Yeah Arriba is not "good", just convenient. Manny's has almost the same brisket tacos as Mia's (same family owns it I think) but it is less crowded and they have an awesome patio. Give it a shot sometime if the wait is too long at Mia's.
Stringer - I was there for lunch. Got there at 1 and there was a decent wait. Had a table next to a local celebrity - the lovely Alexa Conomos from Channel 8. Suzie - you're right, there is some relationship between Manny and Mia's. I think Manny is the son of the parents who started Mia's (and Mia's is actually named after Manny's sister Mia). I've never been to Manny's, but I'll try it when the weather warms up. I hear the patio is really nice.
I guess Arriba was just mailing it in because it is now closed. Also the crowd at Ojeda's on Maple at lunch is completely different from the dinner crowd...a little bit more Cedar Springs at night. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
Agree with most of the above...would add Cantina Laredo (just for the steak fajitas alone), and Uncle Julio's for their fajitas as well. Surprised nobody has mentioned Mariano's...when I used to live at the Village we went there at least 2x/week...they've got a new location on Skillman, not the same, but still quite good in my opinion, plus Mariano invented the frozen margarita so that's gotta be worth something.
