A large group of parents and kids popped into El Tio. The staff was very accommodating with the size of our group--putting a number of tables together. Understandably, with the use of our group, service was on the slower side. It did seem as though there was one server on shift, so she was dealing with us and her other tables, too. The food and drinks came out pretty quickly once the orders were in. And everything was delicious!! read more

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I've been here many many times over the years and have always had an excellent meal. You can't go wrong here with the more interesting latin flavors like the lechoncito al Horno (roast pork with onions and plantains served with rice and beans and the classic Tex Mex items like tacos, fajitas and burritos are also a must try. Their table side guacamole and their homemade chisoro queso are both also worth a try as is their winter (tequila based) old fashioned or their variety of margaritas. Service is always fast and friendly here whether you sit in their bar or dining room and the atmosphere is the classic Tex Mex style you're looking for. I've been here many times and will be back again for sure. read more

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Food was okay, service was good and the ambiance is homey fast food. Try it. The ambiance is fast food, though it's a sit down restaurant, so there's a certain charm. Standard Mexican decor. I had a chile rellano which was small but bulked up with lots of breading I had to cut off bc it was so greasy (this is probably a cost saving measure, but I appreciate the attempt since it's probably not grown nearby). Salsa was a little watery. I liked how the chips were thin. The service was fast and friendly and they have a nice desert menu. Prices were very reasonable for the portion. read more

El Tio Tex Mex Grill - Cheesecake Chimichanga with ice cream - Tex-Mex Near Me - Falls Church, Virginia

A 3.5 at best. Our "mariscada," apparently their version of a paella, had lots of broth, 3 shrimp, 2 mussels, 2 clams, and 1 scallops, cut in half. Did I mention it had LOTS of broth? Service was OK, though they started cleaning our table BEFORE we were finished. Chips and salsa were small portions of both. Ambience was simple taqueria. Overall, not a good value. We WON'T be back! read more

El Tio Tex Mex Grill - Soupy mariscada - Tex-Mex Near Me - Falls Church, Virginia

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Went to El Tio for the first time after driving past it a couple of times that day. We really liked it. We shared the beef and chicken fajitas and had space for dessert which was churros. The food was very good and the service was friendly and quick. The price is reasonable and this seems like a really nice family run place. We are definitely going back. read more

Food tasted great, lot of options to choose from. Flavorful with just the right amount of seasoning

Good Mexican and delicious food and margaritas ! It's small but it's cozy and love the vibe

Nachos: i have never encountered a "build your own nacho" situation. Frankly, this gave me a taste of my own medicine. I rummage around town for platters of nachos to critique, and on this day, the tables had turned. If I didn't like my nacho chip, it wasn't on anyone but me. I hate to admit it, but perhaps this is exactly what someone like me needs. Someone who straddles a Type A and a Type B personality. Someone who likes the mess, but is selective about how the mess should appear, or in this instance, taste. I enjoyed building my own nachos. I'd take this any day over the disgraceful nachos I've had at other places. All else: honestly, it was quite relaxing and entertaining to kick back and watch sports on 4 different screens at once. With all the media I consume at once on a daily basis, I feel I'd be immune to electric shock therapy. My brain's gone numb from all the bloody screens, but I enjoyed watching the football games. I say football and I urge you to as well, as it is the sport where the ball is kicked by the foot, and not thrown in the air to be chased by broad shouldered men. Anywho, staff were lovely & attentive. I was having a nice time til the music started blaring. That was my cue to leave. read more

El Tio Tex Mex Grill - Nacho Platter - Tex-Mex Near Me - Falls Church, Virginia

An order of nachos for 16.95 for 8 pieces of nachos No thanks Bad review for me I haven't even gotten my full order just at appetizer Unfortunately won't be coming back read more

El Tio Tex Mex Grill - Tex-Mex Near Me - Falls Church, Virginia

The food is really good; especially the chicken wings. The servers are very friendly and the atmosphere is nice.

The restaurant is really cute the music is good the portions are huge there horchata is really good and the California burrito is huge and delicious servers are friendly. Highly recommend! read more

Confession #08093557 I LOVE El Tio! The steak fajitas NEVER miss. I had it delivered it during my mom's visit in July and she is still wishing it ate it all least a couple more times before she left. And she looked for it in Texas Lol I've been ordering this for years and realized I hadn't given them their flowers . read more

