Tavial Grill
| Address: | 1199 7th St W, St Paul, MN 55102, USA |
| Phone: | +1 651-298-1000 |
| Site: | tavialgrill.com |
| Rating: | 4.7 |
| Working: | 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM Closed |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 6
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Jonathan Lin
1 check-in My girlfriend suggested this place after she came across this place and seeing 5 stars 56 reviews!! Boy was she excited. I decided to go eat lunch with her during her break and she suggested we grabbed Tavial Grill. Tavial Grill is located south St. Paul...I never thought I would be driving all the way out there to grab some Mexican food, but after seeing the reviews, we agreed to give this place a go. The restaurant is somewhat new (September 2014). Its a nice small restaurant that seemed to have bought a past fast food restaurant. They offer both dine-in and a drive through. I came here around 11:45AM on a Friday and was not that busy. I walked in and the floors seemed a little dirty. Though this place only opened less than a year, it seemed to be somewhat dirty for its age. However, their tables and seats were top notch. Clean and new looking. Upon entrance, I gazed at the huge menu. They seemed to not only serve a variety of Mexican foods like Tacos, tamales, quesadillas and burritos, but also American favorites like Philly Cheesesteaks, Chicken wings, salads, cheese curds and more. It seemed like of odd..., but hey if its good, why not sell it. This place seemed to be opened by a family. I placed my order to, which seemed like the owners son. He was very sweet and nice and answered the questions I had. I asked him if he preferred burritos or tacos and he told me he personally likes the burritos. I decided to go with the carnitas burrito. I love carnitas burritos! I get it at almost all Mexican restaurants. My girlfriend wanted tacos, so I got her 2 carne asada tacos and 1 pastor (pork) taco, which contained pork, pineapple and onion..which I thought was a little weird. I dont often get pineapple in my tacos...but hey, it seemed like itll be good nonetheless. I then tried to order, my staple drink. The Horchata. I love horchata!! Its one of my favorite drinks to drink! I love cinnamon flavoured foods! I didnt see it on the menu, so I asked them if they had it. The young boy told me not yet, they are still looking to get a machine for it.. Hmm, I was a little disappointed, but I knew my girlfriend would be even more disappointed. After placing my order, I saw some guy eating tamales. After being unable to resist..I went back and ordered a pork tamale... Boy does this a lot of food for 2 people. They packed all the food in a lunch bag and topped it with tortilla chips! Now onto the food..... First thing I tried was my burrito. It was pretty big and was a little scared I wouldnt be able to finish it. I then started chowing it down. The burrito had rice, beans lettuce, sour cream, tomatoes, cheese, and carnitas meat... boy was this a bland burrito. Im sorry, the carnitas meat was very bland..did not like how their carnitas tasted. It wasnt moist..wasnt fattening..and wasnt roasted well. It might be one of the worst..burritos Ive ever had at a Mexican place... I couldnt even finish it..I tossed the last 1/4. Next I tried the carnitas tamale. The carnitas in the tamale was again..as disappointing as the one in the burrito. Lastly..my girlfriends tacos. I didnt try any, but she did not like it at all..and shes tried tacos from all over California and Minnesota. She recommends tacqueria la hacienda on lake street for tacos. I probably wouldnt come here again for mexican food..it just isnt that good.
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Hank Andre
My wife and I live in South Minneapolis but we shop at the Trader Joes on Randolph and Lexington because its close to her parents house. Well often stop by their place on our way there, say hi, and then be on our way. One night we were feeling pretty hungry and we wanted to visit a restaurant we hadnt been to before, preferably near Trader Joes. I did a quick Yelp search and found Tavial. Everyone seemed to be raving about it, so we thought wed give it a try. I got the alambre with steak, since that seemed to be the oft-praised dish, and my wife got the fajitas with chicken because she wanted some refried beans with her entree and the cashier recommended it. Honestly, we werent impressed. The rice was short grain and looked like the cheap Sysco stuff, just with some different seasoning. It tasted alright but that felt like a significant drawback to me. The chicken on my wifes fajitas was disappointing. It was just salt and peppered, thats it. My wife squeezed a little lime on it to give it flavor but apart from that it just tasted like chicken, minimally seasoned. The alambre was okay but not spectacular. Los Ocampo and Pineda in South Minneapolis do it better. The portions are larger, and the flavors are much more dynamic. I really wanted to like this place. I love that its family owned. I love that its in a part of the Twin Cities that I rarely go to. And one Yelp reviewer said that the owner worked in his Fathers restaurant, moved here, and opened his own which is so cool! Unfortunately, Id like for them to invest in buying/producing higher quality. Id be willing to pay a little more just for that.
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Jenna Alvarez
The real deal!! My Texas born and raised husband agreed this place makes awesome tacos. We are super picky about what makes a good taco and this place made the cut. We ordered tacos al pastor, chicken tacos and two kinds of tamales and they were all delicious. The meat was flavor-filled and tender - my young kids also enjoyed the al pastor. The tamales were the best weve ever had at a restaurant - usually theyre dry with too much masa and not enough meat, but these were moist with the perfect ratio of masa to meat. The pork with red sauce was delicious and tasted like my mother-in-laws tamales, but was pretty spicy, as was the chicken with chili verde. The owner was also super friendly and spoiled our girls with horchata. We cant wait to come back!
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Ellery July
There are a number of taco houses in the twin cities and most bland down and over salt food for Minnesotans taste. This family joint is one of two I return to because it does neither. The meats are cooked well, never over cooked . The tacos are never over stuffed with the veggies. The get four stars instead on 5 because the beans taste like canned. While it is common to use canned beans even in high end places. I wish they would take the time to do scratch. I prefer the chicken and tongue but get the steak with rice and beans. If you go in the afternoon you will some of the kids looking over the fathers shoulder. I have seen a pro hockey player on the way to the X stop in.
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Jake Johnson
Great Mexican isnt the first thing you think of when in Saint Paul, but you should give Tavial grill a chance before jumping to conclusions. The owner is super friendly from Mexico City and often there to make sure your meal and experience is authentic and delicious. The steak tacos, tinga tacos, really all the tacos are great. The guac is awesome and if you have room at the end (unlikely) the galaxy cake is great. The inside is clean and colorful and there are some tables outside if the weather is nice.
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Martha Gingras
We had their tamales. The owner let us know that they were made just that day. Oh man... they had to be his moms or grandmothers recipe because they were the best. Just the right filling amount and so so moist. No sauce needed and they melted in your mouth. The burritos are so good and the tacos looked amazing. Real deal! And we will be back. (Plus we took two chicken tamales home for tomorrows lunch. That good!)
