Senor Lopez restaurant on West Stadium in Ann Arbor closes
Senor Lopez Taqueria, a Mexican restaurant based on the west side of Ann Arbor since November 2004, closed March 1.
Owner Rafael Lopez had been on a month-to-month lease for some time, said Max Goldman, listing broker for the property.
"It just didn't work out," said Goldman of Ludwig & Seeley.
The restaurant was located at 2135 W. Stadium Boulevard at the front of a retail center anchored by ACE Barnes Hardware.
Lopez also operates a Senor Lopez restaurant in southwest Detroit. He was not available this afternoon to answer questions about the restaurant's closing.
Goldman said the contents of the 2,500-square-foot restaurant were removed over the weekend, and it's now up for lease. The asking rate is $22 per square foot.
Paula Gardner is Business News Director of AnnArbor.com. Contact her at 734-623-2586 or by email, or follow her on Twitter. Sign up for the weekly Business Review newsletter, distributed every Thursday, here.
Comments
lorayn
Fri, Mar 19, 2010 : 3:16 p.m.
i enjoyed the food there and was not really bothered by the service. i did notice that they had one server for the entire dining room and when it got busy she was pretty harried. I agree that the best Mexican restaurants in the area now are in Ypsi. I'd like top put in a plug for La Fuente on Whittaker Road.
Blklight
Fri, Mar 19, 2010 : 11:58 a.m.
The food was pretty good and the service was very bad. The one waitress that was there most times acted as though we were wrong to come there and order food. It happened several times and after the third go round we just stopped dining there. The food was good but not gonna put up with attitude to get some.
EdgeinA2
Fri, Mar 19, 2010 : 8:02 a.m.
I enjoyed the food and had the good fortune to have missed the bad service that other writers reported. I have never enjoyed Tios'food but like the enchiladas verde at El Bandito. I'll try some of the other restaurants suggested in prior comments.
Yeggi
Fri, Mar 19, 2010 : 5:37 a.m.
I've come to the opinion that authentic Mexican, means bad food. We went there a couple of times. Food was not good. Expensive for you actually got. I don't like leaving a restaurant hungry, and then go home and have a bowl of cereal. Give me americanized Mexican anytime. Like that place on 4th between Liberty and Washington. They have good food.
Ryan Munson
Wed, Mar 17, 2010 : 10:56 p.m.
Ditto Andy.
Dug Song
Wed, Mar 17, 2010 : 9 p.m.
I really enjoyed Seor Lopez over the years, but when Taqueria La Casita set up on Washtenaw, I had an authentic Mexican option much closer to me (one of the two places I could get mojarra frita in town, and the only place with paletas for dessert :-). So few excellent Mexican joints in our area, outside of Southwest Detroit...
thomas siterlet
Wed, Mar 17, 2010 : 3:03 p.m.
Do NOT get me crying about LaPinata!!! It'll only make me remember Stadium Tavern -and THAT will remind me we have almost nowhere in our neighborhood to cry in our beer!!! Hopefully the Wolverine Beer people will fix that come April.
a2grateful
Wed, Mar 17, 2010 : 12:38 p.m.
La Pinata used to have quite a wait, except the restaurant was always full. Most didn't mind, as the Margaritas must have been exceptionally soothing... It's amazing how a liquor license can help smooth the edges for those lacking elements...
Andrea
Wed, Mar 17, 2010 : 11:50 a.m.
We went to Senor Lopez quite a bit, and the service was always terrible. We eventually stopped going, purely due to the server's attitudes and surliness. Their food will be missed, but we aren't surprised by the closing.
Paula Gardner
Wed, Mar 17, 2010 : 10:55 a.m.
For some reason - and this is just my personal observation - Mexican food can generate an enormous wave of love-it/hate-it emotions among customers. Maybe more so than other types of cuisine; at least none others come to mind. I remember La Pinata and had a friend who absolutely loved the food. At the time, I ate regularly in Detroit's Mexican Town and could not stand the sauce at La Pinata (though did enjoy both the margs and the booths there). My family and I now really enjoy El Camino Real near Briarwood (tho still call it Los Tres Amigos). A few years ago the quality was a bit erratic, but we've found dishes there that we love - and the service is always great for us. I know people who feel the same way... Yet I have friends who deeply dislike it.
bunnyabbot
Wed, Mar 17, 2010 : 10:45 a.m.
