In celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs through Oct. 15, here are some of our favorite Latin-owned restaurants in town. Support them before then, and all year round.

Barroco Grill Multiple Locations If you’ve never had an arepa before, you need to head to Barroco ASAP. Arepas, which hail from Colombia and Venezuela, are grilled white tortilla’s stuffed with a variety of ingredients. The ‘La Gringa’, stuffed with braised beef, feta cheese, avocado, chimichurri, greens and mozzarella, and the ‘Buffalo Chicken’ arepa are two of our absolute favorites. Barrocco also has fantastic live Latin music three nights a week. Photo via Barroco/Facebook
La Plaza Supermarket 13609 Lakewood Heights Blvd., Lakewood All it takes to get your hands on what many deem the best tacos in Cleveland is venturing to the far back corner of a supermarket. This small hot food station cooks up barbacoa, carnitas, chorizo and al pastor tacos in front of your eyes. They’re served up as-is, but load up on diced onion, cilantro, guac and salsas to your heart’s desire. Tip: You can pre-pay for your tacos at the front counter, but keep it simple and just carry cash. Photo via La Plaza Supermarket/Facebook
Rincón Criollo Multiple Locations Offerings of Puerto Rican cuisine here reflect African, Indian and American influences. Fritters are popular, and Rincón’s appetizer list features two kinds: relleno de papas (potato balls) and alcapurria (banana balls). Specials include mondongo (tripe stew), chuletas fritas o en salsa (pork chops fried or in red sauce), and mofongo con chicharrones (mashed seasoned plantain ball with fried pork). Photo via Rincón Criollo/Facebook
El Señor’s at La Mexicana Grocery 170 East Washington St., Painesville We promise your trip to be Painesville will be well worth the drive when you get your hands on El Señor’s tacos. A small restaurant attached to a supermarket, seating here is limited but flavor is plentiful. Choose from pork, beef, beef tongue and pork stomach. For a little refreshment, cool down with a Jarritos. Photo via Scene Archives
Tapatias Taqueria 12501 Lorain Ave., Cleveland The great thing about this relatively new West Side taqueria is the amount of different offerings available for your taco or burrito. Choose from chicken, steak, chorizo, carnitas, tripa, lengua, barbacoa or pastor. They also have a dozen delicious big plates built around items like grilled steak, whole fried fish and grilled shrimp all come with Spanish rice, refried beans and a short stack of warm tortillas. Photo via Tapatias Taqueria/Facebook Credit: Scene Archives
El Rinconcito Chapin 3330 Broadview Rd., Cleveland The Guatemalan eatery, owned by Engel Godinez, had briefly wowed diners at its original spot a couple of miles away on Pearl Road before rolling down the shutters in advance of the big move. Attracted by the promise of soul-satisfying pupusas, adventurous customers who expanded their comfort zones left as newly minted fans of a much broader, compelling cuisine. And if they happened to land on the garnachas, they likely became Rinconcito groupies for life. Photo by Doug Trattner
Pupuseria Katarina 1409 Brookpark Rd., Cleveland Authentic El Salvadoran cuisine in Cleveland? Sign us up. Naturally, Pupuseria Katarina excels at El Salvadoran pupusas, thick corn pancakes stuffed with various fillings and fried on a griddle. They offer a full slate of options, from simple cheese to “Pupusa Loca”, which is kind of like the kitchen sink version stuffed with every filling on the menu. Simpler is better, in my opinion, with cheese or maybe cheese, beans and pork rising to the top. Fried to order, the pupusas arrive hot, crisp and corny. Photo via Scene Archives
La Placita 2511 Clark Ave., Cleveland At this Hispanic-themed open-air market in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood, street food vendors sling tacos, empanadas and more. Tacos that are cooked up in front of you are a staple here. Enjoy it with a side of plantains and live music. The plan or La Placita is to evolve into a permanent indoor, year-round operation that houses micro-retail businesses within La Villa Hispana – which means tacos in every season. Photo via La Placita/Facebook
La Morenita 3156 W. 25th St., Cleveland When the Fish Shack and Grill packed up and moved across the street to a larger spot, its former home was quickly snatched up by a Dominican restaurant called La Morenita. The cheery little eatery, which has been open since 2017, serves breakfast, lunch and early dinner. A full Dominican breakfast is no joke. Called “Los Tres Golpes” – or the three hits – the plate always contains fried eggs, fried cheese, fried salami and mangú. Like Puerto Rican mofongo, mangú is made from plantains and are a staple of the cuisine. Photo via Scene Archives
Nuevo Acapulco 21750 Lorain Rd., North Olmsted Too many margaritas? Too full of tacos to move? Never fear, you’re already in a restaurant connected to a motel! Coincidence? Don’t ask questions, just down another chorizo, steak, chicken, beef or cheese taco. It’s an unexpected location for Mexican cuisine, and coupled with the occasional roaming magician it’s delightfully quirky. Photo via Nuevo Acapulco/Facebook
Tienda Central Hispaña 11210 Lorain Ave, Cleveland Not only does this market have some of the best Latin American goods for purchase, their fresh offerings like their tamales, enchiladas, carne asada and other dishes are authentic and muy delicioso. Photo via Tienda Central Hispana/Facebook
Hola Tacos Multiple Locations From the family who also operates the beloved Barroco Arepa Bars in Lakewood and Westlake, they have assembled a concise but compelling menu of traditional tacos that represent a nice selection of regional classics at Hola Tacos. Al pastor tacos are made “al trompo,” with thin-sliced pork carved from a rotating spit and garnished with pineapple, onions and cilantro. Cochinita pibil tacos consist of slow-roasted adobo-marinated pork capped with pickled red onion. Coal-fired steak is at the heart of the carne asada tacos and roasted cauliflower serves as the filling for a vegetarian selection. Photo via Scene Archives
Tacos Mexicanos 223 Highland Rd., Macedonia Head out to Macedonia for one of the more beloved Mexican spots in town. You can’t go wrong with any of their traditional tacos here. Photo via @Tacos_Mex_Macedonia/Instagram
El Señor’s at La Mexicana Grocery 170 East Washington St., Painesville We promise your trip to be Painesville will be well worth the drive when you get your hands on El Señor’s tacos. A small restaurant attached to a supermarket, seating here is limited but flavor is plentiful. Choose from pork, beef, beef tongue and pork stomach. For a little refreshment, cool down with a Jarritos. Photo via Scene Archives
Pupuseria La Bendicion 3685 West 105th St., Cleveland Of course pupusas are the main attraction at this Salvadoran restaurant, but their beef tongue, chicken and carne tacos have also attracted their own fans. If you haven’t had a pupusa though, this is the place to try them. Photo via Pupuseria La Benidicion/Facebook Credit: Scene Archives

Scene's award-winning newsroom oftentimes collaborates on articles and projects. Stories under this byline are group efforts.