El Toluco Taqueria Restaurant

I am so pleased that my husband and I tried this little taco shop on a whim. The food was outstanding. He had 3 tacos, 1 was the tongue and it was so tender, 1 was with pineapple and it had an amazing flavor, 1 steak that was good as well. I had the pork torta and it would be enough to feed 4 people. We also tried their guacamole and fresh it was with fresh homemade chips to go with it. Definitely will be back!!!

Great tacos. It’s a very casual restaurant built into a Mexican grocery store. The spices are amazing. Very flavorful, but not too hot. The green sauce on the table was phenomenal. Would definitely recommend this place. Very authentic. Bad thing for us is I heard that they are closing this summer because the owner wants to spend more time with her family.

Always fresh and delicious! Haven’t had anything I don’t like. Tacos are always packed full, and the quesadillas are big enough to share. The Al Pastor taco is a favorite, and I tried the shrimp quesadilla as a recommendation and it didn’t disappoint.

The best al pastor tacos in St. Louis! Love the authenticity of this place. On the weekends they serve menudo, a little too spicy for me but still very good. Would recommend!

Tacos and torras are amazing. The seasoning of their meats it right on. The portions are huge specially for the torts. The service is fast and efficient. They also have items off the menu such as chile rellenos and tamales. But I’m guessing the amount made are limited since when I got there they only had one left. The prices seem a tad high compare to other taqueria around the city but you won’t find one very near to this location. The flavors are very authentic to the cuisine being served. Would go back cause of that, the flavors. The grocery store is rather small but still carries a good selection of items. They also have fresh pan dulce (Mexican sweet bread). A very good place to get items needed to make that special authentic meal you cooking.

Excellent street tacos!! Tried the carne asada, al pastor and chorizo tacos. All of them are a must try. Ate them before I could snap a pic, maybe next time. Will be back to try the others soon 🙂

A little hard to find, but worth the effort. Stopped in for lunch. Excellent street tacos in an authentic Mexican Cafe connected to a well stocked small Mexican grocery. I'll be back!

My first visit, won't be my last. I got a Carnitas torta, and it was Amazing! Their chips are on another level, they were so Good! They don't appear to be open in the evening, other than Fridays. So if you plan to give them a try I suggest you confirm that they are open. My torta was huge, it could easily fill two people. Definitely worth a visit.

I was looking up food places on manchester and this popped up. when you go in, it's a cute little grocery store rich with culture. concha's, mexican candies, drinks and more. workers were sweet too. i got a carne asada & lengua taco. it was my first time trying lengua and it's easily my new preference. both tacos were tender, flavorful, fresh and incredibly delicious. i will certainly make the drive out here to get these again

Sadly this very fine taqueria and grocery store is closing. I've been a fan of their tortas and Mexican street tacos. Theyre known for their al pastor and their barbacoa lamb is unbelievably tender and full of flavor. You can also get some amazingly spicy homemade salsa on the side for dipping if you ask for it.

Brilliant food, easily the best Taco in the mid-west. It just a shame they are closing soon. Get them while you can.

I like pineapples on my tacos and that's about it. service was great. but food just didn't hit like i thought it would. my boyfriends food came out cold :/

Great authentic Mexican food restaurant tucked inside of a convenient Mexican grocery store right in the middle of Manchester! They have some of the best tacos and Tortas you will find in the St. Louis area. Order food from the counter if you'd like takeout. Ask to be seated for table service. Service is prompt, friendly and basic. Here's what i ordered. - Chips and Salsa: (4/5) Homemade, in-house. these aren't your typical thin chips since they are basically cutting up some tortillas and cooking them fresh. A decent red and green sauce is served with them. - Al Pastor Taco: (4.25/5) GET THIS! One of the best Al pastor tacos I have found in town. - Carne Asada: (3.75/5) Decent and fresh. I have a preference for steak with stronger marinade and seasonings. I will be back!

