I wasn't sure what to expect from the little hole in the wall. This place serves food, but it also acts as a place for Hispanics to cash their checks. When I first walked in, there were two guys standing at the counter for quite a while. I couldn't figure out what they were doing until I saw the employee counting out cash. I also wasn't sure if I should sit to order my food or order at the counter. Eventually the employee handed me a menu so I sat at a table. There were other tables with native people at them so I figured the food must be good. I ordered a combo meal from the menu written in Spanish. It had two tacos, a tamale, and rice and beans. A short time later I was told they didn't have tamales. I was bummed about that so I ordered three tacos with a side of rice and beans. I was surprised at how long the food took to come out. And the portion of rice and beans was tiny, especially for $4. Of the tacos, the beef was a little tough, but the chicken and pork were good. The rice and beans were both tasty. Just not enough. Overall for over $14, I didn't think the food or experience was worth it. Maybe the tamales are the star of the show. read more

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It's 5:55 p.m. on a Thursday and the open sign is lit up. The lights are on inside, but the door is locked, there's nobody inside, and there's a FedEx "Sorry we missed you" sticky note on the door. We get ready to drive away. An employee walks out of the back room and puts a jacket on, so I call to ask if they're open. I watch her answer a cell phone and can't hear what she says before she sets the phone down. She picks it back up and says, "Tikalito" so I ask if they're open. There's no answer so I say "Hello?" a few times. The employee hangs up. We drive away. I'm not sure what was going on, but I'll happily change my review when I return and they're open during business hours and we can try the food that keeps getting great reviews. read more

Was not in the mood to make dinner so explored potential new restaurants. Tikalito popped up and decided to try it out. We decided to eat in. We were greeted by a friendly server who was taking care of all of the customers. The place is simple and cozy and you can choose where to sit. We decided on the taco meal for $15-comes with two tacos, a tamale (unfortunately they were out so we added something else), rice, beans, and beverage. The rice and beans were the best I've ever had! Seasoned perfectly with excellent texture. The tacos were delicious. Loved both the shrimp and the fish equally. The horchata was delicious with a good serving of cinnamon. My husband loved the pasteur and his gordita. Excellent meals for a reasonable price. Will definitely be back. I want to try their tamales next time. read more

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CORRECTIONS: Updates and corrections to the previous review, uploaded with spelling errors and missing info. I've never til now had such amazing, authentic Mexican food since visiting Mexico (Oaxaca, Mexico City) in 1985. This place is so authentic and down home, some of the staff speak no English. It's now my favorite Mexican (and apparently Salvadoran) restaurant! Plus I get to practice my raggedy Spanish :-/ Food: We enjoyed tacos asada (Mexican style marinated beef chunks), and tacos pastor (meat cooked with pineapple chunks). Both varieties arrived in fried, crunchy double corn shells and topped with with lettuce shreds and cilantro: very savory and flavorful! Also at the restaurant I thoroughly enjoyed a gordita con camarones (shrimp), which arrived in a format unknown to me: two fried corn patties sandwiching savory battered, fried shrimp chunks, lettuce, and queso con crema (cheese with white cream sauce)--the latter a Salvadoran style of cheese topping, our waitress said. We loved the food so much that we carried out tacos and this time, gorditas asada. Highly recommended to reheat in an air fryer to make the shells crunchy again. Savory and delicious--every bite! Ambiance: In case the previous review got deleted/overwritten by this one, the decor is homey and comfortable with apparently Mexican style wall decorations, architecture, and the flavor of an almost homemade diner. Service: A kindly, colorfully dressed woman who could have been my grandmother served us first, then I asked another waitress about two sauces. She was unable to speak English, but a patron thankfully warned me about the vast differences between the homemade sauces: a very hot red one (AVOID! AVOID! if your tongue is wimpy like mine!!) and the milder, yellowish--but not mustard flavored--savory one. We had the feeling, once we picked up on the vibe, that we were in a very comfortable and welcoming family/neighborhood haven, maybe like an English pub feels, frequented by a community of Mexicans and South/Central Americans who pretty much all know each other. DEFINITELY COMING BACK! read more

