Los Tios Grill

The food was great! The service was awesome and very attentive. And most importantly for me… the restaurant was very clean.

Our experience at Los Tios was so good that I had to tell the manager in person! Here’s the highlights:
The service was amazing! There was always a waiter distantly watching the tables and attacking drinks and empty plates. I felt like there was just the right amount of servers available at all times (a rarity in this area).
The food was well above par. I won’t tout this as the most amazing Mexican food you have ever had, but they certainly found the right balance of ingredients and quality for the money. Los Tios is unlike most Mexican restaurants in this price range that tend to bombard their dishes with cheese and shovel on the salt to cover bland flavors. The salsa is terrific and favors a cilantro/​onion flavor that pairs well with the light, crispy and seemingly unsalted tortilla chips. We didn’t even finish our first bowl before they replaced it with a fresh bowl.
You can really tell that the manager has trained his waiters and staff to show the utmost respect and attentiveness to their customers. I found a nostalgic feeling of truly being «served with pleasure».
Bottom line is that I don’t have to go anywhere else to get great Mexican, Los Tios has my exclusive business!

Really good Mexican food for the area and the price is right. I LOVE their salsa and the Steak & Eggs were delicious!!!

Did you burn dinner? If you’re looking for a «get out of jail» pass, make your way to this delish restaurant in Del Ray. All of Del Ray is alright with me, but this place specifically is the ish. They have the most delicious food, probably because it tastes a lot like my mother’s cooking. We’re not Mexican, but they do Salvadorn (I’m half) food like nobody’s business.
I’ve tried most of their main dishes – the steak and chicken fajitas, shredded beef w/​egg (don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it), beef stew, and the enchiladas. It’s all been yum for us, and we’ve delighted in the chips and salsa. My only wish is that the salsa would be more chunkaaay. Gotta get the chunks in ‘der b/​c it’s really soupy.
Service is efficient and right on time. It’s always a little loud in the restaurant, but it works because it’s part of the Mex vibe after one’s had a little margarita with salt on the rim.
The hubs and I always come back w/​full bellies after our meal here. A little pat on the belly and it’s nighty night, sweet dreams.
We’ll be back!

A great restaurant in the Del Rey neighborhood of Alexandria. Great patio. The drinks are huge and not watered down. The food is surprisingly good. Although I don’t care for how the beef enchiladas are prepared. I would prefer shredded or ground beef. Overall, I like it enough to return when I’m in that part of town. The only negative — Parking is pain. There is a pay to park lot nearby. But, I’m appalled when I visit a restaurant that doesn’t have designated parking for its guests. Just one of my pet peeves.

Incredibly good experience at brunch at Los Tios!
The service is awesome, constantly taking care of your every need, which generally revolves around Salsa and chips refills.
The dishes sound kinda okay on the menu. Let me tell you, they are spectacularly delicious.
We dropped in for brunch and I would consider this a best kept secret in the DC area for brunch. They had normal American brunch options, but we went Mexican and don’t regret it! Everything we got was awesome. I’m trying to remember what I got – it was a burrito with some sides like fried plantains, I think. We got coffee – nothing spectacular but fine. But the food, OMG! It was delicious!
Also, if you are with a big crowd, this restaurant is cavernous! Tons of seating. I would come here with up to 20 people and expect to be seated in a reasonable amount of time. It’s just huge.
A nice touch was the owner, who personally came around and warned us that a meter maid was ticketing and they were going to tow cars (there were tow trucks ready to prepare the street for a parade on the day we were there). It saved us. I mean, wow that was really nice of them!
There’s a lot of good food around this area of Del Rey, but you cannot go wrong with Los Tios Grill. It really is fantastic!

I had a craving for a burrito and thankfully Unilocal led me to this gem that is off the beaten path, but easy to find and with plenty of free parking. The ingredients were fresh and my entire meal was tasty!
First, the salsa was thin but very flavorful and packed a nice kick. Luckily the chips were also light and crispy so they complimented the salsa well.
Next, my burrito was of the knife-​and-​fork variety. Sometimes that can be disastrous (we’ve all seen that sad, soggy burrito drowning in lackluster sauce and overloaded with cheese). Not this one! The green chile sauce was soo good. Not too much, although I did save a little to scoop up with my leftover chips. The filling was tender dark meat chicken and it came with a tangy lime sauce served on the side. Even the yellow rice and pinto beans were good. I cleaned my plate!
It was a weekday around 1:30pm and the place was pretty empty. But instead of my party of one being tucked away in a corner and forgotten, the staff was very attentive. I must have gotten 4 –5 drink refills! I will definitely be back the next time I’m anywhere near Alexandria and in the mood for Mexican.

