Outside Sabor Latino in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Sept. 21, 2009.

Angela Cesere | AnnArbor.com

In June, Sabor Latino, which has been around for years, was bought by Marco Baez, who expanded the menu and started serving brunch. I’m not in a position to compare the old with the new, as I confess I had never eaten here before. After two recent visits, though, I won’t overlook it anymore. This is a gem of an authentic Latin American restaurant that is good enough to win over even those who usually don’t appreciate this type of cuisine (my husband included).

Though the ingredients are similar to those used at other Mexican restaurants, I found these dishes to be far less heavy and rich than expected. We started with the flautas (taquitos), rolled tacos stuffed with potatoes and beans, topped with queso, guacamole and tomato salsa — a wonderful mix of fresh ingredients. It was easy to fill up on the delicious guacamole, which was perfectly accented with cilantro and fresh tomato pieces. The salsa was quite good and the chips were crunchy, flavorful and not too salty or greasy. Vegetables in all of the dishes we ordered were very fresh and cooked perfectly.

The shrimp plate came with a spicy tomato sauce. It was one of the only dishes that had a spicy kick to it, and it worked well. Even though the chicken chimichanga was deep fried, it wasn’t too greasy and the crust was crispy and delicious. 

I enjoyed the inventive torta, a Mexican sandwich on a hamburger bun that included breaded chicken, refried beans, lettuce, tomato, avocado, queso and sour cream. While I wouldn’t have thought to put these types of ingredients together, it was fantastic. Even the basic taco was great, made better by the homemade corn tortilla. The only miss on our first visit was the fried fish, a piece of tilapia that was bland, dry and rather unappetizing. There are so many great Latin American specialties that it’s not necessary to go for the basic American dishes.

As for dessert, I dove into the pastel de tres leches, cake doused in cream and strawberries, resembling strawberry shortcake in taste. It was great, as was the flan.

Sabor Latino’s brunch is a treat for anyone looking for a slightly different twist on bacon, eggs and pancakes. We decided to order one basic favorite, the vegetarian omelet, full of roasted bell pepper, zucchini, tomato and queso. It was fluffy and light. Even better, huevos rancheros clasicos — scrambled eggs on those delectable crispy corn tortillas, salsa and queso, paired with moist, flavorful Spanish rice and fresh beans — was a great way to start the day.

There were just a few minor kinks here. The espresso machine wasn’t working on either of our visits, so we couldn’t sample the coffee drinks. The server neglected to heed our request to omit onions from the vegetarian omelet, and the white rice served with it was dry. But it’s easy to overlook these small issues because the food at Sabor Latino, overall, is simply terrific.

Sabor Latino
211 N. Main St.
Ann Arbor, MI
734-214-7775
Sabor Latino web site
Hours: Monday through Wednesday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m.-3:30 a.m. Saturday, 9 a.m.-3:30 a.m. Sunday, 9 a.m.-3 a.m.
Plastic: Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express.
Liquor: No.
Prices: Inexpensive to moderate. For dinner, no entrée is more than $13; for brunch most meals are in the $7 range.
Value: Very good.
Noise level: Quiet.
Wheelchair access: Yes.
Smoking section: No.