I suggested to my girlfriend we come here this Friday night, I thought the idea of tacos and maybe a nicely mixed cocktail would be fun. I was dead wrong. After sitting down at the bar we were asked what we wanted to drink, we started off by asking for water and were immediately treated like customers not willing to spend any money; we had to flag down staff to get anything, even our bill. We sampled 4 tacos, the presentation was pretentious enough to wow most gentrified white folks I'd imagine. The service was fairly fast, in fact, too fast, nothing like being served up reheated meat that was probably prepared during the beginning of the week! I selected the Carne Asada, and then Adobada De pollo, and my girlfriend went for the Al Pastor and then Tinga De Pollo. Lucky for me I didn't get food poisoning from the tacos which looked like tiny diapers with a full load of shit in the middle. My girlfriend lost the game of taco roulette and spent the next night and day throwing up and shitting her brains out. The Carne Asada taco which was advertised as "marinated steak with red pepper and salsa" tasted more like gamey raccoon meat marinated in garbage juice during a hot day. The Adobada wasn't much better..... I am fairly sure two crunchy tacos from taco bell would have been more delectable than the shit slapped on a plate and presented to us. I don't know why anyone would eat the garbage tacos from the Imperial; I am assuming most people are drunk out of their skull, because its the only way to really choke down these awful awful tacos. I'll never eat here again, much less drink here. My first impressions of this place were decent, it seemed like a hip place; so unless eating raccoon tacos is hip I don't see the draw of this bar/restaurant/raccoon cookery. read more

I've been here twice now and whatever issues there may have been with the service may have been resolved because I had speedy attentive service both times. Also, people have talked about the communal tables which I sat at both times and enjoyed - but there are booths and other sized tables too. I think the food and drinks were great. Hot chips every time, fresh salsas, unique drink options, elote was delicious! They also have special taco's sometimes. It was short rib on one of the nights I was there. The vibe of the place is cool and there are a wide variety of patrons. It's open airy and welcoming. If they add (please, please, please) a fish taco to the menu I'd probably go there at lease once a week. read more

If you are looking for a place in the Ferndale/RO area for Mexican come here!!! They have awesome margs, good atmosphere and awesome food!

Ok, I gave Imperial another go. I went there Monday night (9/24/12) with a party of 15 or so. Here's the update: The good: the food was really, really good! I had the hot dog - which seems strange at a taco place - but it was fantastic. The hot dog was wrapped in bacon, and had beans, cilantro, and a lime cream sauce on it. I definitely recommend it. I shared an ear of corn with my friend - it was delicious as well - the corn was coated in a delicious blend of spices. I also shard some chips and guacamole, which was great as well. The guacamole is very light, and the chips were fresh and tasty. The bad: Our waitress was awful. AWFUL. She was in a bad mood, and it was very apparent. She acted annoyed anytime anyone asked her for something, including ordering food. When our food arrived, the entire table's worth of food was placed in front of me. She rattled off the items on the plate, and said, "Ok? Everything look yummy?" and then seemed really pissed off when I told her I didn't know what everyone at the table ordered. Um, that's YOUR JOB, not mine. I overheard other tables complaining about her as well. I know everyone has an off night, but this is my second visit to Imperial, and the second time that I've experienced bad service. It should be noted. Good food, bad service. read more

Please bring back the tamales! Sucks when restaurants take your favorite things off the menu

After conquering multiple bottles of Vino, a recommendation came to get some late night grub from Imperial. Although Mexican food to me tastes the same no matter where I go, Imperial sets itself apart. 1. Ambiance. Open floor bench style seating encourages community dining and an eclectic eating experience. Our group got a nice table in the open patio area. 2. Must get chips with the 3 types of salsa. The mild diced tomato salsa was so good I slapped the person next to me. 3. Tacos are extremely small. As you are ordering you may think the same as me...$2.50 for a taco! Fantastic! They are the size of your finger. Although small, each taco had excellent flavor. I tried the featured Indian Spiced Quinoa with crispy chickpeas and spicy mint chutney. Delicious. I then tried the Al Pastor, Tinga De Pollo, and the Adobada De Pollo. The Al Pastor came out on top. Strong sauces, nicely flavored meat. All in all, a great place to eat and drink! read more