A group of us have been here several times for dinner when we wanted something semi close by and there's some indecisiveness of where to go. This local chain has 3 other locations - in McLean, Gainesville, and in Great Falls. The menu offers various appetizers, soups, salads, fajitas, beef/chicken/seafood options, burritos, chimichangas, enchiladas, pancho platters, combo options, kid options, drinks, desserts, and even a brunch menu. Our recent visits have been super inconsistent and lackluster - we usually start off with Queso Dip as an appetizers, which is a cheese dip with ground beef - the tortillas are thin and crispy, but the queso has been super watered down and thin, usually with a plastic film on the surface - not sure why it would sit for that long to be brought out to end up with that. I usually order the steak chimichanga, which is served with rice, refried beans, lettuce, pico de gallo, sour cream, and guacamole - you can choose seafood, grilled chorizo, chicken, spinach, shredded beef, vegetables, beans, or grilled chicken breast as your other protein option. Initially, this platter has been tasty and filling, but, again, our most recent visits have not been so tasty - there is an off taste to them, not much filling, and the sides are either cold or underseasoned. The service has also been super poor - there have been some servers who have been borderline rude to our party, and it's like, why? We thought that this would be one of our go-tos for Tex-Mex, but no dice. The combination of the lack of quality in the food served as well as the unfortunate service warrants no more visits from us! +inconsistent quality of food served +poor service +parking available in lot read more

The steak I ordered was cooked perfect. Thank you. But. Nothing was seasoned. Steak, rice, pico, guac. No salt. No flavor. Just a really bland meal.... Disappointed. read more

First meal at El Tio in Falls Church. Giving it 5 stars because the service on the outside patio was really top-notch on a perfect weather day. The food was really not great, though. There was nothing wrong with it, so it's only a matter of personal taste, so I can't give it fewer stars. Hubby thought the food was good because he likes his dishes on the dry and mild side, not drenched in sauce, but I thought the food was bland and meh. Now, it's much much better than El Tio in McLean, that's for sure. Didn't like their homemade salsa at all, and I usually can't stop eating salsa at Mexican restaurants, but didn't like theirs. The Nacho platter really to me was the worst, especially for the price, and the chips were burnt. The grilled chicken enchilada were bland with no other spice or flavor other than just salt. Really nothing good to say about the food other than there was nothing wrong with it, but not to my taste. While hubby thought it was fine, we both agree that there are much better Mexican options in our area. read more

This is a good place. Who doesn't love Tex Mex food? Prices are one area of contention, but rents and inflation are nuts right now. The quality of the platters and sides is high. I absolutely love their enchiladas, as they pack a spicy punch. Anything I've ordered here has been above average. That consistency is appreciated. The service here is solid as a rock. Each visit have felt valued here. Good date spot. Also they have a nice bar, with a lot of beverages available. Please remember Uber or other transportation methods. Staff here are good folks, and it's certainly a clean/cozy restaurant. Check this place out! read more

Cincoooo De Mayo celebration!!! Was a miss as they were overwhelmed it seemed. There was a wait for a table but there were plenty of open tables available. The service was the most friendly and very appreciative of that but the food just took way too long. The kitchen seemed very backed up and for our appetizers it took 45 minutes. Besides that hiccup, the food was delicious and tasty! The green sauce was very good and had to be asked for separately. The ambiance was fun and a great place to hang out with friends and family on a Friday after a long week of work. Will be back...maybe just at another time when the occasion is slower. Enjoy! read more

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The food was okay. Tasted like something that I could make in my own kitchen with very little effort. In my opinion I just don't know why I would go back here, when Taco Bamba is just SO much better. In my opinion simply put its mid. I left feeling like I could have saved myself some money by going to the grocery store and just making my food myself. read more

Came here for dinner on a week night. We were served chips and chunky salsa to start. We asked about happy hour and were disappointed they don't do that here. I ordered for the chicken enchilada and cheese enchilada dinner combo. The food was fine, my biggest disappointment is that they do not use the traditional white cheese in their enchiladas, it was shredded white and orange cheese. It was a bit bland to eat a tortilla stuffed full of shredded cheese. Pros is that they label gluten free items on their menu and we had great service. read more

This foooooood! Come on my back again at another spot that has unlocked my tastes buds! When this happen my energy is positive, it's active, it's turnt up!!! I enjoyed my meal so much that I even purchased there pepper sauce they had to go. I love the old style Mexican restaurant look. The service was was quick and didn't miss a heartbeat. We was able to get our margarita fast and more after. These margs was so good reminding me of the reason I used to like margaritas. El tio I will see you soon... I might write a song about ya amazing food!! read more

El Tio Tex Mex Grill - Steak and rice - Tex-Mex Near Me - Falls Church, Virginia

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We love this restaurant! The ambiance is great with low lighting and great TV setup!!The food is absolutely delicious and homemade tortillas!! Our favorite bartender is Katherine. She is very attentive, kind, and professional! Highly recommended!! read more

