El Tio in South Tyneside

El tio is the best restaurant and good prices also good staffand amzaing food❤️

Really great service and amazing food, recommend it to anyone who wants a mexican

The food here is excellent, the prices are very reasonable and the staff are really friendly

Went early all ok should have gone with a mexican dish .had ribs nothing special high price for what I had.

Wow I am totally amazed by the service here my food got here just in time! and here is a place I must come back to ! I am definitely bringing the rest of my family!

Nice place, prompt and friendly service, enjoyable food and overall experience

Walked in without a booking and although very busy they had us seated and happy with our night out. Lovely meals and wine, very attentive staff and nice atmosphere! We'll definitely go again!

incredible experience highly recommended to share with family and friends... I applaud the waiters for their 5-star service ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cozy, friendly & welcoming staff. Food was nice too.

Had nachos as starter was expecting fresh but they came out of a packet , had mussels but were dry with no sauce . The rest our party enjoyed their food so maybe it was just what I ahd ordered. Presentation was nice

An absolutely amazing place we have been multiple times and each time we come here the food, service, atmosphere and price is unbeatable within South Shields, I couldn’t recommend here enough to people!

Always a friendly welcome, followed up by great food. A nice atmosphere. We'll be back!

Absolutely blown away by this hidden gem, visiting family in Sunderland came across this place while looking for somewhere to eat, service was fantastic, food was incredible and flavourful. We had beef tacos, chilli quesadillas, chicken quesadillas & garlic bread with cheese. When a family member asked for profiteroles and they weren’t available we were offered Churros as an alternative and they were to die for. Will definitely be returning on our next visit.

The food was really delicious , absolutely loved the chilli enchiladas and the taco very beautiful flavours and taste. The burritos was also a must try.

Love this place we visit here all the time the staff are amazing and the food is delicious 😋 atmosphere and music is great too great for families

We travelled up from teesside(45 mins) for a date night and we could not fault the place food was excellent service was excellent atmosphere was excellent and price was excellent aswell(both had 3 courses and was less than 33 each) the 2 gentleman( 1 server and the owner we did catch there names) who attended to us were brilliant defo coming back

Fantastic food and service. Had the beef burrito and was gorgeous. Unfortunately didn't realise until asking for the bill it was cash only. Don't carry cash and panic set in... Got sorted but just for reference CASH ONLY!

What a lovely intermediate restaurant with fantastic atmosphere. The service was spectacular and the food delicious.

Enjoyed going here after Great North Run. Had a good choice of Mexican food. Staff were really friendly and welcoming, good prices - would recommended.

A fantastic meal, our son tried something new and the service was amazing!

We visited tonight and it did not disappoint! We started with 2 Piña Colada’s and had Nachos for our starter. For mains we shared a selection of the Chimichanga’s, Enchiladas and Quesadillas. Every single mouthful was a different flavour really took our taste buds for a ride! Would definitely recommend giving this small business a try, you won’t be disappointed! Staff were excellent and hospitable throughout!

The best service, collected to go- best food in South Shields! Always fast service and so friendly. Look forward to eating here!

Atmospheric Mexican vibesdelicious Latin American food and pizzeria too. We had chargrilled corn on the cob,followed by chicken Burritos,filled to the brim with mexican rice and red beans and seafood Pizza. Friendl,efficient service.

Absolutely amazing night at El Tio, we had a party of 22 people and it was perfect. The food was Superb, with so many different dishes served and everyone enjoyed every single one of them. Thanks to the hardworking staff, great service, friendy and helpful. Great atmosphere of course with Mexican hats and music. Its an excellent place to celebrate or just get together, My husband & I often go so it's great for couples too so we highly reccomend a visit 🙌

Food was delicious, staff were pleasant and attentive, atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable. Would definitely recommend and will visit again.

Been a few times to El Tio and the service and atmosphere has always been impeccable and amazing, tonight visit was fabulous, had the platter of meats etc and it was just cooked to perfection, loved it and my personal favourite now guys... you've got to Try it please ..honestly 👌. Good vibe, professional staff ...fab food 🙌

The restaurant staff are very welcoming and the restaurant has great ambience. Loved the music and the sombreros however we were not as taken by the food. The food was bland and sauces from a bottle. We still had a good time there.

Came here for the first time new years eve and have been back on 3 more occasions. The food is so tasty and the portions are massive. The waiter Akram is so attentive and makes a delicious margarita. The staff are so friendly and accommodating. You can even wear a sombrero. This is our new favorite restaurant.

