A Mexican Coney Island Arrives on Michigan Avenue With Huevos Rancheros #DetroitFood

Three plates of food being held by someone at Jordan’s Family Restaurant in Detroit, Michigan.

Huevos divorciados, pancakes with maple syrup, cafe de olla, and more Mexican and American diner classics

Don’t get us wrong, we know that many of the area restaurants, bakeries, and cafes low-key serve legit traditional Mexican breakfasts. But they often take second string to tacos, tortas, and quesadillas. How about a spot whose star attractions include huevos rancheros, chilaquiles, breakfast burritos, and fresh-squeezed orange juice? A place where an order of pancakes can seamlessly be paired with cafe de olla, or a burger can be served Mexican-style with avocado and pico de gallo salsa?

You can now find this mashup of beloved Mexican and American breakfasts and diner fare at Jordan’s Family Restaurant at 7031 Michigan Avenue. Jordan’s has been a part of Southwest Detroit’s Claytown area since 1986, offering a reliable and affordable menu of breakfast staples, club sandwiches, and pita wraps. The family behind Detroit’s stalwart Taqueria Mi Pueblo took ownership of the longtime restaurant over the summer, rebooting the menu in the process.

The previous menu of eggs and toast, hash browns, and griddled items like pancakes and waffles remains. Now, in addition to being able to order bacon, sausage, or ham with their breakfast entrees, customers can select proteins that one would find on Mi Pueblo’s taqueria offerings, including chorizo, carne asada, or marinated pork — al pastor. On the Mexican side, customers can order specialties like huevos divorciados, chilaquiles in red or green salsa, or filling breakfast burritos or tortas. To drink, expect fresh-squeezed orange juice, as well as traditional aguas frescas, bottled cokes, and Jarritos, and perhaps one of the best offerings of cafe de olla in the city. Each serving of the drink is presented in a glazed ceramic olla, or mug, and is especially aromatic as the coffee is brewed with cinnamon, piloncillo, and cloves. Top off any meal with dessert, such as Mi Pueblo’s popular flan.

Manager Karina Lopez, whose father launched Mi Pueblo as an underground taqueria a quarter century ago, tells Eater that the family reopened the space as their own on July 31.

“You could call it like a Mexican Coney Island because it’s a fusion,” says Lopez. “It’s kind of cool because it caters a little bit to different tastes. You’ll have the older people that come with their kids or even grandkids, and then they get the more traditional Mexican breakfasts, and then the kids will get pitas or clubs and stuff like that. So it kind of gives them a little bit of both.”

Lopez says about half of the diner’s clientele is composed of longtime regulars. The other half is made up of Mi Pueblo loyalists. The new Jordan’s retained the existing staff, though the spot closed briefly in July for renovations that included removing the old drop-down ceiling and replacing it with rustic wood detailing, reupholstering the seating, and installing new lighting fixtures.

Eater Detroit contributing photographer Rosa Maria Zamarrón stopped by the revitalized Jordan’s over the weekend and captured some of the late-morning scenery.