Whiskey Taco Foxtrot

Whiskey Taco Foxtrot — yes, the initials are exactly what you think, and the place leans into the joke with a wink. It’s a veteran-owned taqueria-slash-whiskey-bar in downtown Clawson that got named one of Detroit’s best taco spots in its first year, and even on a quick drinks-only stop, you can feel why people are loyal to it.

We came in for cocktails, and they over-delivered. The margaritas and the paloma were genuinely great — but the real tell was the bartender, who knew an absurd amount about tequila and clearly loved talking about it. That’s not an accident: the bar stocks 80-plus whiskeys, bourbons, and tequilas, with flights if you want to go exploring. If “the person making your drink is a nerd about it” is your love language (it’s ours), you’re in good hands here.

We didn’t eat this visit — but the menu had us plotting a return before we’d finished our drinks. This is the good kind of taco menu: inventive without being precious. Birria with au jus for dipping, chimichurri steak, a potato-avocado taco that even the non-vegetarians rave about, bang bang shrimp. You build your order with a wipe-off marker on a laminated menu, which is a small thing that somehow makes it more fun. There’s a patio out front, and it looks like they do live music, trivia, and karaoke nights too. We’ll be back to eat — and report.