Just ate today for the first time with my family. Food was amazing!! And really good! Very nice staff and extremely homey as well.

Great food minus the 5.00 minimum on crest/debit cards. I only wanted an empanada and could not get it due to the minimum purchase amount.

Great, clean atmosphere.....delicious quesadillas and tacos. They area is a bit iffy outside, but the inside is totally good to go. read more

El Tipico Restaurant - Awesome decor - Mexican Near Me - Toledo, Ohio

Many people I know rave about the authenticity of El Tipico, so I decided to check it out for myself. It gets an average rating and I will list the reasons as to why: Pros: -The beef taco on the authentic corn tortilla was one of the best that I have ever tasted -The waitress was extremely polite and accommodating. -The restaruant has a very modern look and feel as far as the decor is concerned. It is obvious that the place has been recently remodeled. Cons: -No alcohol! A margarita would have been perfect with my meal. -The chorizo queso dip reminded me of something that someone made with Velveeta for a lame Super Bowl party. -Aside from the amazing beef taco, most of the other food was bland and basic. This place is trying very hard to keep a neighborhood favorite alive. Sadly though, San Marcos is now a better option. read more

First visit. ...never seen such slow service at lunchtime. Don't go if you only have and hour. Enchilada was very good. Taco salad was good too just needed some more veggies. Homemade ranch dressing was the bomb. read more

Woah, last two times, weeks apart, this place has been 'on fire'. Im talking a two hour wait for our food, people running around like the building was on fire. Tablets are a waste of time, switch back to paper for orders. Total nightmare. FOOD IS ALWAYS GREAT only thing that was enjoyable. WAS NOT overly busy. Many tables walked out. Here's a tip, if you are doing bad, stop carry out service because every single person in the dining room was super mad! read more

Oh, wow!! El Tipico exceeded every expectation I could possibly have had! We came here specifically because of their emphasis on vegetarian and organic. The food was amazing! So fresh. So delicious. And we were blown away by their hospitality. We were literally welcomed with open arms after a long day of travel and left feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. As a nice bonus, they even have an organic garden out back. We were so overwhelmed with how incredible our experience was. I can not over emphasis how great the food was! It was so full of flavor! Highly recommended!! read more

This is our favorite local restaurant. Owner Dina and staff are so friendly and we appreciate that they use local and organic ingredients whenever possible. Love the enchiladas with mole sauce, bean tostadas, cheese tamales, and fiesta salad. Our son loves the taco salad with beef and Mexican sodas. They even offer breakfast all day and the huevos rancheros was excellent. You won't get a margarita or Mexican beer here, but it's worth it for the amazing food and friendly service. read more

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Fresh. Delicious. Original. Disappointed they don't serve beer or margaritas.... organic fresh produce definitely compensates. Service is warm and efficient. It's all good -- Toledo you did something right;) read more

Absolutely WONDERFUL. Charming, delicious, ethical and locally minded for generations. What more could you ask for! I would be honored to be called a regular here. read more

As a strong proponent of mom-and-pop businesses, El Tipico Restaurant had long been on my radar. During a lunch break, three of my friends -- all of whom had experienced the amazingness known as San Marcos -- and I swung by to taste its legendary salsa and puffed tacos. (Lest the sign goes unnoticed, there is no liquor license.) The salsa was remarkable and notable in its own ways. The colors definitely reflected its homemade nature, and it boasted its own indescribable tang. Before we knew it, the chips were gone which automatically prompted for seconds. An order of the guacamole nachos were in order while we waited for our food. Again, homemade guacamole simply cannot hold a candle to the processed version. The disappointing factors quickly set in as my plate arrived. Opting to order from the a la carte menu, I immediately noticed the ground beef puffed taco instead of the chicken I had ordered. Not wanting to make a fuss, I dug into the mound of crumbled ground beef, only to realize that it was a bit on the dry side. On to the tamale. I'll admit I'm no tamale expert, but the heap served on my plate resembled anything but a tamale. Where was the corn husk wrap that is typically indicative of its authenticity? Final verdict: cornmeal mush would have been a more apt name. The owner -- quite the character that he was -- graced us with his presence all through our meal. As first time customers, he definitely made us feel as though we were part of the El Tipico family of regulars. What was missing in the food was definitely redeemed by his kindness and hospitality. read more

