The Fold: Chela's
The taco series heads west on Dexter-Ann Arbor Road.
The first two entries in The Fold stayed close to their respective downtowns. Dos Hermanos sits on an industrial strip in Scio Township. MAIZ is on Cross Street in Depot Town. For the third entry, I drove west on Dexter-Ann Arbor Road, past the Meijer and the Busch's, to a strip mall that most Ann Arbor residents pass without slowing down.
Chela's is at 7065 Dexter-Ann Arbor Road, technically Dexter. Adrian Iraola and his wife Lori opened the original Chela's in Ann Arbor after Adrian spent 25 years as an inspector and architectural engineer for the city. His family has been in the food business for generations — his great-grandmother catered weddings in Mexico City, his grandparents met working for her, and his father sold tacos and tortas from stands on his parking lots. The Dexter location is the second outpost. Inside, the room is small and functional. There are booths, a counter, and a television usually tuned to soccer. The menu covers the full range: burritos, tortas, enchiladas, quesadillas, tamales, and a taco lineup that runs deep enough to warrant multiple visits.
The Birria Tacos
Chela's serves birria tacos on Fridays and Saturdays only. This is not an everyday item, and it is worth planning around.
The tortillas are dipped in consomme and griddled until the edges crisp. The beef is braised, shredded, and rich with dried chiles. Each taco comes with a cup of the braising liquid on the side for dipping. The consomme is dark, salty, and has enough fat on the surface to catch the light.
Birria tacos ran through every city in the country a few years ago and left a trail of soggy tortillas, bland broth, and meat that tasted like it came from a steam tray. Here, the tortillas have actual crunch. The meat has texture and flavor without needing the consomme to carry it. Drink the consomme on its own. If it holds up, the taco is real. This one holds up.
The Carne Asada
I ordered the carne asada taco to run it against the Dos Hermanos version, which set the bar in our first entry. A taco a la carte runs $3 at Chela's, same ballpark as the $3.50 at Dos Hermanos.
Chunkier than Dos Hermanos, cut into larger pieces rather than the finely chopped style on Jackson Industrial. Seasoning is straightforward: salt, lime, a little garlic. It arrives on a doubled corn tortilla with cilantro and raw onion.
The carne asada is the weaker taco here. On one visit the beef was juicy and well-seared; on another it ran dry. That inconsistency keeps it below Dos Hermanos, where the carne asada has shown up the same way every time. If you come to Chela's for the carne asada, you might leave impressed or you might leave shrugging. Come for the birria.
The Al Pastor
The al pastor is the sleeper. Marinated pork with caramelized edges, served on corn tortillas with pineapple, onion, and cilantro. At $3, it is one of the better values in The Fold. The pork carries sweetness from the marinade without letting it dominate, and the pineapple adds acid that cuts through the fat. This is a more traditional al pastor than what you get at most sit-down Mexican restaurants in the area, closer to what Adrian's father might have served from those parking lot stands in Mexico City.
The Salsa
Chela's offers a verde and a red salsa with its tacos. The verde is sharp, bright, and has real tomatillo flavor. Reviewers who have eaten here longer than I have call the verde the best thing on the table, and I would not argue. The red is smokier, with dried chile depth. Both are made in-house.
Unlike Dos Hermanos, where the kitchen decides what salsa goes where, and MAIZ, where salsas come as part of the plate, Chela's lets you choose. Build your own combination. That rewards repeat visits because you can run the same taco through both salsas and get two different experiences.
The Strip Mall Question
Every food city has its strip mall spots. Places where the rent is low, the signage is minimal, and the food is better than anything within a mile of downtown. Dos Hermanos fits that description. So does Chela's, just farther west.
The Dexter-Ann Arbor Road corridor does not get much attention from the food-adjacent crowd. It is a commercial stretch built for cars, not foot traffic. But Chela's is out there doing real work, and the family history behind the kitchen shows up in the food. If The Fold only covered walkable downtown spots, it would miss half the picture.
Where Chela's Lands
Three entries in: Dos Hermanos for the tortillas, MAIZ for the ambition, Chela's for the birria.
The Friday-Saturday birria taco is the best new addition to The Fold. It gives the series something it did not have: a braise-forward, consomme-dipping taco that rewards messy eating. Plan your visit around it.
This is part of our ongoing series. Read the full tracker: The Fold: Best Taco in Ann Arbor.
Chela's is at 7065 Dexter-Ann Arbor Rd, Dexter, MI. Tue--Thu 11:30 a.m.--8 p.m., Fri--Sat 11:30 a.m.--9 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday. Phone: (734) 580-2149. Birria tacos Friday and Saturday only.