It's #tacotuesday so let's #tacoaboutit #stlouispescatarianapproved @stlouispescatarians on instagram This cute taqueria is serving up authentic Mexican favorites including tacos For the record... my lime squeeze is better than the Taco King's Lime Squeeze! Their story "On August 1, 2016, with only $500 in our pockets and a dream in our hearts, Fausto Pizzaro and I were finally able to open El Toluco Taqueria & Grocery." We had such a great lunch! There were 7 of us.

I know everyone goes to El Toluco for their tacos and dried chiles, but I personally go so I can get my paleta ice pop for dessert. Actually anything you can order is delicious. My spouse is a torta fan and I love anything with carnitas. The meat is rich and fatty. The service is quick and friendly. It's a nice big bright space piled high with Mexican and Latinx groceries. I spent a lot of time looking through the dried Chile selection. Then there is the St. Louis made Paleta pops. Yum! You can always visit them on Cherokee but it's nice to get them out west. I love horvhata or caramel. It's such a nice treat after lunch.

Always delicious and still my favorite Mexican cantina in town. Don't live nearby anymore but worth popping in for tacos and quesadillas anytime. Bottle beer from the case, delicious guacamole and salsa.

This place is amazing. I was shopping nearby and wanted to find a place to grab lunch and found this right around the corner. Lots of the reviews were raving about the tacos al pastor so I had to give them a try. SO GOOD!!! I was blown away by how delicious they were! The meat was perfectly cooked and it had the perfect amount of pineapple. A few weeks later, I visited my in-laws in Texas and they were raving about this taco al pastor spot they lived near. Based on my experience at El Toluco I was super excited to try another spot. They were good, but did not come close to El Toluco. This just tells me all I need to know about this spot. They can do a 10x better job than a taco spot in Texas. Can't wait to come back and bring my in-laws!!

El Toluco is a quaint grocery/taqueria but you have to enjoy a quick walk in the establishment to find the seating area. Was impressed with the types of items since we visit Mexico recently and was excited to see what they offered. Nice back up store if we're on this side of town and need a few items. Let's get down to business, El Toluco is all about tortas! A traditional Mexican sandwich, but El Toluco has what no other taqueria has massive tortas. No one can eat one by themselves, the amount of toppings that come with the torta requires you to think twice and ask for a to go box! Here's where my visit was impacted. We ordered nopales (cactus) as pat of the meal, was served our dishes and was never informed it was unavailable. It's usually never an issue when informed during our order, but when all dishes were served there was no mention it was unavailable. I know, I know things happen, but again little things make the difference. Taco sampler (Asada, Carnitas, Lengua, Pollo) made up for the mix up, as they were all perfectly seasoned and salsas complimented each one. This place deserves another try, and we'll be back!

Great street tacos in a low key strip mall in Manchester. The Al pastor and carnitas tacos are outstanding. Great service. Atmosphere is back-of-the-carniceria.

I always come here when I need Mexican ingredients but never leave without ordering tacos and/or a torta (the sandwich is huge!). The food is authentic as it gets. There is seating inside but I'm always out and about so I get it to go. The owner is always there and she's always so friendly and helpful!

I ate here with a group of coworkers, so there was a little of everything at our table. We all love it and the service was great.

Honestly I don't want to post this u want to keep thisg to myself. This a tiny place that could easily be overlooked but shouldn't be. It is SO GOOD!! I had the el pastor taco and the barbaco taco and they were both phenomenal. The salsa was amazing the proportions were great. Definitely going back with friends and family next Time.

Food was authentic and came out fast! Taco kit came with plenty of food for a group of people.

Great food and service . There is nothing more to say other than, don't change anything

Y'all I had no idea this place existed! Walk through the Mexican grocer, to the left and you'll find some tables. They offer table service of bottled and canned drinks, delicious tacos, quesadillas, chips and guacamole. On this particular evening I was in a group of 7 celebrating a friend's birthday who loves El Toluco. We shared the large guacamole and chips. Two salsas (green and red) in squeeze bottles are provided but a birdie told me you can request a more hot salsa if you enjoy that kind of thing. I also had several Coronas in the bottle. I had a wedge of a shrimp quesadilla. I wouldn't normally have bothered ordering this, so was glad my friend did and let me try it. It was my favorite thing! I ordered three different tacos to try a variety. All were delicious, but I think the shrimp tacos were my favorite - they have cactus strips that just offer a good texture and flavor in addition to the other veggies. I'd go back for sure. Service was great, food was delicious and reasonably priced.

