Me and my fiancé ate there moments ago. This place totes a lot of seating, good music, beer, as well as a mini-market inside. Expect large portions as we ordered Carne Asada w/ shrimp. Wow. Delicious. Parking spaces do look limited. The waitress knew enough English to understand what we were asking for and was very polite. We will definitely eat here again.

Great food and a nicely tucked away cantina with amazing food! Recommended for locals and tourists - I was in town for 3 days and went there two days in a row.

Love this place! Food is always so delicious and authentic. Service is friendly.

Definitely authentic Mexican food. Everything was prepared really well and the service was fast. It is a tiny place and don’t let the exterior fool you, it’s awesome. They have menu’s in English but everything else, tv, music, etc is in Spanish. It’s clearly a local favorite but as out of towners we felt perfectly welcomed!

Authentic Mexican food really good will go back found this hidden gem while working out of town!!!

Awesome homemade deliciousness. Just go.

Super tasty and friendly staff!

I have lived my entire life in Texas and just moved to Knoxville. Naturally, I am on the hunt for authentic central and south American flavors in a local spot. This delivered on flavor! The barbacoa was on point. We also had the whole fried pescado and it was tender, crispy, perfectly cooked!

Got takeout. The food made my day - it was so good. I will definitely come back. Make sure you try the beans - they are delicious.

I got the tacos hondureños with my friend. My friend pointed out that they resembled flautas or taquitos. I enjoyed the freshness from the cabbage slaw and think it balanced out the meal quite nice.

EL Tipico Restaurant and Mexican market, has amazing food.They have a huge selection of Mexican groceries and snacks.Most of all, El Tipico Restaurant has great authentic Mexican food.Katie at El Tipico Restaurant is always nice to my son and I each time we visit

Amazing food and service! One of my favorite places in Knoxville!

If you are looking for truly authentic Mexican food, this is the place to try for sure. I just had a couple tacos and they were out of this world

Horrible,they charged me tip when I didn’t even get the food. They said “well that’s just how it goes here”

Delicious food and friendly staff. I came to try the Honduran food and was very pleased. I ordered the Carne Asada Plate and it was enormous. Quite an array of items and all complemented each other. I certainly will be back to try more!

I’ve been looking for authentic Mexican food in Knoxville and this hit every check mark! The food is amazing, the prices are amazing, the quantity is just right and the service is amazing. You want Mexican food this is the place!

Loved the street tacos. Enchiladas could have been better

GREAT AUTHENTIC PLACE! Huge servings, reasonable prices!

The tacos are fabulous. Just like the street tacos I had in Guatemala

Ist time today. Fantastic food will drive from blount county again!!!!!!

As a recent transplant, I excited I was excited to try a local authentic Mexican restaurant, and El Tipico seemed to fit the bill, I dont know about the other fare on the menu, but the fajitas and burrito had unseasoned, fatty steak, which is the main ingredient in our meal. The fajitas were brought out with no plate for the tortillas, and we were served soft drinks from a can. For the prices, the meat should be of higher quality.Our server, on the other hand, was the most pleasant part of the experience.

Very convenient

The place is only for people have a lot of money bc is to expensive

Authentic cooking with good service. Stop in every chance I get. Large selection of beers.

It was an okay place the dumpster smelled of dead animal tho and the workers didnt really know much English

A friend and I went for lunch. We both ordered fajitas, guacamole with chips and a soda. The waitress said they dont offer salsa 😕 Then we were each given a can of soda instead of a fountain drink(which they had). The food came out sporadically but it was all good (nothing amazing but still very good typical fajitas). The waitress didnt check back with us until we were done to give us our checks. We were both out of drinks and had been but after getting the bill at $2/can we both decided we would wait till we went back to the office to get another drink. Overall, food was good but nothing made this place stand out. And in the end, both my friend and I got sick. Sad day.

Best Hispanic food in the city

A literal hole in the wall, the service was good

Awesome little place to eat and buy authentic groceries. Their lengua tacos and lengua huaraches pictured here are legit as it gets and the salsa and chips are perfect. Huge selection of beers as well.

The servings are enormous! I had a huarache (wawraachee), and hubby had the Chorizo quesadilla. Dont expect here what you get at other Mexican restaurants. They do offer a few of the usual foods, but this is a place with food that has to be experienced. The Chorizo quesadilla is STUFFED with chorizo, and my husband was thrilled. He said it was delicious. Dont expect anything except traditional atmosphere here. Its a great experience, and good food. The restroom could use some work, but just in case, the light switch is above the toilet paper dispenser on the left wall, about midway. Theres no excessive visits from the wait staff either. While it isnt our favorite Mexican restaurant, hubby knows where to go for his chorizo needs. We definitely recommend the experience.

Not bad food at all. Friendly staff, but a little to high priced for what you get.

If you are following recomendations to prevent catching Covid this may not be the restaurant for you.The waitress was wearing a mask when we first walked in, but later she was not.I asked her where her mask was. She laughed and pointed at the kitchen.The cook was not wearing a mask.The owner/manager was walking around the restaurant doing stuff without a mask.

