I don't update my old reviews very often, but I plan to make as many short n' sweet updates as possible in 2022 to bring some of my reviews into the new decade. EL TIO remains one of my favorite places for simple, yet delicious Mexican tacos, pork tamales and absolutely my favorite place for Beef Milanesa. Some days I get it with a scrambled egg because it makes for such a great breakfast. Other days I make tacos out of it with all the ingredients included with the plate. The staff is small and they can be very busy during typical lunch hours, so keep that in mind if you are crunched for time. FINAL THOUGHTS A surprisingly delicious Mexican restaurant tucked away inside of a Chevron gas station that is serving up some of the best tacos, tamales and Milanesa around! ENJOY 2022 / 81 #update read more

See all

This place is in a gas station. BUT it's one of the best Mexican places I've been to! We got a chicken and a pork tamales were absolutely delicious. The blue tortilla quesadilla with lengua (beef tongue) was very unique and was the best quesadilla I've had in years! Pretty great salsa too! read more

El Tio Mexican Restaurant - the menu - Mexican Near Me - Dacula, Georgia

See all

The real deal!! Order at the back and pay up front for a selection of plates, tacos, tamales , corn or four tortillas - damn good!! Came late today so I only had chicken and no beef but they were fantastic as always. This is literally in the gas station to go inside and order it and pick it up and go eat it. Some really good hot chili sauce sand Verde sauce really kick it off with fresh cilantro and Mexican cheese. Stop here once every two weeks at least just to pick up a taco or A tamale. Try it out! read more

Now I'm not a tamale connoisseur but out of all the tamales I've tried, El Tio has the best. You shouldn't be surprised because spots like this(gas stations, hole in the wall, back of someone's truck etc) usually have the best food. I alternate between the pork tamale or chicken tamale but i prefer the pork. The wait isn't usually very long and you can browse the gas station while you wait. I usually do and end up leaving with my food and a bunch of junk food i don't need. Highly recommended! read more

El Tio Mexican Restaurant - Tamales with chicken tacos. Got rice and beans on the side. So good. - Mexican Near Me - Dacula, Georgia

I come here for gas often. Usually I pay at the pump. Today the pump wanted to act funny so I headed in to pay. I started to check in and discovered there was a yelp location for mexican food. I sat and read thru the reviews and saw that they had tamales. (I thought to myself, hmm... I can fill up my tank and my belly all in one stop.) It was already lunchtime and I hadn't decide what I was gonna eat. I then head inside to check out this gasolina taqueria. I ordered two of each flavor of tamales pork/chicken. Wow! I really enjoyed them both. The menu has other Mexican entrees, all I know is the tamales will definitely bring me back if nothing else. read more

El Tio Mexican Restaurant - Pork and chicken tamales - Mexican Near Me - Dacula, Georgia

See all

I love this place so much I have been coming here for ten years now this is a place for the neighbourhood's working men and women! I love how amazing the food and service have remained phenomenal throughout the years! read more

I LOVE finding hole-in-the-wall places and this one satisfied my curiosity. We got detoured because of traffic, so we decided to hop off I-85 and grab lunch instead. Most of the food around this area is pretty basic, so "authentic Mexican cuisine" caught our eyes. Now, I've heard of restaurants ATTACHED to a gas station, with its own entrance and such, but I have not seen of a restaurant INSIDE a gas station. It's almost like QuikTrip's QT Kitchen, but with tables and service. We walked inside and were greeted by the guys at the front register and continued walking straight in towards the restaurant. We ordered pork tamales (because chicken was sold out already) and chicharrones en salsa. The man wrote down our total on a slip of paper and told us we'd have to pay in the front. We grabbed some drinks from the cooler (Arizona Tea, you da real MVP by never raising your prices after all these years!) and paid at the register. The slip of paper was stamped, "PAID", which was later handed over to the restaurant when our order was called. Everything tasted great! The tamales were flavorful and moist. Can't beat delicious food and a plethora of drink options from the gas station! read more

