We all know most Mexican/Tex-Mex restaurants are 100 combinations of 5 ingredients, right? But that's the point, almost endless food creativity resulting in the tasty cuisine we all crave. This time we ventured outside the usual and picked 2 options I can say I've never had. Appetizer: Del Mar dip - this cheesy, gooey base with shrimp and REAL crab meat (blue crab maybe? Absolutely not Krab!) topping was good enough to eat straight with a spoon (skipping the chip) which I did with absolutely zero hesitation. Main: Molcajete Tapatio- I've had plenty of fine, good and great Fajita dishes but this was completely different. This entré areived in a sizzling lava bowl filled with flavorful strips of steak, chicken, Queso Fresco, avocado hunks (yes, hunks), all covered in a flavorful Chorizo red sauce. Trust me, you'll have leftovers to take home. Service was attentive but not overwhelming and the music (though a little loud) somehow makes the atmosphere just right. Pro Tip: don't let the strip mall location fool you, it's a hidden gem in an otherwise underwhelming shopping space read more

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Good tex-mex food with free chips and salsa. I ordered the tacos al pastor and really enjoyed them. Service was a bit slow but friendly. Restaurant was empty on a Thursday during lunch hour, which I found odd. I felt the pricing was fair. read more

I ordered the California burrito. Very disappointed, nothing but black beans and rice.

We chose this restaurant on a whim and it did not disappoint! I split the burritos al pastor with my wife and we still left overly full. The prices are fair for the portions you receive. read more

Definitely the best kept secret in Bear! This place is so good. Went in a date with my husband for their taco Tuesday special. $2.50 per taco and they were amazing! I got the pastor and chicken and my husband got pastor and steak. We ordered rice and beans to go with and that was also delicious. read more

Got stuck in traffic so decided to stop here. The place is cute - definitely a Mexican restaurant vibe with lots of great decor. Our server was attentive and nice. We ordered the Tapatio enchiladas and the Pineapple Fajitas. Both dishes were very tasty, huge portions, and did not disappoint. We had lots to take home for leftovers. They also had skinny margaritas on the menu that were refreshing. Great atmosphere and fun ambiance. read more

El Tapatio - Pineapple fajitas - in a pineapple! - Mexican Near Me - Bear, Delaware

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Don't know what happened but the food went down hill. It used to be our go to spot but after last night we won't be back! The fajita combo was absolutely horrible dried out disgusting meat. The tamales were covered in some kind of gravy that didn't even resemble red chili sauce. They lost our business read more

We had a nice experience meeting up with family over the holidays for dinner at El Tapatio. The staff especially kind and welcoming. They were attentive to our children, which made our dining experience easier. We won't soon forget our lovely holiday dinner with family! read more

I was expecting standard mediocre Tex-Mex food from this establishment, but was very pleasantly surprised by some very genuine Mexican food and great service. read more

This place is consistently wonderful. I love the Agua De Jamaica, which is no -alcoholic and refreshing. Highly recommend the Al pastor tacos which have a fantastic char/tons of flavor. Their margaritas are great and well priced in comparison to other places in the area. The servers are friendly and accommodating, and treat you like family. The ambiance is bright and friendly and it's our go-to place for Mexican food. Thank you for running an excellent restaurant! read more

El Tapatio - Agua De Jamaica, sangrarita - Mexican Near Me - Bear, Delaware

This is a very clean restaurant with great customer service. I had a crab quesadilla and nachos with queso and it was absolutely delicious. I will be back! read more

El Tapatio - Mexican Near Me - Bear, Delaware

I like this place but I've had mixed results when I sample the wider menu. Love the enchiladas Jalisco. Have had good carnitas here many times. Had a bomb quesadilla recently. Their standard salsa for chip dipping is perfect. But then I ordered shrimp tacos and it was just a pile of shrimp in a tortilla with no flavor or sauce (although the amount of shrimp was certainly generous). Did not enjoy the fajitas, although that's Tex-Mex for the gringos obviously. I really wish they served their tacos Mexican style with onions and generous cilantro. I might order here more often if there weren't two good taquerias within a mile. read more

I haven't been there in person but order thru DoorDash and everything I've ever gotten has been excellent, plus they give complimentary chips and salsa which are excellent. I love this place and would love to go in person. Usually I order combination enchiladas, 4 enchiladas with different fillings topped w salad and sour cream and it's excellent. The Mexican ice cream is great read more