Excellent food in a genuine atmosphere! We love El Toluco! We've been eating there for years and it is a go to place.

hands on your knees Angelina Jolie. jesus is a biscuit let him sop you up. this quesadilla had me screaming for the father son and holy ghost. DELICIOUS. FANTASTIC. PHENOMENAL. the cheese to filling ratio was perfect. whoever caramelized those onions has magical powers cause it had me hooting and hollering. my mouth is watering, leaking like a waterfall as I think about this quesadilla. I can't wait until I can enjoy her once more

Most snowy Saturdays you might be content to head to the home store, get your groceries or pick up some new kicks at the shoe place in the (heaven forbid on a Saturday) Mall. Here's the deal, push back on the routine, step out, take a chance and go with something new. What is that say you? Let me introduce you to El Toluco Taqueria and Gro. You won't find it by driving down busy Manchester Rd, you may not even see a sign. This mexican oasis my friend is tucked back into a nondescript strip center and it's so worth your effort to find. Previous Yelpers have found the greatness contained within and have partaken, only to testify that this is a legit Taqueria, in of all places Ballwin MO. When we moved from TX to the STL, my palate and soul were sorely offended at what passed for Mexican cuisine. In fact, so grievous was the gnawing yearning in my gut for fine south of the border fare I fell in to a dark despair over the lack of it here in my midwestern domicile. Alas and Ole! El Toluco to the rescue pronto! Others who have been here before bear witness of the greatness, it's made STL's Top 100, received RFT awards and offers catering for those of you who, at your own cost, want to evangelize the heathen and unwashed masses who recommend places I dare not even mention. Now, to the food. It's all about the Tacos. Yes, they have Torta's, Quesadillas and chips, salsa and guacamole but the tacos Senior, the tacos. Feeling the need to go light we ordered up quatro, dos para mi and para mi las chica. Carne Asada, Al Pastor and Marisco tacos came our way in short order and they were fabulous! Muy Bueno! Me Gusto Mucho! A steady late arriving crowd of what appeared to be students from the nearby institutions of higher learning and a few folks like us along with day laborers who know good food were enjoying the Spanish radio, light conversation and great food. Look, if you go somewhere else to get your taco on a Saturday, I pity you, honestly, I do. Do yourself a favor, roll into El Toluco, I promise you will not be sorry.

Stay away from the grocery store bought maseca flour,for $7.29 it's freaking $1.99@ Walmart I thought I'd help a small business but I got ripped off! Price gauging at its best. No prices on anything and you can't see any prices, not even while being rung up. Then they ask if you need a receipt Yeah stay away from this ripoff store.

Incredible tacos, authentic space, with tons of wonderful imported foods and spices and some killer desserts. I'd been wanting to come here for a while, and almost kicked myself when I realized it lived in the Pan Asia parking lot and I'd missed the opportunity so many times! When I finally got it, it was completely worth the wait though. The tacos were fantastic and bursting with flavor, the woman checking me out was kind and helpful, and I appreciated that they had fresh baked desserts on offer too (I always love to end a meal with a sweet!). I'm excited to try out their tortas, and maybe some chips and salsa once I'm ready for fried foods again.

If I could give it 10 I would. Stopped in yesterday for lunch and was absolutely amazed. Service was excellent! Kind of hidden in the store which was pretty cool they had a whole lot of things if your looking to purchase while there and eat!! The chips and dip was delicious the food was so fresh and tasty. Then we topped it off with their ice creme which I never had like that before least to say we were very satisfied leaving the place and will definitely be making our way back!

