Tonali

Everything is prepared to order so it is not a fast experience, but the food is absolutely delicious and the owners are ridiculously gracious and kind. One of our favorite spots in Durham. Tacos, Myer Lemon margarita, chocolate torte… boom!

This place was decent, but overrated. Definitely a different twist than your average Mexican with some unique menu items. However the product wasn’t as great and exciting as the description had called it out to be.
We got the grouper tacos which were pretty gosh darn average. Fried meat in small corn tortilla. Also split the daily special steak tacos. Not too flavorful nor exciting. Also got the chicken soup which was actually better than expected. (They unfortunately did not have the gumbo as advertised!)
Drinks were pretty decent. Service was average — did decent with kids at a large table.
Overall wasn’t bad, but didn’t meet the hype of being upscale Mexican. Next time would probably prefer standard Mexican food at the cheaper cost.

The food here is unique and excellent! Few but great vegetarian options. Highly recommend the chocolate brioche cake!

[I would not eat here. Go somewhere else. It seems like the owners don’t care and that the restaurant will close soon.]
We looked at Unilocal before going — the reviews are either low stars or very high stars. Low stars always talk about poor service, long wait times, etc. Both the low and high star rankings often talk about how good the food is.
The food *is* good. However, it is not *that* good.
But, the service is *that* bad.
We visited on a Saturday:
— Arrived at 1 PM.
— There were already three tables,
— There was one server. There was one person we could see in the back.
— The air conditioner was not working (understandable — it was a sudden hot snap in November).
— We did not leave for more than an hour.
— Server could not get us anything on time.
— We could not get the servers attention.
— All of the other patrons were saying the same thing.
— Several groups came in, looked around, and then left.
— The food was fine; I had the eggs and the kids quesadilla order was a hit.
— My wife’s and MIL’s orders were okay — not great.
— The margaritas (1) took forever to arrive, (2) were not very good.
Life is short — don’t waste a meal at a place that clearly doesn’t care about you or your experience.

The food is Amazing! The only reason for ⁴⁄₅ stars is because there is only one server and service is a little slow with an added language barrier. This is a mom and pop operation, however, and it seems like the daughter is the waitress while mom cooks in the back. Let me tell you, though, if you can be patient until you get your entrée, it will keep you coming back for more! Momma knows how to fix a delicious meal! Everything tastes freshly made and from scratch! Will not disappoint… just ask for everything you need up front so you don’t get frustrated with the service.

This place is in a small shopping center but the food was amazing! I had the carnitas that were so good! Very flavorful and yummy!
We also got desert of crème brûlée which was small but very good even though it was a little different definitely delicious
Only reason I’m giving this place 4 stars is the menu was so confusing I partly got what I did because it was an easier section to understand. There was a paragraph of items that all blended together and confused the crap out of me.

Went for lunch with a group of girlfriends to celebrate a birthday. The décor was inviting and the restaurant was close to empty. only two-​three other clients, which was nice for a group of chatty girls. Despite the almost empty restaurant at lunchtime the service very slow. Ordered fish tacos which was a serving of three small soft tacos. However, only one taco had a medium sized piece of grouper, one had a tiny ½ inch piece of fish and the other a small piece of fried batter (sorry, should have taken a picture) the rest was cabbage and dressing in taco. I pointed it out to the server who apologized and subsequently went and got another serving of the dish (which was pretty much the same) when one of the friends asked for a replacement. However while paying we noticed the server had charged for the extra tacos. When we brought it to her attention, she called the manager/​owner who insisted we had to pay for the extra tacos because we «needed» it and had eaten it. He was disrespectful and argumentative saying we should not have eaten the tacos and should have returned them. We offered the manager to keep the leftover tacos which we had packed so as not to be wasteful but he became aggressive, snatched the tacos, threw it in the trash and snapped, «don’t get low-​class here.» Totally rude! It looks like the manager/​cook skimps on food passing it off as small servings typical at «high class» restaurants and did not like it when called on it… passing fried batter pieces as fried fish!
We paid the bill in full, in cash and left having no desire to engage with him any further.
Sadly, a happy celebratory occasion ended on a very negative note. Clearly the manager/​owner does not know how to speak and treat his customers. Needless to say we will not be back.

Very disappointing experience. The food took ample time to be delivered despite our being one of the few groups in the restaurant. The dishes did not live up to the description, with «fish tacos» containing very little «fish.» Our request to replace the dish was handled poorly and argumentatively. We were charged for the replacement dish without notice. Ultimately, we just paid the full bill and departed… wanting no more unpleasant interactions. It was never about the money – it was about the principle. We will not be back again.

In business trip from NYC and lucky to have found this place. Creative and delicious Mexican food. Better than I’ve had in NYC.

Went there with a group of 8 for dinner. We had reservations and were seated right away. The server was pleasant but really didn’t have a grasp of English and it was difficult for her to understand everyone’s order. There wasn’t really anything on the menu for children even though on their website they claim to be a family oriented restaurant. Everyone’s food did not come out at the same time but everyone seemed to be OK with the food itself. The server was not very attentive and didn’t keep a check on our table. Two of us wanted another drink but she never showed up until we were finished with the meal — too late,
I doubt that we will go there again.

