Tavial Grill

This is one of those places that is a hidden gem. The guac was fresh and delicious, chips were homemade. I had the chicken Milanese torta and it was the best one I’ve ever had. I’m all about supporting mom and pop restaurants, and this one checks all the boxes! I can’t wait to try some of the other menu items.

My daughter and I were from our of town and looking for something local we could try. This restaurant had great ratings on Google, so we decided to go for it. The food overall was pretty good. However, I ordered fajita tacos and received ground beef instead. It looked like they looked and tasted like they took a hamburger and chopped it up, and threw it on the Tortillas. The cheese sauce tasted like it was straight from a can. The rice had a great flavor. And the Mexican cigars were yummy. It was a little pricey for the quality. Overall, I'm not sure if I would visit again.

After being gone from St. Paul for 8 years, I had to come back here on my first day back to visit. My favorite dish here is the chicken chimichanga. To this day this is still the perrfect/best chimi I've ever had. Thank you for great food and service!!!!

Absolutely fantastic and delicious food. The price is phenomenal for how good it is. I've found myself coming here twice a week before. Burritos are definitely their forte. The tacos are still good, but the burritos are much better. 10/10 would easily recommend coming here. Sit down or take out. It reheats very well too! The bathroom is occasionally out of order so make sure to go before coming just in case haha.

Great food. Exceptional service by friendly staff. And the burritos are filled unlike most places. Highly recommended.

May 10, 2024 ! Great authentic Mexican cuisine. I had 5 tacos: 2 Lengua, 2 Cabesa and a Birria. The check was $24, and it seemed kinda steep for 5 tacos. But it was totally worth it. Decent size portions and delicious, the most authentic Mexican food I’ve had in US. Quick and friendly service. If I was a local this little gem would be my favorite Mexican restaurant. Thank you very much !

A tasty spot that is easy to pop into for delicious and quick Mexican food. Overall better for meat eaters with the amazing variety of carne choices than for vegetarians. But the guacamole is amazing and I can find enough for a quick bite. My family raves about the tacos. Everyone there is so friendly. Not sure if this has changed but there was a lot of styrofoam.

Alambre, oh man! A colleague told me about this place. The food is high quality, carefully presented & produced with excellence. Meat was lean, arranged beautifully and hits all the marks. Thank you so much.

It's my favorite spot in town. The workers are always kind and the food always gets prepared fast. It's worth trying the entire menu but I don't tend to waver from my three favorite dishes: 1. Chimichanga Plate. Fried to perfection and you can get a side of their delicious rice. 2. Tinga or Pastor Burrito: Both meat options come with a ton of flavor and the burritos themselves are packed to the brim. Highly recommend pairing it with their verde hot sauce for some kick. 3. Torta: I usually get carnitas and it's hands down the best torta I've had. Always baked perfectly to get a nice crisp on the meat and cheese. The sauce seems to have a chipotle flavor which may not be for all but makes it my personal favorite.

The tamale's flavor was really good, the chicken was scarce though so that was a little disappointing. The torta's chicken was chicken tinga. I wasn't the biggest fan of it. There were good bites and there were bites that the flavor was just odd. Overall I don't think I'd come again it wasn't my cup of tea and I was craving Mexican today so I'm a bit disappointed.

Went out for a quick food. Service was great, food came out fast. Awesome Mexican place to have a drive through- it's rare up here in MN. Ambience very cozy place with old school diner feel. Order a good amount of food: Asada fries: it's ground beef well flavor over cricket fries. Smother with nacho cheese sauce. Very good- fries was crispy and soft El pastor tacos: did not taste like pastor flavor. It was just sweet like flavor with pineapple. Not much flavor Asada dinner plate: same ground beef on the fries with a salad , beans , and rice. Good but not great. El pastor tamales: tamales didn't have much flavor in the masa, the pork inside was super dry- flavorless Horchata : very good and sweet but a lot of cinnamon- overall refreshing good. If looking for drive through or quick okay Mexican food then coming here is fine. Disclaimer: for people who comes From California who loves Mexican food or if you Knows what the flavor of Mexican food is, most places here in the twins cities or MN, is not Mexican FLavor food. Reason be- most Spanish speaking folks or Mexicans restyup here are operated by Central Americans or Latin Americans. If you feel like why the Mexican restaurants flavor is different or doesn't taste right - that is the reason why. The majority of Spanish speaking folks up here are canteal Americans or from Latin America.

