When restaurateur Raul Rojo realized that many Washtenaw County diners were driving up to Fenton or Linden for his authentic Mexican cuisine, he paid $950,000 for the building fronting Saline’s Commons at Sauk Trail shopping center.
The Mexicantown resident’s third location was also to be called Cancun Mexican Restaurant and Cantina, but less than a mile west is Cancun Mexican Grill. To avoid confusion, Rojo pivoted to the birth state of his parents, naming it Jalisco Mexican Restaurant and Cantina.
“There’s customers for everyone,” Rojo says of the Saline-area market, which now includes four full-service Mexican restaurants along the Michigan Ave. corridor. “But I want to give an opportunity to the community of Saline to come and try our flavor and our dishes and our drinks and specials.”
Rojo made over the former Ruby Tuesday’s with custom booths and tables built and hand-painted in Mexico. The expansive menu of meat, seafood, and vegetarian choices includes molcajete, a traditional dish from the region featuring five different proteins, vegetables, and spices served in a volcanic stone bowl. The full bar includes specialty margaritas and Mexican cocktails such as cantaritos, a fruity tequila concoction served in clay cups.
Jalisco Mexican Restaurant and Cantina, 1375 E. Michigan Ave., Saline. (734) 291–0302. Mon.–Sat 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Facebook: Jalisco Mexican Restaurant and Cantina