Food was good. A little pricey and the enchiladas were good but needed salsa definitely. A side of salsa that was needed was another $2. Still a good spot. Cute decor. Would come back if I was in the area. Would try the pizza next time, looked good! read more

Gran Castor - Enchiladas Blanca - Latin American Near Me - Troy, Michigan

A modern restaurant with an intimate, inviting lounge and dining room. A new and exciting ambiance from the moment we arrived. Unfortunately, a party of 9 on a Friday night was a challenge. Ninety minutes was their best guesstimate. "Please feel free to frequent the bar, enjoy the big screens and move about the facility or simply wait in the entry." Naturally, I wandered the building. A very spacious location and incredibly clean. It wasn't a lack of space issue as much as all the wonderful patrons. Everyone here was extremely patient and accommodating. Forty-five minutes later we were seated and giving drink orders. There is a full bar and generous beer selection. Actually, Gran Castor is a great option to just stop in the lounge or by the fire for a cocktail or two. We know Steven E. Is no expert on trendy Latino-American cuisine. My cousin and his wife are. I learned some valuable info on the spices and flavours in the food and the various combinations. These folks know what they're doing. Some fans are telling me it's the best in town. From Tacos to salads to pizza and more. We started with some very tasty Nachos but less the desirable avocado. We built our own pizza which was sensational. My brother had some awesome brisket chops. A perfect appetizer is the Sweet Pea Guacamole starring Avocado, English peas, scallions and cilantro topped with spiced pepitas and corn chips on the side. I'm sorry I forgot their name but our server was incredibly funny. Super attentive and quick on the delivery. Water and hootch kept full and the perfect amount of visits for our time here. Next visit to the motor city will find us here. Great food. Great staff. Great atmosphere. 3/20 read more

See all

What a great place this is to grab some food! Service is fast and friendly! Decorating looks incredible - so nice and cozy with the fireplace, all the couches and comfortable chairs! Their nachos are amazing! So as the breakfast bowl - it's a must have! They have some special sauce in it that makes everything just better. And Extra avocado is a must read more

We had a great meal here! I only knocked a star off because service was off but the food and atmosphere were pretty great. When you walk in, there is a little coffee bar to your left that unfortunately wasn't open when we arrived for dinner but I would definitely check that out when I'm in the area again. It took a while for someone to come to the host stand and acknowledge us but we were finally seated towards the back of the dining area (which is huge! And nicely decorated). We weren't given any silverware until we were served our entrées which was odd but our server said they were "working on it" which I assume means they were being washed and rolled. But onto the food - we had the nachos to start which were a huge portion and so tasty! That green sauce is everything. We shared an elote pizza and 2 tacos (carne asada and hot chicken) which was definitely enough food for both of us. The elote pizza was sooooo good. Love the tajin flavored crust on it. The hot chicken was also a fantastic flavorful taco. Unfortunately the carne asada didn't deliver and we didn't care for it. Overall I really enjoyed dining here. Food came out quickly, there is an interesting drink menu that we didn't indulge in this time, lots of cute seating areas. Great place for a date or a girls night. I will definitely be back to try more. read more

See all

I've driven by here so many times without stopping, it was about time I made a visit. It is LOUD. There's no doubt about that. They had the windows/ doors to the outside open which brought in a nice breeze, but also all the road noise that is Big Beaver & Rochester road traffic. Between that, the music, and all the other guests it was difficult to hear. We moved up front to the bar where it was only slightly quieter. Service was exceptional- never having been here I asked for suggestions on what to eat, and also what drinks to pair it with. Very pleased with the suggestions. Service was quick, and always available. Some of the friendliest servers I've come across in a while. Food was delicious. I tried a variety of the tacos and each one was just as delicious as the last. Portion sizes were generous. They do have a few vegan options - jackfruit taco was good! I'm excited about this family of restaurants and can't wait to try some of their others. Will definitely be back. read more