Excellent place. Unpretentious simple and delicious Authentic Mexican foods. Chilliquiles with steak. The steak is perfectly cooked with burnt edges and perfectly seasoned. Also had lengua taco. Generous amount of lengua and amazing flavors

Torta de milanesa me encanto! 10/10 Food was amazing! Definitely recommend . Small establishment but the food was amazing! Definitely coming back.

A great family run establishment with the friendliest customer service around. The food is always great. Super fresh and flavorful. We've ordered several times and will recommend anyone to give it a try.

Still the same wonderful food and quick service. Is MN spicy not Mexican spicy unless you add the red sauce! ( which is delicious oh by the way.) This is the most authentic Mexican food we've found in the area, further exemplified/demonstrated by the number of Hispanic men coming through at lunchtime for meals! Highly recommend.

The quesadilla with Birria meat was great. So was the rice and beans. But the chopped steak had a bone in it that almost broke my tooth. Also the queso was not at all what I expected and not with the price. It was the smallest container of cheese that tasted like Tostito dip. Not worth $5.50

All I can say is YUM!! Tavial Grill did not disappoint in the slightest. Of course this was an Uber Eats order but I ordered a variety of items so I could get a broad taste of the menu as best as possible. Shoutout to a review from fellow elite, Ralph M, you were right, that meat cheek quesadilla is no joke - sooo good!! I ordered the cheek meat quesadilla (so tender and juicy and so flavorful!), the carne asada torta (also insanely flavorful, I've never had a torta before because I was always afraid it would be too much bread but this is sooo yummy!!), the chips + guacamole (guac was a little too tart for my liking but the chips were great), the tres leches cake (super moist++), galaxy cake (chocolate cake with caramel), and two horchatas! Huge order but so worth it getting to try as many things as possible on the menu. Would 10/10 recommend this restaurant, I will be favoriting it and coming back anytime I have a Mexican craving! Recommending to all of my friends :).

We are so lucky to have this place in our neighborhood. We love the tacos, quesadillas, alhambre, and tamales. So delicious and always has the nicest people behind the counter. Note - counter service and take out only.

This is a great spot for lunch that has a very authentic Mexican feel and taste. We shared the chicken chimichanga and got extra rice vs beans. I typically go for Mexican rice vs white rice, however this rice was sweet and had a lot of flavor. The chimi had great texture and very affordable for how large it is. We also shared 2 tacos that was asada/beef and pastor/pork and both were also great. They have a parking lot or you can park on the street. You order at the front and they call when ready and plenty of room to sit down in the lobby.

Great fish tacos and excellent huge burritos. 5 star. Great service it looks like a family run business.

Was visiting Minnesota from Michigan and brought here by my friend- I was pleasantly surprised by the food! The green jalapeño sauce is AMAZING & exactly what you can find in Mexicantown in Detroit Michigan! The white rice doesn't look like anything special but it really has a great flavor! I ordered a steak quesadilla and it was delicious. Would definitely visit this place again if I'm ever in Minnesota! Prices were a bit high but maybe that's standard pricing for this area. Staff was friendly and was able to accurately make our $160 order.

The burrito weighed in at about 200 lbs, definitely a good deal at the price. The quesadilla was excellent and a bargain also. Everyone working here is cheerful and helpful, and it is just as fast as taco bell, for real food at a good price.

Mi amigo y yo ordenamos los tacos y nachos. ¡Qué rico! Tomamos horchata fue delicioso. La música fue chévere. Quiero venir otra vez. ¡Es un restaurante muy bueno! Gracias Tavial Grill.

Fantastic authentic Mexican spot on 7th! They have dine in as well as a nice drive thru. Vast menu of tacos, burritos, tamales, quesadillas, enchiladas, fajitas, chimichangas and various appetizers and desserts. No matter what there is something here on the menu for you. The asada tortas are truly remarkable and packed full of flavor. Even during the lunch rush my meal was ready in under 5 minutes, fast friendly service. Definitely recommend checking our Tavial Grill if you are in the area

Delicious! The carnita tacos were juicy and I love the mild and hot salsas with their crispy chips. Definitely going back!

You used to be generous with the sauces and would sometimes throw chips in the bag. Y'all have gotten cheap. Just picked up a $30 dinner and y'all put in two teeny weeny sauces? Cmon dude.

Excellent restaurant where they make all their sauces and chips and tortillas on sight have excellent pork tacos and tortes sausage.

