Tapatio Mexican Grill — Restaurant in Newcastle

I've had two experiences at this restaurant where I ordered the exact same items: Flautas and a strawberry daiquiri. The food is good, but the 2 rating is for the overall lack of consistency and service between the first and second visits.

The first time, the food came out quickly and was delicious. The daiquiri was perfect - perfectly blended, strong enough that I could feel it, no fruit bits, just a slushy concoction of awesome.

The second time, it took forever for our waitress to get to us and after over 10 minutes with the menus, we had to tell her that we wanted to order, not get more chips. After waiting for her to get an order pad, we put our orders in and waited for food.... forever. I wish I had actually clocked it. The whole visit took almost two hours, and we don't eat particularly slowly.

The daiquiri that eventually came out was something completely different from my visit the week prior. This one was so weak it was funny, had whip cream and a cherry, and a mass of mushed fruit in the drink.

When she finally came out with the food, there was no explanation for the wait. She tried to hand me the wrong dish - fajitas - and once she realized the error, she vanished. There was no explanation or even a brief "Hey sorry, I'll be right back." A few minutes later I was handed my food in a manner equally deviod of explanation. The Flautas were okay, though a bit overdone.

A few times during our meal, I flagged down other waiters for small things we needed since our waitress had vanished again. They were pretty helpful even though we weren't their table.

Surprisingly, getting the birthday hat and song was quick, and the sopapilla was delicious as always. Getting the check dealt with, however, was not.

The first visit was great. But the lack of consistency in food, drinks, and service...

Great experience and one of the better traditional Mexican restaurants in the area. They have a small breakfast menu on certain days and plenty of Mexican dishes. Some of the option do include sour cream but you can ask them for a side instead.

They also have a kids menu with a few mexican stule options but they also cater to the general public by adding mac and cheese as well as burger options. Their fries are amazing believe it or not.

My wife had the chicken flautas pictured in this review. A bit crispier would have gone a long way but its the difference between a good char or over-charred. Ask for the special tomatillo salsa. Goes really well with the flautas.

My son has a kids cheeseburger. Good char and the fries are amazing. Backyard burger taste.

I had a California burrito. Not a fan of the cali burrito in general but when i saw the fries I figured I would give it a try. Even though the tortillas is restaurant grade, the meat and all the ingredients including the fries made up for the tortilla. Add the spicy salsa I mentioned and you have a great tasting California burrito. It’s a tomatillo based salsa with a nice kick to it. I did ask for well done charr on the meat and it was nice and juicy.

Overall a great customer experience which was the cherry on top. That said, it was not busy when we showed up around 12 noon so I cannot speak about busy times. This is our 3rd time here. This is our weekend spot now. Thank you...

I LOVE Tapatio. It's such a great local joint--good food, good drinks, great for families. They have a covered patio during the summer. Everybody there is super friendly, and they even sell alcohol at bulk prices which is also fantastic--in addition to having some bomb mezcal (Los Lobos!!).

It's not what I would consider to be "authentic Mexican" but that's totally fine: it's still tasty and filling. Considering the area, it's reasonably priced although of course, it's not super cheap. But every experience with them is so good, I'm more than willing to spend a little extra for a neighborhood spot. We literally go here every week--it's always solid.

The one thing, and it's such a "big little thing" but still boggles the mind: their tortilla chips. They're just so bland, and it's puzzling. There's no (literally, zero) salt or lime on them at all... they're just greasy. I'm not sure if this is done for some reason or what, but they're awful. I love everything about Tapatio except THIS! How can their food be so good across the board (highly recommend the habanero enchiladas), and this basic staple is somehow the worst part? Literally, Juanitas chips are 10x better. This is the one thing preventing me from making it a 5 star review!

Online ordering has always been reliable and fast--it always says 30+ minutes but it's always done in 10-15, and they text you...