Best Mexican restaurant in Toledo. The ONLY one that is all organic. Service is excellent and the owner is extremely involved and on top of the quality of the food and the customer service. It is worth the trip there! read more

Burrito in Toledo !!! sounds like a plan! On our way back from our completly random trip to Chicago from Washington DC Kirby came up with the idea. In our completly "Wired" car, we pulled out the laptop with the cell phone wireless intercard card we found this was one of the closest place to the highway what wasnt chipotle or some other corporate mexican place. On the cold wet March day we arrive at El Tipico. The first thing I had to say was, "I love the internet" simply because there would be no other way that I would ever go to this place is the internet didn't suggest it. If this place existed in Washington DC it would be full of drug addicts or people that stink of the vomit from last nights binge. We walk in the door and find a large group of people, over hearing them they said that the last time they had been to El Tipico was in 1975. I then started looking around for an establishment date. March 12 1968 Wow, this place is old! Now it may be common in this area of Toledo but this place really hasn't been updated or well kept. I could see that really nothing had changed in this restaurant since it started over 40 years ago. As the waitress showed up at the front counter area see seemed to be a bit off, possibly on drugs, she told us to sit anywhere and she would be over. Being in the car for so long I needed to use the rest room. Once I found it, and the light switch that was placed in a really odd location. I proceeded with caution and was afraid to walk into the dark smelly, fake wood coating falling off the wall. I frankly felt that I was better off not washing my hands then have to touch anything in this bathroom. After that nonsense, I got back to the table and ordered our food from the sassy possibly drugged up waitress. The chips that they offered where warm and tasty, but needed a bit of salt. The salas was fresh and homemade. once we got the food which was pretty damn quickly we found out why it was so cheap, and was glad that I ordered more then I thought I could eat. The portions were really small, but pretty darn tasty. Nothing so wonderful that I haven't had in DC or New York but I'm sure it was pretty good for toledo or the midwest area. I got a burrito and a taco, the taco was mostly lettuce and cheese. The burrito was the beef tips which had a bunch of some sort of gravy covering and about 4 small picese of beef. I had to guess that possibly they ran out and could only provide as little as they could because of the large group that I'm sure they went expecting on this sunday afternoon. but I couldn't complain for a $6 meal All and all, it was cheap, covered us for getting a burrito in Toledo and so far I haven't died from eating here. I might go back to el tipico if I ever drive out this way again. I might even become like one of those people in that group that visted El Tipico 33 years later. See you in the year 2041 El Tipico !!! read more

Delicious Mexican food, nice atmosphere. Super excited for all the vegan options! Definitely a favorite stop in Toledo.

Every time I am craving authentic Mexican food, I can count on El Tipico being the freshest best tasting option. They use all organic ingredients, they are very vegan/vegetarian-friendly, and have been in business in Toledo for nearly 50 years. The service is sometimes sub-par, ticket times are sometimes slow, and they don't serve alcohol. Most of which can be avoided by ordering takeout. read more

This place is by far the best Mexican restaurant . It has class and sophistication. The music is inviting and at times makes you feel as if your dining at some Mexican resort. The food is absolutely delectable. Large portions with noticeably fresh ingredients. I ordered the Mexican pizza with chicken. Mouthwatering to the eyes, and the portion sizes was beyond filling. On top of that their food is organic! Mexican and healthy , what more can you ask for. You must try this at least once! read more

When a place like El Tipico exists, I'm not sure how places like Abuelo's and Mi Hacienda are still in business. This is a family-owned restaurant that takes its food seriously. They grow much or all of their own produce, and the owners (rightfully) seem to pride themselves on the restaurant's authenticity, presentation, and flavor. From the chips and salsa all the way to the mole negro, everything is cooked to perfection. You can even get some harder-to-find items, like nopalitos! There are tons of vegan/vegetarian options as well. El Tipico has a very different focus from San Marcos. The latter is more casual and excels at straightforward/a la carte items. The former excels at a well-rounded, sit-down dining experience with full plates and sides, specialty items, and a organic/vegan/vegetarian focus, not to mention outstanding service. Decor is classy and slightly contemporary. The restaurant is very clean. Overall, I highly recommend El Tipico. It is a shining example of Toledo's incredible food landscape, and I am so glad that a restaurant like this exists. read more