Am I the only one who thinks this place is a joke? If you are from the Detroit area, then by all means eat and enjoy these tacos. (you don't know any better, and thats okay) For everyone else (west coasters) do not be fooled by these look alikes. This is by no means a traditional taco shop! The carne asada tacos were Horribly over cooked, and disappointing. The two stars are for the hot sauces, and the guacamole, which was actually pretty good. read more

***Skip this segment if you just want to read about the food**** I felt the need to chime in on the haters. The service DEFINITELY leaves something to be desired but the place JUST opened. Let's give Imperial a chance to get the ball rolling, shall we? I'd give them 2 stars for service but I'm not going to based solely on 1.) the recently opened status and 2.) the fact that opening a business comes with such bumps in the road and 3.) to give them ONE star based solely on service is...in my opinion abusing your privilege as a Yelper. Let's not lose site of the big picture. Service is important but the food is what brings people to the table. Ok...rant over. *************************************************************** For those who'd like to read about THE FOOD: The food was great. They have a small menu, specifically street tacos, done well. Deliciously well. I had one chorizo taco, one al pastor taco and a carnitas taco. Each one was tasty but the chorizo and carnitas tacos were my favorites of the bunch. The tacos come out "family style" meaning they serve the whole table's order on one plate. The chips came out fresh & greasy and we got the salsa trio. The smoky chipotle-esque salsa was my favorite with just the right balance of heat and smoke notes. The tomatillo was next on the favorites list, with a refreshingly spicy yet tart flavor typical of tomatillo. The guacamole was pretty good too, definitely worth a try. Affordable street tacos in a nice fresh bar/restaurant atmosphere? I think I have myself a new favorite. They just need to tie up things on the service end and it will be my "go to" taco restaurant...Imperial folks...you listening? Train those peeps and let's celebrate some DELICIOUS STREET TACOS!!! read more

Well I'll guess i'll add my 2 cents (after 50+ reviews for what it's worth) Late Saturday I was itching for a bite and decided to give Imperial a try (it's literally right down the street). I'm glad I avoided all of the opening hoopla. I love the minimalist set up and the big open spaces. The seating arrangements and food service is supposed to encourage community, sharing and getting to know your neighborhood. The restaurant's spaces are very trendy/forward the front room carried a lot of energy, the rooms towards the patio were more subdued. In regards to the staff and service I had no issues, it's seat your self however I saw the staff helping larger groups get situated (AHEM John D!) We received our drinks promptly, our food very promptly and we didn't have to hang around forever waiting for the check. In regards to the food I'd have to say out of the four tacos I tried the Al Pastor was my favourite, savoury and sweet with a little heat! Drink wise the ring of fire cocktail was a pleasant surprise... The owner Jeff came by right as we were wrapping up to find out how things went. (what else could you ask for) In regards to some of the reviews posted I think some people are missing the point. The place is supposed to be casual... Imperial is a place where you can throw something (really anything) on, meet a group of people and share some drinks and a couple of (very good) tacos. read more

After having been to imperial a number of times, it's no longer worth the trouble. I'm old enough to not be mesmerized by putting bacon on everything. What I'm looking for is great service. There are 3 areas Imperial fails miserably with this. First - IMPERIAL - get a damn website. This should have been the first thing you did, not the last. Directions? Menus? the overly complicated takeout process? Yep... all that would have been great to put ON YOUR WEBSITE. Facebook is not a website. Facebook is where classmates go to stalk their former, more successful classmates. Stop pretending people give a shit if you post a picture of a taco. (and don't get me started on the absurd ways you promoted Lucha this year. File that under the "get someone who knows about social media marketing" folder). Speaking of the takeout process - yes Imperial does takeout, but not over the phone and not after 5pm. So... what's the point of having carryout if you can't call it in? Or after 5pm?! So you've limited yourself to people who have long lunch hours to wait in your non-existent waiting area to be seated at loooooooong tables with smelly strangers, but certainly not AFTER work when they might actually have time to wait? WTF doesn't even begin to describe. Which brings me to my last point: staff. First time I was here? wonderful service. Second time? meh service. After calling this place once, I'm done. So either all the great staff turned over, or they've become so jaded after seeing hundreds of smelly tourists stuffing their faces with bacon-covered whatever... no matter the reason, answer the phone with courtesy. I don't give a shit if I'm the 300th person to ask a specific question - ANSWER the damn question without a huff or a puff. Pretentious doesn't look good on anyone, ever. If you're looking for decent mexican without the nonsense, try Tower in Hamtramck. Hell, try Mexican town! For the love of God, don't waste your life waiting to be pressed next to some asshole you don't know to pay for some overpriced bacon wrapped pork leftovers. read more