My favorite authentic Mexican food

The food was fantastic and seasoned very well. Had the fried fish and cant say enough good things about the food. If I am ever back in the area I will definitely stop here again! Do yourself a favor and test yourself.

I guess it is true what they say, you get what you pay for. The food was mediocre at best. The service was almost non existent. The server took our order, brought our food, and the check. My husband had to ask for more drink. I ran out of water. I know the server was aware this because she looked at my glass from about 5 foot away. However, I did not receive more water. When we went to pay the bill my husband ask the gentleman to give him two five or ones so we could leave a tip. Well what do you know he didn’t have any. Needless to say I will not be returning to this establishment nor will I recommend it to any of my friends.

Limited menu. Waitress couldnt understand anything I said. Ordered a drink and was brought a CAN of drink for $1.99. When paying, I asked the cashier if that was correct, $1.99 for a can of drink. She said, Yes, if you take it with you its $1, but if you drink it here its $1.99. OH MY STARS!!! The food was decent. I ordered 2 tacos and rice, and cheese dip, and they said rice wasnt on the menu. I pointed to rice the word, then to a picture of rice and the waitress got the cashier to come to the table. She said, Its not on the menu, but we will get you some. After hearing great things about this place, I wasnt impressed.

Today was my first time visiting this restaurant. The food was excellent! The service from my waitress started out a 3/5 but ended with a 5/5. There was a language barrier as I am unable to speak Spanish. My waitress smiled, had a good attitude and did a great job. I will visit this location again for the great food. Thank you for your hospitality!

Always clean with amazing staff! The food is to die for! This is by far my favorite go to restaurant when visiting my family in Knoxville.

Ive been here a few times and the food is great. The restaurant is very clean, and staff is attentive. One of my favorite off the beaten path places to eat

Delicious and authentic meals. Prices are very inexpensive. The staff is very friendly and service was great. A fun place to have some great food and relax with friends.

If there was a way for me to give this place a 0 star I would. The food is 5/5, the service by the owner/manager 0/5. Today was my second time going to this place, the first time I didnt have cash to tip the waitress and theres no other way to tip them unless its in cash. I went to the bank and took out $20 just beforehand so I would have cash to tip the waitress. My bill came up to be more than $20 so I payed with my card. I asked the waitress if I could get change for the $20 and was told that it wouldnt be possible because they dont have change for a $20. I decided to buy a hot sauce that ended up being $16 and some change. The owner/manager rung me up and told me he only had $15 to give me back in change, I clearly could see he had more than enough change in the register. He was giving me one $5 bill and ten $1 bills. I noticed he had another $5 bill in the cash register and asked him trade me five of the $1 bills and he refused to do so. He claimed that if he gave it to me then he would of ran out of change. I decided to not argue, I took the change I was given and gave the waitress a nice tip. I really liked the food here, unfortunately, I will no longer go to this place because of the bad service. I really hope nobody experiences the level of rudeness and ignorance that I experienced today.P.S. I speak perfect Spanish and I’m bilingual so communication was not an issue.

Excellent food. The restaurant is in a convenient store. You have to get your soda from the store. Service was decent. It was hard to communicate with our server. My Spanish is pretty bad.

Wonderfully discovered this authentic restaurant. It is now one of our faves and always one of the choices when we go out. Staff is very friendly, atmosphere is awesome.

Food is delicious. As far as I have experienced, best Mexican food in Knoxville. Notice La Abuela cooking for a context clue.I had zero issues with service and found them very friendly. Patrons with issues might brush up on some basic Spanish and consider speaking English slightly slower as it helps the staff serve you better.Enjoy!

If you like authentic Mexican food this is the place. They dont speak very good English but they try really hard and the food outways the language barrier. Be patient and you will have the best food of your life!

Delicious food. I cant say enough good things. The tacos are amazing, but the burrito is the best Ive had.

Authentic mexicans run this store.Great place for ICE to visit around lunch time.

Not very many American/Mexican Restaurants can pull off the real authentic mexican feel, flavor and cuisine. But this place did not let the American Way take over their little spot in this great big world.. Kudos to the Owners, Cooks & Staff for one of the most Authentic Mexican Awesome and fulfilling meals I have ever had outside of a small cantina in Mexico City, Mexico back in 2001.. Besides the food which speaks for itself. The price is right on and the portions are just spot on.. 👍👍

Really good food and you get alot of it. Very authentic. A little pricey but Ill be back again.

Its my favorite restaurant, the food is amazing and the dishes are huge. If you cant speak Spanish go and point at what you want on the menu :)

Excellent guacamole.

They have a bar but no maragirtas to was down their awesome food. Its delicious! Service was pretty good! Their beer was priced high.

Fantastic place for lunch.... The Chorizo there may be habit forming!

Food and service were great! Very flavor full💜

Ate here very good...Ate here again...very friendly very good food....love this placeHave eaten here 4 times and gets better every time....oh so good💯👍

Best tacos in town and fantastic prices.

Good food and friendly service. Its a little grocery as well so you can pick up some pantry staple along with your meal. The only downside for me was the almost complete lack if vegetarian options.

Wonderful food. Best Mexican food Ive had outside of El Paso. Highly recommend finding this place.