Groupon guided me here for a Mexican meal. Unfortunately for me there are two El Tapatio's in Delaware and I wound up at the one in Eden Square instead of on Philadelphia Pike were the promotion was. No worries however, I throughly enjoyed my meal. The decor is festive which seems to be the case with most Mexican restaurants here in Delaware and the murals on the banquets extend all the way down to the floor which can make getting in and out the booths kind of awkward. The fajitas I ordered were very tasty. The chicken and beef were grilled to perfection, the jalapeños added a nice heat and the whole thing was covered in a cheese sauce. The tortillas were piping hot and I love the variety of hot sauces. The ubiquitous re fried beans and rice were kind of bland though. But then again I have never been that wowed by these side dishes anyhow. read more

Very bad experience. Went in and ordered drink. Needed to use the lavatory. Went in there was feces all over the ladies room toilet. Told the waitress she did nothing told the manager she did nothing. Told the waitress needed to use the lavatory and I can't go in with the feces other toilet. She told me they were busy and no one was available to clean the feces. I just got up and left leaving my order behind. DISGUSTING read more

Great food. Amazing staff and great customer service by Juan. If you are lucky then, you will get Juan as your server. We loved the food. MUST visit this restaurant if you like authentic Mexican food and are in Delaware. read more

El Tapatio - Veggie Fajita, guacamole, queso, spicey sauce, veggie enchilada, jalapeño on side - Mexican Near Me - Bear, Delaware

Everything from the service to the food, was so disappointing. Zero care or quality to the menu and food. This places is far worse than your average chain-box tex-mexican place. Really conceptually outdated. To briefly summarize- Everything is paired with the cliche beans/rice. Everything was totally inauthentic, and blah. Our soup was microwaved (broken/curdled sour cream was the giveaway), as was the salsa verde which was oddly served boiling hot? No spice or salt on anything. My "steak salad" was a few dry pieces of thin well done steak over the side salad that comes with most plates. Kens ranch dressing in Togo packets. Tacos served on fajita tortillas, no thought to salsas, chorizo, or onions. It seemed like the Mexican mgmt/cooks were been brainwashed and completely lost all touch with their own food. read more

It doesn't look like much when you're in this shopping plaza but man is it fun inside. I love the authentic decor they have in El Tapatio, just like the food. Each table gets fresh chips and salsa that they will keep refilling throughout your meal. The menu was huuge so I forget the name of what I ordered but it was really full of flavor and a big portion. Make sure you come hungry, definitely a diamond in the rough. read more

El Tapatio - Mexican Near Me - Bear, Delaware

Service is great! Live mariachi band on Friday's does the best rendition of "Living La Vida Loca", according to my husband. Food is stellar! I encourage you to get adventurous with it. I ordered a new menu item, was told I was the first customer to buy it, and it was all tea n read more

Real, real festival and authenticity when you enter this restaurant which should definitely prepare you for the authentic different types of dishes you'll be able to choose from. Was greeted and assisted as soon as I entered by a very helpful staff member without hesitation. You have to wait to be seated and that was in no time, but I was only doing takeout. He made sure of what dish I wanted and reconfirmed it then spoke Spanish to the staff member on the register who took my order and I waited for at least 8mins but told 10mins. Which meant it was quick! I ordered the lunch special Chimichanga(Fried)comes with rice, and beans. Topped with guacamole, sour cream, and cheese. Was really good. They've been opened for maybe 45mins before I came so a lot of ppl weren't in the restaurant but a few at some of the tables. Either way service was still pretty quick and again helpful staff. Yes I will be back and yes based off my one dish is the call for my return but I demolished my meal so next time I'm getting something more or a few dishes. Worth it and delicious. Nice restaurant. read more

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nice waiters. nice drinks. homey decor. not in love with the food. didn't taste bad it just wasn't awesome

The food tastes frozen. We were really excited to try this place, but absolutely nothing of the five dishes we ordered were edible last a few bites. read more

Absolutely the best Mexican food in Northern Delaware. Fantastic service and authentic. I'm definitely coming back. Try the carne asada burrito plate made with marinated flank steak. Delicious read more

The food is one of the best Mexican. Their menu is traditional, and unique.. the service is alway good.