The servers here were wonderful. The food was also pretty good. We are on a road trip and stopped here for the authentic organic Mexican food. Portions are on the small size but not priced too high. It does take a LONG time to get the food. I was also disappointed in their queso blanco. It wasn't super tasty and we were charged for it despite the fact that it arrived after we had eaten most of the food it was going to be eaten on. It costs $1.25 for a very small cup. All in all if we lived closer we would eat here again. Give it a shot. It is also very clean! read more

Better than average for the Midwest. Pretty typical watered down Mexican fare. We'll go back because of their commitment to organic an non-GMO. I have to give the caveat that I lived in Mexico and prefer authentic. For most I'm sure this is great. read more

El Tipico is not your "typical" Mexican restaurant. The restaurant has been in Toledo for over 40 years and owned and operated by the same family. I believe much of this history explains why they do things the way they do. As others have mentioned, they do not serve alcohol, which really is very unusual for a Mexican restaurant. This didn't bother me, as I go to eat not drink. It is located in an urban section of town, and the unknowing may be skeptical at first glance, but once you walk in you will feel at home. The place is spotless, very clean, newly remodeled. Staff is very friendly, the owner comes over and checks on your table frequently, but not in an annoying way. The food is really a matter of taste, I believe. First, everything is homemade and fresh. They have a garden out back where they grow their own veggies, so I think that is pretty cool! They say that 95% of their menu is gluten free. Important for those who care. I don't. The salsa is different than any i have ever had. Not a lot of flavor, but you can order the jalapeño salsa, (which is incredible!) and mix it with the tomato salsa. Chips need salt, but you can salt to your own taste. Guacamole is made fresh to order and very good.(I'm very picky about quac) I ordered the Mexican Dinner which is a combo of a burrito, tostada, enchiladas, rice and beans. I liked everything except the burrito, just wasn't a fan of the sauce. They use chopped romaine not shredded iceberg, which I thought was a nice change. I'm all about supporting small business, and this is one I will go back to. I read more

Ingredients are all that matter here. Fresh, locally grown veggies and organic beef and chicken express El Tipico's commitment to high quality and thus, taste. They feature a daily special through the week, have a phenomenal staff, and a family friendly environment. It's the most authentic Mexican restaurant you can find, having served family recipes since the 60s. Don't miss out. Go enjoy it! read more

Less than exceptional. My niece and son got the bean tamales, my mother the puffy taco, and I got the chicken Enchiladas. Nothing had a great flavor...definitely not authentic Mexican food. read more

I hadn't been to this restaurant in over 30 years. Since I live in the neighborhood, I thought I'd try it out again. First of all I waited over 15 minutes before anyone even acknowledged my presence. Finally got some chips and sauce (which was passable). Ordered the trio enchilada plate (I always order enchiladas whenever I go to a Mexican restaurant). The presentation was beautiful. It comes with one taco, one tostada and one cheese enchilada. Took a bite of the taco. Can't even describe the taste of the meat, it was tell terrible. Took a bite of the tostada, the beans tasted burned. The enchilada wasn't that bad, but it wasn't good enough to keep eating it. One thing I noticed is that the makeup of the customers there were that they were all Caucasian. I was the only the only Mexican there. Now I know why. read more

I grew up near El Tipico and heard about it for years but never ate there until last night, when I came into town for a play at the Valentine Theatre. I was really impressed. FOOD: A step up from typical Mexican fare. The pre-dinner salsa was uncooked, which in my experience usually means it tastes like nothing more than fresh tomatoes, but El Tipico's salsa has a flavor that's deep and rich as well as fresh. The menu has many vegetarian and vegan options (as well as gluten-free, which doesn't matter to me). I had the veggie combo of a cheese enchilada, veggie burrito including guacamole, and a bean-and-cheese taco. Every ingredient tasted fresh, and yet it was hearty and satisfying, not the "rabbit food" variety of vegetarian. For dessert I had flan, which was served cool and was as creamy and lovely as any flan I've had. Our waiter was attentive and very professional, and the service was pretty fast. ATMOSPHERE: Fairly small but not cramped at all. Cozy with Mexican-style decorations and items of local interest. Men's room was perfectly clean and nicely decorated, more like home than a public restroom. The kitchen was pretty quiet in spite of being just a few feet from our table. LOCATION: South Street is not exactly the hoppin' part of town, and you could miss El Tipico easily if you're not looking for it. (I missed it for years.) It's a fairly short drive from downtown and Maumee and just a few minutes off I-75. Fortunately there is camera-monitored off-street parking, because the street is narrow and busy, not a great place to park on the street. I will absolutely be back to El Tipico and wish I had tried it when I was younger and lived in the area. read more

The menu was labeled gluten free and vegan- how refreshing since i am gluten sensitive! The meal was delicious, service great and friendly, ambiance perfect. They give you a sealed envelope with each meal in April- to be opened in May? for prizes! read more

Great place to relax and enjoy a good bite to eat,good food paired with wonderful wait staff.