The food was actually great and the portions extremely abundant. I had a great time with my friends. My 3 stars are due to desorganization. Servers struggled big time with a 10 top table. We had to wait for 10 minutes to get silverware after food was out. Great place to eat, they just need to organize the servers better and keep the customers needs in mind. We also had to call the servers multiple times for drink refills. Again, good food, friendly staff, great price, but lacking in customer service that is essential to running a restaurant.

Good service

Super friendly staff and incredible food. I challenge you to find better mexican food in knoxville. Delicious chimichangas

Wonderful and authentic. Quite a surprise! If you like hidden gems.. this is one

Really good food for good prices, nice beer selection, and esoteric herbs in the back

Food was unseasoned and for the quality terribly overpriced. Even mediocre food would have been preferable. I wont be returning.

Authentic Mexican food with good prices

Food was great. I didnt get my fried bananas- that was the highlight of my visit.

One of the best Mexican spots in Knoxville. Dont come here if Señorita Taco is your jam. Authentic food with authentic patrons.

Good El Tipico Like

Very good food and service

Market and Restaurant! Great food and prices especially for Taco Tuesday! Service is wonderful.

Definitely authentic and real we love it!Always so good I actually crave it!!!

Best tacos in town! Decent prices and friendly service! Went twice before I reviewed and I will be back again!!!

Amazing burritos, large portions. Excellent blend of meat and spices in tacos.

Best Mexican in Knoxville and perhaps anywhere in the region!

Authentic as it gets. Latin grocer/restaurant. Amazing food! A little gem off the commercial path.

The food was really worth it

This is real hole in the wall place. It looks like a grocery store from outside, but inside it is more like a restaurant. I stopped in for a quick lunch and had the Torta de Pastor (marinated pork sandwich), which was hot and fresh from the grill with spicy sauce served on the side. It was delicious and fast, and similar to what I have had while visiting in Argentina and Uruguay. Would go back and try other dishes when I have more time.

Love this place. Im from San Diego and take my Mexican food seriously... Lengua is on the menu, so thats awesome. I highly recommend the Al Pastor even though its not cooked on a trompo.

Authentic real deal Mexican food. Best in Knoxville

Really good authentic Mexican food.

Enrrique Suarez Lopez favorite place. Truly missed my friend!

Not good food and over priced

Best tacos Ive had east of New Mexico. A real find. Feels like a small town in Baja.

Great food and good service😀

Great Mexican food. One of my favorites! This place is the real deal.

Really fun and good. Very genuine mexican restaurant and market.

Great little hole in the wall spot. Pleased with the service and quality of food

You could be south of the border. Very little English spoken but great food.

DO NOT TRUST THE FOOD OR THE PEOPLE. THIS PLACE IS A DISGUSTING EYESORE. TAKE YOUR BUSINESS TO A TRUSTWORTHY SOURCE!

Awesome, the pollo con tajada, was special, It was tasty, delicious,

EXCELLENT

They have some of the best Mexican and Honduran food

Ive heard nothing but amazing things about the food at this place so I decided to check it out. The look of the place from the outside isnt appealing but the inside was clean and welcoming. Located in a residential area of Knoxville gives this place a nice hole in the wall feeling. They welcome you to seat yourself which is nice. The server was quiet and very inattentive. She seemed to be in intense conversation with what looked like a manager so I dismissed it. She came back a few minutes later with a water and chips and salsa and just looked at me and said you want food? I ordered 3 tacos (chicken, steak and chorizo). She took my order and menu and walked off back to where she was sitting with the manager. Being that my order was very small and I didnt need much, Im not surprised she was inattentive to me but she had another table that seemed to keep looking for her but she never went to check on them. It was myself and then another table of 3 gentlemen in the entire restaurant. At this point, the service has been mediocre at best. However, I was there for the food. The tacos were the best Ive had. Theres a place back home that opened my eyes to how tacos should be made (meat, cilantro, seasoning, onions, sprinkled with lime). El Tipico did just that and all 3 tacos were great. They were tender, juicy and perfect temperature. I ate every bit of what they set in front of me and it was incredible. I cant wait to try more. I went to check out at the end of my eating tenure. The manager from earlier ran the register and asked me card or cash. I let him know card and he pointed at the card reader. I put in my information and insert my card and it denies it. We try it again and it does the same thing. He tells me its my card. He takes my card from me and inputs the same information I did, inserts the card but not the side with the chip. I try to correct him and he held his hand up at me. He pulls the card out and the receipt and hands it to me. I said to him, looks like it was your machine after all. He said back, nope still your card, very rudely. To say the least, service was awful. However, I believe everywhere deserves a second chance, so I will go back. Im rating El Tipico 3 stars but I would solely go back for the food only and not the service. I can get past the service as long as the food is as good as it was today.

Delicious food. Definitely recommend!

Excellent tacos! Excellent prices! Excellent health score!

This place has great food, but not much atmosphere.

Amazing food, great service.

The food at El Tipico is positively phenomenal, and the service has been nothing but courteous and fast every time I went.

Best food in town and its within walking distance. Great food, great cervezas, great service!

First time here! Very authentic and delicious!