El tios. Where do I start... the hats!! They have Mexican sombreros and awesome margaritas - the food is great too. I live in South Shields and it’s one of the few places I go. The staff are great, the food is yummy and the prices are great. Burgers, pizzas, tacos, fajitas, seafood all available :)

Friendly staff and great food we thoroughly enjoyed it tonite, only the 2nd time we visited and will defo visit again.

Came here for my step dads birthday with the family. The food was hyper good, the service on pointe and environment amazing. 10/10 would recommend to a friend

We loved this place. Atmosphere was excellent, you felt like you were on holiday. The staff are fab and food was nice. We are definitely going back. Kids loved the hats.

Excellent.. Great service ..fab staff xx

Excellent staff Excellent quality food 👌

Excellent food and great service and thoroughly enjoyed our time there we highly recommend

Attentive service, didn't have to wait ages despite not ordering starters (it wasn't busy when we ordered..was full by the time we left). Good sized portions with good flavours. No space for dessert.

Excellent can't wait to come back

I had food delivered as an early birthday meal. It was lovely!! Very impressed!! Quesadilla and burrito that both came with a small salad, triple dip and chips. Really nice!! Would try again.

Found this place by chance as the restaurant we intended to go to was full. I am so glad we did as food was fantastic and waitress was lovely couldnt do enough for us . I had the brisket and it has to of been the best brisket i have had would certainly recommend .

Second visit and really do love the food and atmosphere in here. Perfect for everyone

Exlent food good service. 2nd time their. And my new go to place. Highly recommended. Give it a try you won't be disappointed!!!!

Absolutely gorgeous meal lovely friendly staff.. kids loved it also.. was a lovely surprise when they brought cake and sparklers out for my grand daughter birthday.. we will certainly be back soon

Great food and service the waiter went above an beyond to ensure we had a great experience. The Mexican pizza and chicken chorizo pasta was delicious, but I did get food envy when the sizzling steaks were brought out for another customer the smell was divine! The rum cheesecake was the best cheesecake I've tasted. Fantastic cocktails too. The food is great value for money I will definitely visit again.

Fantastic food. Home made chips. Well worth a visit

Great place, lovely authentic decor

Great food and excellent service been about 5 times now when in South shields

Really nice place and the staff were amazing. But the food wasn't great; sorry. However the staff tried to make amends but it wasn't the same

We visited and got some food with family. It was a bit quiet but it was a really lovely atmosphere and great food.

Beautiful freshly prepared food . Full of flavour . Staff were very friendly and welcoming .Great service . The flavours of the food were authentic and so tasty . I had a side dish as a starter of avocado and bean salad followed by beef fajitas. My family members various menu items everything was amazing highly recommended.

Popped in on a Sunday afternoon for food with the family. They had a specials menu which was great value. My son can be quite a fussy eater but they catered for his requirements with no hesitation. Our food was plentiful and very tasty. We would recommend trying this place.

Had a lovely meal there last night food was delicious, staff are so lovely and friendly, would highly recommend going can't wait to go back🥰

Great atmosphere and deco very friendly staff excellent Mexican restaurant feel - there is even sombrero hats on the tables that you can wear if you like!The menu prices were very good they have a lunch menu 12-3 which offers 2 courses for £5.99 and 3 courses for £7.99. You can also get a hot drink with cake for £2.99. They also have an all day everyday menu with some excellent choices at a great price.Good quality home cooked food service with a smile. We will return.

Great restaurant with proper Mexican feel to the place with decor and sombrero hats to make the feeling even more realistic. Staff very friendly throughout and the food was delicious with fantastic flavours with good size portions to fill your boots.

Was here on 20/8/2021 was amazing food and the staff were outstanding, service was absolutely 💯 would highly recommend look forward to coming again. Thank you xx

Lovely food and great service at a decent price. Would recommend :)

Amazing place . Top 5 Star and good prices

Lovely food. Good atmosphere

About time Shields had a Mexican restaurant. The food and the portions were perfect. The staff were attentive. Subtle background music. Had a really lovely night.

Excellent service, good food and great price really enjoyed it.

This is the must go to place in South Shields. Great atmosphere, amazing staff and the food is delicious. I cannot wait for my next visit. It makes the journey from Newcastle more than worth it. Fantastic restaurant. Easy 5 stars

Great service! When we finished our drinks the waiter gave us each a free glass of water with ice (without us asking) which was very mindful of our thirst, and while it may not be much physically, is still a great show of customer orientation. The food was also traditionally Mexican as well as tasty and modern. The food I had wasn't too spicy but it had just the perfect amount of flavour to be memorable.

