Tio Leo’s Mexican Restaurant

Went for a network meeting in the back room. Great, private room for events or private affairs. We had one server that was sweet and helpful. I felt bad for her because the bartenders would get a drink wrong, the fish tacos, albeit cheap for TT, were horrible. My friend couldn’t eat hers, she said it was still frozen in the middle. Ugh. I ordered a grilled one, not on HH but it was good. They also have chix, beef and pork smaller size tacos for 1.25 I believe on TT HH. Chips and great salsa. Not a place I would choose to come for dinner but for a meeting like this. my dinner was fine and the other bartender got my drink right once I went to the bar. Parking lot private and easy to park. Big bar area with TV’s.

Having grown up 1 mile from the Tio Leo’s in Mira Mesa (why, oh why did it have to become a Walgreens?), I still go to the one in Mission Valley (Napa) as well as this, but the food isn’t quite as good as it was back in the day. The noticeable difference are the chips they bring you. Just don’t taste as fresh or good as they used to. And overall, the food just doesn’t taste as good, either. I can’t put my finger on why.
It’s still decent Mexican food, and I’ll still continue to frequent the place. Their chimichangas are amazing!
The two beef taco combination is still solid, too.

Best Chips & Salsa! We have been going here for years. My husband and I always get #9 (enchilada, beef buirrito, rice and beans) We always split our meal (huge).

Sue, Justin, and Jo (owner) are awesome sauce! I’ve frequented this casual Mexican restaurant and bar many times. The staff is exemplar and the food is as good as of as the service. Not over priced for the area, in fact, a great deal. We live down the street and it’s as close to a neighborhood pub as you can get. We love this place!

The service was very attentive and the environment is completely cozy and calm. The food was nothing to write home about, but at the same time not flawed per se. For the convenience to nearby hotels, I would return, as preferred to quick service or other pricey options nearby.

This place was pretty gross in my opinion. It felt dirty and looked dirty — not always a problem, but the food didn’t make up for it.
The first basket of chips and salsa are complimentary, but after that you have to pay. Nothing too much, but a different standard than a lot of other Mexican restaurants. In my opinion, the chips and salsa were probably the best part of my meal here.
I shared a mini taco sampler with a coworker, and it was decent. Nothing noteworthy or outstanding, just decent.
The atmosphere is pretty dead. Even though it’s surrounded by businesses, we were by far the loudest and largest party there for a weekday lunch. Our group had a fun time, but it had nothing to do with the restaurant itself.

Great food, great service.
Spicy bean dip was tasty…
Skinny margarita was delicious
Very refreshing Pepsi.
And cheese enchilada plate was perfect… Good job Tio

First time here I think the food is very good and the service was great, I had the cheese enchiladas they were fantastic, the food came out fast and hot I will be back.

I spent several days in San Diego for a business vacation (much needed). I didn’t rent a car, but the hotel was open to dropping people off when they needed to go somewhere.
I went to Tio Leo’s when I first settled. I had to seat myself (the first visit) because it seemed the place wasn’t full but still busy. (It was lunch hour.) I ordered the crab enchilada and a carnitas burrito. The burrito is inexpensive but was more than enough to fill me up — so I definitely say stick with the burrito. As for the enchilada, it was real crab but the meat’s flavor got lost in the sauce.
Their chips and salsa are warm and delicious and the staff is very friendly. I dined here twice and can say this is so close to my hotel (Mariott Del Mar) that it was a sigh of relief in costs compared to delicious (but pricey) hotel fare.

Good chips and salsa. The guacamole dip was good too. The main courses are on par with what you’d find at most Mexican food places, but I thought the drinks were lacking. The staff was very polite and attentive.

This is the first Tio Leos we discovered when we moved to SD but we’ve since been to all 3 locations. One of the things I like is that the food is consistently good at all locations. It is one of our favorite Mexican food restaurant chains in SD.
We generally get various combinations of cheese enchiladas, chile rellenos, and beef tacos. With rice and beans, of course.
I used to get the #12 combo which was 2 cheese enchiladas and a beef taco, but they don’t have that anymore so I get a #3 and add a taco :-)
I really like the red enchilada sauce. It’s a good balance between tangy and «tomatoey». The beef tacos are well-​stuffed and he meat is good (not gamey). My wife really likes the chile rellenos but I can’t give you any more details than that.
The chips are freshly fried. The salsa is decent (a 3 out of 5 for me)
Service is friendly and the prices decent for an excellent meal.
5 stars, recommended.