The absolute BEST Mexican food around Toledo!! And I have eaten at them ALL. No alcohol but I do not care.

My family and I just got back from a delicious dinner at El Tipico. We loved the homemade, authentic Mexican food. Everything was delicious and the service was superb. We loved the fajitas, burritos, enchilades, ect. We will definitely be back !! read more

Always good. I had the chicken burrito and Paul had chimichanga. This is the only place we go out to eat. Organic, fresh and good atmosphere. We had a table of 6 and everybody was happy with there meals. read more

Went to El Tipico for the first time and loved the décor and recent remodeling. The free homemade chips and salsa were good. Everyone has their own idea of their favorite salsa, this salsa was good but not the best I've ever had. We tried the guacamole, the refried bean dip and the oxtail soup......all very good. Our meals were served very hot (in temperature). All three in our party liked their meal. The service was a little slow but the waitress was very nice and friendly and helpful with explaining any questions we had about the menu. We were stuffed full but when the waitress recommended the just made flan for desert we shared one serving. Over all, we appreciated the homemade recipes and the little extra time we waited for the food to be prepared was worth it. Now if they only had a liquor license for a margarita then it would be a frequent repeat. read more

Food was good, but overpriced in my opinion for the size. We had take out so cannot say much about service, but we ordered via phone and were given a 15-20 minute ready time and when we arrived we had to wait 20 minutes inside and we're never given an apology or reason. read more

El Tipico Restaurant - This "fiesta dip" was $7.00. Overpriced in my opinion for a small cup of salsa/beans with a dollop of guacamole on top. - Mexican Near Me - Toledo, Ohio

Positives: Portions are small, but prices coincide, so you can mix and match several items for your meal. The queso dip was tasty. Our waitress was friendly. Negatives: Food took a very long time to come out, even our queso dip appetizer. All of the other food items were lackluster in taste. With the huge variety of Mexican restaurants in the area, you might want to pass this up. read more

Call me a gringo, but on the platter I ordered there was a gross orange/brown sauce on everything. The food it's self was alright, I know quite a few people who love it, that sauce ruined my experience. read more

I highly recommend this restaurant! They pride themselves on serving quality food for local growers. On the menu they have gluten free and vegan options. Their salsa is the best in town! A south Toledo gem! read more

How does it taken an hour to make a taco? I haven't been in an empty place that's this slow. read more

El Tipico Restaurant - Average rice and beans took 45 minutes to appear. - Mexican Near Me - Toledo, Ohio

I have been hearing on facebook about their "Puffed Taco", so we went in tonight and I ordered one, (plus my dinner) I am here to tell you that was the best taco I have ever eaten in my life! If anyone hasn't tried them I highly recommend them, Best Taco in Toledo! read more

The puffy tacos were pretty good, closest to frybread tacos I've seen in the area, but the service was just awful, quite possibly the worst I've encountered since moving here seven years ago. While they have an EatStreet account, they claim to 'not ever use it" and I, the customer, was rudely chided for using this method of ordering t, and given attitude because my order was still sitting on the fax, not even started, when I came to get it. That my food wasn't even started was bad enough, but giving the customer grief for their screw up is just a terrible start to this abysmal customer service experience. Then, when my food was ready, an full hour after I ordered it on slow Weds afternoon, it was wrong and I was AGAIN given attitude by the waitresses for THEIR mistake and not even offered so much as a water while I waited for them to provide me with the correct order that should have been done over half an hour before! Look, service staff at this establishment, I get that I may have screwed up your day by using an uncommon method of ordering, but giving your customers attitude for utilizing something you offer is not the way to repeat business, I wasn't rude, I just wanted to get my tacos I had already paid for and go back home, not make your life any harder than it is. I suspect this 'long time Toledo establishment' as earned loyal neighborhood customers based on having been there forever, but I've made it this long in town without their food (you can't throw a rock without hitting a Mexican joint these days) and I will not be back after that rude treatment. Furthermore, despite not being busy, a dirty plate and half-drank water sat on the bar counter by the registers the entire time I was there. The girls apparently had time to chew me out for ordering online and kvetch to anyone who would listen about how it was everyone's fault but their own that my order wasn't ready, but couldn't be bothered to clean up a plate and wipe down a counter in the meantime. read more

What! They've been open how long without alcohol! That says the food must be amazing. And it is. I promise.

