El Tres in Thunder Bay

El Tres in Thunder Bay was amazing! The chips and queso were perfect, the tacos were bursting with flavor, and the brownie was the sweetest ending. Friendly staff and a great vibe 10/10 experience!

Great food and good value. Nice inside but just a bit dark when we were there.

We tried the Novembergur and the taquitos. Both were amazing! The server was very friendly and very attentive.

Always an amazing time - great service and fantastic food!

Really loved the food after trying so many authentic ones around Tbay. Great food. The girls on back deck are awesome as well. My biggest disappointment was one particular fellow that was in a hurry to close on a Thursday night.....it was actually rude. . Love the whole vibe of the place but...

A hidden gem in Thunder Bay, was told to check out this restaurant. Food was good, service was great and humor of the staff was excellent!

Ordered from Uber eats as it was close to the hotel. Definitely a great surprise. Delicious. Very happy with the flavours. The pork belly was amazing. Quesadillas were great. Churros were great. The salsa verde was the best I ever had. Thanks!!!!

Friendly staff, nice atmosphere, food left a lot to be desired

Hard to find a chimichanga in Ontario sometimes but I found it here!!

Had a great meal here out on the patio! Would definitely recommend.

The food was very good, it was on the pricey side. Our waitress was very good and patient. The parking kinda sucked.

Had a great meal at El Tres, burrito is delicious not spicy, for the spice intolerant out there. Waiter Jack was a joy.

This is a cool Mexican restaurant. The decor is authentic and fun, and the service was great! We had the queso con chorizo dip for an appetizer , and it was amazing. Tons of chips too! My Wife had the chicken burrito meal, and I had the Carnito tacos. Both were excellent. The Margheritas were great, so refreshing! We would definitely recommend this restaurant. It was quite busy even at 5pm, so make reservations!

The best Mexican food in town amazing service and delicious food

Thanks Nick! Great food, great laughs. Loved how ice cold the machines are!

Was absolutely amazing decor. Amazing service. Everybody was very patient and very kind. However, I found the food to be not so great. It was very soggy. In order of enchiladas and tacos, the tortilla shells were very floral Tasting. Not worth it :(

First time there! food was amazing. Service even better and the Tequila speaks for itself. Yum yum

The drinks were good! The tacos had good flavor but the tortillas were a little dry.

El tres is one of my favourite spots in Thunder Bay so far!! The guacamole was delicious and the portion size was huge! I would also recommend the taco platter to sample each! If you like a spicy margarita I would suggest asking for a few extra jalapeños in the fifty fifty! Our server Nick was also hilarious and incredibly memorable, we will be back for sure :)

I really liked the service and their good food.

Who would have thought Id get the some of the best Mexican food I have ever had in Thunder Bay? Margaritas are great and should have caught the servers name because he was absolutely excellent.

An excellent place for a night out. The food is always delicious and the Margheritas are delicious!!

Food and atmosphere was great

Nick is very friendly and should be server of the year. Also food is very good!

The Chimichanga was outstanding. And the bartender/manager was great as was our waiter. And what a great atmosphere too. Get the Chimichanga!!!

Not too bad. The absolutely massive Chimichanga was the highlight of the entire meal, followed by the extensive tequila and mezcal drink menu. The 4 taco platter fell short for my liking. The restaurant is really loud and the lighting was pretty bad in all honesty. My date was a silouette the entire time. We also tried the jalepeno popper Taquitos and they werent too bad also. The price was fairly high for almost everything though. We went on a Friday night and no specials were told to us, maybe this is different during the week. If we come back to Thunder Bay we might skip this place but it was very memorable.

You need to eat here. Best Mexican restaurant in town by far. The food is amazing, the staff are incredible. Nick was able to fit our party in on zero notice on a busy night. He explained the menu perfectly, the food came out fast, the drinks were amazing and the prices were reasonable. I couldnt ask for a better experience. Nick, you made our night.

