Sharon Hanks
A new Mexican restaurant opened last week in downtown Grand Rapids, Pikositos Authentic Mexican Tacos & Salsas, adding to the growing number of businesses opening shop along the once-abandoned South Division Avenue.
Owner Norma Jazwinsk, an architect and Mexican immigrant, says Manuel Medina, a well-known supporter of the Mexican Heritage Association and its annual celebration, Fiesta Mexicana, is the cook at the new place located in the former Foodsmith eatery at 122 S. Division Ave. that closed last year.
Pikositos offers quick and affordable authentic Mexican cuisine featuring tacos, burritos and quesadillas served with homemade salsas and corn tortillas. Jazwinski says the dishes also come with a Mexican bean soup made with pork. There are vegetarian versions of each dish and soup as well, she says.
"We've been busy," Jazwinski says. "The neighbors have been great. They've already tried the food." Besides the freshly prepared cuisine, another attraction at the eatery is the display of art work by area artists, starting with Hugo Claudin's colorful paintings of figures wearing Mexican wrestling masks, she says.
She says the restaurant's name, Pikositos, comes from the Spanish word "picoso" which means hot and spicy.
The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 11 a.m. to 4 a.m. Friday and Saturday. It is closed on Sunday. The owner is hoping to primarily attract the lunch and late-night crowds. More information can be found on Pikositos's Facebook page.
Source: Norma Jazwinski, owner of Pikositos Mexican Authentic Tacos & Salsas restaurant, Grand Rapids
Sharon Hanks is innovations and jobs news editor at Rapid Growth Media. Please send story ideas and comments for the column to Sharon at [email protected]. She also is owner of The Write Words in Grand Rapids.
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