A West Village building becomes two Latin restaurants at once

Robert Encarnación bought a vacant building at 8016 Kercheval Avenue from the Detroit Land Bank in April 2021. Nearly four years later, in March 2025, Deputy Mayor Melia Howard cut the ribbon on what the building had become: two Latin American businesses sharing one address in West Village.

The renovation took the time. Encarnación, a Dominican Republic native who moved to Detroit in 2019, rebuilt the structure into two concepts. The work included a commercial kitchen hood and an ADA-compliant elevator, paid for in part by a $65,000 Motor City Match grant that also covered furnishings, according to the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation.

The back of the building holds La Fonda Street, a fast-casual Latin American restaurant that opened in June 2024. Its menu runs from $2 to $17 and leans on items like the Dominican Bowl and $2 tacos on Taco Tuesdays. The front holds Encarnación, a coffee shop that had a soft opening in November 2024, serving espresso drinks including the house Encarnación Original alongside grab-and-go breakfast.

The city counted the dual opening as the 181st brick-and-mortar business to launch through Motor City Match, the program that pairs entrepreneurs with grants and real estate support.

"It was a crazy idea, but I knew Detroit was a place full of opportunity," Encarnación said, per the City of Detroit.

The restaurant runs seven days a week from noon to 8 p.m. The coffee shop keeps morning hours later in the week.