We went for dinner with a party of 5 and had an excellent meal. The service was very friendly and the food was delish. We ordered chips/salsa/queso for the table. The chips are thick and crunchy and all three salsas were fresh and flavorful. I did not care for the queso as it was more of a creamy spread than I prefer but it was still tasty. My meal was a half bowl with beans, pepitas, avocado, quinoa and I'd order it 10 times out of 10. Overall it was just what we didn't know we needed for a great dinner for our hungry hockey players! read more

Gran Castor - The bar area and lounge. Loved the ambiance...unique but inviting! - Latin American Near Me - Troy, Michigan

Driven by this place for years and always wondered what it was like. We finally went when other restaurant plans fell through and, let me tell you, Gran Castor exceeded my expectations. It's so Instagram cute inside, reminded me of Air BnB decor lol. Our server was very attentive. I ordered the half chopped salad with grilled chicken. It felt healthy (all whole foods other than the dressing) but was tasty and was just the right amount of food. Would love to come back and sip cocktails in the cozy armchairs around the fire. Note: they appeared to have some kind of coffee shop inside the restaurant, I'm not really sure what was going on. read more

Shane was our server after two days of training and you never know it. He gave great recommendations of entrees, appetizer, and beverages. All very different for us. All very good. We will be back. read more

Black hair in the rice. Ugh this place has been pretty disappointing lately I tried to call to complain at 945pm but no one was picking up the phone. I find that interesting since they are open till 10pm. I use to love this place but it's definitely going down hill read more

Gran Castor - Nothing like a curly black hair in the rice to ruin the whole meal - Latin American Near Me - Troy, Michigan

I was very disappointed in our meal. my husband had the burrito with baked cheese on top. He couldn't cut it, the cheese was dark and hard. I had the enchiladas, they were mushy and not a lot of filling. Drinks were weak. our bill was over $100.00. will not go back read more

Solid spot with a great interior setup. The reason for 4 stars the the over priced menu. This place is honestly not worth the cost, but the interior make it palatable from time to time. The pizza is the way to go and they have vegetarian soup! Worth a try, but bring your pocket book! read more

Would not get the tortilla soup Would not get the queso Elote pizza, recommend Guacamole, recommend The decor is cute but on cinco de mayo I was hoping to feel the culture at what is supposed to be a Mexican restaurant but it was a regular franchise experience. read more

See all

Nice ambience. Their elote pizza was amazing. Their tacos were good too. They had sweet potato tacos that I liked (I am vegetarian). My friend mentioned spicy chicken tacos were good too. read more

See all

I've seen and heard about this place, and have been wanting to try it for some time. I finally got to experience it with 5 other yelpers last night for a UYE and it was fabulous! Walking in, I love the setup. It has plenty of open seating, and there were huge booths throughout the place. They also had 2 and 4 top tables as well for smaller parties. We got seated in the back, at a huge booth, which had plenty of room throughout. I also love the decor here, as it's very well done. Not over stated, not to minimal. The menus were already at the table, and they have a great selection of items to choose from. Burritos, pizza, tacos, nachos and other items as well. I didn't want a ton of food, so I stuck to two tacos. Also, you know what's cool about this place? you can order different styles of tacos all at once! WHAT? YES. I LOVE THAT. I ended up ordering two tacos. One was regular ground beef, and the other was brisket. I loved both! The brisket was really spicy, and had jalapenos in it. So, I had to make sure I wasn't eating the whole jalapeno in one bite. LOL. Anyways, the rest of my party had other items, like tacos, dip and nachos. Derek's nachos looked so good, but I was already so full from my tacos that I couldn't think about getting over there to try them. Considering there was six of us, our server handled us well. Drinks were filled, she checked in on us regularly, and did a good job of handling our party. Food was really good and I would totally come here again. Thank you Gran Castor, you are the best! read more

Gran Castor - Latin American Near Me - Troy, Michigan

Amazing food and service! Came from Texas and stopped here to eat and this will now always be my go to spot! The ambience was also so relaxing. I highly recommend! read more