The food, the food, the food! Every single bite was worth the 45 minute drive. The chicken was so tender and juicy, the zucchini was outstanding and the sauce complimented the dish so well! We arrived around 12 and it wasn't packed, so the bar area suited us well. Our waiter was quick and offered his opinions on the menu items, which was appreciated. We tried the classic margarita, it had all the makings of a classic. I got the jalapeño margarita next, it wasn't as spicy as I thought, but still went down well. El Tio is HUGE! There are so many seat options, from the bar area to the patio seating to the other side of their restaurant, I can only imagine when they have a full house. The food, free parking and efficient service are just three of the reasons we'll be back here, no matter how long the drive! read more

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This is the falls church location which is much more spacious inside than the McLean location. Very family friendly so it can get loud on busy days. A nice menu with typical Tex-mex food. You'll definitely be full as serving sizes are fairly generous. Service is always friendly and the salsa is amazing! There is a bar with high tops and they offer happy hour specials on beer/margaritas. read more

Service was fast and friendly. Food was subpar- pollo saltado was disappointing- fries were few and mushy and the sauce wasn't that flavorful. Chips weren't fresh or warm and the red salsa was like something you'd get out of a can. The place also smelled like Lysol or some cleaning supply. First we were seared by the bathroom; even after moving it still smelled. Later the night I was also sick to my stomach several times. read more

Tasty traditional Mexican food. It says I need to provide more details before it Accepts The review. We'll see if this is long enough now. read more

Food was very good! Loved that the chips were thin and crispy. We all enjoyed our food! Would go back read more

This place was dreadful. We came here on a Thursday evening as part of a surprise party diversion for a good friend. The idea was to convince him that dinner was his celebration so he wouldn't be expecting the surprise party we had planned for a few days later. The diversion part worked, and we did like it when they came out with the big sombrero and the entire staff shouted, not sang, the happy birthday song. Unfortunately, the anticipated tacky hat aside, the rest of everything was awful. My wife and I ordered their "Cadillac Margarita," which was supposed to come with top-shelf tequila and Grand Marnier. What we got was a bitter concoction with (very little) rail tequila and not a hint of Grand Marnier. While my Lomo saltado wasn't the worst I've ever had, my wife was sick the following day from her taco/enchilada combo plate. Walking in, we wanted to like this place because it seemed like a fun spot for other events. Walking out, we realized we would never walk in again. read more

We came in for National margarita day, because who needs an excuse for a good margarita on a Wednesday, right?!? Parking was a bit crazy, and the restaurant wasn't. We sat at the bar, and the bartender was really responsive and the service was great. For margaritas, we started off with the skinny which was what you would expect- healthier option, but not as flavorful. We opted for the Cadillac the second time and that was the margarita fix we were looking for. We started with the queso dip with chorizo. Unlike the usual ground chorizo this was in a sausage form which caught us off guard. Otherwise, it was good and my husband devoured it. For our mains, I ordered the carnitas el tio taco plate with black beans instead of refried. My husband ordered the steak el tio taco plate and we swapped tacos so we had some variety. The el tio tacos come with a pico de gallo mix on top which was tasty. The steak was incredibly flavorful and tender. The carnitas were moist, flavorful, and tender. So good! Also liked the black bean substitute as I'm not a huge fan of refried beans. A la carte we ordered the chili relleno. It wasn't bad, but didn't impress us either. Overall the meal was great and we will be back. read more

The food was so good and came out quickly. Our server Louis was awesome. The fresh guac was our favorite.

Excellent food-love the endless chips and salsa--con queso makes it even more fantastic! Love the bean burritos! Always friendly and efficient service-ABSOLUTELY AWESOME PLACE! !!! read more

Tried this place for the first time. I was pleasantly surprised. The food was good and came out hot. The chips were still hot and the salsa was really good. Wished the salsa came in a larger container because it takes at least two for a basket of chips. The enchiladas I ordered were very tasty with melted cheese over and a side of rice and frijoles. My son got the beef burrito and said it was good. Parking is ample and in front of the restaurant. Interior is good. Typical Mexican decor. Experience was very good. Wait staff were friendly. I was not there at peak times so don't know how fast the service is when they are crowded. read more

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When I die, I may not go to heaven I don't know if they let cowboys in If they don't, just let me go to Texas Texas is as close as I've been. - Thank you, Tanya Tucker That's for the Tex in Tex-Mex. I don't have any lyrics that come to mind for the Mex part of the term. Ahh Tex-Mex food, my favorite. El Tio you do it right. Comfortable colorful interior and equipped to serve small and larger groups. Service is friendly and helpful the moment you walk in the door. Rice, beans, guacamole to go with your meal. Flavorful salsa and chips to start. Fajitas come still sizzling. Enchiladas are covered in cheese and satisfy a hungry appetite. Hand made flour tortillas hit the spot. I'll drive out of the way for a meal here. read more

