I love this place. It makes me want to eat out more than we do. The decor artistry alone would make it a great visit, but the food is great, the service as well and the price low. Did I say that few would ever finish the portions. read more

There is zero chance you will get what you ordered when getting take out. There is a 50% chance you'll get what you order when you dine in. We're done with this place. read more

Great, fresh food. Amazing bakery. Fantastic reasonable pricing. Friendly staff. I absolutely love this place!

Fast and Fresh! Staff very friendly! I came for a bit of Cinco de Mayo food. And they did not disappoint!! I'm a born and raised Cali-girl and I love authentic Mexican food. This is as close as you'll get to Mexican food on the east coast!! I ordered the combo of burrito enchilada and tostada with beans and rice. And of course a Margarita! All was very delicious! I will definitely be back!! read more

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This has been my go-to for Mexican for 25+ years. Take-out is never longer than 15-20 minutes. My favourite dish is the fried chicken chimichanga. It's served with a side of refried beans and some sort of house cheese sauce which is delicious and usually quite spicy, depending on the chef. It's *amazing*, as are the house chips and salsa. YUM! Try the house margarita. It won't disappoint, either in taste, alcohol content, or size. Yowza. The margaritas here are in the same type of mixer as those in 7-11. I happen to like the frozen a bit better; sans salt but with a touch of sugar is an interesting and yummy combination! Mmmmm! Also try the taco salads - I do *quite* enjoy them! read more

Came here on a Thursday night at 5:45pm and this place was busy! Which is great especially when we're in a pandemic and you want Mom and Pop restaurants like these to succeed. I came here with my one year old toddler (Mommy and me date!) and we had a quick bite to eat and it was fantastic! Mini me ordered (well I ordered, she still just points and grunts like a caveman) a quesadilla and fries and I went with my staple fried beef chimichanga. The fries here are awesome and so we my chimichanga. The quesadilla and free chips and salsa were okay, but the ambiance, service and FRIES really made this place shine. Also, service was super quick so if you have little ones this place is definitely family friendly! Also love the bright colors and decor inside. read more

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The food was excellent prepared extremely well and our order was exceptional. I particularly love their shrimp salad with the edible bowl. The best of both worlds. read more

Great atmosphere with Mexican culture themed tables and paintings. Service is always nice and welcoming, also quick. The food is always satisfying and they have the best margaritas around. read more

Todo estava rico menos las micheladas saben como servesa con chile y no como una michelada read more

El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant - a margarita with a slice of orange - Mexican Near Me - Wilmington, Delaware

Standard (but fast) Mexican food. Really nicely decorated and quite festive inside. I like how it's on different levels and it gives it a much nicer vibe. Otherwise, it's the same sort of food that you can get at nearly any Mexican anywhere that isn't in Texas. Salsa was more wet than I prefer. Thankfully, I didn't end up wearing any of it as I had several dollops fall off the really good chips. And speaking of chips, you get one very large basket for free. Refills are not free and that makes sense to me. $10 for a chicken burrito with rice and beans for lunch. That's a good deal. read more

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The reviews here need a little more detail. Disclaimer - I've never been to Mexico. The authenticity of one Mexican restaurant over another is alien to me. But honestly, who cares? Is the food any good? That's the bottom line, isn't it? Yes, the food is good. My wife, who is on a diet that often restricts her to fajitas with no dairy, puts the fajitas here amongst the best in the area, and I would agree. I love the tomato chunks cooked in with all the other ingredients. My favorite dish is the Pollo Tapatio. I had this mix of chicken and tomatoes at their Newark location once, and the exquisite heat pain left me panting for more. This location doesn't have it quite as hot, but it's still delicious. I like the decor, with the carved and painted tables and chairs, and yes, the chips and salsa are pretty good too, although second-best to the Mexican Post on Naamans. There are always coupons for this place to be found in the local Clipper magazine that everyone gets in their mail, so check that out as well. read more

El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant - Carved and painted chairs and tables - Mexican Near Me - Wilmington, Delaware

