El Tule Mexican Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Barberton

My friend believes the test item for a Mexican restaurant is tamale. I think it is the complimentary chips and salsa. Do you get seconds? Do they taste like they came out of a bag? Is the salsa distinctive? Does it have some heat?

The chips at this place were fantastic. Light and airy but firm enough to hold a scoop of salsa without spillage. The problem was the salsa was as bad as the chips were excellent. Tasteless. No heat. Not fresh.

I ordered a combo (beef burrito, soft taco, cheese enchilada). The first too were decent but the enchilada tasted funky. My friend got a tamale as part of his combo and it was filled with an overwhelming amount of pork. Disappointing.

The service was good. We basically had like six people waiting on us.

And while the atmosphere was fine inside, downtown Barberton was like a real ghost town. 9 pm on a Friday night, and we literally did not see a single person walking around. It was actually weird and a little spooky.

So not impressed. Might be willing to go back,...

Lunch today at El Tule. The restaurant is on Tuscarawas, a few doors down from the theater. The place was about a third full, so there was no waiting time for a table. I ordered the burrito lunch special. It comes with rice, beans, lettuce, and sour cream. My wife had the enchilada chipotle. It came with rice and a quesadia. Chips and salsa on the house served before the main meal. The food was good and filling. The burrito was tasty. They use ground beef instead of shredded beef. You get a full plate of food. I cleared my plate. They also have domestic and Mexican bottled beer. Our server was attentive. The inside is decorated with the usual Mexican decor, sombrero, and such. Price was reasonable, two lunches and two...

My wife and I used to go here at least twice a week, one evening for supper and again on Sunday mornings for breakfast with several friends. The last time we were all in for breakfast, my eggs weren’t cooked, having runny whites. I asked for them to be replaced because of salmonella and all. The replacements had ALL the yokes broken and STILL had runny whites. I choked them down, paid the bill and we left.

My wife called them to ask if everything was okay and the cook could be heard in the background mouthing off about us. After spending a couple thousand dollars in this establishment, we will never be back there ever again and I’m telling all my friends and family to avoid...