Cali N Tito's — Restaurant in Athens-Clarke County Unified Government

Very cute, island-shack vibe that's fun & colorful with cute bubble string lights everywhere, and kitchy, beachy decor. Fun, Latin music played in the background, further adding to the festive, casual atmosphere.

Ordering is counter-only where your party is handed a number and water cups. The self-serve water is,charmingly, from a spigot over a large barrel, a la beach wash stations (though it's really delicious & healthy reverse osmosis water).

The seating is mostly outdoors on the porches having chippy picnic benches...which were not the cleanest, but which did have large paper towel rolls and large hand sanitizers on every table.

Food is brought to your table served in paper and utensils and cups are recyclable plastic.

The food is over all very fresh and tasted quite good, but my empanadas had very little meat/ cheese filling, less than half of the shell, which left me still hungry (not going to eat just the shell) and feeling gypped. The others in my party had better value for their yummy meals.

The salsa and sides were delicious, but micro-servings. Salsa needs to be served in actual bowls for each person, so that the proportion of salsa to chips is equitable.

However, the banana shake-like beverage I ordered was delicious refreshing, and not overly sweet: a must have worth every calorie, and, to me, the star of meal.

This is a place you'd go to every...

Ever read reviews, then wonder if the place you visited is the same place you're reading reviews of? Yeah... The sign said Cali n Tito's, so I guess we're at the right spot.

My wife ordered a chicken burrito. It was bland, and there were chunks of fat on the chicken.

I ordered Tacos Dorados, and I'm pretty sure they're the same "taquitos" we get from the frozen food section at Publix. Mine were served soggy from the salad they're were served partially under, and at room temperature. The salad was lettuce, red onions and what may have been lemon juice.

The kids had quesadillas which were literally nothing more than cheese, the same fatty chicken and tortillas. They liked them, though.

They were out of tea, which they didn't tell us until we'd ordered. They then said it was being brewed. It was ready shortly before we finished eating.

Laughably bad. I mean... Terrible.

On the bright side, there's a boat the kids enjoyed playing on, and the after-dinner tea was pretty good, and I'm not just saying that because we had to wait an hour for it. It was some pretty fantastic tea! So, there's that. Maybe Ll come here if you like boats and tea, but...

Updated (5/14/2021): Cali N Tito’s never disappoints! They now accept credit cards at this location! Hooray! It’s still BYOB for $2.

Recommend: Papas Fritas ($2.95): So crunchy and crispy, amazing. We preferred the fries over the yuca, which wasn’t as crispy or hot and was cut really thick. Maduros ($4.95): Sweet, perfectly ripe, so good El Sandwich Cubano with Steak Beef Empanada ($2.75): Definitely recommend the beef over the chicken Cubano Especial ($8.45): My brother-in-law gets this, so I can’t vouch for it. But he says it’s the only thing he’s ever gotten. It’d a Cuban with cut-up hot dogs.

Everything we’ve had here that has chicken in it wasn’t the best. I would stay away from the chicken if you can. The steak is better.

Cheap and delicious food. Fun atmosphere. Highly recommend!

Original (2019): Delicious and cheap! For 7 meals and 2 sides, it was $75. The plantains were amazing. Really loved the steak cuban. For a $2 fee, it’s BYOB. Love the seating area outside. As soon as you step on the gravel, it’s like you’re in another world. It’s really fun for big groups. Recommend going to celebrate birthdays or...