The Fold: MAIZ Mexican Cantina
The taco series crosses the Huron River into Ypsilanti for the first time.
The Fold has a geographic problem. The series is called Best Taco in Ann Arbor, and MAIZ Mexican Cantina is in Ypsilanti. Depot Town, specifically, on the same block as Sidetrack and Aubree's. I thought about this for about thirty seconds and then stopped caring. The best taco in Ann Arbor might not be in Ann Arbor. That possibility is the whole reason to do a series like this.
MAIZ sits at 36 E Cross St, a narrow storefront with a counter and maybe twenty seats. The menu covers enchiladas, burritos, quesadillas, and a full slate of tacos. Everything is made from scratch daily. I have eaten here repeatedly since January, and the kitchen has been consistent every visit. That consistency is harder to pull off than it sounds.
The Baked Avocado Taco
The signature at MAIZ is the baked avocado taco, and it deserves the reputation. A half avocado, battered and baked until the outside turns golden and the inside goes creamy, sits on a corn tortilla with pico de gallo, cabbage slaw, and a crema drizzle. The avocado holds its shape. It does not collapse into mush the way fried avocado often does.
What makes this taco interesting is its texture. The battered shell has crunch. The avocado underneath is warm and soft but still firm enough to bite through cleanly. The cabbage adds snap. Three distinct textures in a single taco, and none of them fight each other.
Is it a traditional taco? No. It is closer to Baja-style street food filtered through a kitchen that is clearly thinking about each component. At $4.50, it is a dollar more than a Dos Hermanos al pastor, but it is also a fundamentally different thing. Where Dos Hermanos builds around seasoned meat and a tortilla that can stand on its own, MAIZ is building around produce and technique. Both approaches work.
The Carnitas
I ordered the carnitas taco expecting a direct comparison to Dos Hermanos. The comparison is instructive but not straightforward. The MAIZ carnitas are tender and well-seasoned, served on a corn tortilla with cilantro, onion, and a red salsa that has real heat. The pork has good flavor and pulls apart easily.
Where Dos Hermanos carnitas keep the fat in and reward slow eating, the MAIZ version is leaner and lets the salsa do more of the work. Neither approach is wrong. The MAIZ red salsa earns the responsibility. It has dried chile depth and enough spice that you feel it in the back of your throat after two bites.
At $3.75, the carnitas taco is solid. In a series where Dos Hermanos has already set the carnitas bar, it holds up without quite clearing it.
The Street Corn Factor
You cannot write about MAIZ without mentioning the elote. The street corn is charred, coated in mayo, cotija, and chili powder, and served on a stick. It is not a taco, but it is the best thing I have eaten at MAIZ, and I order it every time. The char is aggressive enough that the kernels pop when you bite them. The cotija is salty, the mayo is rich, and the chili powder ties everything together with warmth.
Order the elote alongside your tacos. You will not regret it.
MAIZ vs. Dos Hermanos
The comparison is inevitable, so here it is. Dos Hermanos is a taqueria in the traditional sense. House-made tortillas, from-scratch salsas, meats cooked the way they have been cooked for generations. It is focused and exceptional. MAIZ is broader in ambition. The menu is longer, the flavors borrow from more places, and the signature dish is a baked avocado taco that no traditional taqueria would put on the menu.
If you want the best straightforward meat taco in the area, Dos Hermanos still holds that ground. If you want tacos that take creative swings and mostly land them, MAIZ is the play. The hand-shaken margaritas with fresh-squeezed juice do not hurt the case either.
What MAIZ proves is that The Fold needs to think beyond Ann Arbor city limits. Ypsilanti's Depot Town is fifteen minutes from downtown Ann Arbor and it has a taco spot making everything from scratch daily. Ignoring it because of a city boundary line would be lazy.
The Scores So Far
Two entries in and the series already has range. A Scio Township taqueria and a Depot Town cantina, one built on tradition and one on creativity, both making food from scratch, both charging under five dollars a taco. That is a good start.
This is part of our ongoing series. Read the full tracker: The Fold: Best Taco in Ann Arbor.
MAIZ Mexican Cantina is at 36 E Cross St, Ypsilanti, MI 48198. Open daily. Taco Tuesdays for deals.