Pretty good for having a limited menu. Hidden in a shopping plaza this little Mexican grocery serves tacos, tortas, and quesadillas. I also ordered a side of guac which tasted nice and fresh with homemade chips. I ordered 3 tacos- carne asada, al pastor, and barbacoa while my husband ordered the barbacoa torta. The meats on my tacos were a bit chewy but good. My favorite was the al pastor. Great place if you're looking for authentic tacos in west county without having to drive to Cherokee street. The owner was there and she was very nice.

this is the place to get authentic mexican in west county. cant recommend enough. dining room leaves a bit to be desired, but its part of the charm.

Loved being able to visit this store and restaurant. They had Zambos which are my favorite snack from Honduras. This place reminded me of some of my favorite places back home. The tacos were incredible and my partners torta was larger than life. He actually came two days in a row because he loved it so much. Would recommend for the food, the wonderful service and the attached store!

PRO-TIP: the best restaurants are usually hidden in the back of grocery stores.. El Toluco Taqueria is no exception! This woman-owned Mexican grocery store and taqueria serves up authentic tacos and tortas. The shrimp tacos are not to be missed! Be sure to check out the store while you're passing through. It's one of the few places to buy Japonés in STL!

Phenomenal tacos! This place is a hidden gem. I got the carne asada tacos. Tender, succulent meat, warm corn tortillas, topped with fresh onion and cilantro. Doesn't get any better. The accompanying salsas were very good also, wish they had a hotter option but that's just me. Got myself a paleta after, it was great. The space was modest but clean and organized. I will definitely be coming back!

An Uber driver recommended this place and apparently on the top 100 restaurants to try in MO. The shop is inside a small Mexican grocery store, which is neat as they have frozen tamales and fresh cacti/onion and other souvenir items. We tried a few meat items in tacos & quesadilla. Al pastor and balbacoa were flavor well, reminds me of those in AZ. However, the egg and churrizo mix was ok, a bit dry. - Salsa & chips: taste like homemade chips (excellent crunch and double layered) serve with red & green salsa (non-chunky). Salsa is unique and earthy and spicy, a little goes a long way! Overall, food was good but overpriced on tacos. I think this was changed recently as the menu covered up the "comes with __ tacos" now is just 1 taco. Salsa and chips are typically free at most places too.

Heck yes, come here for the tacos! I ordered three for lunch, and that was a good amount of food. The meat was a little drier than I would have liked, and so they needed more salsa than I'd usually add, but the tacos overall were flavorful. Service was friendly as well. The tortas seemed a bit pricier than I've seen at other places in STL. But the one my lunch buddy ordered looked really good!

Food: 2 Stars Service: 3 Stars I can't tell you how many have advised me to try this place out. I've read the reviews and had such high expectations. I'm at a loss for words because my experience was NOTHING like what I've heard and read. -Tortillas tasted plasticy and stale as if they had been stored in a plastic container for quite some time. Whatever was stored in the container before, you could now taste in the tortilla as well. -Chicken was tender but hardly memorable. -Salsa was too watery and difficult to eat with chips. -Rice was bland. -The beans tasted like they came straight out of a can. -Shredded lettuce had brown bits and hardly looked fresh. No thanks.

This place is a hidden gem! It's inside of a grocery store where you have plenty of options to browse through if you want while you wait for your food. The food was amazing! The service was good too! We had three different tacos each and they were all sooooo good. I'm definitely going to be coming back here and will be telling more people about it!