I agree about the service, I went once and our waiter messed up the order, although I was so hungry from waiting I ate the food anyway....and La Pinata, that was the best place ever, sigh :(
a2miguy
Wed, Mar 17, 2010 : 10:28 a.m.
Gotta agree with a2grateful on this one. I went there 2-3 times a few years ago. The last time, I was pretty much dragged there kicking and screaming. Terrible food. Terrible service. Although I feel for most anyone whose business is going under, there is no great loss to the food scene in this town by the closure of this place.
a2native68
Wed, Mar 17, 2010 : 9:19 a.m.
Sad to see another restaurant go; I miss La Pinata and their nachos, too! Hard to believe it's just a bank now. I have to put a plug in for Banditos, Liberty and 4th, as among the best Mexican/Cal-Mex places in town. Fresh salsa, marinated shredded beef, and great service - it's perfect for families and for a quick lunch. I'm getting hungry just writing. And their deep-fried quesadilla....
jannarbor
Wed, Mar 17, 2010 : 9:13 a.m.
We had only good dining experiences at Senor Lopez. We never had to wait to be seated or served, and the staff was always considerate and efficient. I thought the prices were very reasonable, and the menu offered many selections. Our recent discovery was how fast and handy their take-out service was. When I stopped by to get real tacos to go, I was very sad to see they were no longer open.
Dr. I. Emsayin
Wed, Mar 17, 2010 : 8:58 a.m.
Senor Lopez was a favorite lunch spot for my friends and me. We have a short lunch and they always had the salsa and chips out right away and the food to us before we were far into the chips. The Lopez family made us feel like family and we are sad to see them gone. Hopefully they will find another spot where they can get more business. Too bad the high school is closing their off campus lunch next year, having a large number of kids frequenting lunch places really helps local businesses.
a2grateful
Wed, Mar 17, 2010 : 8:40 a.m.
This restaurant opened with great fanfare and anticipation. Customers lined up to dine. Once seated, they waited... and waited... and waited... The service was unbelievably poor. In a matter of months the restaurant was empty. The only surprise it that they stayed open so long. Adequate food + dismal service = failure.
David Rhoads
Wed, Mar 17, 2010 : 7:37 a.m.
I am sorry to see a business not succeed and I hope another can go into the space soon, but the rental rate does seem a bit high for the current economy. Speaking of La Pinata, what a great restaurent that was. I would walk a mile to to visit one again. I wuold have to walk because the margaritas were soooo good, I wouldn't be driving.
Anonymous Due to Bigotry
Tue, Mar 16, 2010 : 9:06 p.m.
Sabor Latino is the absolute best latino restaurant in town. If a restaurant is not using that mexican white cheese then it's not authentic.
marzan
Tue, Mar 16, 2010 : 9 p.m.
I'm really bummed. Definitely good food.
David Briegel
Tue, Mar 16, 2010 : 7:18 p.m.
It was in my neighborhood and I really liked the ambiance and the food. I agree that the best is La Fiesta Mexicana. Sherry, La Pinata has been missed by many!
Renee
Tue, Mar 16, 2010 : 7:18 p.m.
I am so disappointed that Senor Lopez is gone. Their food was fresh and very tasty, and it was relatively inexpensive. I think their location was what caused this--if it were closer to campus, I know students would have given them a lot of business. I may have to travel to Detroit and give their other restaurant a try.
Soothslayer
Tue, Mar 16, 2010 : 6:25 p.m.
bar none THE BEST Mexican restaurant in Washtenaw County is La Fiesta Mexicana on Cross St. in Ypsilanti. There isn't a liquor license but the authentic food more than makes up for it. You will be greeted by the stores (Mexican) owners who you can tell are very proud of their cuisine and heritage. It easily makes Tios look like Taco Bell (which is pretty much what it is anyway except with supersized portions).
John Alan
Tue, Mar 16, 2010 : 5:34 p.m.
It is too bad and sad to see any business going under..... What is suprising is $22/sqft!!!! I wish the listing agent lots and lots of good luck.... I guarantee you that it will not happen.... go for may be $10/sqft or have a vacant property for years...