Ok. Let's get a few things clear here. Imperial is awesome. And its awesome at what it does. What does it do, you ask? Its a bar, first and foremost. With a side of food. You don't come here to eat dinner or order a carry-out...instead you come here to drink a drink or two and then order some amazing tacos to nosh on. My suggestions: check out the cocktail menu. I am really digging the margaritas here. They use fresh lime and simple syrup to add just the right amount of sweetness and tang. They feature about three different margaritas on their drink menu but I think my favorite is just the classic. get tacos. The food menu is limited but really, really tasty. So far I have ordered tacos during my visits here. Its Carne Asada or bust here... I've tried the chicken as well, but like I said, its all about the beef. Husband has tried the Al Pastor which get the thumbs up from him. Also, the flight of chips and salsa is great --- greasy, hot tortilla chips and three different salsas to choose from. The chipotle salsa was lacking but the other ones were stellar. A few tips: spotty service. yes, yes, yes to previous reviewers. I also have experienced spotty service here. Solution: sit at the bar. You can still order tacos while enjoying your drinks. Honestly, the one time I sat at a table here and had table service was enough to learn my lesson -- the bar is best. hipster + trendy crowd. It seems like Imperial is drawing in all kinds. its lively and busy...a total improvement on the crappy predecessor that occupied that location. Another thing I want to add, I really love the seating/dining room arrangement they have here. The patio in the back is fantastic. The long tables in the front are the right size where you can have large party or few smaller parties sit comfortably (unlike a different place across the street, which fails at this endeavor). A big table not your thing? They are also some really roomy booths for you to enjoy. So yea, I'm totally, completely and fully digging on Imperial. This is the type of place where you can kick back with some friends, enjoy some drinks, some bites and keep it completely cool and casual with a touch of hip. read more

Short menus make us better people. They remind us to eat what is offered to us; that we, as restaurant patrons, are not the rulers of the free world, but guests at an expert's table. Fortunately, we are in good hands as guests at Imperial. There's a lot of sweet/salty going on, which is trendy, but not to the point of disingenousness. I was especially impressed by the pastor and carne assada tacos. Sometimes, I think about them when they're not around. Ambience: Personally, I enjoy community seating, but it's not for everyone. If you have social anxiety, this is not the place for you. Don't bring someone here to break up with them. It's all wrong for that. Alcohol: The margaritas are wonderful and a even a little dangerous, but at $8, not that dangerous. Service: The thing about the service is (and you'll notice this around Ferndale, but especially new places with "real" wood inside), that it's not like they're looking for experience, personality or hygiene. It's like, "You can work here because it's summer and you have a scarf on." So- for example- when I asked if they had any drink specials, I got something along the lines of, "No, Unscarfed One, we do not, nor do we ever have drink specials." Merely asking put me in the side-o-ranch camp. Let me ask you, Hip Server: I'm sitting on a bench with a bunch of strangers eating a $2 taco. How bizarre is it, really, in a blue-collar, inner-ring suburb of a struggling Rust Belt city to ask for discounted alcohol on a Tuesday? They should really opt for food counter service. Under those circumstances, I'd add a star. read more

Jalapeño Margarita. If you have interest in either of those words you have to try this cocktail, it's superb. If you go in a group, the food is brought out on a platter so it can get a little confusing your first time deciphering who ordered what. read more