El Tio Mexican Restaurant - Tamales and chicharrones en salsa with the lovely gas station background - Mexican Near Me - Dacula, Georgia

Disclaimer: I'm an Arizona native with a Spanish surname. I'm used to really good Sonora style Mexican food. This place has authentic but mostly average food. Their tamales are quite good. Ambience: This place takes "divey" to a whole new level. It's literally 4 tables inside of a convenience store. Don't come here hoping to impress somebody. Value for money: Average to poor. The prices are ok, but most of the food is rather flavorless. Food: Average. I had the chorizo con huevo, for example - and barely tasted the spices in the chorizo. It was disappointing. The real star of the show is the tamales. I had the pork, and it was quite good: nice portion, real corn husk, real masa harina, well seasoned pork, prepared by steaming (and served still hot and moist). Tamales are easy to screw up for most restaurants - somehow these folks to a good job. Summary: This is a neighborhood joint for me, so I'll most likely be back for the tamales. My search for other Mexican food continues. Probably worth stopping by if you're in the area. Might be worth making a trip if you want good tamales. read more

El Tio Mexican Restaurant - Store front. Look carefully at the signs on the left. You're at the right place! - Mexican Near Me - Dacula, Georgia

Just fantastic! Best Sopes I have ever had. The ladies are very sweet and patient with my broken spanish. Such a hidden gem! The taco's, burritos and Sopes we're amazing. The chorizo and carnitas are perfectly seasoned along great with the Carne asada. I had a glimpse of the Menudo as well and it looked fantastic. This is not a fancy restaurant. In fact it is in the back of the chevron station and has what looks to be a loyal following of customers. Cheap and delicious. I am so excited I have found this place. Total hole in the wall. Everyone has been friendly. If they are busy there may be a bit of a wait. Order, grab a drink from the cooler and pay at the front. Then just enjoy the local color. This place has more character than anything else I have found in this area of Buford. Hope you enjoy! read more

El Tio Mexican Restaurant - Menu - Mexican Near Me - Dacula, Georgia

Stopped in the chevron to grab a drink and noticed this little restaurant inside.... I love authentic Mexican food... Namely chorizo tacos, so I decided to get 2 chorizo tacos w cilantro and onion.... Absolutely perfect. The chorizo was excellent and the two sauces they gave me (like em spicy) were the perfect amount of hot. Highly recommend... Btw it's 9:14 am right now.... I'll be back for lunch ...if that tells you anything read more

El Tio Mexican Restaurant - Chorizo taco w the two sauces - Mexican Near Me - Dacula, Georgia

Pretty good tacos. I work at dominos so when I'm tired of the pizza the tacos next door are my next best bet. I was skeptical at first but they're pretty good just a tad bit expensive for me so I would give it a try if you haven't already read more

My favorite food to order is the chicken burrito, it's absolutely delicious & authentic! The owner is super sweet and so helpful. I know it might sound weird because it's in a gas station, but they are so clean and the food is amazing here. I've had other food as well. But definitely a great place to stop for authentic Mexican food. read more

I liked it. Tried this place on Grubhub and everyone was pleased. Went there last week by myself for a margarita. $20 is too much for a margarita if you ask me. So I can't say that I got a good deal on their drinks because I'm not sure if they have one. read more

I was on the fence about going to this restaurant because it is inside a gas station. The only reason I decided to try it out was because it had a good rating in Yelp. I was only able to order the tamales because when I got there they were already closed. They were great. I ordered 2 chicken and 2 pork tamales. The chicken ones were super delicious. I definitely will be returning back to try out the rest of the menu. read more

El Tio Mexican Restaurant - Tameles - Mexican Near Me - Dacula, Georgia

I had heard about this place but was unsure of where it was located. I passed by today and saw it and quickly turned it. Yes I was hesitant that it was located in a gas station but boy was I glad I decided to test my luck. I had a chorizo sope and a pork tómale and was in heaven! My wife is Mexican so I've had my fair share of Spanish meals...El Tio is now at the top of my favorites! Great food and employees were great too! read more

