Tio Pablo — Restaurant in Richmond

Amazing Mexican favorites and traditional cuisine. Had the Gorditas and Bocol with sides of Guacamole, Fried Potatoes and Peppers, cheese dip and some very good fresh salsa Pico de Gallo style. We arrived near 11am for an earlyish lunch. The restaurant was slow when we got there but was picking up by the time we left meaning if you want a quiet lunch show up early and enjoy. The seating layout is very much cafeteria style, you will likely end up sitting next to strangers during peak hours as there are only a few individual tables the rest being bar style seating along the walls and banquet tables in the center.

The service was quick and all of our requests were met with care. The food arrived quickly and was hot and very fresh. The Gorditas were hands down the best I've had and very filling given the size. (don't expect a fluffy gordita shell ala Taco Bell) these are dense slightly sweet corn pockets that have a wonderful texture that goes great with whatever filling you opted for. I tried the Al Pastor which is a grilled marinated pork and pineapple (sweet and salty, very juicy and tender) as well as trying the Huevos y Chorizo which is a Mexican sausage and egg mixed together (very flavorful). My wife got the Bocol, don't remember exactly what was in it but it was wonderful (always nice dining with others that share). For a to go desert I order a Mango de Chili, something I've had from here before and it is such a wonderful treat on a warm day. Essentially a Mexican cart style food consisting of a peeled mango covered in Mexican spices, it's got some kick and will leave you lips burning if you eat it from the skewer (as one should).

Excellent experience and will be...

Had a horrible experience with a server during brunch. I ordered a the huevos ranchero with shrimp, and when it came out it had sour cream all over. When I inquired about it, the waitress snapped back and said it’s listed on the menu. As I am usually pretty aware to notice sour cream on a menu item, I checked a menu and confirmed it was indeed not listed. When we brought this to the severs attention, she said “queso fresca includes sour cream at real Mexican restaurants,” and proceeded to imply it was my fault and I should of known. After lots of persistence, I convinced the server to re make the order, at which point I received a plate that didn’t even have shrimp on it and very little ranchero sauce. It looked like a pissed off cook had slapped it together and was not something I wanted to eat, despite the fact I was starving at this point. When I inquired about that, the server stated first that I had ordered vegetarian, at which point we brought up the fact that the first one had shrimp, to which she replied “well we are only charging you half anyways” and implied I should just suck it up. I was then billed for half of the shrimp version, at which point I made it known how unsatisfactory their service had been, and finally had the item removed from my bill after lots of attitude.

They need to update their menu with actual ingredients and hire servers that have experience in customer service. I only gave them two stars because after arguing with her she took it off the bill, but I’ll...

Tio Pablo is tiny. There are 2 small tables along the front windows, two long bars on either side, and one long table directly in the middle of the place. And I love it.

Our party of 7 was seated at the long middle table. I ordered a virgin margarita and it was so yummy. They make the mix in-house and it was limey and awesome. I barely even missed the tequila. ;) Our waitress was friendly and attentive.

The food was some of the best Mexican food I've ever had. It tasted really authentic and complex. I started off with an order of the Mexican street corn, which we passed around the table. It was jokingly referred to as the "Family Corn on the Cob" throughout our meal. It was cheesy, buttery, and as close to perfect as corn can possibly be. For my entree, I got the salmon tostadas with a side of the sauteed cactus and rice. The tostadas were killer. Our waitress brought out sauce. "This one is hot, this one is hotter, and this one is mild." I doused by food in hot thinking it would be closer to medium. I was wrong. It was hot as Hades. My lips, tongue, and even throat were on fire. But you know what? It was still delectable. The flavors were impeccable. I thought the portions were prefect. I feel like a lot of text-mex places load you up with rice and beans and I almost always leave tons of food on my plate. Not here! The only thing I left was the cactus. I didn't really care for the flavor and I was a little grossed out that it was served cold.

Bottom line: I would definitely...