Quick cheap eats with awesome drinks. What a welcome addition to the neighborhood. As for the atmosphere: I love what they've done with the place. Not too fancy or fussy, just clean casual and open. It's the perfect place to kick back with friends. As for the food: Finally! Tacos that aren't wrapped in flour tortillas and laden with cheese! We've been here twice and were impressed by the food both times. We tried the salsa flight (a MUST), the guacamole (solid), and several of the tacos. Our favorites were the Al pastor and the stewed chicken, but they were all very good and I don't think you can possibly go wrong. As for the drinks: Delicious and powerful. They may take a while to make but that's because each one is hand crafted and not poured from pre mixed gallon jug. We tried the Uno Mas, the Ring of Fire, and the Mezcal Mule. They were unique, tasty, and complimented the food well. As for the service: As other yelpers have noted, the service needs work. Wait times were long, we recieved the wrong food, etc etc. Hopefully it's just growing pains and this place will end up reaching it's full potential before long. One beef I have is the family style presentation. I get that they're trying to be different and it may make things easy on the kitchen, but I think it adds confusion for diners. This isn't sushi, where more than one person can share a roll. Serving everything together in this case just makes it more difficult to tell what's what and increases the likelihood that you'll accidentally eat someone else's taco. read more

went for the first time about 5 years ago and it was mind blowing. went back last week for a friends birthday and its even better now. really cool spot with AMAZING drinks. food is phenomenal i swear read more

Cheap but delicious food? I'm in. This place is usually packed to the brim on weekends so we decided to come in a weekday. No problems getting seated immediately. We ordered chips and guacamole (the guac was ok, not terrible but not amazing) to start, followed by the jalapeño tamales, the elote and several different tacos (fish tacos are only available on Mondays.) All were excellent! Finished it off with their delicious churro dessert that comes with a caramel dipping sauce. So. Good. Service was ok, took a little long to get the bill but otherwise we didn't have any issues. All in all, a good experience but I would prepare for a long wait if you're trying to get seated on a Friday or Saturday night. read more

The one thing I was concerned about - having remembered all of the early Imperial furor - was service. And service was excellent, for the most part. But, I don't like how they serve the tacos on only one or two plates for the entire table, forcing people to reach around the table. You should be getting your own food on your own plate. The food was also quite good. I had the veggie taco, and a taco on special - quinoa, mushrooms, cauliflower, and squash. Both tacos were very flavorful, and were devoured within seconds. The churros were just plain sinful. They could have done with some chocolate sauce, but they are quite good. I like the idea of the central communal table, and would definitely recommend sitting there. The ambiance, however, was kind of spoiled by the acoustics. 3/4 people at our table developed headaches in the 1 hour that we were there. It was an irritating sort of loudness, and it made us want to leave earlier than we would have, which we did. I'd come back for a snack, but only when it's not so busy (and loud) inside. read more

Long haired bar tender with brown hair and glasses is amazing. I came in the other night already drunk and belligerent and he got me an ice water, talked me through my relationship trouble, hooked me up with some dank snacks, fixed my stock portfolio, and offered to introduce me to his cats. Dude is a godsend. I will never go to another bar. read more

For all the times I've been there, everyone is super friendly and very accommodating. :) I am in love with the tacos, but even more in love with the spiciest sauce that is given on the table! Its a very nice place to dine and just hang out. I like how to seating was. I mean you sit next to people you don't know, but that doesn't bother me at all! I like the atmosphere a lot. read more

Let me start by saying that I am a picky eater and I knew nothing about this place before we went here for dinner but I can always find something. The menu here was so small it was not easy. Some of the items on the late night menu sounded really good but they weren't available at dinner time (and the dinner food isn't available late night). We had chips and salsa and guacamole to start I don't like guac or spicy food but I tried all three salsas & didn't care for any of them. One was a little too spicy for me and the other two just tasted too much like cilantro which I don't like. I had the pork carnitas and one of the chicken tacos both were very flavorful but even though I requested them without cilantro I could taste cilantro in the sauce on them. I personally prefer hard tacos & theirs are soft but the meat in both was delicious. Everyone really seemed to enjoy their tacos, my friends really enjoyed the guacamole, and the chips were yummy. I had one of their bourbon cocktails and I didn't care for it very much, I don't know if it was the bourbon or something else but after some of the ice melted it was more enjoyable. The service was really good and I like the way the place is set up for sort of communal seating but people seemed to be waiting a long time to sit anyway instead of sharing which I found odd. We got there at like 5:40 and it started getting busy around 6:30. The prices are reasonable but I definitely left hungry...mostly because I'm picky but I also just prefer a full meal vs. a-la-carte. I personally wouldn't come back here but I would recommend it to those who like different Mexican food or small plates. read more