Dropped in after a round of golf this afternoon and tried the Cubana Torta. Just like everything else I've eaten there it was FANTASTICO! El Tio's version of this sandwich is a little different. It consist of ham, chorizo (delicious mexican sausage with a little kick), a fried egg, and hot dogs. It's topped off with lettuce, tomato, jalapeño, onions, fresh avocado slices, and mayonnaise. Boy is it huge and boy is it good. They definitely don't skimp you on size. You gotta check this little hole in the wall (Chevron) out. read more

Yum :-) Decided to give El Tio a try. We Love it! Clean and simple we will definitely be back. Looks are sometimes deceiving. read more

See all

Tacos were really good. The sauce is hot. Just a basic warning. My first gas station tacos. I would have these again.

I love this place. I have lived next to this gas station for 12 years and have never eaten at the restaurant despite countless visits in. I found it looking for some good tacos to eat nearby with a friend. After 6 tacos, I can say it is absolutely fantastic. We only ordered 3 each originally but they were so good we ordered 3 more each to try some of their different meats (marinated pork, tongue, pulled pork, steak, chicken) and we were blown away. I would say these are probably the best tacos I have ever had. They taste very authentic and the meat is delicious and topped off with excellent spicy green salsa on the side. I have eaten at Bartaco Midtown but these are probably just as good if not better. Yes it is in a gas station but it is fantastic and with a nice eating area and the endless drink options of a gas station. 10/10. Will be back again ASAP. read more

I moved here from another state about 3 years ago and was really missing some real deal Mexican food. Everywhere we tried was only so-so. This is now my favorite spot for legit Mexican food! I found this spot when I was in search of some tamales. I also found their street style tacos and sopas were as equally yummy as their tamales. I always try to order in Spanish and the guy who takes your order helps me learn new Spanish words for ordering each time I go. I love to find these small family owned places to frequent. I feel like they go above and beyond with their service and the deliciousness of their food. It's like having your abuelita cook for you. I go several times a week now and I am so happy to have found some awesome and legit Mexican food. Keep up the good food!!! read more

Best pork tamales I have ever had. Masa is light and fluffy. Salsa verde sauce is perfect with just the right amount of heat. Inside a gas station. Amazing read more

Two words. Chicken Tamales. If you love them like I do this place is for you! Of course I was apprehensive to eat from a gas station but it's amazing. The rest of their food is good too but I'm from Chicago so I've had probably had some of the best authentic Mexican you could ask for so I wasn't impressed. read more

I just moved in the area and have loved the authentic Mexican food at El Tio. While its location inside of the Chevron may throw some people off, the quesadillas are the best you'll find around, the tamales are cheap, the tacos are excellent, and the salsas they provide scream authentic. read more

This was a great place for Mexican food. I am going vegetarian and my hubs loves shrimp. Tio has the best of everything . Kids loved the cheese tacos with chicken. Hubby loved the tamales and salsas, spicy and just the way we like it. Fact is that it's ambiance does take away from food, but I would go there again to grab a byte, although was long time back. read more

Don't come here if you're a pretentious suburbanite! But DO come here if you love delicious authentic Mexican food! It's inside of a Chevron gas station and there are a few tables to sit at inside. There is homemade tomatillo and hot sauces on the tables, and you can get whatever drink you want inside the gas station (you pay at the main gas station counter). There are a few Mexican soda options as well. As a vegetarian I was happy to see that there is the option to get anything on the menu without meat - on the menu the option is hongos (mushrooms) instead of a choice of meat, but they also put bell pepper, onions and cilantro on my (regular) tacos. My boyfriend got the milanesa (steak) torta (sandwich). He really liked this torta over others in the area because he said it's not greasy. Next time I want to try the tamales. Yum! Would definitely visit this local delicious restaurant again! read more

Excelente lugar,authentic mexican food, if you try the rest come and try best now. Un huarache de mi cumpleaños fue tasty lo recomiendo.