Outstanding food. Highly recommend the smoked platter. We shared it between 3 of us and it was delicious. Starters were delicious and beautifully presented meat fell off the bone, favours amazing. Tequila Olmeca was delicious. Service was impeccable. So friendly and chatty. We will be back very soon!

Went for our sons 16th birthday tonight after lovih this place lasf month and it did not disappoint. Food is simply amazing, fresh and hot. Manager is such a lovely friendly person. 100% recommend. Thank you El Tio x

Delicious food and friendly staff

Very tasty and good size portions, staff were lovely and welcoming. Can’t wait to come back here!

We visited el too during a few days trip to South Shields. On a Monday night the restaurant was quiet, but the atmosphere was welcoming. The service was brilliant with attentive staff. We had the mushroom starter which was amazing and full of flavour. We both had the quesadillas, chicken for me and beef for my husband. Both came with potato wedges and side salad. The beef was a pulled brisket and both were very moist, packed with flavour and very filling. We would definitely recommend this restaurant.

Well what can I see but Yes Yes Yes the most amazingly Mexican food I've had the beef Quesadillas and started with the mushrooms just amazing the beef just melted in the mouth and the atmosphere/staff great

Lovely and very well decorated restaurant, which gives that Latin feel from the outset. The food is excellent. Good size portions and very well presented. The pricing is very reasonable and the staff are wonderful people, who could not do enough to make our evening enjoyable. Very highly recommended and we will certainly become regular visitors.

Visited for a meal with my husband and received amazing food in a lovely setting with the friendliest staff. Nothing is too much trouble for them and we had a fabulous night. We had the sharing platter which was cooked to perfection and there was so much we were not able to eat it all. An added lovely touch was sombreros to wear.

Food service & staff were excellent highly recommended 👍👍👍

A wonderful atmosphere and delicious food, combined with friendly staff and an excellent location.

Staff were really friendly and amazing food. Really nice atmosphere.

It was my 1st time at El Tio. I usually go for Indian when on Ocean Road as there's such a large selection, but thought I'd try something different for a change. The menu in the window looked like they served good food. I got the garlic bread roll starter and my friend got the potato skin starter. While he enjoyed the potato skin starter and hoped the main would be as good, I wasn't overly keen on the garlic bread rolls, but it was edible without complaint, just bad choice by me really. For the main my friend chose the ribs and rice and I chose steak with hot and spicy sauce and potato wedges, which I asked for medium rare. We asked for onion ring side order too. The flavour of both the rice and the ribs were nice, but they were both very dry. The ribs had plenty of sauce on them, but it was the meat itself that was dry as opposed to the meal. The flavour of my steak was lovely and it was a lovely cut of meat, however it was cooked well done. My friend complained on my behalf and the steak was swiftly taken away and a fresh one cooked. The second one came out and it was cooked to perfection and the flavour still lovely, however this time the cut of meat was terrible and it was surrounded by a layer of outer fat that you could chew on forever. Also, the sauce on the second steak was different to the sauce that was on the first. It was supposed to be a hot and spicy sauce on both, which I did get with the first, but the second was more of a tomato spaghetti bolognese based sauce. Very disappointing. The onion rings were also very disappointing as they were very soggy and stodgy with no flavour to them. The service was very good and the waiters very nice. We did get a free special coffee each at the end of our meals. It's a shame it wasn't as nice as we'd hoped and don't think it'll be next on my list of Ocean Road visits, although I / we will possibly go again and order something different next time.

This is my second " Just Eats" take away in a week, prompt delivery, warm on arrival, large portions, good quality, well worth a try.

We had a take away meal for 5 people delivered in under an hour and costing just under £30 everyone was blown away with the quality of their meal and the quantity of food per head we will definitely be ordering from here again

Good portions but more Indian type spice than Mexican

Very nice place. The food is excellent

Called in for Sunday lunch,the staff were very friendly & service was quick,I ordered the 2 courses for £10.95 & opted for roast beef, which was very nice two very thick slices which were tender & tasty it came with roast potatoes & veg which there could’ve been a bit more,(just a small bowl with extra would’ve sufficed) the gravy was tasty too, I opted for the cheesecake for dessert which was lovely,then finished with a coffee which had a couple of complimentary amaretto biscuits it cost me £ 15 with a soft drink, which I consider reasonable,I would have no hesitation in recommending El Tio to others & intend to return soon to sample some other dishes

Lovely meal, not too pricey, will go back

Enjoyed everything was a nice meal and pleasant staff.

What a fantastic spot, food, atmosphere service everything was spot on. Food was excellent price for 9 people the bill inc drinks came to £120 which we felt was good value. Would definitely recommend!

