Carnival Market

Carnival Market is two great things wearing one roof: the largest Hispanic supermarket in Oakland County, and, tucked inside it, a genuinely excellent taqueria. Walk in for the groceries — a scratch bakery stacked with conchas, tres leches, and pan dulce; a butcher counter of house-marinated meats; produce priced better than the fancy chains; fifteen kinds of salsa — and stay for the food. The in-store Carnival Grill does the real deal: tacos with meat that melts, carnitas, tamales people drive in from three counties for, fresh-pressed tortillas, house guacamole, horchata, and a margarita if you’re settling in. It’s the kind of place where you come for taco-night ingredients and leave having eaten lunch, bought a bag of chips-and-salsa for the road, and made a mental note to come back hungrier. The family opened it in 2009 after training for months at their cousins’ San Diego markets and bringing the recipes home, and that authenticity is exactly what you taste. On our list as one of Pontiac‘s most joyful food destinations — grocery run optional, tacos non-negotiable.