Wow. I found my new go to place for street tacos and tortas. It's a nondescript entrance in a side-facing strip mall off Manchester, so it's going to have to survive on reputation and not random walk ins. And based on our lunch, it should do well. El Toluco is pretty much like other taqueria/grocery combos around town, except that there really didn't seem to be that much of a grocery to me. The seating/eating area is fairly spacious, if simple. And the music is Spanish language. What was amusingly in-congruent is that the two ladies working there were as white-bread, mid-western suburban mom as they could get. Very nice people, though. When I was paying my bill and chatting with one, I asked about that. As I suspected, her husband was the Latin one, and he was in back cooking up all the delicious fare. The menu is really focused. You can get tacos or tortas (oh, or a quesadilla). A few simple sides like guacamole, rice, beans, etc. round out the menu. And that's good. It keeps them limited to what they are doing an excellent job on. You do have to order chips and salsa from the side dish menu; it's not brought out complimentary. That's okay, though. I realize they have to make a profit to survive. Plus, the chips were fresh, light, and airy. They aren't the generic ones so many other places seem to use. The salsa, too, is different. It's a smoother style vs. the chunky pour from a bottle type. It had a nice, lightly smoky flavor. My carnitas (pork) torta was fantastic, and huge. Shredded, tender, and juicy. Fresh, homemade bread, along with "lettuce, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos (which I asked to be skipped), chipotle dressing, quesco fresco, Oaxaca cheese, a slice of ham (!!), queso de puerco, mayo & beans." All the ingredients seemed very fresh/high quality. I picked it up and ate it with my hands - actually ate only one half of the already sliced sandwich because it is so bid - but all those saucy ingredients and the big size mean you really should consider knife & forking it The families tacos were also great. The corn tortillas were very soft, and the cilantro & onions were abundant. I tasted each, and all the meats were tender and moist - and well seasoned. The chicken was a surprising treat, grilled in some lightly spicy secret sauce. Beef was very good. And the al pastor is "made with our own secret ingredients." Not really sure why there's so much secrecy here, but it was done up right. It wasn't a heavy pineapple, or maybe none at all in the taco itself. But the al pastor filling was flavorful, and I actually preferred not having chunks of pineapple all up in there.

I stopped in here on a whim while out and about after reading the reviews. It's a restaurant and grocer employed by some of the kindest people you'll meet. I tried the al pastor taco and it was excellent- a classic street taco with fresh corn tortillas, onions, cilantro and a side of amazing salsa and lime. Authentic and delicious sums up the food. You can tell the people who make the food are passionate about it and plenty of hard work goes into it. These are the best tacos I've had in STL. I took a few photos of their grocery offerings and all the fresh food they work with. Can't recommend this place enough!

Some of the best authentic tacos in STL! The shrimp taco is my go to-large sized shrimp and nice portion of fresh ingredients (Avocado, cactus, cheese, etc). Very fresh and flavorful. There is a small dining area on one side and a small grocery on the other side. It isn't a place you dine at for the atmosphere but the food is so worth it and the staff and owners are wonderful.

This little grocery store and taqueria is absolutely worth a visit. The tacos are fantastic and generously filled. My favorites are the Al Pastor sweet and meaty, the Choizo which is spicy and grilled just right and the best for last, the Lengua filled with small tender pieces on perfectly cooked tongue. A small order of chips and salsa is enough for two people to share. Both the red and green salsas are tasty. The green is spicy and tart. Very bright and vibrant. Everything is fresh and served promptly. The specials are worth trying. The Chicken Enchiladas is served with refried beans and rice and topped with salsa verde and cream. Excellent!

Such good food! The torta is my go to, always fantastic. Not a lot of seating but well worth the wait if there is one.

These might be the best tacos I've had in STL. Cant wait to come back and try a torta! I had lengua, Al pastor, asada, carnitas, and barbacoa - all were excellent. If I had to choose: pastor, barbacoa, and lengua were my favorites. Tacos are a good size. I only ate the one meal that day, but 5 was still plenty. Both salsas I had were also very tasty. Ended up doing each taco 40/40 and leaving 20% unsalsa'd to try the meat. I will get a carnitas or lengua torta next time, with an Al pastor taco or two on the side! It'll be enough for 2 meals.

Helpful staff, wonderful food and simple decor. This place exceeded my expectations (which were pretty high). I'm glad I'm made the drive to eat at this restaurant.

The restaurant section is tucked away in the back part of the grocery, it's nothing fancy but it's functional. I was pretty excited to eat here based on the reviews but I did ding them a couple of stars. It's the only Mexican restaurant I've been to where you don't get complimentary chips and salsa, that in itself didn't cost them two stars but when you add what I feel are really high prices based on what and where it is. $13 for a carne asada torte with no chips and salsa is way overpriced. That being said the torte was very good and it was an ample serving which is to be expected when you're getting Mexican. With so many great choices in the St Louis area they are pretty low on my list.