A friend and I visited this restaurant on Sept.7, 2015 which was a warm night… As we approached the restaurant we saw many dining outside which features a nice seating arrangement… Being so warm and fearing bugs we opted to dine inside… Plus I wanted to view the inside and see if it was as nice as described by other posters here…
Once Inside I did like the décor and the roominess, but the first thing greeting you is the bar and this particular night the patrons there were very rowdy and it seems it was a group thing there… Oh well, that’s what bars are for i guess…
Promptly after being seated we were treated to those very thin but warm chips and a nice salsa which was a little runnier than I’m used to but had exceptional flavor which made up for it… We loved the chips and their thinness and I was impressed that they came out warm and were slightly salted which enhanced the flavor… The only drawback was they came out with one tiny jar of salsa… When that quickly ran out when we requested another one and that is when they served us with 2 containers, something they should have done in the beginning…
My companion ordered a regular margarita and I ordered a large one, which my check described as a super margarita… Indeed it was a nice size and very tasty… No need to order a second drink later…
For our entrees we both ordered the chicken, beef and cheese enchiladas… the refried beans, rice and accompanying guacamole, tomatoes and sour cream were also good… My only complaint on the meal was that only one of the enchiladas was hot enough and I couldn’t understand the disparity between why all of them didn’t have close to the same warmth… other than that the meal and atmosphere hit the spot… I would definitely return here but also want to sample other restaurants as a comparison… Not an expert on what makes a good margarita but the ones served here were very good to me… of course adding a little more liquor by any of the few restaurants I have sampled would help me to separate the great ones from the good ones but for some reason restaurants skimp on that and most are probably pre-​mixed…
Does anyone know of restaurants that DO NOT PREMIX THEIR MARGARITAS??? If so, please post here on Unilocal for all of us to see… even happy hour establishments would be welcomed…

On a last minute dinner date with my best friend, we looked to Unilocal for guidance (because of course!) and that’s what led us to Los Tios Grill in Del Ray.
The Del Ray area is quickly becoming one of my favorite hidden treasures in northern VA, with all of it’s small town charm and locally owned cafes and restaurants. Los Tios come off as a place to wind down after a long day with some booze and a filling meal.
We chose to sit in their outdoor area right off the front entrance since it was such a beautiful night. We quickly ordered the mango margaritas that caught our eye and were served classic chips and salsa. The chips were good – incredibly crisp and satisfying with every bite. The salsa, while flavorful, was more tomato juice than chunks of salsa. Our drinks arrived, and I’ve got to say I Enjoyed the mango margarita a lot more than I thought I would. Whoever their bartender was last night, he nailed it. It was the perfect combination of sweet and refreshing with a good kick. I didn’t feel as if every sip was a shot, but I definitely didn’t feel like I was lacking in alcohol for the drink. A+ on the drink for me.
For my dinner, I ordered the Tacos Carbon (Steak). I knew I wasn’t going to eat all of it in one sitting, but I’m the type of person who loves having leftovers to take home as eat or re-​do for a meal the next day. The strips of steak were juicy and flavorful and maintained the slight taste and smell of char from the grill. To my surprise my platter, as well as my friend’s, included guac, pico, and sour cream on the side which I really enjoyed.
Overall, I’d definitely come back and I recommend it for anyone looking for a casual place to eat and drink (Seriously, order that mango margarita!)

Meh. I’ve experienced better. The venue itself is adorable so it is a pleasant place to hang out. Their margaritas are pretty good, but I don’t think I’d call them the best in Dc — they were fresh tasting but also tasted a bit watered down.
The chips and salsa were a bit underwhelming for me as well — it’s nice that they are free and keep em coming but the salsa had little taste.
I ordered the crispy beef and duck taco. The beef was actually good but there was no where near enough of it in the taco. The duck seemed a little over cooked?
The habenero sauce they have is decent, but I’m spoiled by La Sandia’s at this piont.
The highlight of the meal was the cheese dip. Straight up melted cheesy awesome with sausage and my respect.