What are people thinking? Why has this place been a local favorite for nearly 50 years? I have no idea. My taqueria of choice happens to be closed on Mondays, so I thought I'd check this place out. I was expecting to find some great taqueria-style food in a shady building in a shady part of town. Sadly, it ended up being perhaps the worst Mexican food I have ever eaten in my life. Service is not something I am likely to comment on unless it is truly atrocious. This was not the case. The server did her job, I got what I ordered, and she seemed to be putting up with some very obnoxious, loud, and trashy customers. Good on her for that - pretty standard for Toledo. I love horchata with my tacos or burritos, but the only thing they serve is frozen horchata. Not what I was looking for, but no big deal. I went with the Mexican Coke instead. I asked the server what kind of fillings were in the burritos, but was told that they only had single fillings. One choice was a guacamole burrito, and I asked her to clarify that the item was just guacamole wrapped up in a tortilla. She assured me that this was absolutely the case. Weird, but whatever. I chose the shredded chicken burrito with a side of rice and beans. I was then brought a basket of tortilla chips, and a small bowl of red matter that I was told was salsa. In a daring attempt to upend all traditional salsa-making techniques, the chef had apparently decided to put a can of tomatoes in a blender and just go with it, eschewing all the extraneous ingredients like salt, garlic, lime, cilantro, or jalapeno. He or she was going for subtlety, adding only a hint of plastic aftertaste to really get me thinking about whether or not I had made a good decision. I was beginning to think I hadn't. Nevertheless, I managed to shake a small amount of salt onto the chips from the glass-encrusted salt brick on my table. The pink slurry remained sadly next to it, never to be touched again. I figured the salsa thing was probably a fluke. Things would get better. Things did not get better. A hot plate was presented to me. I cannot recall whether or not the plate was actually hot because I was to horrified by the items on my plate that the small detail of dish temperature has slipped my mind. I was expecting a burrito. Burritos should be at least half the size of my forearm. What I saw instead was a soft taco sized Mission tortilla wrapped around what turned out to be some impressively oversalted shredded chicken. Not to lead you astray, dear reader, but there was more. There was cheese. Again turning his nose up to the oppressive Mexican tradition, the chef had opted for what looked for all the world like a pre-shredded cheddar and mozzarella mixture. None of that fancy oaxaca cheese or queso fresco. By now, I have grown weary of writing this review, as I grew weary of this meal in about 90 seconds. Each one of those seconds was fraught with apprehension and denial, that this could not possibly be the "local gem" that people are talking about. The refried beans were passable, although I've had much better. If anything, the rice improved the 'burrito' somewhat, although that was probably only because it diluted out the salty chicken. Deciding to cut my losses after a few bits, I stood up, paid, and left promptly, never to return. Only a handful of times in my life has a meal left me depressed, and my experience at El Tipico was one of those. On my way home, I resorted to stopping at Taco Bell to fill the burrito-shaped hole that was left in my heart. Again, I find it incomprehensible that this place is loved by anybody, and absolutely absurd that it is considered such a 'local gem'. You have been warned. read more

The food here is as good as the customer service and management are sub-par. One of our party was a very elderly woman with a walker. Those running the restaurant made us wait for 30 minutes or so, because staff would not reconfigure unused tables so that we could be seated. After we made enough of a fuss - it took more than twice - staff magically found a way to seat us. Contrast this experience several months earlier at another Toledo restaurant that was mobbed and had no available parking space. There the greeter immediately escorted the elderly woman to a table, even though our party was twice the size. My advice is go on a weekday other than Friday at a weird time or bad weather and call in advance if your party requires even the simplest accommodation. Once we were seated, service was fine, food was very good, and staff honored our Yelp coupon. But getting there was a pain in the you know what. read more