Harbor Springs’ Rodrigo’s Serves up Authentic Mexican Food

By Kristi Kates | Aug. 26, 2017

The husband and wife team of Sara Gaydan and Rodrigo Sandoval took the long route to northern Michigan. Both were born in Brownsville, Texas, a city at the southernmost tip of the state, just across the border from Mexico, on the banks of the Rio Grande. They eventually traveled east and spent several years living in Vero Beach, Florida, before making their way north to live closer to some of their friends.

The couple arrived in Harbor Springs with an idea: to try opening up a restaurant that would draw upon food traditions from their family’s origins in Michoacán, Mexico. They borrowed a few of their grandmother’s recipes and now run Rodrigo’s every evening, sharing restaurant facilities with a local breakfast/lunch diner. (Out to Lunch uses the kitchen and 45-seat dining area from 7am–2pm daily, while Rodrigo’s is open in the same space from 5pm–9pm.)

“What we serve is really authentic Mexican food; it’s not ‘American-Mexican’ food,” explained Sara Gaydan. “We use as many local ingredients as we can, organic foods, and food from the farmers markets. We make our own tortillas, our own guacamole, our own pico de gallo, our own queso.”

The menu, which has slowly grown since Rodrigo’s opened in December 2016, features some familiar-sounding dishes but with genuine flavors that you won’t find at your local fast-food taco chain.

The tacos, with their homemade corn tortilla shells, are filled with your choice of protein — sauteed chicken or shredded chicken, beef, or steal. Or you can choose the vegetarian option, a seasoned mix of carrots, green and red peppers, onions, mushrooms, cauliflower, and broccoli. They’re served with chopped fresh onion and cilantro on top, a slice of lime, and a side of homemade guacamole made fresh daily.

Burritos offer similar meat/vegetable options but also are filled with homemade refried beans, more of the guacamole, and homemade pico de gallo, queso, and salsa verde. The fajitas, which also can be ordered with any of the above meats or vegetables, also come with seafood options: shrimp or fish, or the Del Mar fajita, which mixes fish and shrimp together. All entrees are served with a side of Rodrigo’s rice and refried beans.

“We just added street tacos, too,” Gaydan said. “Those are served on smaller corn tortillas, and you get six to a plate. You choose your protein or the vegetables, and then they are topped with chiles toreados (deep-fried jalapeno peppers), grilled onions, fresh cilantro, and slices of radish.”

At your table, you’ll find complimentary chips and homemade salsa to start your meal; to keep you refreshed while you dine on the spicy stuff, you can choose from Coca-Cola products, beer, margaritas, or coming soon, Jarritos Mexican soft drinks in flavors like Piña (pineapple), Tamarindo (tamarind), Fresa (strawberry), and Limón (lime).

Rodrigo’s also has some pretty delicious plans on the horizon for their upcoming dessert menu. “We plan to add flan (custard), banana chimichanga (a deep-fried dessert like a sweet version of a burrito), sopapilla (a sweet fried pastry), and fried ice cream,” Gaydan said. But mostly, Gaydan and Sandoval just plan to work hard at keeping up with the demand they’ve experienced since Rodrigo’s opened.

“It’s been very good,” Gaydan said. “It’s been moving faster than we expected here, especially this summer, which has been crazy!”

Rodrigo’s is located at 7593 S. State Rd., in Harbor Springs, (231) 526-2980. Open seven days a week from 5pm–9pm. Visit them on Facebook at facebook.com/rodrigosharborsprings to view menu updates and specials. $$