The service, the atmosphere, and the food were all outstanding. I’ve had my fair share of Mexican restaurants before and none were are great as this restaurant. I’m so glad that I came across it while strolling Old Town.
As soon as we arrived there were a couple people waiting outside. However, when we walked inside we were told that the wait was for those who wished to be seated outside. We passed on the offer and were immediately seated inside. I really love the atmosphere in this restaurant. From the adequate lighting to the beautiful paintings on the wall.
Right as we were seated we were taken care of by the waiter. It was actually a very busy night, and we were really impressed at how quickly they were able to assist us. We ordered drinks and looked over the menu. When he got back with our drinks, he also had fresh warm chips and salsa.
I ordered the chicken quesadilla and my partner ordered the carne asada which comes with a side of house salad, black beans and white rice. My chicken quesadilla was the best I’ve had in a very long time. The flour tortilla tastes as though they were made from scratch and the chicken was well seasoned. Our drinks were always refilled and we were never ignored. I will definitely recommend and return to this restaurant in the future.

My fiancé and I are now big fans of Los Tios Grill! We visited on a weeknight for dinner recently and got their very refreshing margaritas (blended strawberry for me and on the rocks for him). The margaritas came in large, generous portions and were perfectly delicious! Really hit the spot on a hot almost-​summer day. There is both outdoor and ample indoor seating and we opted to sit inside. In addition to our drinks, we also ordered some delicious food — I got the steak fajitas and my fiancé ordered the enchilada. We both really enjoyed our food. My steak came out sizzling and perfectly tender. And I loved the guacamole, lettuce, rice, beans, and flour tortillas accompanying my meal. The complimentary chips and salsa were also great. And we ordered nachos as an appetizer — the nachos were interesting because they were less like chips and more like pieces of tough bread with delicious sauces on top. It was quite unique and I was a fan! Service was decent and very efficient.
Note — parking can be tough to come by, but we got lucky and found street parking a couple blocks away. Even on a Tuesday evening, Del Rey and its restaurants can get pretty packed.

Great, large margaritas! I had a blackberry margarita, which was slightly different than my usual strawberry, and husband had a regular one with a salted rim. Huge glasses!
I had a chicken burrito, which to me was good, but not great. The problem I had was that the chicken was shredded/​stewed and moist and the juices were soaking through the pita bread and making the whole thing a little soggy. There was also cilantro in it, which wasn’t mentioned on the menu — I tried to pick some of the bigger pieces out, but tasting the cilantro was unavoidable. Huge props that they provided a nice dollop of sour cream and guac on the side without extra charge for them!
The best thing about this place that stands out in both of our memories was actually the busboy. He was on his game and SO prompt. At most Tex/​Mex places, it is hard to find someone to refill your chips and salsa. Here, as soon as we got near the bottom of our basket/​bowl, he came over with refills. Our water glasses were always filled up too. The patio was PACKED and he was bustling around taking care of everybody perfectly and we were really impressed.
Though the meal I picked itself wasn’t perfect, I would say Los Tios is my favorite Tex/​Mex in the area so far. It has a pleasant patio, nice big margaritas and great service with prompt refills of chips. Next time I will get my old faithful favorite dish — chicken fajitas — or sample some Salvadoran food.

I used to come for the margaritas, which are enormous, but yesterday I stumbled upon their Tamal de Elote, a sweet corn cake served with a side of sour cream. My tastebuds haven’t been the same since. I can’t even think of the last time I’ve consumed something so delicious. It’s listed under the appetizers and is not very large. I ordered it for the table, but ate the entire thing myself. (I swear, I’m a lovely dining companion.) The combination of the sweet (corn) with sour (cream) was the most perfect balance of two opposite flavors. The sour cream was like frosting for the cake. My mouth is watering as I write this.
In the spring and summer it’s always nice to try and get a table on the front patio, but it was particularly busy outside when we were there, and we opted not to wait, so we sat inside. It’s HUGE. I’ve been here multiple times, but only to eat outside. I had no idea it was so spacious. It’s very dark too, a stark contrast to the bright afternoon sun outside. We sat in the back of the restaurant and the walls were a traditional southwestern orange color. It reminded me of my six years living in Tucson, AZ. I felt right at home. So relaxed in fact, I somehow thought it was rational to consume TWO giant margaritas. I concluded the meal by splashing left over salsa on my poor unsuspecting grandmother. Thank goodness I had a ride home and the driving wasn’t up to me!
Los Tios is my absolute favorite Mexican spot in all of NOVA. The food, the drinks, the quaint location in Del Ray, are all tops in my book! Oh yes and I can’t forget to mention the complimentary chips and salsa they serve. The chips are razor thin and salsa is liquidy — more smooth than chunky. I almost always stuff myself on rounds and rounds of chips and salsa before my meal arrives. They are ah-​mazing. The chips are so crisp!