Tio's Tacos

I've lived in Riverside for a few years now and of course have heard of this well known taco spot in downtown. Visited on a Saturday afternoon to see if it was worth the hype.Overall, their food is solid. Really liked their wet burrito with Pastor. I found that their tacos got the job done but wasn't anything spectacular. Of course where the place really shines is the outdoor seating area with its well known art installations and decor. After our meal, my wife and I had a great time walking around and checking it all out.Overall, their food and service is probably average or a little bit better. There's many better taco spots in Riverside, but you come here for the experience and novelty (I mean that in a good way). Had a good time here and will likely be back!

I have been wanting to try this place because the decors looks pretty cool. I went in and I was not going to eat anything this time. I just wanted to try one of their aguas frescas since I was at the library right next door. The ladies at the front are not very pleasant at all. I order the my drink and was told I could pick my flavor over near where they serve your drink. They have these tins with the flavors written on each one. If the tin is turned the wrong way you can't see the flavor. I proceeded to ask her what flavor one was she seemed annoyed that I was even asking. I asked her three times since she wasn't understanding and just made a face at me. When I realized she didn't speak English I asked her in Spanish. She then told me that the flavors where written in the tins as she turned them the right way so I could see. I thanked her for turning them and told her if it wasn't turned the right way there was no way of me knowing. She then just asked me what flavor I wanted I felt rushed even though there was nobody behind me waiting. I ordered the horchata coffee. I did ask her how it was and she said she didn't know. It was okay. I'm not sure I will be returning. There's really no need to with all the Mexican food options in Riverside and there are plenty of other cool restaurants near by.

Wow the patio behind Tios is fantastic! It's a time warp and we LOVED IT! We got the wet burrito, which was massive. And two chicken Mole enchiladas.Easy parking on the street and they have a lot. Soda refills are $1 which was my only (small) knock.

Amazing, one of a kind restaurant! I was impressed when I parked on the property. I saw all these creative decorations and stuff from bottles, canned goods, etc that you can say are "recyclables" or "trash". It is beautiful! I was mesmerized by the hanging butterfly outside, so cool! I am sure it also looks lovely at night! All the art work surrounds this restaurant, inside and out! It's like a museum of art! But what is good and epic is the food as well. Served by smiling staff , food is delicious and is perfect with the salsa bar! They also have a choice of different aguas frescas! I definitely recommend Tio's Tacos! How come no one ever told me this place exist?

GREAT TACOS & SPECIALTY DRINKS, but... I wouldn't venture into trying other stuff outside of tacos. I got mole enchiladas and they had incredibly dry meat, very little sauce, and didn't feel authentic. On the other hand, the tacos (carnitas) tasted super delicious. The carnitas could've been a bit juicier but the flavor was definitely there. I'll gladly return for some more tacos. I tried their fall drink, the Pumpkin Horchata and hot damn it was fantastic. It had the perfect sweetness and blended two of my favorite things together Fall and Mexican food! Service was okay, nothing to write home about. The girl at the register was nice. However, the lady serving drinks ignored my grandma's order and gave her what she herself wanted to drink. It was weird. As for the artsy, eclectic stuff outside I actually really liked it! Next time I'm definitely eating outside in the front or back patio. There's plenty to see and take pictures off! Whoever created the art pieces here is very talented.

Came in here after el Dia de Los Muertos in riverside. Saw this place on the way back to the car. Wanted to try it out we came back with the family. We also got to meet up with singer Jade Starling. We had a great time! See you again soon! Calavera Boys style!

Before I started Yelping this was our to go to when craving for authentic Mexican cuisine.Tio's Tacos has been considered as the City of Riverside's landmark since it was established in 1990.It's rustic art displays made of recycled items from scraps of metals and glass bottles created the ambience of treasured pieces of artistry. Food and service are fantastic.I had the wet burrito with all pastor. Loved the flavored sauce that was not too spicy!!Had the Cucumber Mango drink which was very refreshing complimented my meal.There's a limited seating area inside but a vast outdoor space for dining for big parties.After ordering from a window located outside the restaurant, you are given a number then food will be brought to your table. My family enjoyed celebrating a birthday and will be coming back even with no celebration!!!Restrooms are kept locked so staff had to open it for you ...

I have been coming here for years and the food and service has gone down hill. I love their Micheladas that is why I continue to come back. Today I had to repeat my order 3 times. I only ordered 2 sopes, 2 Micheladas and a small side of guacamole. When my order came it was wrong and no guacamole. I asked the guy that brought the food for my guacamole and he never came back. 10 min later another guy was bringing a separate order by and I asked him and he said if you want guacamole you have to pay for it. We checked the receipt and it was not charged. I told him my meal was wrong too. Nonetheless they didn't care and I had to pay $3 for a scoop of guacamole and I still ate the wrong order. They also do not care about the cleanliness of the flooring and tables. There was food all over and the trash was overflowing with several cats running around back and forth underneath the tables.

Food was disappointing. Sad, really sad, had high hopes from the decor, but ultimately a let down. Not sure if the food was safe to eat. The rice and beans were slight cold, not room temperature, not warm, but cool. Beef slices on fajita was taught and very thin slices. Like a cold cut. Burrito was tasteless and cold cheese was not even melted in the middle of te burrito. Anyways, come for the art work not the food. But, the Agua fresco was delicious... so there is a bright star afterall. Enjoy

This place is super cool full of art. We went for some dinner with the family and really enjoyed the walk around the place seeing all the creative pieces. It's like being inside of a museum and the best part is that it was done with recycled items! There's some pictures of the artist inside the restaurant as well with some newspaper articles where you can read a bit about his story. Food was good too. I ordered a chile relleno with taco dorado and it was really good. My sister order some sopes which she did find a bit salty and to drink we ordered 2 champurrados but those were pretty bad. They tasted a lot like chlorine and had to trash those completely full. Which sucks cause they were a bit pricey. Despite the drinks we would definitely go back. We really enjoyed the ambiance. It was like being in a Mexican Pueblo Mágico.