Restaurant Review: El Tipico Mexican Restaurant in Toledo, Ohio

I was very lucky to stumble across the wonderful Mexican restaurant in Toledo, Ohio. This place was steeped in history and art. Being from the south I did not think I would find such a crown jewel in Ohio. Boy was I wrong. El Tipico is the oldest Mexican Restaurant in Toledo with no liquor license. That is really saying something .They specialize in the food! After I found that out I knew I was in for a treat. I immediately knew the food must be exceptional.

When I entered El Tipico Mexican Restaurant I was warmly greeted by family members Frank and Jan Villa and felt right at home. The history of this restaurant is very extensive. I was very pleased to find out that the El Tipico celebrated its 39th year in business in March of 2007. The establishment was started in 1968 by Ezekiel and Consuelo Villa. Ezekiel Villa is a direct descendant of Pancho Villa, a Mexican icon. At the age of 14, Ezekiel Villa joined the Air Force and made it his career, retiring after 22 years. He moved his family to Toledo, Ohio in 1967 and opened the restaurant one year later. Ezekiel and Consuelo named this gem of a restaurant in honor of a favorite restaurant in San Antonio, Texas. El Tipico means "a typical place" but to me there was nothing ordinary about it.

The atmosphere is very clean, bright and festive with interesting artwork on the walls. I was thrilled with the wait staff. They were kind, courteous and very prompt. I could tell that it really was a family operated business.

I sat down to a bowl of homemade salsa and chips. You have your choice of the degree of heat with the salsa. They are affectionately called Antifreeze (mild), Battery Acid (jalapeno), Comatose (habenero) and Suicide (peqin). I could not resist trying some of the very hot ones and loved them all. If you choose to order salsa to go, it must be eaten within a day or two because no preservatives are used. After my snack of chips and salsa, I began to look over the menu. It contained 35 dinner entrees (with the price range from $6.95 to $17.95), with 10 of them being vegetarian. You can also make your own combination by choosing items from the Ala Carte Section. I was told by Jan Villa that all of the food is handmade at the restaurant. Nothing canned is ever used and no lard is used for frying or cooking, just vegetable oil. The prices and the food portions are amazing. The number one seller is the #1 Mexican Dinner ($10.95), which includes a beef tip burrito, cheese enchilada, taco, tostada, rice and beans. They also offer an El Tipico Nacho, which is wonderful. It is nacho chips with cheese, onions, jalapenos, beans, guacamole, ground beef, chicken, sour cream and tomatoes. It is a meal in itself. In addition they offer breakfast dishes any time of the day or night, like Chorizo con Huevos, Huevos Rancheros, Chilaquiles (Migas) and Nopalitos (Cactus) and Eggs. They also have a lunch menu (Monday-Friday, 11-2pm) and a kids menu.

For dessert, there is the Sweet Chimi ($5.95). A to die for deep fried, strawberry-filled large flour tortilla, rolled in cinnamon and sugar, topped with two scoops of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, sprinkles and a cherry!

One member of my party stated, "This is the best Mexican food I have ever had". I had to agree. If you are ever in their area this is a place that you must visit. I would recommend it to everyone who wants excellent food, great service and a fun atmosphere.

El Tipico Mexican Restaurant
1444 South Avenue
Toledo, Ohio 43609
419-382-0661