I watched with baited breath as Imperial's signage went up and the construction stalled out before Memorial Day, leaving this prime bit of real estate on Woodward at Nine Mile in downtown Ferndale apparently vacant. Then the lights came on, the crowds gathered, and opening day kept me firmly away until balmy June days when the place was a little less hectic. I first got in here the weekend of the Ferndale Pride Parade. The beau and I hoofed it down to the library and decided to enjoy a lovely afternoon with a taco and a drink. The open air environment is a great idea and the 'seat yourself where' ambiance appealed. The breezy, open construction promotes chilling out and relaxing in a way that, say, John D doesn't. We snagged a huge wood booth as the only free spot among a host of young, beautiful people, feeling a bit out of sorts since I'm one but not the other. The menu for Imperial is very short and concentrated mostly on bar nibbles. Tacos in multiple stripes predominate and for the weekend, they had their standards plus pork belly. A few appies are on the menu as well, but if you want a square meal, Imperial is not the place for you. Go down the strip to Fly Trap, Toast or Sakana for a square meal, or the other way towards Dino's and Anita's Kitchen. Food is spendy for what you get, though $2/5 tacos can't be beat outside of a taco truck of Clawson's 24-hour Del Taco, the bane and glory of my existence lately. Tacos are pretty bland, in definite need of more spice, and heavy on grease at least when we had them that afternoon. Perhaps they were in a rush that day. Our order came in after our drinks, probably no more than fifteen minutes total. This seemed to fly in the face of the people seated around us, who waited a lot longer for chips and salsa. My tacos were good and the pork belly one I hope they bring back; we really enjoyed it. Drinks refills cost (BOO!) and sometimes the waitresses/servers look like they're more interested in gossiping with patrons than being in a hurry, but what can you do? The interior is really quite beautiful and the patio looks like a great place to spend a September afternoon/evening. Imperial is still getting its bearings and for cheap eats without permanent taco trucks around, they're not a bad choice. Definitely beats most of Royal Oak's offerings. read more

From my visit, giving 1 star is about as nice as I can be. When my boyfriend and I first arrived we sat at the bar. A few bartenders were lingering in front of us, and it took a couple of eye stares and hand waves to get someone to actually come over and serve us. A dark haired grungey chick with tattoos and EMO written all over her face asked us what we wanted to start out with. We didn't know what drink to order so we started out with water and the female bartender gave us a dirty look. After she brought us waters she moved to the other end of the bar and literally ignored serving us again. After about 15 minutes of trying to get our servers attention, the bar manager, noticing that she left us to practically die, came over (from his texting) and asked if we were ready to order food. We got the guacamole and chips as a starter, which came out pretty quickly and tasted very good. For an entree my boyfriend got the Carne Asada and Adobada De Pollo while I ordered the two pork tacos the Al Pastor and the Tinga De Pollo. We were very surprised to see that our tacos came out within a 5 minute span. Quicker than Jimmy Johns. My boyfriends tacos were dry and had no flavoring. If you can imagine what dry pigeon meat tastes like, that had more flavor and desire than the meat on his plate. Fortunately, he and I come from the train of thought "Don't Waste Food", so he ate his even if it wasn't satisfactory. Mine seemed ok, to the eye. Flavoring was moist and spicy, although the taco with pork and feta seemed to be made of liquid meat. It tasted like goo, but I didn't think much about it. The tacos, themselves, were decent but I have gotten more flavor and satisfaction from Taco Bell and Del Taco. We were never asked how our meal was, or checked up on. In fact, the burly manager was just chilling in front of us eating a greasy taco and ignoring the fact we needed refills on water, were looking to order drinks, and at that point (with service) just wanted our bill. We had to flag him down, like the other servers, as well. After several minutes he took a break from his greasy ass snack and hockey to give us our bill. We left right after. Getting drinks was not worth our time. As we began walking over to a local bar my stomach began to pinch. The closer we got to the bar the more it began to ache like a volcano of PMS. As I finally got to sit down, I thought my insides were about to explode. For an hour I couldn't move and had to lean over while sipping water. When I got home I wound up throwing up rancid taco meat for over two hours (and feeling the revenge of my asshole). Never in my life have I felt so sick after a meal. Thinking back to that watery meat, it must not have been cooked right. Which is why our food came out to us in less than 5 minutes. I come from a Polish family and we can basically eat garbage and carry on like it's a light nibble of carrots. White Castle may go right through me, but this taco shit literally felt like I ate Colon Blow for a week and it was got stuck in a cove of my intestines. I took a risk on a popular restaurant and got diarhea and throwup as the winning prize. I will never return to the Imperial and I will suggest my friends skip out on it as well. Check your meat, Imperial. My throat, bowels, and entire body hate you for making my weekend a horror show. I hope the next time someone gets that same treatment they make your bar into a real mudslide. Sincerely, A lost customer read more