This review is created to push back against the less favorable ones I'm seeing, as I've had at least a dozen family meals there over the years that were excellent. The mole sauce is fantastic, the meat is good quality and well seasoned, not generic but with crafted traditional skill. The prices are fair, the margaritas are tasty and the service has been friendly and prompt. I'm saying you really, really need to give this place a chance to deliver. To top it off, it is a "good vibes" location. You feel it the moment you walk in. A lot of joy has been had within those walls, don't miss out! read more

I work Night Shift so I hadn't ate all day, about 12 hours since my last meal & I can tell you this is prison food . I paid $17 for a plate of prison food because I didn't want pizza, wings, McDonald's, wendys, or Chinese food & I drove all the way from PA. Not to mention it was my food for work. Now I have to eat from a vending machine If you think this is good Mexican food you've obviously never been to Texas where I could've gotten better edible Mexican food from Dairy Queen or McDonald's . I'm sorry but it's just a huge no if you've actually ate anywhere other than taco bell which is actually still 100x better read more

Came here using a Groupon. Can not recommend this place. Food was edible but certainly could not be called good. I had quesadilla carnitas. Quesadilla was made with what appeared to be mozzarella cheese, stringy and relatively tasteless. Quesadillas are generally made with a creamy melty cheese. Not so here. Same cheese sprinkled on top of my refried beans. Long strings when taking a forkful. I do not generally cook Mexican myself but I believe the cheese to be used for this would be a cheddar or similar. Rice was ok, nothing spectacular. My son had a chicken quesadilla. He said it was ok but I could see it had same cheese. He said the guacamole was ok. I didn't notice there was guacamole on my plate til he mentioned that and wasn't very hungry anymore to taste it. My son really enjoyed the music being played. The place only had diners at a few tables but the lone waiter didn't check with us much. We needed drink refills and waited too long to get them. Hour later and I'm still tasting the carnitas and not a pleasant memory. Glad I didn't pay full price but even at the Groupon price I think I overpaid. Won't be back. read more

We have eaten here before and it is really quite good. I ordered the pineapple fajita but without cilantro because I have that Greg where cilantro tastes like soap. Unfortunately they still put the cilantro in it so it tasted horrible to me. I ended up taking it home and throwing it away read more

Ugh. Used to be my favorite when in the area. Sometimes I would drive from PA and bring the family. I guess it's switched ownership. It's probably been a year since I've been here. Took one bite of food. I'll salvage some of the rest to mix in the dog food tomorrow. Super bummed. Owner? is sitting next to me listening to videos on his phone at the bar. When my server isn't mixing drinks or handling food she's mopping, sweeping and wiping up. Came here starved. Ate a few chips and salsa. The ice water was pretty good. The margarita was serviceable - spent $6 to add alcohol. Otherwise it was meh. It's always been busy when I've been here. Came in to 4 cars in the lot - that should have been a sign. read more

El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant - a white tray on a wooden table - Mexican Near Me - Wilmington, Delaware

First time back here in 3 yrs and I cant recommend this place anymore. Not sure if the Groupon Rush ruined this place but the food is not good anymore, not even the Margherita's are worth the trip. How can you mess up fried ice cream. If you're looking for good Mexican this isnt the place read more

Just went to pick up an order at this place. They are not following virus protocol. People were jammed inside the front door waiting for tables and I have to wade through to get my order which they did not get right. The peeps had masks on but were not social distancing. I was very disturbed by the restaurants lack of concern about spreading the virus. My guess they will be shut down soon due to their lack of health concerns for any patron who may enter the restaurant, read more

Idk why this place doesn't get more good reviews . My husband and I have been coming here for date nights for years. I've always gotten the fajitas, but the last time we couldn't quite afford the price increase on them so I got the quesadilla and it was great ! We will always keep coming back . read more

I've been coming here since I was little kid! It is my go-to Mexican restaurant. Maybe I'm biased but it's the best Mexican food in the area. The staff is super nice and the restaurant is so colorful! There is a Groupon deal right now where you can get $25 dollars off the meal which is what my friend and I did. They have a great lunch menu that is the perfect size for a lunch dish! I got the chicken enchiladas, SO GOOD! I also got a margarita, warning: they are pretty strong! read more

El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant - Chicken Enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Wilmington, Delaware