Friendly service, awesome food! Highly recommend :) this is such a great place to eat. The staff was helpful and friendly, the food was great! And it was cool to check out the grocery part too! My family and I had a great time.

I was trying to find the Chinese restaurant at Manchester and 141 but happened to come up on this place. I paid $22 for three veggie tacos. They really were not very good. it was just something I did out of the ordinary to try to get some good lunch because I took the day off, but I normally spend five to $10 on lunch $22 for three vegetarian tacos is pretty outrageous, and I did not even eat half of them, because they were not very good. maybe the meat dishes are better, but I like to share when I find a great place, and when I find a place that I don't think is good for the price.

I was hungry after a costco jaunt and yelped nearby restaurants which landed me at El Toluco. I called in an order of carne asada tacos. This is a small mexican grocery (two aisles of grocery products) attached to a small restaurant. The tacos were typical street tacos and were good. The asada was a bit bland, but was cooked well (not too chewy and not too fatty) on standard corn tortillas. The salsa verde was also good. The tacos came with a tomatillo salsa which I could do without. All in all, the tacos were good and I might come back after another costco run.

Oh Sweet Mother of Jesus! I just ate a vegetarian tamale! Can't believer this lady talked me into it! Plus I had a chorizo sausage street taco. Was just as tasty. Son in law had a El Pastor taco and a fish taco. Love them both. Looking at food on other tables was fun, too. You've got to, I MEAN IT, come eat in this authentic Mexican food restriction. DELICIOUS!!

I don't leave review often but this place was too good not to review! I'm a bit of a taco snob and have found maybe 1 or 2 amazing taco places since moving to STL but this place is on the top of the list! The meat was very well seasoned, the food was fast and the orange and verde salsa were FIREEEE!!! plus it was very clean and they have a lot of variety of Central American foods you can purchase for home!

I had a craving for good tacos today so I searched for Tacos on Yelp and stumbled upon this place. I wish Yelp would allow us to vote in halves or quarters and not just whole numbers though. Because of that I'm giving it a 5 but really would give it a 4.25 or so but not a 4. The tacos were really good and they had a lot of groceries to choose from too. I'll definitely be going back for food and groceries sometime.

Updated to confirm that specific visit was not unique. The whole family is in on this wholesome, Latin affair. The food is still incredible, but they were about of tortas today. The grocery offers fresh produce, as well as Mexican staples including sweets. This place seems like support the local Latin community, too. Eat in or order at the counter for carry out. It's a bit disorganized and chaotic, I kind of expected a goat to come round the corner.

First timer. Had to see what all the buzz was about. I'm a believer now! Isn't much to look at, part market, part restaurant. They were super busy when I arrived. My server came up and apologized in advance that they were so busy. I ordered the daily special which was chicken enchiladas. The portion was huge! And so delicious! I will definitely return to try some of the other offerings.

This place was packed around noon on a Wednesday. I grabbed the last table. I settled on chips and salsa, a tongue taco, shrimp taco, and fish taco. The chips and salsa weren't your standard West county TexMex fare and we really enjoyed them. The large order wasn't huge but we didn't finish it. But what I really came her for was the tacos. And, boy, were they tasty. The shrimp had a little bit of a spicy kick (which I really enjoyed). The fish was delish. The tongue was also very good but not my favorite... I'll admit I was just ordering it because I'd never had tongue before. Yes, the restaurant is an add on to the grocery store, but that's just part of the appeal. The only reason this is a four star instead of a five star kind of place is that the service wasn't the greatest. They were friendly enough but only gave us two water glasses for two adults and a child. We finally had to ask for another one. I also had to remind them that I'd ordered chips and salsa after I noticed other tables that had arrived after us were already enjoying theirs. I also noticed some bottles of sauces/salsas on others' tables but we weren't offered any...maybe they didn't come with what we ordered? Still, I'll be back to enjoy some of their deliciousness another day.