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I am really picky about ceviche and actually ceviche is the only dish in the whole Mexican cuisine in which I am connoisseur. So,despite a little outdated decor and renovation, I have to give them a 4 stars. This ceviche was really good,the balance between acidity of the marinated seafood and yummy pieces of fish on the one hand and the sweetness of the mango pieces and sweet potatoes chunks on the other hand created a beautiful dish.This concoction was topped with generous amount of fresh cilantro and presented by knowledgeable friendly server. read more

El Tio Tex Mex Grill - Ceviche (generous and yummy) - Tex-Mex Near Me - Falls Church, Virginia

Some good takeout Mexican, but I look forward to truly seeing how goo it can be with a in-person meal soon. My Grilled chicken burrito was particularly yummy -- the tomatillo sauce was a flavorful spicy topping. The spinach enchilada was not great, but perhaps a result of cooling down too much. Quesadilla, also with spinach, was nothing special. The salsa is superb. Again, I look forward to dining at El Tio sometime soon to put the restaurant to the proper test. read more

Food was okay. We got takeout and they gave large portions of everything but the food was average Mexican, nothing special. My steak had good flavor but was super tough, the queso is basically velveeta and fajitas were tasty but cut in very thick strips. Rice and beans were good and they had good guacamole as well. read more

Yummy Tex-Mex restaurant with good vibes, friendly staff, and generous portion! My family are big fans of Tex-Mex, so they often visit our local El Tio in Falls Church with plenty of indoor/outdoor seating. Service is usually quick, friendly, and accommodating. My server joked that I wouldn't be able to eat when I asked him for vegan/gluten-free suggestions, but he spoke to the chef and brought out a special serving of delicious nachos. They weren't the expected nachos with black beans, avocado, and pico, but rather included pinto beans and grilled veggies. As someone who prefers small taco joints to large Tex-Mex establishments due to ease of ordering, I was pleasantly surprised that they offered something special to fit dietary restrictions. You'll also find Tex-Mex regulars like quesadillas, burritos, fajitas, enchiladas, and of course jumbo margaritas. read more

El Tio Tex Mex Grill - Vegan and gluten-free nachos - Tex-Mex Near Me - Falls Church, Virginia

El Tio has some of the best fajita beef I've had - THE best I've had outside of Texas so far. There were solid flavors across the salsa (which wasn't my favorite style, but it was chunky and good), the enchiladas (although I prefer ground beef to shredded, and I prefer onion in my cheese enchilada), and the fajitas (...no caveats here!). I thought the rice and beans were particularly good as well. The Diablo Margarita had good flavor, but could have used more spice heat. The spice-heat issue was sort of a theme for me, thinking that everything could have used more spice heat although the flavors were good. This is a surprisingly large restaurant, with wonderfully warm, colorful art on the walls. At the time of my visit, there was some tent-covered outdoor seating as well. The staff was friendly and welcoming. One note: The parking lot can be a bit dicey when it's full (with cars and people squeezing past in narrow lanes, inevitably with some not really looking out for others), but there's a decent amount of parking all around the strip center. read more

Classic Tex Mex, quite yummy. We arrived around 2:15pm but there were still some folks there as clearly people are fans. Nice ambiance. They served us chips and salsa and brought more without us having to ask. I got the vegetable enchiladas and my mom got the veggie nachos. Very filling! Margarita was good too. Quick, friendly service. read more

El Tio Tex Mex Grill - Vegetable enchiladas and cheese nachos - Tex-Mex Near Me - Falls Church, Virginia

I really like how Settle Down Easy brewery partners with El Tio! You are able to place an order at SDE. The tacos come from there, and the other prepared food comes from the location a block down. I ordered the Camarones Brochette - Jumbo shrimp stuffed with cheese and jalapeno pepper, wrapped in bacon. This was soooo good. I was more than full after finishing this. The shrimp is cooked so well and the bacon makes it super special. I really appreciated the fajita option, which comes with the sauteed green peppers and onions that had such a good seasoning. The beans and mexican rice were great. Since it was takeout I ended up getting confused and thought the tortilla went with a different order, but am surprised because this dish came with a TON of food - i ain't mad! Really tasty food- Would recommend! read more

El Tio Tex Mex Grill - Tex-Mex Near Me - Falls Church, Virginia

I've been here several times with my family. The staff is friendly, the food is delicious and the margaritas are yummy. Great for families or a group group of friends.. read more