My fiancé made reservations for this place 3 weeks ago and then confirmed it a week ago for tonight for my birthday. We realize it is cinco de Mayo and businesses are doing their best during covid but the reservation was made and confirmed TWICE!! My fiancé called again to confirm it this evening and the lady who answered was extremely rude and said reservations are never made for cinco de Mayo! If that's the policy, fine, don't make them! However, he was told to call back in a half hour to speak to the manager and now the phone is off the hook! This is terrible terrible customer service! There is no excuse for that kind of behavior ! read more

RJ and I brought one of the peeps here for dinner last weekend. It's seat yourself. They weren't busy at all, but the tables were dirty with empty beer bottles. Someone did come right away to clean it, but I do not enjoy having someone clean around me with a bleach soaked rag. Our not-too-friendly server brought chips and salsa, and we pondered our order. I went with a frozen mango margarita, and fish tacos. RJ ordered a special that had a burrito, taco, enchilada, and tostada, and the peep ordered a quesadilla. I also ordered guacamole and asked for more chips, and the server acted like that was a problem which annoyed me. The margarita was awesome, the best part of the meal. The food was ok, basic mexican and nothing special. The server brought our check when he decided we were finished, as we were not given the option of dessert. I'm ok with going elsewhere as there are plenty of other options around here. We were only here to use a Groupon anyway. read more

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We love el tapito. We always get the Alitas to start and then we get the Chimichangas and mixed fajitas. The margaritas are good and well priced. For Covid, they have reduced the number of people able to be in the restaurant and people sit at every other table to social distance. I took a star off because the service is hit or miss and the last few times I've found the servers to be somewhat inattentive. read more

I can't imagine anyone not loving this place. The food is beyond amazing and outstanding and fantastic. The service is great and fast and friendly. They constantly have groupons available which make this place an even better find! Even if they stop with the groupons I'll absolutely continue to eat here. We've gone so much I know exactly what I'm getting each time we go. It's all sooo amazing and fresh. If you go here and don't enjoy yourself don't blame the restaurant. It's your fault. I mean. Do you even like Mexican food? Maybe you weren't aware of the kind of food they serve here? If you do enjoy Mexican than you'll love this place. Their quesadillas are outstanding. read more

El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Wilmington, Delaware

i have to say these jades reviews bother me.. this place is beyond decent. its clean......let's start there!!! and as for the authenticity of the food.....ITS DELAWARE....not mexico...and definitely not freakin ta*o b*ll!!!!! its fresh, fast, cheap... last time i checked most of America is broke..so how bout it!!!!???? anyway, the chori-queso(greasy but) de-damn-licious if you are ready to drop the resolutions and get ready for meat...and cheeeseee....baked...*drools* the bartenders are pleasant, and the staff is friendly.....yes...most of them are Spanish of some sort...so you know they're in their element*non-racist statement :)* i would say if you were hungry...and coming out of pa, and didn't wanna drive to western Delaware for Mexican food. or get lost in Philly for a real deal...this is a place to go!!!! i will go here again....and again...and well..mondays tuesdays are 2.99 margaritas....what more can you ask for??? read more

I've been eating here for a few years now, sometimes more than once in a day, and I never get tired of it. Huge menu and great prices. I'd recommend the combination platters, almost all $8 with beans and rice, my personal favorite is the #46 (beef enchiladas). Free chips and salsa like many Mexican places, the salsa is amazing and varies in heat from visit to visit. The desserts aren't anything to write home about but you won't have room for them anyway. N.B. Monday and Tuesday are $3 margarita days but be sure to specify otherwise you may get the normal $7 margarita. Either way they are never shy with the booze so don't plan on driving home. (Update 6/5 - I had lunch here today and didn't see the $3 margarita sign so beware, may no longer be offered.) read more

El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Wilmington, Delaware

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Awesome food, my favorite are the chimichangas. The portions are large, I recommend wearing your stretchiest pants.

