Mom-and-pop paletería La Piña Loca, which opened in 2019 on Platt and Ellsworth and added a kitchen for savory Mexican snacks more than two years ago, is doubling down with a second location.
Benjamin de Jesus Garduno says the new Pittsfield Twp. spot, on Carpenter just south of Michigan Ave., was their top choice six years ago, but Borimex Restaurant (see June 2026 Closings) got there first. Now they’ve taken over the lease, bought their restaurant equipment, and anticipate a late May launch, with indoor and outdoor seating.
Related: La Piña Loca (Oct. 2020) and A Paleteria on Platt Rd. (Mar. 2019)
“With the stuff that we sell, it’s a really good area,” he says, a quick walk from the Arbor Meadows mobile home community and a shorter drive for existing customers from towns south and east.
He and his spouse Gloria Sendejo, with five children in the Ann Arbor school district, have cultivated community with sponsorships and donations. “We always try to support my kids’ school[s],” he says. “Then parents, they pay back. All the community, they come and support the business.”
Related: The Restaurant Kids Are All Right (May 2026)
Among their sweet and often spicy treats, the top picks have proven to be the mangonada (mango ice cream, fresh mango, chamoy, Tajin seasoning, and a tamarind stick) and fresas con crema (strawberry with housemade sweet cream, coconut, granola, raisins, and walnuts). On the taqueria front, Garduno singles out esquite, a Mexican street corn salad with mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, and Tajin.
La Piña Loca, 5561 Carpenter. Daily 11 a.m.–10 p.m. orderlapinaloca.com
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