Had dinner here last night as it was close too my hotel. Was with a business associate and we needed a place for a quick bite.
Tio Leo’s is clearly friendly and inviting. We were seated at a very comfortable booth within seconds after we arrived. The chips came seconds later, nice and hot with some decent salsa.
What followed were a couple of flawless margaritas. They have drink specials each night and gold margaritas was the deal on Thursdays. I can never pass on a good deal.
My main course was a taco salad with beef. It was a 3 star taco salad. The drinks and service were 5 star; however, my taco salad is what brought the rating down. Just was nothing special about it.
I will definitely give this establishment another try.

Decided to go to Tio Leo’s for a quick drink during their happy hour. My husband and I both had a flamingo punch, and sadly enough it only taste like regular fruit punch. The ladies at the bar said it was like a long island iced tea but with cranberry juice. We’ve had plenty of long islands, these were extremely weak. Disappointing!
Food: nothing special.

I had lunch here with a group of people. On the plus side, this restaurant really knows how to handle large groups. They have a system of ordering that can’t be beat where you place your order and your credit card in an envelope along with your order. They have your bill handled before you are ready to go.
On the negative side I asked for lemon and never received it.
I had the tortilla soup and it was really good. It’s hard to eat though, without slurping, so the guy sitting next to me kept looking at me.
I’ll definitely go here again.

Can’t say I’m really a big fan of Tio Leo’s, primarily because of their food and not their drinks… The food here is a bit bland, salty and really nothing to write home about. I always find myself at this location out of proximity and for drinks, but that’s about it. They have a decent happy hour, ok cantina and some pretty tasty chips/​salsa. Other than that, it’s kind of a run down building, with run down amenities and a terrible parking lot. Overall, if you’re looking for a decent happy hour, ok, but if you’re expecting some awesome Mexican food this is not the joint. You’d expect much more from something this close to del mar.
Pros–
Happy hour
Chips and salsa
Location
Cons–
Food
Taste
Older and outdated
Small bar

Ok first time here. It’s walking distance from the hotel I’m staying. Great menu with a good assortment of traditional Mexican dishes. I actually sat at the bar got great service. Bar is stocked pretty well and they have a some great Tequila choices as well as Mexican beer on tap. I ordered the «Chille Relleno De La Casa». Excellent egg battered California chile’s with rice beans guacamole and the works. Good choice!!!

I’ve come here for happy hour and now taxi Tuesday! Love this place! Staff is super friendly and helpful in selecting what to eat/​drink. I can’t wait to dig in!

Went here for a lunch meeting with a friend and colleague. The lunch menu is limited but good — I had the chile relleno, ships, salsa– all pretty good but not special. Price very reasonable (7.95 as I recall).
The high rating is because it is quiet and peaceful that you can stay an hour or two to complete your meeting in comfort without disturbances (other than to top up your drinks). Will try the margarita’s next time :)

Bleh. This was gross and fake Mexican food. With all of the awesome places we have in San Diego, why would you go here? To sit down? To pay more? To have gross food?
We were desperate and we live in the area. We wanted to get tacos for Taco Tuesday. They were bland and you can’t even differentiate the meat. I couldn’t tell which was beef, chicken, or pork. They all tasted the same. And who puts radishes and olives in their tacos? The tacos were also cold. We would have been better off going to Taco Bell. It would’ve been better than this place. There is also this gross smell right when you walk in. I think this place only does well with transients and people on business travel. I don’t think any locals would be gullible enough to eat here (like us).
Do yourself a favor and skip this place. You can get free chips and salsa anywhere else.

This was convenient to the Marriott. The tacos were good, not amazing. The chips were good. The guacamole was a bit of a disappointment.
Free wifi and the service was friendly. The place was clean and we had no trouble getting a table. This had a very family friendly feel to it, but the prices weren’t exactly family friendly.