This review is only for the Drinks and service as i did not get any food there (the food looks pretty delicious). I arrived there a few minutes after my group did and it took a good 10 minute for the waitress to srealize no one had taken my order (everyone had there drinks but me). i ended up deciding with to share the pitchers 2 of my coworker were already served and it did make up for the wait. We shared a pitcher of Strawberry Margharita and it was pretty delicious. For $22 dollar we got 9 full cups. Another co-worker came in 30 min later and she had to wait too to get served and ended up sharing pitchers as well. I would go back for the margharitas and maybe try the food and hope the service is a little better. read more

El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant - strawberry margharita - Mexican Near Me - Wilmington, Delaware

It's standard Mexican food. The margaritas are good, the fried ice cream is good. Chicken fajitas are what we always get and they're very serviceable. There are few other options up this way to sit down for dinner and so it was always packed pre-Covid. There's almost always a Groupon, which is a big enticement for us to go here vs La Tolteca, Aurelias, Mexican Post etc read more

After my first time visiting this restaurant I will not be back again. Horrible service from start to finish. The food was good but the service was terrible. I was taking my baby out of the car seat and the server told me I could not leave him on the floor and I informed her that I wasn't leaving him on the floor and that I was just unstrapping him in order to put him in the high chair. The entire time she spoke to us her tone was just so off. They gave us last year's menu with old pricing on it. Like why do you even have last year's menu if the pricing has changed. Then proceeded to hand us the updated menu after we inquired about the pricing on our check. There were just attitudes left and right all evening. My biggest issue was when I left something on the table, I realized it once I got home only 10 minutes later I called immediately to come back to get it and they told me it was thrown away. It was a milk cooler for my babies milk which they saw me pouring from the entire time I was at the restaurant into a bottle. If you have a baby you know how much effort it can be to go out to eat. I have been a server before and if someone left something at the table we at least kept it for a day minimum. The women on the phone was ridiculously rude and her attitude was sooooo uncalled for. I asked her if someone could grab the cooler out of the trash as it had only been 10 minutes or if she was positive that it was thrown away. It doesn't look like something that should be easily discarded so I wanted to be 100% sure it was thrown away, and she said I will not be going in the trash for you and that since it wasn't theirs they threw it away. I said ok that's fine I will go in the trash myself but I just want to make sure that I did in fact leave it there, and if you can confirm that someone actually threw it away because I don't want to go in the trash either. She told me I could go in the dumpster to look for it if I wanted. So when I drove back to the restaurant they told me I could walk around back. Just ridiculous! Once back there I just stared at the dumpster like I can't do this. Someone came out of a house near the back and asked me if I was ok. I told him I was looking for something and they told me to basically go dumpster diving and look for myself, but I couldn't bring myself to actually go looking in the dumpster I just stood there in the back crying. I was so upset and frustrated with the treatment I was getting from this place. I am just a tired momma wanting to enjoy a quick meal with friends at a restaurant I had never been to before after work. Then he brought me into the kitchen through the back door and said let's see if someone has seen it before we go looking in the dumpster! Which is exactly what I wanted them to do in the first place! And the dishwasher person had cleaned it and put it on the shelf which makes way more sense then them throwing it away. If only the person on the phone had confirmed that it wasn't actually thrown away and that someone cleaned it and placed it on a shelf we could've avoided all of this nonsense, but I take it she did not give two craps about me or what I was asking her. She was just too busy getting defensive on the phone and telling me what she wouldn't do. I got my cooler and left. Needless to say I will not be returning. Owner was kind and helped me out the rest of the staff were rude. I would never recommend this place for their service but the food was fine. read more

I have been here a few times over the years and dropped in a little after 7:30 pm as I was visiting with friends. It wasn't exceptionally busy but it is a holiday weekend and Sunday night. The service was slow and the server did not bring out my friend's correct entree. As for my meal, I ordered the mole poblano and the sauce had a strange texture today probably from sitting for some time. Tonight must have been an off night so I would look to visit again and hope for better results. read more

A classic hole in the wall. It's easy to miss but so unfortunate if you do. Chips and salsa are the first part of your feast. Yummy cilantro filled spicy-ish salsa is a great start. The menu can be daunting with a ridiculous amount of choices but they have yet to fail. El tapatio burrito (93) was flavorful and good portioned. Only downside, it looks unappetizing and the beef tips were pretty chunky; could have been shredded better. My daughters cheese quesadilla was not the best. Made with mozzarella (?), extra greasy and the tortilla was hard to get through. Happy note: Margaritas are something sent from heaven; therefore needs not further description. The staff is friendly and welcoming. Very family oriented. read more