I was staying at the Hilton and needed some quick food and ordered delivery, so some of the issues that have arised may have been due to delivery time. To start out, no silverware was placed, my laziness was defeated, much walking ensued. Bon appetit, I ripped into the bag of chips (a very small handful of chips) and dunk it right into their salsa and took a bite. The pure pain that radiated out of my mouth signified to me that I was definitely going to be feeling it later. They didn't label that one was salsa and the other cup was brazen hot magma hot sauce salsa. So I got the birria tacos which we're actually pretty good, not to greasy and cooked perfect. My wife's taco salad however was soggy and lack luster, I mean pretty gross. I don't know why, but I liked their refried beans, slightly better than usual. If you go here, try the birria, bring your own silverware, pinky test all salsa, and become a johnny cash fan (ring of fire). read more

Ambiance, Check! Hand carved and painted chairs and booths!! Wow wow wow! Absolutely love the vibe!! Service, Check! Our waiter Alejandro was fantastico! So attentive and friendly! Food, Check! It gets bonus points for coming out so quickly! But it was also delicious! Hit the spot on our long drive south! Thank you to everyone at El Tapatio for an amazing experience! Muchas grasias!! read more

Horrible service. The help was kicking us out within the 5 minutes of waiting for the rest of my party

Nice local, casual place for Mexican. The servers are friendly and polite and food comes out fast and warm. Good for lunch and dinner or for a snack and cocktail or margarita. read more

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This is our go-to place every Wednesday. Great service. We put it on our schedule every Wednesday and almost every Sunday. Best margaritas in town and only $3.99! read more

El Tapatio - Margarita - Mexican Near Me - Bear, Delaware

Food is delicious, atmosphere is great, and menu is extensive. Yes it does feel congested in there, but I think that just adds to the ambiance. There's always good Latin music playing and the servers are attentive. Service is always very good. My favorite items to eat are the pollo en chipotle and burrito carne asada. They also have very good drinks! Can't go wrong with this place! read more

The portions are huge, the service was fast and the staff are so friendly and helpful. If we're back in the area, we will definitely come back. read more

We were a party of 12 on Saturday evening and the service was excellent. The salsa is amazing (the chips were good). The food was either ok or excellent. The pollo Jalisco was awful, there was another chicken and mushroom dish that left a lot to be desired. The fajitas (pineapple/steak/chicken) were excellent. The pollo loco was also excellent. The chimichangas were also very good. Our waitress did an amazing job! We will come back! read more

Absolutely delicious! Wonderful staff. It was our first time here and we're so happy we came! My husband got #125, the Molcajete Tapatio. It came in a hot lava rock bowl, and it was so cool. It was delicious and maxed out every single taste bud in my mouth. Seriously, it was so flavorful! I got the beef fajitas which are my favorite. The server was SO sweet. I loved the sunflower tables and booths. We will be back for sure!!! read more

El Tapatio - Molcajete Tapatio #125. So so so tasty - Mexican Near Me - Bear, Delaware

Used to frequent this spot faithfully every Wednesday for about 3 years or so. They treat their customers like sh*t. Very unprofessional and need a lesson on customer service. Deleted all pics n previous post no longer patronizing this restaurant. Deuces. Still love Magoli though . Fav server for life!!! read more

Decent food. But trash customer service. The girl at the bar is super nasty over the smallest thing. Asked for a side of green salsa and got an attitude and then charged 2.50 for a small thing of salsa. Not worth the headache 2 stars because the food is somewhat decent read more

This is my second time eating here and my plate of choice is the mixed grill Pineapple fajita. That said I feel 100% confident that anything I order on this menu will be done right. The menu, the service, the price and the portions are all A+. To top it off the atmosphere here with soccer matches on the projector and a roving mariachi trio, I wish this place were closer to where I live. Definitely one of the top Mexican spots in New Castle County. read more

El Tapatio - Finished Pineapple perfection - Mexican Near Me - Bear, Delaware

The fish tacos were very good, the order comes with rice. This is my regular taco spot. The restaurant is always clean and customer service is . read more

Food here is soooo good! Comes out super hot and flavorful! Service is a little slow but we came on a slow Sunday after some snow. Waitress was very friendly but took a while to take our order, she did check on us twice during the meal not over baring which was nice but it's kinda hard to wave someone down when they're not around. Decor is very nice looks authentic there's like this corn husk voodoo doll on the table and bright chairs and table paintings. The complimentary chips and salsa tasted fresh and delicious the chips still had that warm out the frier. And the price is decent because u get a ton of food! So happy we came here, will be back and hopefully they have more attentive service. read more

El Tapatio - So much food!!!! So good too! - Mexican Near Me - Bear, Delaware

Nice food. The food was boxed nicely for takeout. Taste was good. Will definitely order again.

Great restaurant with delicious food. I discovered this restaurant during lockdown and order from here often. Every item I have tried is amazing. read more