See all

What do you get with good ambiance, great staff, delicious food? Gran Castor. We have visited this restaurant couple of times in the past year and the service and quality has been consistently great. Highly recommend for date night or visiting with friends and family. There foos selection is unique, healthy, and tasty. Definitely a choice above many box/cookie cutter restaurants in the area. Highly recommend them! read more

We went during an off hour at 4pm on Friday so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. When you first walk in you are greeted with a great deal of warmth from the decorations. The ambiance is very inviting. The prices were a bit on the high side but the quality of the food, drink and ambiance make up for the slight uptick in cost. I had a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. I loved that it was served chilled to a perfect temperature. I hate when I get good white wine served at room temperature. I thought the wine glass was very unique as it was served in what appears to be a sawed-off wine bottle; fun. I ordered the Champ style taco night taco and devoured it! So delicious! I had to borrow my mom's salsa to perk up the taco. No free chips and salsa here, you'll need to pony up close to $8.00 for that typical fare. When I try a new place to eat I like to order several items so I can get a good idea of what the restaurant offers. So, even though I'm not a macaroni and cheese fan I went ahead and ordered a side dish of this decadent childhood favorite. I'm so glad I ordered the mac-n-cheese as it was served piping hot and was delicious! Our server, Tom, was pleasant, informative, efficient and kind. Bonus there was art work on the wall that was very easy on the eyes - wink-wink to that hunky guy wearing a multi-colored robe and showing a nice side of beef, er - man-thigh. I'll be back read more

See all

I have been wanting to dine at Gran Castor for quite awhile now, as I live all of the Union Joints, Honcho and Vinsetta. I saw that the menu was very similar to Honcho so I was excited to see how it stays up. Sadly, not even close. Honcho is great, this not so much. I'll start with my cocktail, a Paloma which I also have had many times at Honcho. They were not even remotely the same. This one did not have a grapefruit taste and it sort of seemed like tequila and 7up or something like that. I should have ordered a marg. Onto food, I had the rice bowl with pulled pork. I was so hopeful. First it came with missing ingredients, I was so looking forward to those spicy carrots but they were MIA. There was barely any rice on the dish and I feel like I got the burn leftover pulled pork because it was extremely hard and chewy and not the typical standard of pulled pork I'd expect at a Union affiliated restaurant. I think I'll stick to Honcho's over this place. read more

I came here on a Saturday night with a larger party as it was a meetup meeting. The parking lot is unique and it is definitely a one way in and out type of place in some sections. It is hard to determine whom is head of you is near to impossible given the eating arrangements. There is a small amount near the coffee/bakery and then some random couches near the fireplace. Though why there is a fireplace is beyond me. Seating at the bar is a first come first serve basis. However you basically have to be super skinny because the wait staff is always passing behind you. The margaritas are set and you can't really change them. They are also expensive and on the small side when you compare them to a regular margarita. When we got seated, there was no chips and salsa. This is something that is typical at most if not all Mexican restaurants. The menu is such a weird mix of Mexican, burgers and pizza. I ordered the nachos and in order to get guacamole, I had to order grilled avocado. So weird. The nachos also came with carrots! I'm not sure I will be back, but at least I can say that I have been. read more