Tikalito - Interior - Mexican Near Me - Ypsilanti, Michigan

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Stellar! Cinco, in fact! We really just wanted to try something new and the pics on Yelp looked good so off we went to Tikalito. In the old Korean spot, Tikalito has a neat, spacious dining area and friendly staff. Some do not speak english and that is fine by me, having lived life with humans, I have picked up enough to know what everything on the menu is and how to pronounce it. We got some tacos and a quesadilla, The meat on the tacos (chicken and asada steak) were much better quality than we are used to around Ypsi/Ann Arbor. The chicken (white meat!!) was marinated and charred and melt in your mouth. Steak is chunky and grilled to perfection. They put a lot of cheese on the quesadilla, which also came with a tiny cup of crema (thin sour cream). I opted for the hotter red sauce and was dutifully warned by the server. I used to make and collect hot sauce in the 90's so I am never afraid. It has a great burn and good, red flavor. Simple to quell any suffering with the crema, if needed. Prices are good, service was a little bit slow but forgivable. Will return! read more

Tikalito - Quesadilla Asada - Mexican Near Me - Ypsilanti, Michigan

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It appeared that they were closing up shop despite it not being close to their closing time. My girlfriend and I walk in, they stop what they are doing and immediately wait on us. English is their second language but that didn't stop us from ordering a magnificent meal! I had the burrito while my girlfriend had the empanadas. Both were fantastic! It was hot, it was fresh and I felt like I was eating a local taco shop in Central America. Great find, would not have been possible if not for Yelp. We were in town for the football game and were looking for local food spots as opposed to chain restaurants we can get back home. Check this place out! The food is amazing, don't let the building discourage you. read more

I have a friend who also lovew trying new restaurants. For our latest get together, she suggested Tikalito. Located on the east side of Ypsi, I realized as I pulled into the parking lot that I had eaten at the location before when it was a different restaurant. We were promptly seated and placed our orders. The menu is full of tacos, quesadillas and other delicious foods. My friend opted for a trio of tacos, and I went with a quesadilla for our visit. Our food took a decent amount of time to arrive, but was very good once it was on the table. The quesadilla hit the spot for me and I finished the whole thing. Prices for our dinner were quite reasonable. We paid at the front register before we headed out, and both said we would love to come back some time. If you're looking for a new Mexican restaurant to add to your restaurant rotation, check out Tikalito for a great spot! read more

The food was amazing. Burritos, tacos, sauces and homemade fries were yummy. There was a little wait but it was worth it! clean bathroom Great music. The ambiance was great read more

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I checked this place out after one of my coworkers raved about it, and wanted to get the word out. The need more business! We pulled up and a guy was in his car near the back door, and Cam jokingly said that's probably the cook. Then came in and the place was completely empty. A few minutes later we are finally greeted by, I think the guy in the car! Super nice and helped us place our order. Cams tacos came out quickly and he really enjoyed them. I'm a bit more picky and wasn't a huge fan of mine, but more so because I'm not a huge fan of cooked green onion, and there was an entire green onion in the Churrasquito that I ate. That's more about my picky palate than their food, though. I also didn't get silverware and it was a bit messy eating it while holding it like a burrito. The server would bring stuff out, then disappear. (It took a good 15 minutes easy to see her again after dropping off food for a takeout order. I had Cam run up to the counter to get rung up before she disappeared again.) Three other customers came in while we were there, and everyone seemed to enjoy their meals as well. When we go back, (and we will be back!) I'll probably get something a bit more familiar, like tacos or a quesadilla. read more

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The food is so good. First time here. Whenever I get tacos at a restaurant I normally get 3 because they're so small. Not here, the meat proportions are quite high, I'm currently stuffed at only 2. read more

Delicious food and wonderful service. There is plenty of parking and our server was simply marvelous with some very good recommendations. We had a lovely meal. read more

Came to this spot that opened up just a couple months ago and loved it! The owner was super nice and welcoming and was appreciative of all the support from the community. The dishes were huge and delicious! The masa with the tamales was super soft, I forgot the name of my dish but it was essentially a giant tortilla with carne asada and pickles inside. Could have used salsa which i forgot to ask for but still enjoyed it. Would recommend to anyone in the area! read more

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I ate too fast and I didn't take any pictures. Tacos (pastor, asada, carnitas) and quesadilla (pastor) were very solid. The star was the churrasco de maiz by far. It's a little far from me (Scio Township/Ann Arbor), but I will definitely be trekking out here again. read more

It's been a long time since I've reviewed something on here, but this place was great and deserves another good review. Some of the best tacos we've had in southeast Michigan! The asada were super flavorful and well cooked, the pastor very good, and the tilapia was great with some delicious veggies on top. Chips/rice/beans all were very solid too, adding up to a great meal that is very reasonably priced. read more

Had a great dinner here. Food was delicious, price is right, good portions, atmosphere is much improved from Hana's, and staff/owners were muy friendly. Tamales, tacos and beans were excellent. Bone up on your Spanish because the menu does not rely on English. Definitely recommend. read more