First, it's a unique experience as you walk up to the building because they have all sorts of different peppers growing in the planters out front! When you walk inside, it's small but I LOVE the pictures above the ordering counter of all their common dishes. It's for the same reason we all love yelp, you get pictures of the food before you order! The horchata was the best I've ever had; milky, cinnamon, and refreshing. Perfectly balanced! I love it when entrees are served with rice and beans. It's a perfect complement to the cuisine. The Tomales were very good. You can taste the corn, but also they were prepared with some spice. I loved it, however, my 1-year-old couldn't handle the heat... that's ok, I'm still working on him! Lastly, I love hot salsa but go mild. The flavor on the mild salsa was perfect, and it was still relatively spicey. It's a red salsa that tastes like it's ingredients have been roasted!

Delicious and friendly staff! Have not dined in, only drive tru which is usually fast and convenient.

I've had a lot of Mexican food in my life, and this place may be the best I've ever tasted.

Amazing! Everyone was so nice and friendly and the food was delicious. I like that they have a drive-thru as well.

We recently had a housewarming party with a bunch of extended family. Three days beforehand I realized I did NOT have time to whip up a beautiful spread for 15 people. Enter: Tavial Grill's catering. We ordered a few pounds each of al pastor and birria, an irresponsible amount of guacamole and pico de gallo, rice, and beans. The meats came with chopped onions, cilantro, limes, tortillas, and red and green hot sauces. The guac and pico came with freshly fried tortilla chips. Firstly, the food smelled so good that my husband threatened to eat it all on the drive home from the restaurant. The meats were AMAZING, both incredibly flavorful and moist. The fresh fried tortilla chips were heavenly. My nephew literally took a tortilla and filled it with just tortilla chips. The salsas are flavorful but be warned, they'll kick your butt. And I say that as someone who often slices up a raw serrano pepper and eats it alongside my dinner. The rice and beans are delicious, to the point where my husband didn't let me give his own father leftover beans because he wanted to eat them all. The only items that I thought were more "ok" than "great" were the guacamole and pico. Personally, I like a lot of flavor in my guac and pico; I add a lot of lime juice, garlic, and cilantro. These versions were rather bland to me, but for most people they'd probably be very good. The service I received was great! The gentleman in charge of catering helped me choose items and advised me on how much I needed. I was so tempted to order a LOT more meat and he heavily recommended against that, which I really appreciate. He was more concerned that I had the right amount of food rather than making a few extra dollars. He ended up being totally right, and we still had plenty of leftovers. No question, we'll be ordering from them again soon.

Wow!! We spent 5 days in the Twin Cities for a family getaway. Our best meal of the trip was absolutely Tavial Grill! The staff was very kind and food came out quickly. Hands down the best chicken chimichanga I've ever had! We also appreciated the clean restroom during our time exploring the city.

Tavial is a treasure on West 7th. The exterior is unassuming, but don't let that stop you, the food is outstanding and made by an exceptional family. The Pastor Burrito is a constant favorite. I also love the Choriqueso.

Keeping with the theme of supporting local spots less than a mile from our house this weekend. This one is legit blocks from our house so we hit it up quite a bit. Spoiled much? It's a casual spot that's been completely family owned and run since 2014. The slew of authentic Mexican dishes adorning their menu have been in the family for generations and I haven't ordered anything I haven't loved. I personally am into it because there are a lot of more adventurous dishes you're unlikely to find at most Mexican spots -- let alone at a MN fast/casual spot with a drive-thru. As soon as I saw Lengua (beef tongue), Cabeza (cheek meat), and Buche (pork stomach) I was in like flint. And you can get them in taco, burrito, or quesadilla form!! What we ordered: Cheek Meat Quesadilla ~ super tender, marinated cheek meat, Mozzarella, Monterrey Jack and Cheddar cheese blend pressed and grilled in a flour tortilla. Comes with a side of lettuce, tomatoes & sour cream. **Dont get squeamish with trying cheek meat. It's so super tender and melts in your mouth! Think of a crock pot roast that has cooked low and slow so long that it shreds to the touch!** Chicken Tinga tacos ~ Shredded Chipotle Breast in Chipotle Sauce & Onions w/ cilantro and onions on corn tortillas. **Best Tinga we have found in all of the Twin Cities. No exaggeration!** Don't sleep on the house made hot sauces either!! Both red and green are muy beuno!!

I won't lie, the pic of my dog is him laughing when I asked WTH do the hand a Philly Cheese Steak on the menu like a needle in a haystack. The young lady at the window without hesitation and in the best way one could ever respond said, there's a lot of folks that work around here that wanted one so we taught ourselves how to make the best. I can't say I've had one, but I trust her because our meal was outstanding!!!

