El Tango Taqueria

10/29/09

SERVICE IS HORRIFIC

by MADAMHUDYHU at Citysearch

MY HUSBAND AND I DECIDED TO DINE IN

ONE EVENING AFTER WE FIRST MOVED TO LAKEWOOD. THIS ESTABLISHMENT SURE DIDN'T GIVE US A WARM, WELCOME FEELING. THE FOOD IS GOOD, HOWEVER, THE MANAGEMENT AND STAFF

ARE DEFINITELY NOT UP TO PAR. WE WAITED ABOUT AN HOUR FOR OUR FOOD. (OBVIOUSLY MEXICAN FOOD DOESN'T TAKE THIS LONG). WHAT'S EVEN WORSE IS THEY HARDLY HAD ANY CUSTOMERS AND THEY DON'T HAVE A LIQUOR LICENSE TO SERVE ALCOHOL WHILE YOU ARE HUNGRY AND PATIENTLY AWAITING YOUR GRUB. (WTF?)WHEN MY HUSBAND AND I WERE READY TO LEAVE WE HAD KINDLY ASKED FOR A BOX. THE OWNER RUDELY INSULTED US BY RESPONDING WITH "THEY ARE BAD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT," THEREFORE HE WOULD GIVE US FOIL INSTEAD. WE WERE PERPLEXED BY THESE COMMENTS B/C THE OWNER HAD BOXES AVAILABLE AND REFUSED

TO GIVE US ONE. WE HAD ASKED HIM TO SIMPLY

GIVE US THE FOIL AND WE WOULD WRAP

OUR FOOD OURSELVES. HE INSISTED UPON

DOING IT WHICH MADE FOR AN UNCOMFORTABLE

ENVIRONMENT AND SNATCHED OUR PLATES AWAY. IF THIS IS THE OWNERS IDEA OF CUSTOMER SERVICE, THEN HE WILL HAVE

A DIFFICULT TIME MAINTAINING WORTHY PATRONAGE.

DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME ON THIS PLACE. INSTEAD TRY LUCHITA'S, JOHNNY MANGO, OR ZOCALO IF YOU WANT TO SPEND A PRETTY BUCK. (THEY ARE MORE PRICEY FOR MEXICAN FOOD, BUT HAVE EXCELLENT FOOD AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, TEQUILA!) IF YOU WANT A STEAL

OF A DEAL TRY EL RODEO OR NUEVO ACAPULCO

IN NORTH OLMSTED.

• Pros: GREAT FOOD
• Cons: DREADFUL SERVICE

10/15/09

AWESOME!!!

by lbliss at Citysearch

What a wonderful experience! We went for my daughter's birthday and it was perfect- the decor transforms you to another place, the food is not only generous but shockingly tasty. I lived in Denver for years and never had food this authentic there. I have, however, visited Mexico and it reminded me of it! The salsas are amazing, the variety will please everyone. Truly gourmet and the service was comfortable and kind yet professional. These people care about what they do. LOVED IT and will be a regular if Joe, the chef, continues to wow us with fantastic food and service!

• Pros: Variety of flavors and regions

10/10/09

had a great experience

by appollosmoon at Citysearch

I recenly went to el tango and had a geat time. The kitchen is under NEW MANAGEMENT. the restraunt is really cean and the food is great!! YES the owner is a little crazy but the general manager /head chef and the girl who takes are orders are friendly and work hard to please

• Pros: good food..friendly staff

09/12/09

Unsanitary Kitchen Conditions & Cheap Owner = Unprofessional

by A Wicked Witch at Citysearch

If I could give this place NO STARS I would!!!!

El Tango Taqueria may have the best Mexican style food in Lakewood but... BEWARE!!!! The food is prepared under highly unsanitary kitchen conditions. The owner is so cheap he doesn't even provide detergent to properly clean the dishes and also reuses food! Instead of throwing away salsa already used by one customer; the owner scoops what's left into a new dish and services the reused salsa to new customers!

If that's not disgusting enough, don't expect professional customer service here either. Check out some of the other horror stories and bad reviews detailing the unsatisfactory experiences of other customers. Don't waste your time or money on this shady restaurant... you might regret it once you get sick because your meal was prepared by the most unhealthy standards in the city.

