions….but I went for it and the peppers really drowned out the onion taste.
I will never complain when a Mexican restaurant that serves Mexican style tacos opens up near me. It’s such a simple meal but it’s one I can eat over and over again without every tiring of.
Que Buenos Fresh Mexican Grill is a great addition to area near Western Michigan University. The more late night food options the better. When I first moved to Kalamazoo, I was amazed at the lack of places to grab a quick bite to eat at 1:00 AM or later. That has been rectified in the last few years and having a Mexican option after midnight is something I welcome.