Navarro’s Mexican Takeout Spotlight: Muskegon Heights, Michigan

Some businesses are built on a recipe. Some are built on a legacy. Navarro’s Mexican Takeout in Muskegon Heights is built on both.

The story starts in 1978, when Angel Luis and Connie Navarro opened a Hispanic grocery store in Muskegon Heights to fill a gap in the community where Mexican kitchen staples were simply not available. In 1985, their daughter Panchita took over at just 18 years old and transformed it into the Mexican takeout restaurant it is today, specializing in stone-ground tamales, wet burritos, tacos, and nachos.

When Panchita passed away unexpectedly in 2020, her eldest daughter Marisela Sierra stepped in to carry the family legacy forward as the third-generation owner. She has not just maintained what her family built. She has grown it.

In 2022, Marisela won the Start Garden 100 pitch competition, earning $20,000 to invest in production equipment and scale the tamale operation for local retail. Navarro’s tamales, salsas, and sauces are now sold at the Muskegon Farmers Market in addition to the original storefront at 2537 8th Street in Muskegon Heights.

Marisela was also recognized in the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce’s Future 15 awards program. Three generations in, Navarro’s is still going strong.

Find them on Facebook at Navarro’s Mexican Take-Out or visit the storefront in Muskegon Heights.

Michigan Small Business Spotlight is proud to feature Navarro’s Mexican Takeout as a West Michigan legacy worth celebrating.