• Pros: Good Food
• Cons: Unsanitary Kitchen, Horrible Service & Cheap Owner

08/31/09

Fantastic

by jpwalton at Citysearch

Fantastic place. Amazed every time I go. For years I've been heading there to enjoy their burritos, tacos, etc which are great, but the last time I went, I got one of the other "dinner" dishes, and was blown away

• Pros: Amazing Food
• Cons: No Beer

05/19/09

Great Food, High Prices

by britk07 at Citysearch

I'm sad to see so many people write bad reviews of this place because I had a great experience. I hadn't been there before, so I asked the man behind the counter (think he was the owner) what he recommended, which was the California Lime Avocado Burrito, so I ordered one with chicken and the Vanilla Limeade. Both were fantastic. The burrito was HUGE (made Chipotle's look small) and was filled to bursting. I felt ill by the end because I just couldn't put my fork down! And the Vanilla Limeaid was delicious, though really sweet, so brace yourself. It bummed me out that the only pop offered was in cans, because I tend to drink a lot at meals, but the limeade was pretty large, so I made due. I would say it's really more Californian Mexican rather than authentic Mexican, but I actually prefer those flavors, so I was happy. The dining room's pretty small, so ordering take out might be a good idea and parking is very limited, so beware. Overall it was a great experience and I hope that I don't have any of the problems in the future other people had, because I fully intend on going back!

• Pros: Huge Burrito, Very Fresh
• Cons: Parking, Prices, No Beverage Refills, Limited Seating

04/29/09

Shame

by Uzi at Citysearch

It is sad that after a customer for 5+ years I was told by the cowboy owner the well get the __ out!! A few weeks ago the owner instructed his cook to to stop using plates for server tacos and to place them in paper line, plastic baskets in order to save money. Yes, I'm sure it save money but it truly takes away from the wonderful food that he makes. Given that a taco is almost $4 this is not a freaking taco bell, nor other fast food joint.

I came in to tell him what my feeling of the baskets and paper were and he did not want to hear it... I brought me own plate to eat off of and he was mad... It is his business and he can surely run it as he wishes, but what's sad is he did not care about my opinion, just trying to tell me it all about saving water.

So ends a 5+ year relationship. I will miss the cook Mr. G.T.

• Pros: Good Food
• Cons: Owner!!!

02/13/09

Maybe Not Having an Liquor License Keeps His Temper Under Control...

by ANealSchneider at Citysearch

The only reason I am taking the time to review this restaurant is because my experience was THAT BAD. The problems involved are threefold:

1) the manager does not know how to respect customers or deal with them in a civilized manner and

2) they refuse to even provide water and offer only a handful of canned sodas.

3) if A=A, a taco is a taco - they should not be 3 or 5 dollars.

I went to Tango Taqueria with a friend, and after spending $25 on tortilla chips, 2 tacos, and a burrito, we decided it would be best to purchase a jug of water from the convenience store down the road rather than having to buy another bottle of water whenever we ran out. I drink a LOT of water. Apparently, because the owner mysteriously cannot come into possession of a liquor license, it is supposed to be common knowledge that BYOB is acceptable but any other liquids are not. After we went and purchased water elsewhere, and were waiting for our food, the manager came over and started yelling at us. Since his policy on beverages is basically "fend for yourself" we didn't even know there would be a problem. Instead of asking us not to bring anything but liquor next time, he simply started screaming at us. It was absurd. We had to ask for our food to go and it was all very awkward and inappropriate. The food really isn't bad, but I will never return knowing that the owner really does not care about customer satisfaction, but only milking them for all their worth. For those who would claim that this is my fault, and not that of the owner, I would ask you to provide justification for any restaurant owner who cannot provide paying customers with ice water and does not respect them enough to refrain from verbally assaulting them.

Overall:

Atmosphere: Pleasant

Food: OK

Prices: Not Worth It

Management: HA!

01/08/09

Decent "Californian" Restaurant in Cleveland

by clevelandtransplant at Citysearch

Firstly I would consider this place more Californian than Mexican. The dishes are tasty but overpriced in my opinion. I like the fact that they serve 3 kinds of salsa instead of just 1. I don't really want to pay over $10 for a burrito, granted it is a lot of food but it would be cheaper and just as good at a more authentic Mexican place. The food does seem very fresh though. Also if you want a coke, do not expect refills as they are only served in cans.

The service is not the greatest as they forgot to bring out our chips and salsa before our meal. It is also a little cramped during peak hours. The ambience is nice and a good place for a date, but probably not for kids.

• Pros: Fresh tasting food and good ambience
• Cons: Overpriced and inconsistent service

12/30/08

Amazing food so stop complaining!

by stopwhiningyouidiots at Citysearch

Some of you people need to stop whining. Good lord. This is the best Mexican food on the near west side -- we eat there probably once a week and have never witnessed any of the things you say supposedly happened during your visit there. El Tango's food is amazing, reasonably priced and head and shoulders above the competition. The vanilla limeade alone makes it worth a trip, let alone the food. I think I could probably eat the salsas alone as a meal -- and the tomato lime soup is heavenly. Even if you hate sweet potatoes, the tequila lime sweet potatoes will have you salivating for more. In short, this restaurant is amazing, and people like you are the reason why we can't have nice things in Cleveland.

• Pros: Ambience, food
• Cons: Parking