They won me over, I can't believe it myself. The one giant positive addition is the trio of house made hot sauces. I was complaining about having to buy salsa and the lack of any hot sauce, so thanks for that. The service has been great on all of my visits over the past year (6 or 7 times) they even give you an extra metal plate so no more eating off the table top. Their cocktails and guacamole have always been top notch. I'm glad everything else has finally caught up. read more

This place was so yummy I went there twice in one week! It is quite loud in the restaurant and is always packed. The Mexican corn, frijoles and chorizo, and chorizo tacos were my favorite. All of the tacos are amazing and are small so you can try more than one kind. The margaritas great too. This is a super fun spot whether it be lunch of a late night snack--definitely 5 stars! read more

If you're looking for a place to nosh and get loaded this is it. If you're hungry and want a meal, look elsewhere. Lots of alcohol, very little food. I didn't realize it was a bar that served tacos. The service was seriously some of the worst EVER! The waitress was 100% clueless. The music was annoyingly loud, she could barely hear us. We asked several questions for which she had no answer and would 'have to check'. Wow. Is the waitstaff working for free??? Not only was she completely ignorant to the menu, the service was so slow, we were ready to leave. 30+ minutes to get tacos on limp corn tortillas? They're not even cooked! We requested no cilantro...perhaps THAT'S the reason it took forever! It must take several extra minutes to cover everything in it. The food was semi-tasteless and bland. Oh, except the grilled jalapeno. Burned my tongue right off. Thanks for not removing the seeds and membranes from the hottest crop of jalapenos ever! And I LOVE jalapenos. Thankfully, it was only a buck. I'm giving 2 stars because it's a cute place and the A/C was blasting on the hottest day of the year. The prices are decent and it has potential. read more

I love this new addition to my wonderful Ferndale neighborhood. From the variety of seating areas to the amazing salsas and yummy little tacos, it's a great little joint to nosh with friends. I rave to friends about the grilled spicy ear of corn and as a vegetarian I can only get one of the tacos but it's a good one. The drink menu is definitely inspired. I had the Ring of Fire and it was so hot it tested even my spice-loving taste buds. A spicy fans dream - and it goes great with the country, alt-country and indie friendly soundtrack I always rave about when I'm dining here. While I agree with Laura K - it's no Big Star, this place is worth a visit. read more

Let me preface this review with the admission that I'm obsessed and particular about Mexican food. So, living in Ferndale for the past several months, I've been a bit furious with Imperial for not opening until now. HEAVEN AWAITS! Tacos were DELICIOUS taqueria style: well-seasoned meats/vegetables on a soft double corn tortilla with lime, cilantro and onions. Exactly the way love, and everything I could have hoped. Loved the ambiance, loved the food, the drinks, the friendly staff - cannot wait to stop in and spend more/all of my time here. love love love love love. read more