See all

3.5/5 stars, so I'll round up to 4 stars. My boyfriend and I dined here today for the first time, for the Troy Restaurant Week menu. All of the food was very tasty, except much spicier than I thought it would be. The TRW menu was 4 courses, and we started with the Barbacoa sticky ribs, which were amazing, and the Jerk chicken taquitos. The ribs reminded me of the ones they have at Parc, though actually not as spicy, and they were sweet and thick. The taquitos were fine but didn't really taste like Jerk chicken. I had the grilled avocado salad and it was good, but the sauce was some sort of mole vinaigrette, so it was spicy; I ate half and handed the rest off to my boyfriend. He had the Caesar salad and said it was fine but nothing special. For the tacos, I had the Banh Mi taco, and it was great (except, again, spicy). I took out the jalapenos, but still. He had the hot chicken taco, and although he has a high tolerance for heat, he said it was still very spicy, albeit tasty. Dessert was soft serve, I had chamomile vanilla and he had Mexican dark chocolate. Both were very good - mine only had a hint of chamomile, but his had a lot of cinnamon; not really my preference, but definitely an interesting flavor. I took a peek at the regular menu too and everything looked really inventive - their tacos and pizzas especially (they have an elote pizza, aka a corn pizza, that looks interesting!). They don't do a happy hour at all but my boyfriend tried their margarita ($8), and liked it ... the margaritas are actually on tap, which was different. The reason Gran Castor gets 4 stars from me and not 5 is the waitservice. We had an older gentleman for our waiter and although he was prompt with the water refills (always appreciated), he never really checked on us throughout the meal or asked how we were enjoying the food. I also asked for a 'wet nap' at one point since the ribs were kind of messy, and he simply said they don't have any, and then walked away ... perhaps he could have offered me a regular napkin or something else. Although the food was very tasty, I was very underwhelmed by the waitservice here. That being said, I'd like to come back to try more of their menu, at some point. read more

See all

Do you want to grab some dessert? My cousin and I stopped in late night for a sugar craving! We were in for such a treat! We ordered the tres leche ! It was sooooo good! I have never had anything like it before! Try it read more

Gran Castor - Tres lechee Pie in a Jar - Latin American Near Me - Troy, Michigan

Eric is the best, totally made my night with an amazing mocktail so I didn't feel left out with the other folks. Also get the elote pizza, it's lifechanging! this place is a GEM! read more

Gran Castor - Latin American Near Me - Troy, Michigan

Gone here twice and it might just be me but the food is not really my taste. Got the tacos and they were not good. The pizza is okay. Overall you're probably coming here for the ambience since the decor is pretty nice. It's also overpriced for the type of food they serve. read more

Made a reservation for 6 for this evening at 6:50PM. Our group arrives to the restaurant and we're told that there is no reservation and we'd have to wait. I explain to the hostess and show her my call log and the name of the employee I spoke with that we made a reservation, she looks into it for about 10 minutes and then seats us at a table. Our waiter doesn't come to the table for a good twenty minutes, we don't even have water brought to the table. When he finally arrives, we're brought water and give him our drink orders - in which we have to wait another 15 minutes. We place our appetizer orders and again it takes a long time to the point we ask what the hold up is and he states the kitchen is backed up but I explain that the table adjacent from us received their food but were seated after us... he goes to the kitchen and brings out the guacamole and queso starters - and the queso is cold even though he had stated it was being "cooked" in the wood oven but felt like it had been sitting out a while. We finally order our meals and it's all around disappointing. The food was terrible - the taco tortillas were breaking apart, the pizza was soggy/cold, and everything had "seasoned" sunflower seeds even though the dish had no purpose having them included (nor is it mentioned in the menu description). From the extremely slow service, to the unremarkable and over priced food - I wouldn't recommend Gran Castor to anyone. This isn't my first time here with this same experience, but I wanted to give them another try. read more

Thank goodness for this place! It scratches my Honcho itch by being closer and serving some of thier staple items....but including stone oven pizzas! For a Tuesday during spring it wasn't too busy and made it in the kick of time yo get some happy hour margaritas ($5 until 6pm) What makes this and Honcho stand out regarding tacos is their option to go house( two soft corn; OG), dorado (2 soft corn with melted cheese between) or champ (1 hard, 1 soft with melted cheese in between). There are some tacos that turn up a notch when you get it champ or dorado style: it's a safe experiment to explore. Now, the thing that separates Gran Castor from its Clarkston counterpart: the pizza! I went for the popular recommendation route and had the elite pizza. I was impressed by the intense garlic flavor and kick from the chili powder crust that was just enough to lick my lips and ready to take another bite rather than reach for water. It also looked beautiful which, don't get me wrong, i would have eaten this pizza blindfolded and still loved it but the aesthetic of the green chile drizzle was very inviting. When I want to take someone to a place with the best unique tacos but do not want to take the super trek to Clarkston, I come here hands down! read more