Tikalito - This are the leftovers from the two El Specials we ordered. - Mexican Near Me - Ypsilanti, Michigan

MADE TO ORDER FLOUR TORTILLAS!! That's what got me in the door, the burritos and quesadillas are so much better than average just based on that. In addition all the meats are expertly cooked, we had the carne asada plate, a carne asada burrito and a shrimp quesadilla. All were fantastic, some of the best we've had in SE Michigan. Can't wait to return!! read more

Gatekeeping does no favors, so here it goes. Tikalito has arguably the best tacos in southeast MI. Now I did say "arguably" but depending on your meat of choice, I will bet you have a hard time thinking of a better one on the spot. Tikalito's secret weapon is the churrasquito Guatemalan-style wrap. Its a thick-boy homemade flour tortilla stuffed with Asada, mayo, salsa, onions and shredded lettuce. And even though that doesn't sound like a secret weapon at the outset, its heavenly, and super unique. My Mexican wife rates everyone on their rice and beans execution (these are black beans) and these were more than passable. My 13 year old wanted to add cheese to his tacos and they arrived at the table with the cheese melted between the two corn tortillas as opposed to on top-- which made them a 10/10 -- so he crushed a plate of asada tacos and a quesadilla because cheese. Service is counter, ambiance is "hole in the wall" but you're not there for that. This is a food mission. read more

We ordered the campechano quesadilla and campechano gordita. The food was great and they were polite and fast getting our food. We will be back soon... like today, lol. read more

We had Gorditas, fish and pork. Authentic and delicious. The owner is super friendly and welcoming. This was our first visit and I look forward to returning. The restaurant was surprisingly nice inside given its location and the food prices are very modest especially given fresh prepared. read more

It is cinco de mayo today, so was looking to get my taco fix on! Saw Tikalito come up during my search online and was local to me, so thought I would give it a try. Being originally from Los Angeles where the street tacos and Mexican food joints are abundant. I've been looking high and low for that specific authentic taste of some of those places I frequented when I lived in California. When I walked in I was greeted by the owner and I told him it was my first time here. He gave me a recommendation of items on the menu, but already saw what I was looking for. So, I got some carne asada, and lengua tacos. Also, a order of Menudo soup and tamales to go. When I got home and opened up the feast before me. It was prepared properly street taco style with onion, and cilantro with radish and lime on the side. With house made red and green sauce. Which radish on the side was a surprise because that was a standard deal in LA, but yet to come across a place in Michigan that came with it till I came here. The carne asada, and lengua tacos were seasoned and cooked properly moist and not dry like some other places I've tried in Michigan. The menudo was also on point and I must say probably the best in Michigan which maybe a bold statement to some. Also, the handmade pork tamales were filled with nicely seasoned meat that was tender and the masa was perfect! Honestly, I think I found my go to spot here in Michigan. If your in Ypsilanti I would say give it a try I don't thing you will be disappointed. Tikalito is fairly new and has taken over where Hana restaurant was, but even though the outside or interior ambiance maybe basic and straightforward, but the food, service, and staff working there makes you feel like family. I will be going back to try some of their other offerings and the tripa tacos next time read more

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Really good Guatemalan food at great prices. The churrasco is excellent--and the handmade flour tortillas definitely stand out.

5 star Al pastor quesadilla, carne asana tacos were also really good. I wouldn't get the tamale or churrasquito again personally but it may be someone else's favorite. Horchata was great! read more

Fresh and hand made tortillas, prices are good and service is friendly Better than other more famous restaurants in the area read more

I went here with my wife . the food was great and the service was great, Definitely coming back

Came here and was instantly greeted with friendly faces. Got the daily special- 2 tacos, tamal, rice and beans. Everything was delicious. Was planning dessert but I was so full from the meal...I ate every bite. Definitely will be back for more, a favorite to add to my list. read more

Got take-out and there was so much yumminess inside this handmade, fresh tortilla!! Gotta try this "Chuscarrito" read more

Tikalito - Mexican Near Me - Ypsilanti, Michigan

The best Mexican food I've had since covid started. Bit into a chorizo taco and almost cried. Better than taco king, Chelas, bei rock and almost any other spot I've been to in a while. Beans 10/10 rice 10/10 everything is just too good. read more

Excellent, excellent, excellent! The food was plentiful, authentic, and fresh. The service was very friendly and attentive without overdoing it. Nice atmosphere, too. I will be back, often! read more