Fantastic quality, tasty food in welcoming, relaxing environment. Staff are really friendly and helpful. Excellent value for money!

We will be back next week we loved it

A fantastic evening with my friend & her 8 year old daughter. The staff could not have been more friendly & really made my friend’s daughter feel special which made the evening. Food was lovely & great margaritas 🍸 Will definitely return.

Not bad.. but not great. Really don't get much for the price. Nice staff and really nice decor/vibe, feels like you're on holiday which is nice. You'd just expect a side with a main atleast..

Went down for a meal with my partner there tonight, wonderful restaurant and staff and the food was lovely a fresh. Comes highly recommended, thanks again!

OK, SO... I seldom post a review on here BUT when I do it is either because the food and service were really really good OR the food and service were really really bad, and unfortunately this time it is the latter!we should have guessed when they had room on a Monday night during Eat out to help out, and everywhere else was rammed we kinda should have guessed...the evening started with strawberry daiquiri, and it was awful, a cheap puree mix, not shaken, and not a single taste of any alcohol, it was a sweet strawberry pure that did not taste anything like it should. it was at this point we knew the night was not going to go as we had hoped. the house red was a cheap shiraz that tasted like well.... a cheap shiraz!For starters we ordered calamari, which arrived in around twenty minutes, the calamari which was almost raw and sent in an underdone batter was presented with a small tub of chef's larder mayonnaise and some iceberg lettuce off of yesterday and the bottom END of a tomato! We ordered cannelloni and also the chorizo pollo penne pasta, the waitress asked how I wanted the cannelloni "as spaghetti or penne" she politely asked, I then added that cannelloni was tubes of pasta filled... "oh you learn something new every day" she replied.Thirty minuets later when the main courses arrived I realised that my pollo pasta was kinda missing its main ingredient.. the PASTA!!! and was served as a full chicken in a sauce, the sauce was a simple tomato sauce with bbq sauce added to it served with chips and some more of yesterdays iceberg lettuce ( I think thy ordered too much iceberg yesterday)And also we got served a lasagne, not a cannelloni, and it was quite a bland lasagne at that, defiantly out of a jar of cheap Bolognese sauce and certainly not a home cooked lasagne let alone what it was supposed to be which was lets not forget a cannelloni!So we called the waiter over to the table and asked if they had brought the wrong order to the wrong table, which I guess is an easy mistake in a full busy restaurant... saying that there was only three cover's in!...She returned and told me that mine was right, the cannelloni was indeed served flat it was the chef's Mexican way of serving cannelloni to which I replied so its a lasagne yes? and she replied "yes I guess it is" and laughedHowever a mistake had been made and the chicken dish WAS indeed wrong, she offered to replace my dish but that would have meant that my partner would have been waiting for mine to arrive and his meal going cold or indeed it going stale on the pass and probably reheated in a microwave so I said I would carry on with what I had.After the main course we asked for the dessert menu and out of the 4 desserts only two were actually available, so we didn't bother.When the bill came we sharp realised that we had been still charged for the more expensive dish that they had served us by accident, so we made a polite request to have this amended but they refused to budge saying well you ate it!Now imagine if they do that "BY ACCIDENT" two or three times a night just imagine how much money they could profit off of a mistake!!! So we refused to budge saying we were not prepared to pay for a mistake that they had made! which we believe is totally fair and right, but instead of just taking the situation in hand the TWO waiters ganged up to try and defend the situation! which in customer service standards was totally WRONG!Indeed it wasn't until we categorically stated that we were not prepared to pay for it that they went to ask the "chef" (I think she meant microwave technician) who then took it off the final bill!!!! Which to be fair during Eat out to help out was STILL far to high! and not reflective what so ever upon the service and food served!Not only that but the COVID-19 measures were defiantly lacking, there was NO hand sanitiser ANYWHERE to be found!! They still had sombreros available for customers to wear which did not get wiped after customers left, the menus were not taken away and replaced they were instead given a quick rub with blue-roll and easy! ant-bac spray.. (The cheap stuff off of cheap shops). the knives and forks were placed on the table by un-gloved hands and the tables were sticky like ...err. well sticky as a 90's dance floor!! and not nice to rest on or indeed eat from. there is NO real COVID measures in force in this venue apart from screens between booths! Two hours have past since or meal and after we both had a long hot shower and doused ourselves in antibacterial products we BOTH feel physical sick and I don't just mean disappointed we actually both feel nauseous, we think it may be the calamari swimming around in our stomach looking for the sea!There is nothing good about this place apart from the decor, the decor is good, but there it ends!Thank you for reading this review and hope that you take heed from this warning! if we vom tonight expect another review around 12 hours after this one goes live!As you were Samantha xxPS: please ignore the terrible grammar I had to have a few Gins to take the taste away!