See all

Wow so disappointed in this place comparing it to all the other restaurants they own. The interior is actually beautiful and I love what they did to it! The biggest interior problem in my opinion though is the lighting. We came in for dinner around 6pm and it was practically pitch black inside. (Keep in mind were not big meat eaters so all of our meals were meatless but they obviously have the option to add it if that's what you're into!) The food to me was really disappointing. We ordered: A veggie burrito- to add meat to it was like an additional $5 which would have brought it up to almost $19 FOR A BURRITO! That's crazyyyyy. The nachos were the best thing we had- the pickled carrots and jalapeños really made this dish pop and it's large enough to make a great shareable. The elote pizza- superrrrrr skimpy on the corn topping but the worst part of it all was the fact that they used tajin on the crust. It was so sour and didn't compliment the pizza well at all. The main topping of the pizza was roasted corn but it was barely on there. Superrrrrrrr disappointed in this place and would not give it another shot. The menu items are really bizarre and the options that they do have are just not good. read more

Really enjoyed our dinner here! Seated quickly and service was great! Drinks promptly refilled and felt welcome! Fun restaurant vibe! The Elote pizza is fabulous! We also enjoyed the salsas and chips and queso and chips! Several enjoyed the Bahn Mi taco and the sweet potato taco! We will be back! read more

Great happy hour pricing, decor is very nice. We have been to Huncho in Clarkston same company. Waitress was friendly and attentive.

Food was great, although it was for a baby shower on a Sunday afternoon. Great setup and service. More of a brunch menu, and was just wonderful. Loved the ambience in overall of this restaurant. We plan to go back for dinner there, soon! read more

The wife and I tried this place on a Thursday night. It was packed. Atmosphere was clean, classy and was inviting but a little noisy. Too Many people having a god time. Go figure. We tried hot hot chicken tacos. Brace yourself there friggin hot. We ordered chips and salsa ( you pay for this appetizer) and the three flavors of green , salsa were delicious. The chips I understand come from hacienda foods in southwest Detroit. Ole! The beef taco was a marvel of flavors ! A side of rice comes in a small bowl and is ok. We also ordered the Tamale pie which is really for vegetarians not meat eaters. We sampled a bite but it was not for us. Our BAD. The taco with pulled pork was also very good. The chairs at the bar are custom made and looked very comfortable. We will be going back and try more items off that outrageous menu! read more

See all

First time here - the ambience is great but the host desk should really let guests know that there is seating inside by the fireplace with sofas and that you can order drinks and apps there. The place is actually very big, after the main area there's two additional dining areas. I think I will have to give this place another try because everything looked great and the service was good but all the meats were very overdone/dry and had very little flavor. The Honcho chicken actually had some flavor but was just insanely spicy and again was very hard and dry. I'll try again in a few weeks because the menu looks great and maybe I just caught a night when they didn't flavor and cook their meats properly. 3 s for now... read more

See all

Wow. I have no idea how Gran Castor doesn't have a higher rating right now. It is SO GOOD. Full disclosure: we've actually held off on going because of the rating. Now I'm sad for all we've been missing out on! Because Gran Castor is DELICIOUS. The restaurant is beautiful inside, first of all. Perfectly decorated. They're also very on top of social distancing and COVID safety protocol, and the staff was absolutely wonderful. We started with margaritas because they were only $5 from 4-6! So delicious. I tried the special, a blood orange thai chili margarita, and it was the perfect amount of spicy and flavorful. I ordered a second. That good! We ordered the chips and salsa appetizer, and it was excellent. The chips were perfect, and the salsas were unique and flavorful. Maybe the best chips and salsa appetizer we've ever had! There are super unique tacos you can order a la carte, so we tried the Bahn Mi, which is a MUST, the pollo asado, and the fried chicken taco. Honestly, they were all great. I can't wait to go back and try more. The shrimp po boy sounds awesome. We also had the refried black beans and they were a yummy side. Rounded out our fantastic evening with some mini donuts served with a chocolate sauce and a salted caramel sauce. The caramel was my favorite. Definitely indulgent! I'm so excited to return. I want to try their pizza! It was such a great experience from start to finish. read more

