Pilar's Tamales in Ann Arbor, MI

Where I lived in northern New Jersey, you could eat almost anything cooked by someone who grew up in that country, or the culture, of the dish. I remember one student at a university where I taught bringing the class fresh empanadas that her grandmother made just for us (and her niece’s grade? Maybe, but they were delicious.) My parents brought me to an annual Cuban pig roast in the summers. In particular, there was no lack of fabulous Latin American food.

Here in Ann Arbor, Michigan, of course, there’s less. After a positive article in the local Edible magazine and driving by its colorful exterior, my husband and I ate lunch at Pilar’s Tamales recently.

As you can see from the photos, we ordered entirely too much: mixed plate of tamales (beef, pork and beans with cheese), one pork tamale, pork papusa and fried plantains. We shared an imported Coca-Cola made with real sugar instead of corn syrup. Needless to say, we were stuffed. As the menu describes, menu, almost everything is made there and they use many natural ingredients.

It is a small space that seems designed to mostly serve take-out. Since we were the only ones there, we comfortably ate at the counter. Everything was delicious and we enjoyed eating something not only authentic, but less common for this town. We look forward to going back and trying the other dishes.