Tulio’s Wilton Manors

Tulio’s Tacos & Tequila Bar: 2150 Wilton Dr #A113, Wilton Manors, FL 33305

I got a call from my friends Tom and Bob asking me to join them for dinner. They wanted to try something new, and after I suggested a few different places, we agreed upon Tulio’s Taco & Tequila Bar in Wilton Manors. Tulio’s has been open for a while now, but I have not had a chance to try it out. Like many restaurants around town, you will find those who love it and those who are not raving fans.

When I told people that I was going here, their first reaction was that it is overpriced for what you get. Some of my friends mentioned it was more like a tapas-style place, while others felt that the platters were tiny. Even with all the conflicting opinions, I just had to see for myself.

Restaurant:

Tulio’s is located in the Gables community along Wilton Drive. You will find both indoor and outdoor seating, allowing you to be a part of all the action along the drive. Inside is made up of a mix of half booths, full booths, and tables. Outside you will find a large number of metal mesh patio tables with umbrellas. The inside walls are adorned by some very cool artwork and three bullheads with bandanas. I had to take pictures of both!

We chose to sit inside as it was a very warm evening. I found Tulio’s online reservation system to be very easy to use. I even had to edit my reservation since I made it for two people when there were three of us, and I could do everything right on their website. What is even more impressive, their general manager emailed me after we ate there with a follow-up email asking how everything was and provided an invitation to join them again for dinner. This impressed me as not many restaurants will even thank you when you are there in person, but having a system to email guests is a sign of marketing genius!

The Drinks:

Once my excitement of the decor passed, my dinner companions and I ordered our drinks. The waiter let us know that the wines were half off, so I ordered one of my favorites, Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc. To be honest, I can’t remember what Bob and Tom actually had to drink. I believe Bob was drinking Sprite, and Tom did have an alcoholic drink.

The Appetizers:

It took us a while to decide upon which appetizers we wanted. I thought at first we might go with the chicken taquitos or the lettuce wraps. However, after a few minutes of pondering, we went with two different orders of chips. We chose to get salsa with one set of chips and queso with the other. Our waiter suggested getting the chorizo in the queso, and he was right; just by adding this delectable sausage that was chopped up very fine made the queso even better.

The three of us did not waste time trying out both of these Tulio’s favorites. The chips have a nice dusting of what appeared to be smoked paprika on them. The salsa was mild but with a little more kick than many other restaurants’ mild version. The queso was a bit more popular with us, and we finished every bit of this fantastic appetizer.

The Food:

Now when it comes to our main entrees, Bob and I choose the Enchiladas Rojas. A few other runner-ups almost won out, but we decided the enchiladas might be the best option for a larger meal, and we were right. Bob decided to have the carnitas version, and I went with the chicken. They both came out looking very similar, with red salsa, cheese, onion, sour cream, and fresh cilantro. Besides our meat choices, Bob chose corn tortillas, and I went with the flour tortilla.

I will say that we both enjoyed every bite. There were three enchiladas on each of our plates with plenty of chicken and carnitas stuffed inside. The mix of flavors melded perfectly as we shoved each fork full into our mouths. Tulio’s did not disappoint with these two dishes.

Tom opted to try their tacos. Now I will say they seem a bit overpriced for what you get, and they are pretty small. Tom got two total, with one being beef and the other one being chicken. The beef was made with spicy ground beef, bacon, Mexican cheese, pico de gallo, lettuce, and sour cream. The chicken taco was made with marinated chicken, pico de gallo, avocado, lettuce, and chipotle mayo. While Tom enjoyed them, he was not overly excited by the tacos.

Pricing $$:  If you love eating in a fun atmosphere, then Tulio’s is a great place to check out!