See all

First thing you notice about this place is the decor, and trying to figure what it is. It is early 70's modern southwest decor. Lots of cacti everywhere. Paper mache ones, in the wall paper. Wicker light fixtures, bright brass trim, like on the ceiling in the waiting area. Takes me back to a time and place I prefer not to be. We sat in the NE corner booth where I was facing a 70's photo of Steve McQueen. My teen kids asked me who that was, and I went on about what I knew about him. Lots of brightly colored accents of pink and orange, like the 70's style fireplace hood in the center of the restaurant. In the men's room the owner remembers the previous establishment with framed ads for Hooters. The food was OK. We split a pizza, Nachos and a large salad. The salad was a large, but not that large. The nachos were good size, and the pizza was OK. I dunno, the food just seemed OK to me for the price. Maybe its the soft open menu. We also had the donuts which were just great. I would come back here just for them. Our waiter made them complimentary for us, sid they weren't at the level of quality they should be. I would not come back for the tacky decor, especially the life-size image on the wall of Ron Jeremy that is in the dining room. Does this place promote this kind of promiscuous behavior? Hopefully, the owner rethinks and loses this soon. read more

Gran Castor - Waiting area - Latin American Near Me - Troy, Michigan

Finally back after my previous update! I came here this past Saturday with a friend for a quick dinner and I made reservations online at 6:00 for the only time slot available before 7:00 but when I walked in it didn't look like I needed them so not sure why more time wasn't available online. Either way it was okay. Tables were spaced out, they really enforce you to wear masks which I appreciate. They had a happy hour $5 margarita from 4-6 PM and I got one right before the cutoff time so that was nice. I ordered two hardshell tacos which were REALLY good. I hadn't had them here before and was shocked at how amazing they really were. I only wanted a light dinner so the two tacos and one margarita were it for me. The margarita was just OK, not the best but not the worst. Because it was only $5 I feel like I can't complain. My friend went all out - she got two tacos (1 - the hot chicken and I believe the 2nd was the spiced sweet potato) then she got a side of Mac N cheese and cilantro lime rice. She has had them all before and loves them. The waiter warned her it was SUPER hot and she said its hot but not THAT hot - I guess he has to warn for people who think tabasco is hot... LOL. I've had the Mac N Cheese before at woodshop in Clarkston as the same people own this place too which is a nice option to get it here instead of having to go to Clarkston for it - but I also took a few bites of hers to make sure it was still good and it is. (Also vinsetta garage in berkley/royal oak has it). I didn't try her rice or tacos but she assures me there were good. I'm looking forward to my next visit back! read more

See all

Great place for the vibes and the drinks but the food- might just want to go to Miguel's. Super cool ambiance tho

We enjoyed a quiet lunch! Servers were friendly, tables were clean, and food was delicious. Not typical Mexican cuisine, but just what we were in the mood for! read more

This place is cute at first glance until you find half eaten food in your seat and start to look closer at how disgusting it is. We used to go there for the awesome bartenders but apparently they got fired, now there's no point. Only come here if you want a super mid $8 ground beef taco read more

Food took forever, steak taco was cold-from the fridge cold. Other tacos were strange tasting. Rice was old and dry. Bummed because I used to like this place :( read more

Delicious food, great waitstaff with perfect recommendations, and a very cozy atmosphere. Not to mention, a funny picture of someone with an uncanny resemblance to a "star" of the 70's. read more

I truly enjoyed seeing the precautions this place took for C19. Along with that, the ambiance was super cozy when I visited on a cold fall evening. The rice bowl is a unique creation, a blend of different types of foods and it was absolutely super tasty. Some things I would try are - the nachos, the shrimp tacos, the rice bowl and the margs. My experience was great and I hope to go back soon! I want to try the coffee and the sweets. read more

Gran Castor - Rice Bowl and La Flaca (Skinny Marg) - Latin American Near Me - Troy, Michigan

See all