*Don't concern yourself with low ratings based on the few hours The Imperial was open for the first time and still working out the kinks. You gotta know walking in that things wont be perfect. Months from now I'm sure the reviews will be through the roof positive but don't wait to read them- Go have some food and a drink and see for yourself. I was there during the soft open and the staff made up for the glitches in a super professional manner. I tried a chicken taco and a chorizo taco (which are both awesome) and they serve great chips and guacamole. Prices are comparable to other downtown Ferndale joints and there's a great vibe in the place with beautiful wood and natural light. Huge tequila & bourbon selection and a portrait of Johnny Cash "welcoming" you to the bar. I would really like to see baked NACHOS on the menu but regardless I plan to be a regular of this cool place. read more

Located in downtown Ferndale, it's in the old Post Bar building. They have a lot of communal seating kind of like old German restaurants. Always order the chips and guacamole and a chips with frijos and chorizo. Both are great and priced reasonable. Guacamole is only $4 or $5 with chips. The size is large for that price. You can't buy avocados for that money! I've had almost all the tacos. I think the Al Pastor and the carnitas are my favorite. The pollo is also very good. They can be a bit slow in service. The tacos can be a bit greasy, bit aside from that, there's not many other complaints. read more

I have eaten here several times and the food is consistently average ( i prefer flour to corn tortillas), the carne asada is a lil dried out and the guac is decent. However i just had one of the worst Michigan dining experiences of my life. I am a huge fish taco fan and the only place I have eaten decent fish tacos in the state is black pearl in ann arbor. For some reason people in michigan think deep battering and frying fish then throwing it on a tortilla constitutes a fish taco. I label it garbage. I ordered the fish tacos from here and was was impressed and ordered some more, it was not black pearl level but pretty damn good. However the Imperial Montezuma revenge reared its ugly head around 4am. I was having very trippy lucid dreams then i ran to the bathroom and fish was escaping from every orifice in my body. It was DEADLY. Imperial does not regularly serve fish or seafood for that matter and that should have been a warning, but i was so excited for fish tacos i did not heed it. Fish needs to be handled very specially and can spoil very easily. When fish is well marinated it is tough to tell if it was spoiled. And unfortunately i was recipient of this bad fish. This place is always a good place to catch some drinks but this experience has taught me that this place does not have an experienced kitchen staff and i think i will avoid anything edible from here from now on. read more

Haters gonna hate..., but foodies gonna LOVE the Imperial. These folks serve real food. The only things in the building that seem to have come out of a food service package are the napkins and straws. For real. The two couples of us started with a salsa trio with fresh housemade chips. Each salsa, red pepper, verde, and chipotle, was delish and had a strong undercurrent of love and dedication. The chips were straight out of the fryer! Yum! We split two of every taco on the menu, plus 4 orders of the grilled corn - elote especial. I swear the corn must have been grown in the Garden of Eden. It was beyond wonderful. Each of us had a favorite taco, chiroizo, lime chicken, carnitas, al pastor, and the manly meat eaters declared the seitan tacos 'good.' We all left full. And happy. And ready to go back for more corn and tacos. read more

Friday night date night at Imperial was a great success! First off, the place gets pretty rockin' on a Friday evening, so be prepared to wait a bit. They do you the NoWait app, which allows you to see where you are on the wait list. Good stuff. The bar is first come, first serve - so it might make sense to scope it out for people looking to leave if the bar works for you. It did for us, and we actually preferred it. The food - delicious! We started with the chips & salsa flight. The chips were the perfect thickness and each salsa was very flavorful. Extra bag of chips for $1, yes please! Next, some elote. So good! For my main, I tried a couple tacos and a Sonoran hot dog. The Veggie Taco of the Month, a jackfruit offering, was very tasty. The veggie taco of the week, a butternut squash offering, was solid. The veggie Sonoran hot dog was excellent. My wife went the way of the meat. The el pastor taco was very good, the barbacoa was even better, and the carne asada took her back to Texas. All great options! Service was attentive and friendly. Overall, a great experience. We would definitely return. read more