Pretty good tacos. Ordered the pastor and fish tacos, and felt they were tasty. Portions are quite sizeable. No complaints, though I'd like to see a grilled fish option.

I only gave them a one because I had to. $16 for two tacos and chips n salsa. The prices and portions they have on yelp are wrong and misleading. The tacos were small and flavorless. I ordered an extra salsa for $2.25. Because most places give you lots of chips. This place didn't even give you enough chips to eat one salsa. I'm really happy you made money of me this time, cause it won't happen again.

Chicken Nachos - NICE AMOUNT of food and GOOD chip to stuffing ratio. Flavorful chicken with heavy pinto beans. The chips held up well with travel. The drive-thru experience was great and perfect for an afternoon nacho pick-up! THEY ALSO HAD GREAT ASADA NACHO FRIES

Pretty authentic, tacos were large and came with a generous amount of meat, and prices were reasonable. They have a parking lot, so no need to worry about finding street parking. My only complaint was that they started vacuuming near closing time while we were still eating. Al Pastor Taco (5/5) - Very flavorful, would get this again. Carne Asada Taco (5/5) - Solid carne asada taco. I usually find that carne asada tacos are pretty consistent - hard to be spectacular and hard to mess up - and so the amount of meat is usually the differentiator, which this one does well on. Carnitas Taco (4/5) - The meat was a little dry, so you have to rely more on sauce to make it tasty. Philly Cheesesteak (5/5) - This was delicious. Great combo of meat/veggie/cheese. Definitely rivals any other Philly cheesesteak I've had in the twin cities. Highly recommend if you're a Philly cheesesteak lover! Carne Asada Torta (4/5) - No complaints about the flavor, but I felt this could've had more meat in it (esp relative to the tacos and given the price). I liked the crunch that was in this, since it gave the torta some varied texture.

Nice change from all the other usuals. Very reasonably priced, clean, friendly and good food. Best of all is their chips. The chips are the thinner ones and just a tad bit greasy. Burritos are quite large. Rice is a different flavor- kind of a buttery flavor- really plump too Nachos were kind of meh. The chicken tasted like it had a strange Chipotle flavor on them, but they weren't terrible. Would definitely go back.

The aappearance of this restaurant will give a fast-food impression, but the food itself has much more to offer. I've come here over the last five years and still find the kitchen consistently delivering on delicious food. I get the Steak Taco plate. absolute perfection. Comes with cilantro rice and refried beans. whenever I want tacos, I come here-- I've never gone to a better Mexican restaurant. On top of all this ^ the food is inexpensive. Gotta love that. My heart will forever belong to this place, please keep up the great work!

Don't do it Tastes like tinfoil and leftovers. No disrespect. Mind you this was 2021

Great owner worthy of everyone's support. Tinga is a highlight. Carnitas are very good as well

One of things I miss most about my old neighborhood is this place. Great food, fantastic service and awesome location on West 7th! Carnitas Burrito all day

This was not good at all. The steak tasted weird, the food was cold, the burrito was the most awful thing I have ever had. I thought the burritos at Pineda Tacos in Robert St were bad but this took the lead. The only good thing about this restaurant was the dessert and the salsa (kind of)... that is why I gave them two stars.

The best torta I've ever had, hands down. Incredibly flavorful food. Recommended by a friend and we'll definitely be back.

Found this via Yelp search when I was craving tacos, fellow yelpers did not disappoint. Definitely a hole in the wall hidden gem! - the pastor taco - the best flavor and only $2.5 - the fish tacos - a close second - the chicken Tinga - I was debating between this and the chorizo and the lady at the counter said the chicken was better. Good flavor but not my favorite. Also ordered the chicken tamale but took it to go as I was stuffed. But coworker said the chicken tamale was really good and moist. Will definitely come back as the pastor was amazing. Really friendly staff too!

I wanted to support a local business and I was hoping for a hole in the wall restaurant. We ordered a root beer, 4 hard shell, and 4 soft shell tacos. They asked if we wanted sour cream but didn't mention it would be an extra .50 cents PER TACO. $4 extra for sour cream. We spent $29 on this food thinking okay, it better be good. We waited a while for all of our food to be COLD! Why did it take so long to make when we were the only ones in line?! When I eat out, I want a good meal. If I'm spending money on food, then I want it to be a good meal. A break from me cooking. Super disappointed and will never come here again.