Our dining experience was not pleasant. The food is fine, but there are plenty of other options in the area. Service was lacking. We ordered a hamburger for our son, specifying no cheese. It came out with cheese and was not replaced because they ran out of buns. We had to make another selection. It took a long time to get his food and by the time it came out, the rest of us were finished eating. There was no comp and not much of an apology. I doubt we'll be returning and definitely not with a hungry three year old. read more

Always good exactly what I want when I want comfort Mexican food. Everything on the menu that you think you'll like, you'll like.

Stopped here because I was in the area. Nothing special, nothing so bad that I wouldn't come back. The place is seat yourself, and service for tonight on a Tuesday was fine. The restaurant was mostly filled and there seemed to be enough staff on hand to get everyone in time. On one table as you enter were hundreds of bottles of soda. Looked neat, but I don't know why they were set out like that and not in some refrigerator. I ordered pork flour tacos which came with some refried beans and a Mexican salad (I guess to put on the tacos as it was more of a chunky salsa). Also came with a cold spicy hot sauce. The tacos were very good, but I needed to hold them in a way to let a lot of grease slip out so I did not get skeeved. Mixed with the salad, "salsa", the salsa that came with complementary chips, and the hot sauce made them much better. The food came very quickly (less than 10 minutes) wrapped in tin foil so I do not think they were microwaved. $12 total including tip, no drinks. I would return if I were in the area again, but I would not come out of my way like the Yelper from NJ said she does! read more

This is a very disappointing place and was especially poor in many areas. Overall bland food and poor staff. 1. The wait staff was not friendly or helpful. To the point of being rude. Lots of staff sitting around and talking but not interested in helping people who were patrons. 2. Chips were some of the worst we have had. Tasted like a mix of old and bland chips. 3. Salsa was just okay. Nothing positive. 4. Lots of ground beef! Lots! Decent but just a lot of it. 5. Enchilada sauce was a tad bland. 6. The chicken Tamale was the best thing I had here. 7. It's not expensive but not cheap that would allow leniency with how poor it is overall. Will not come back. read more

El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Wilmington, Delaware

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I was really unsure after reading other reviews. I bought a Groupon so I wanted to use it. I love Mexican food and the hubby not so much. We got there around 11:30 and got our menus, chips/salsa and drinks right away. Chips and salsa were very good. The dining room is very pretty with the carved chairs and paintings, really lovely. Our waitress was a very sweet lady. Slowly the restaurant started filling with people. Great, the not so good reviews I had seen must be wrong. Nope, they were spot on, sadly. Hubby had 3 soft tacos and I had a combination platter of 2 hard tacos, 1 enchilada, rice and beans. The best i can describe this is tasteless. Literally, nothing had a taste to it. The taco meat was totally bizarre like a pate, super finely ground meat consistency and everything else was just so unbelievable bland. Dessert, I ordered fried ice cream but they didn't have any???? So it was churros and they were good, however I think they were frozen and put in the microwave, not homemade. I'm really disappointed because I wanted to love it, but it just wasn't good. Won't be back. It's pretty bad when I can make better Mexican food at home. read more

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This is my least favorite Mexican restaurant in the area. I have been here twice and was disappointed both times. We only went because they had a $25 gift card on Groupon for $16. The food wasn't bad, but the servers take forever to come over to you since you can seat yourself. Along with that the margaritas are a huge disappointment, they just take like juice and they're not that cheap! It's a great atmosphere and the tables are very private which I like! read more

El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Wilmington, Delaware

Terrible service. Worst service of my life. Servers are moody. Food is ok. Nothing special and server even said they just microwave the food if you complain. Don't waste your time. read more

Gets worse every time we go. Food remains ok. Everything looks the same, just in a different package. Seriously! They should fire the entire waitstaff and start over. They are rude. Inept. Slow. God forbid you ask them for more napkins or anything else. Owner seems very complicit. read more