Review of Local Restaurant El Tipico in Toledo, Ohio

I recently took a trip to one of the oldest Mexican restaurants in the area, El Tipico. The restaurant is located at 1444 South Street in the south end of Toledo, Ohio, with easy access off of I-75. We ventured here with high recommendations, and since it is on the way off of I-75 to the Toledo Zoo, we thought it would be a fun place to check out with the family.

El Tipico has a long history in the Toledo area, as I was informed on my arrival. The restaurant has been there since 1968, and is Toledo's oldest family owned and operated restaurant in the city. The family was kind and informative to all of the newspaper clippings and articles on the walls, along with the Mexican memorabilia. The pictures of Pancho Villa adorn the walls, an ancestor to the family that runs the restaurant.

We sat down and started to read the menus and received a warm bowl of chips and fresh salsa. There were three different types, a mild tomato-based sauce was our family favorite. We were told these were made on to order, along with all the other ingredients and menu items, each put together fresh upon order. We picked a few soft drinks and milk for the kids, and took a good look at the menu.

The menu provided a lot of good choices to browse through. The appetizer selection was good, and we started with a plate of "ET" Nachos. These, we were told stood for "everything" or el tipico" whichever you prefer! These nachos came loaded, with cheese, beef, chicken, guacamole, sour creme, tomatoes, jalapenos and onions. They were like a meal in themselves-and of course the little ones love nachos!

We settled on two different dinners: a fajita dinner and a cheese enchilada dinner. The children's menu had lots of choices also, and we got each one a taco-soft of course, to pick apart. The fajita dinner was chicken with peppers, onions, tomatoes and sides of rice, beans and flour tortillas. Everything was pipping hot and very yummy! My wife had cheese enchilada with a side of rice and beans, and she also enjoyed her food, commenting that the cheeses were not too spicy, but had just the right amount of flavor to really be bold and rich. The kids loved their food and especially loved the chips when we ordered a second bowl!

Overall, we were very happy with our experience and the overall atmosphere was warm and very family-friendly. The food was excellent, home-cooked Mexican food that you would expect to find in the kitchen of a Latina Grandma, or "Abuela". We highly recommend this restaurant whether you are living in the greater Toledo area or just visiting for a truly authentic Mexican experience!