Yep! This place is outstanding. Tacos with corn tortillas. All different kinds and all amazing. Those hot dogs have a perfect snap when you bite into them. They all have interesting names and I can never remember which ones I like until I reread the menu. There is a dog that has pineapple on it that is mouth watering. Order chips and salsa before and get some guac. It's cafeteria seating for a portion of the restaurant. And some normal seats. Great place for a big group. Nice size bar too. Decent size waiting area. Don't be scared if there is a wait. Order some drinks and grab a bench seat along the window. And if it's nice out you can wait outside. And that's all I have to say about that. Jackée read more

Hmmm, interesting place. I am not sure where all the hipsters shop but they all look like they prefer rags as clothes, but don't forget to rock the wool cap on the back of your head indoors because it is so cold inside. I digress. Annoyed by the lack of website so we could not review the menu ahead of time, which would have taken all of five seconds. One page of food truck bites. We ordered all the tacos and all the hotdogs besides the vegetarian ones, F that noise. Tacos we okay, but the assorted hotdogs were quite tasty. However, the residual affect on my stomach has not been welcomed. The stars of the show were the sauces to add to the dishes and the absolute piece de resistance was the hot salsa, the best I think I have had. Okay place with very uncomfortable seating with decent street food, and an okay beer selection. P.S. the talent pool of the patrons was surprisingly outstanding. read more

Love this place. They had a braised lamb, goat cheese and walnut taco on special last week that was phenomenal. Good margaritas, fresh food, and good times. A couple minor complains/suggestions: I wish the egg-on-your face hotdog (bacon wrapped hotdog with salsa, chorizo, egg, and other goodness) was available earlier in the day, even if it came at an extra cost. I'd still love to see this place have an entrée. Another welcome addition would be a tortilla soup, corn chowder, or some other liquid deliciousness. read more

Cool atmosphere/vibe, they serve food late nights, the drinks were delish and service was excellent. A laid back go out with friends type of spot. Sum of the best tacos in the area. read more

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I'm usually way too wordy in my reviews, so I'll keep this one simple. The tacos here are amazing, and the hot dogs are obscenely good. To accompany those, they have grilled cheesy corn-on-the-cob. That doesn't sound particularly special, but YOU HAVE TO TRY IT. It's like $2, and it's ridiculously tasty. Imperial also has the distinction of the being the first Mexican restaurant that has better food than margaritas. Kinda weird to say, but the margaritas are nothing to write home about. I mean, it's a margarita. It's tasty and boozy, but eh. That's fine; Imperial still gets 5 stars because the food is inexpensive, and it's really, really good. read more

The second time around, tacos were too oily and tasted like street tacos. Nothing special for $40 carry-out order.

She-beaux knew this joint when it was a Post Bar. Now it's a tastefully understated hang out-- like, not forcing its minimalism down your throat or anything. Sawed off Corona bombers for candle holders, classy bar, bench seating-- it's dope, comfy. You simply must (dah-ling) get the flight of three salsas with chips to start. I can't overstate how flavorful all three were. I still can't even believe it. Tacos and dogs, man. Tacos and dogs. A simple menu, and much loved. I would not go with the Imperial Manhattan again. Cinnamon and vanilla infused bourbon, but the cinnamon destroys it. Literally. It's one of the few bad drinks I've ever had, but I'm glad I tried it. Once I switched to the Louisa, I was set. She-beaux suggests a sprig of rosemary in it, and I must say, she-beaux knows her booze. She-booze? Final delight on this visit: homegirl doin' the chalkboard while we ate. We watched her steady crush the dinner menu up there, and had to run up for high fives when she was done. Someone should definitely timelapse that. Get at this joint. read more

Went here once on a Thursday evening with some friends. I wasn't overly impressed with Imperial. The prices were high for what you get. It's a Tapas place aka small plates and big prices. I left hungry and felt I spent a lot of money. The food I had was ok, but not very filling. The thing that annoyed me the most was the seating. I prefer privacy in a real seat. Not with benches like an Army mess hall. More than likely won't be back. read more