La Fonda Street and Encarnación open as a coffee-and-cantina pair in West Village

Two Latin American businesses now share one address in West Village. The city marked the occasion with a ribbon cutting on March 26, 2025, the 181st brick-and-mortar opening tied to its Motor City Match program, per the City of Detroit.

The owner is Robert Encarnación, a Dominican Republic native who built a passion for coffee while living in Miami. He visited Detroit in 2019 to look at what the city might offer, then moved that same year and began planning the two concepts.

"It was a crazy idea, but I knew Detroit was a place full of opportunity," Encarnación said in the city's announcement. "I wanted to create a space that showcased my background."

He bought the building at 8016 Kercheval Ave. from the Detroit Land Bank in 2021, then took on a long renovation to fit two distinct spaces inside one corner that had sat vacant.

A $65,000 Motor City Match grant helped pay for the buildout, funding a commercial kitchen hood, an ADA-compliant elevator, and furnishings, according to the city.

La Fonda Street, the restaurant half, opened in June 2024 and runs a fast-casual menu that pulls across Latin America. Most dishes fall between $2 and $17. The Dominican Bowl (rice, beans, Dominican stewed chicken, lettuce, and maduros) is a regular order, and Taco Tuesday tacos go for $2 apiece. The kitchen also earned outside notice, landing at No. 4 on the 2025 Detroit Free Press/Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers Top 10 New Restaurants list, per the Free Press.

Encarnación, the coffee shop named for its owner, soft-opened in November 2024 from the front of the same building. It leans on espresso drinks, including a house pour called the Encarnación Original, plus grab-and-go breakfast items.

Deputy Mayor Melia Howard was on hand for the ribbon cutting. "This is what we love to see happen for small businesses in the city of Detroit," Howard said in the city's release.

8016 Kercheval Ave., Detroit.