The best authentic Mexican food in the area and 100% matches the price. Very kind and humble employees that go out of their way to make your experience the best. My favorite meal are the steak huaraches. The ingredients are fresh and high quality, especially the meat.

What a wonderful place ! Go with friends and order everything!!! Especially desssert. The atmosphere is great and the service makes you feel like you are having lunch/​dinner at a friends house. The gazpacho is a must have.

Overall, I really enjoyed Tonali. The atmosphere is well decorated with murals and pictures on the wall — and the staff, very attentive. I ordered tacos, and left very hungry. I got three very small yet flavorful tacos which in my opinion would have been better served as an appetizer. However I enjoyed it enough to return. I’ll likely order something else that’s a little larger to feed my ferocious appetite.

Incredible taste and presentation. Service was great! Wholesome meal… Try the chocolate cake (brioche) … Was like a lava cake. So good. So fresh.

Descent food, but does not match up to the price of the dish. A $ 21 paella they serve should be charged $ 10 or $ 11, but not $ 21, it doesn’t live up to it. Most of the dishes in the menu should be halfed priced. The serve and indoor décor is pleasant. However another sign of the restaurant having their heads up their behind is the fact the waiters are nit knowledgeable of their restaurant’s dishes. It comes with expectation that any good (s) sold at a above average price comes with a seasoned employee to guide the customers’ need.
The Improvements they need to work on in order to live up to the expectation they are insinuating should be as follows:
1. Enhance food quality or at least quantity to balance out the other.
2. Hire waiters with a better knowledge of the dishes served.
Which is why I stand bold with my 2 star rating.

I went here for lunch with coworkers and the restaurant wasn’t too crowded at all even for a Friday. Everyone at my table said that the food was really good, so I was pretty excited. They brought two baskets of salsa and chips, but the baskets didn’t contain a lot of chips, which was fine by me because I wanted to wait for my main entrée. I decided to get the fish tacos ($ 9.95) and I was a bit disappointed to see how small the tacos were, but they tasted awesome especially the mango salsa. It didn’t take too long to finish the tacos since they were so small. The tacos were a bit hard to eat and I thought it needed at least 2 tortillas or they will fall apart. One out of three had 2 tortillas. After I ate my tacos, I was left wanting more. I decided to get some dessert so I got guava flavored flan. I thought that pretty good, but the price of $ 6 was a tad pricey.
Don’t get me wrong the food is great here, but the price point for the tacos and flan was a bit too high. The tacos would be worth it if they added a side or two.

I spent 43 dollars here: one appetizer, one entrée, one drink, and one dessert. None of them was fulfilling. None of them was impressive.
It is okay Mexican food and definitely over priced.

I could see how some folks could consider this place 4 – 5 stars, but it is definitely not my cup of tea. I would give it 2.5 stars if that was an option. Our food was fresh and tasty, but the portions were TINY and overpriced in my book. On the day we dined at lunchtime, literally every other table was occupied by groups of, shall I say, ladies of a certain age. It dawned on me that this would seem like a great place if you’re used to a lunch consisting of a watercress sandwich garnished with a sprig of parsley.
I also was not crazy about the décor, atmosphere, and lack of windows. Service was slow, but the place was full so I guess that is to be expected to some extent.
One additional warning: our two kids found nothing on the menu of interest. I would not call it «kid friendly» even compared to a typical Mexican restaurant.
Others seem to rave about this place, so maybe they were just running low on food hence scrimping on portions the day I came, or maybe there are just a lot of light eaters that frequent this place.

I really like this place. Felt like home. They do claim that they serve home cooked Mexican meal and they are absolutely right. Their menu changes often and that only goes to prove their repertoire of dishes that they can serve.
I had the empanadas and relleno. Both were just awesome. We finished the meal with a Flan. If you haven’t had Flan (like I), then you should start with having it here. And then you should try it other places, you will come to appreciate the Flan these guys serve.
Its good for a romantic night out. The dressing was casual which made it a bit easy and comfortable. I will go back again given a chance.

The food here is more upscale than the décor, but it’s definitely worth a visit. The staff is friendly and the food is really well-​designed and presented. The menu feels authentic and isn’t huge like many Mexican places, but there’s enough choice and variety that anyone should find something to their liking. I had the grouper tacos with mango and chipotle sauce, and they were delicious. If I’d had a bigger appetite the night I was there, I would have gone for the grilled red snapper over rice and beans with plantain chips.
The bar turns out a nice selection of specialty drinks as well as beer specials on tap. (There are only three seats at the bar, tucked over in a corner while the longer front side doesn’t have seating.) I had a jarrito, which was rum and tequila mixed with your choice of fruit juice combinations. I had it with pineapple, orange and lime and it was delicious as well as festively served in a painted clay mug.
The chips are good, nicely thick and fresh tasting, but the salsa isn’t anything special. I tend to like mine chunkier, but maybe that’s a Tex-​Mex thing rather than true Mexican. Not too much of a fan of Christmas lights or plastic lei garland as décor, but the place is colorful and the food is good enough to overlook the surroundings.