Love this place! Incredible food and great service. I've had several items on their menu and I have no complaints about anything I have had. A personal favorite of mine is their asada torta which are packed full of beef, onions, jalapeños, tomatoes, avocado, and cheese served on a perfectly crispy torta bun. I also am a huge fan of their green salsa, so much so I bought a giant tub of it for at home! Check this place out.

Love the tacos, burritos, alambre. Can't go wrong with anything on the menu. Family-owned, my favorite Mexican food in St. Paul

My husband has the good luck to come here for lunch, and I finally made the trek over. It's places like this that make me think West 7th is the BEST neighborhood in St Paul. If I ever become a city kid again, this is where I'm headed. I had chicken tacos and a chicken tamale. I eat a lot of tacos and i've had some so-so corn tortillas and masa. At Tavial, these items were excellent. Yes. I also had some of their amazing chips and salsa. Yes. I'm not a big steak or pork fan when it comes to Mexican, but my husband craves those items here. I rarely eat both rices and beans...bc I'd rather have a second taco. It's just nice enough inside to stay and eat, but I would get to go here constantly if I lived closer.

Excellent food! Friendly and efficient staff. Prices were reasonable, especially for the quality of food received. Torta and chimichanga were seasoned well. Très léché cake was moist and tasty. We had the tiger cake as well and it was like a childhood of comfort in a cake. Recommend highly!

Finally made it here recently for dinner after finding our first choice with a long line of people waiting to get in. No wait at this place. There were a few diners already seated at tables eating their dinner selections and the place seemed oddly quiet of any human sounds except for a little talking in kitchen area. Being my first time here, I ordered their chicken enchiladas plate that included rice and refried beans. I asked the woman behind the counter taking our order whether they made their horchata from scratch. She said they did, and offered that they also make their own jamaica, too. Based on what she told me about their horchata, I ordered a serving of it. After placing our order, we were told our order # so that we could retrieve our food once it was prepared. The first sip of the horchata was one of heavy sweetness and little else, which made me think they might not actually make their own from scratch. It tasted like it may have been pre-mix stuff. From my experience, made from scratch horchata is lighter in body, less sweet, and with a pronounced cinnamon flavor. My chicken enchilada plate was served on a porcelain plate and with a plastic fork. And no knife. I had an awkward time cutting bites of enchilada with the side of an unstable plastic fork. Strange that they served food on a porcelain plate but with no metal flatware. The enchilada sauce was a tangy green tomatillo and the chicken inside seemed moist and tasty. The rice and beans were really good. Getting to the end of my enchilada trio, I found the last one simply folded over like a taco, instead of rolled up. Part way through our meal, the silence inside the place was broken by someone turning on some Mexican music. Ahhh! That's just what was needed for some ambiance!

Yoooo this place is great!! In my frantic search for "best burrito near me" (on national burrito day, my new favorite holiday), Tavial was in the top few results and had been in my bookmarks for a while so away we went. And I'm so glad we did! We went around 6, and it wasn't very busy, so we had some time to take in their rather large menu. Legally, on that day we had to order burritos, so we did. I opted for the al pastor - $6.99 for what might be the biggest burrito I've held in my hands/arms. Extremely filling! The al pastor had a very good, slightly sweet flavor and was super tender. We tried the tiger cake as well - delicious! This is a great place for cheap, authentic Mexican in St. Paul! - They have a parking lot and a drive thru, are on bitesquad, they do takeout and the service is super quick!

OK, so in full disclosure, I do not like Mexican food. I take that back. I don't like Tex-Mex food. My husband does though, but I rarely eat out at Mexican restaurants in the Twin Cities. We decided to stop here for a quick lunch and I have to admit, it was really delicious. While the ambience is lacking, the food tasted authentic, fresh and very flavorful. I ordered the carnitas and Pastor pork tacos. For $2.75/taco, you can't go wrong! The green hot sauce was delicious also. The customer service was great/friendly, and the place was very clean. Again, I don't usually like Mexican food, but I'll definitely be back.

This place is good. I went last night and it was very cold out, unfortunately it was also very cold in. They need to turn the heat on. Their food is quite good, but I think the prices go up everytime I go. I got the cabeza tacos, rice and beans platter and it was $10.49. All of it very good. But they just started a new policy that they charge you a fee to use a credit card. Hello, this is 2019, most people only use credit cards - don't charge us extra. Did you know it saves a business money if they don't have to handle cash? Don't penalize us for doing you a favor. Anyway, as you can tell I find this off putting. Enough that I'm not sure I'll bother to go back. Plus, their cold in the winter dining room is like eating in a small DQ.