Tio's Tacos & Tequila — Restaurant in O'Fallon

Ok, so here is my take on this restaurant. They will last if they up their game. This place needs that special touch that makes all successful businesses standout from the other's. It's popular now, it's new. My first impression was the chips and salsa. You pay $2 for chips that are not fresh or hot. no flavor. Salsa was good. The small basket of chips was barely enough for 2 people. The chips basket is not refilled. If you want salsa for your meal, it would be advisable to buy the chips and salsa option so you will have salsa to put on your food if desired. Salt, pepper, or salsa is not accessible on the tables. I ordered the mango chicken tacos. It's flavorful, but.... the flavor is in the sauce and not the meat. The chicken was extremely tasteless and dry. The flavor of the sauce was not marinated into the chicken. The mango sauce needs substance, something fresh, fruity... like mangos. Or pineapple. Something that makes you want to say "yumm.". Once the sauce was all soaked into the small flour tortilla, I was left with dry, tasteless chicken. The chicken in the tacos was not freshly cooked. It is obvious that being so dry and tasteless, it sits waiting for a sauce to be poured on it. The sauce was not marinated into the chicken. The chicken was tasteless. There is no hint of any spices in the chicken itself. The piece of cheese that was put on top of the dry chicken was a letdown. The amount of chicken compared to the cheese spear was not created with thought. It is impossible to divide the very small piece of chunk (spear) white cheese so you can get a bite of cheese with a bite of chicken. What's left is soggy flour tortilla and dry chicken. The 2" piece of corn on the cob was absolutely delicious. The topping they rolled it in was mouth watering. Woke my taste buds right up..... for about 2 seconds. That's all the time it took to sample the 4 bites served as the "side dish. I felt cheated. Where most mexican food restaurants offer a serving of rice and beans, the corn on the cob would have been a welcome option if the serving size was acceptable This is my second time eating here, I like the staff, atmosphere, and the flavors. I am writing this review in the hope that this restaurant will use their imagination and taste buds to improve. My recommendations on the food I ordered.... mango chicken tacos - give it that special touch by serving it with fresh mango salsa, with fresh ingredients and mangoes in it. The chicken - I would have enjoyed chicken that was freshly cooked, not dry. The cheese should have been finely shredded, and not like it was an afterthought by cutting a very small wedge on a large serving of chicken. Just my opinion, The chocolate lava cake was delicious, and so was the large serving of flan. Honestly, I will return because the staff are the most friendly, caring, polite workers I have had the pleasure of meeting in a...

The word GROSS does not describe how bad this place was. We ordered and then waited 45 minutes. After that time I asked the waiter how much longer. He told us the kitchen is behind and not sure how much longer but it came out shortly after. My wife’s street tacos were so hot(spicy) you could not eat them. I order a chimichanga (was not fried but completely dry) and it was just bad. Ate about 1/3 and stopped. My daughter burrito same deal when it came to taste, just bad. Our waiter never came around and when we were ready to leave I flag down someone else to get our bill. The waiter brought it, of course it was wrong so I tried to flag him down. 15 minutes later he sent over another waiter to ask what the problem was. I simply said we would like to pay and leave. He ask what the problem was. I explain how uneatable the dinner was and we just want to pay and leave. 5 minutes later he asked what was the problem with our service. I explain the waiter was never around and just wanted to leave. Finally got our bill, we paid and left and will not be going back. Save your money on this place. Not worth the $51 bill, I would rather eat tacos from Jack In the Box and probably taste better....

My first visit to Tio's. It is your standard Mexican food. The interior is also very familiar to any Mexican restaurant. It's a bit dark. The music is way too loud for the open ceiling and the noise from tables being bussed is also very loud. The kitchen was very loud and the Mexican rap music was almost over powering the restaurant music. A group of eight gentlemen were also very loud. The sound needs to be dampened somehow. The staff was very attentive, but could save visits by putting condiments on the table- no salt and pepper or hot sauce. The bar side of the restaurant was very open and vibrant. I'd say it was the best part of the location. I did have a house margarita on the rocks with salt. It was very bland- mostly tastes like a watered down mix and at $10, not a good margarita. I look forward to seeing the patio and patio doors open when it's warmer. I will give Tio's another try when it's been open longer. For now, I'll go to another Mexican restaurant off of the O'Fallon exit. Tio's may want to have one of their top-notch margaritas. One quick add, the tomatillo sauce was the perfect heat and flavor of any I've ever had- good job...