Food is really nice. Service always spot on. 2 cocktails for 7 quid.

Had a brilliant meal here, all of the food was very tasty and freshly cooked. Waiter was very friendly too. A little bit of a wait for food, but that is because it is freshly made which I prefer. We liked it so much we booked to go again the following night.we were really surprised when we got our bill how cheap it was, we were expecting it to be higher, it really was excellent value for money. Would definitely recommend.

Wonderful service and friendly waiters- made sure to accommodate a gluten free diet for one of us- and the food was very tasty in addition to a very nice interior. Only piece of constructive criticism is to make homemade guacamole instead buying it but other than that it was a perfect night out.

Very desapointed Bad service, the food was not so bad, but the rest was ... Dirty restaurant, tables sticking ... I ordered two bottles of water, they came already open, I asked if the waiter had opened it in the kitchen, he said that had opened there on the table, and as my friends were distracted, we couldn't guarantee that it didn't open there. The taste of the water was not good. Anyway, if you go to ask for water, ask for sealed water. And make sure you open the water. I didn't like the experience to eat her, I don't recommend.

Excellent food Highley recommended

From the start I felt welcomed here, shown to my table, I was eating alone and the server made every effort to make me feel at home and included.The menu is extensive but not overly so and very easy to navigate, the starters looked amazing from where I was sitting and when I received my order of chilli poppers I wasn't disappointed, a good sized portion and a great bite to them.I was here for the brisket, having worked with Americans who talk non-stop about smoked brisket that's what I had my eye on. When it came out it was already falling apart on my plate without me even touching it, delicious smoked sauce all over and chunky fries with some kind of seasoning that left a small afterburn, great for cutting through the meatiness of the main part of the meal.I couldn't leave without dessert, I asked for the cheesecake, the server was truly embarrassed as he'd literally just been told that it had run out - the sign of a good dessert!!! I fell back to something well known, chocolate cake, it was incredibly light and fluffy and I left the restaurant feeling great, not weighed down and tired.An amazing meal and one I will repeat if I ever head back this way.

Decided to book a table and try El Tio for our date night for a change of scene and i am so pleased i did... The service Food and cocktails were all amazing... Fillet steak to die for.. Will certainly be back..

Excellent food and service, can't understand why the queue isn't out of the door. We will be coming again.

Just had a take away from here and felt the need to write a review because I'm sooo gutted at how bad it was!1st off, they got my order completely wrong (part of a large order, everyone else got to eat other than me)Went back to get my chicken skewers. When it arrived (someone else went to get it, I'd have checked!) It was the most pathetic meal ever.It was TINY and was missing my salad. There was 3 tiny chunks of chicken and a few bits of pepper on a round flatbread no bigger than a pitra bread.Complete waste of £5.50.Sooo annoyed!

My son ordered our meal from here last night for the first time for a while as they'd stopped the delivery service, great to see them back on just eat. As with previous meals it was EXCELLENT, it would have been 5 stars, but they missed out my salad. No big deal as I had stuff in the fridge and I didn't want to wait to dig in. My wife & son both had pasta with bolognese and chicken & chorizo sauce which they said was piping hot, tasted great and was a good size portion, both stuffed. I had a special kebab with a kofta kebab, chicken kebab and donner meat, served with homemade flatbread, chilli sauce & the salad that was missed out(not a problem), I also got extra bread and some chilli poppers. All 5 poppers were great, really crunchy. The chilli sauce tasted great, hot, but not spoil your meal hot like some places. The breads were fab, really soft & folded really well to keep all the amazing meat locked in and were far better than other places I'd been to. Well done El Tio. The review may be a little long as I don't normally do reviews, but I felt people needed to how nice this restaurant is in a bid to make sure it can continue to offer such amazing food. To many good places seem to struggle, especially in the present conditions and need our support. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone.

Had a takeaway tonight....lovely staff with quick delivery. Food was gorgeous. Quesadillas were a big portion and well flavoured lovely. Thanks guys

Tasty food, lovely staff, fast service

We went for a birthday meal. A party of 6 adults and 2 children aged 5 and 19 months. The place is very nice inside and the children loved seeing the fish in the fish tank and putting the mexican hats on, as did us adults! The food and drinks were lovely and reasonably priced. The staff were friendly and efficient. We definately will be going back.