Food and drinks were amazing! Host was delightful, the rest of the staff seemed absolutely miserable, we had no idea who our waitress was and were mostly ignored Food

Good food, nice places in from Latinoamerica and this place make me feel in the atmosphere with my culture

This place is our go to date night. We had a new waitress, she used to be a host (Julia). She was professional, friendly and attentive. She s great and as always we had an excellent experience. The green couch is amazing will definitely be coming back to look at it but definitely will not sit on it 11/10 Vegetarian options: You can order many of the items to be made vegetarian.

I love that his place

This place is absolutely amazing. The staff are super knowledgeable and very friendly. The food is amazing. I have yet to try something I did not enjoy. Reasonably priced great for date night or group outings.

Food looked okay but taste was bland. Too pricey for the quality.

Best Mexican restaurant in town and one of my best in canada. Server was awesome, cannot wait to go back! Sangria was too good and by surprise the fish taco was amazing!

Chimichangas!

We just stumbled onto this gem for Mexican food, the service was fantastic

Amazing food. And great service! The queso was really good.

Spectacular bar, great food - highly recommend!

Loved everything about this. Truly authentic food.

Was my first time here tonight and will be back. Our server was really awesome and Knowledgeable. The food was 10/10. Highly recommend the empanadas and the chicharonnes.

Good food & amazing service

IF YOURE GOING TO LISTEN TO ANY OF THESE REVIEWS, LET IT BE THIS ONE. my girlfriend and I went here for a date night. Not only was the food INCREDIBLE, our server Nick was phenomenal!! He was super helpful with food recommendations, drink choices (the margaritas were awesome) and was overall super friendly! We will definitely come back. 100/10

Our server was the best! We got the taquitos and queso con chorizo and they were amazing!

Pick anything and it will go hard

Awesome staff, amazing food, great vibe. Give it a try, I promise you wont be disappointed.

Cant go wrong with this gem right-smack downtown in Thunder Bay. Great food, great cocktails, friendly servers.

This is my new favorite Latin restaurant! Great service and price! Fox approved! Recommended dishes Churros, Enchiladas Con Carne

Service 6 stars for sure, and the chiccaron was amazing

Great ambiance!

Pricey for what you get. A good choice of tacos and burritos but not really anything else. I hoped for more choices of Mexican food. The salsas and dips were bland. Service was decent but nothing Mexican about the atmosphere. I probably wont go back but worth checking out at least once to see if its what you like.

There was a finger nail in my food! And the food was gross. It s like they went to Taco Bell and brought it to the restaurant ! Never going there again. The male manger keep hitting on my 14 year old brother, just disgusting!

Delicious food! Get the horchata if youre looking for a drink, they made a non-alcoholic one for me that was perfect!

Great mexican restaurant to Visit in Tbay. Went out for dinner with my friends and I tried Empanada(Beef). IT was amazing. The server was very funny and took care of us great. Menu was pretty good and the place seems to be really vibing. I will recommend this place and will defenitely go back.

Disappointed before we even went through the doors. Pay for parking which is limited. I payed for parking was a half hr early to opening. Shopped. Came back 20 minutes after 5, they open at five. Was told the only seating was at the bar. There were only 4 people there. They should say on web site, reservations highly recommended.

Ordered some takeout from El Tres when I was passing through Thunder Bay on a trip. The nachos with queso were absolutely nuts. The platter is loaded with the nacho essentials and the chips were the proper tortilla chips. Its really easy for a restaurant to make garbage nachos but these nachos were fantastic. Tacos were decent but my girl really liked them. Edit: visited El Tres a year later to dine-in. I wish i could leave a second review. The nachos and large queso were even more incredible than before. My girl liked the Horchata cocktail and the margaritas are strong.

Service was amazing, food was really good! Local beer mixed with a great burrito.

A good place to enjoy Mexican food. The flautas and enchiladas were delicious. Churros however were not to our taste. If you are ordering them, make sure you have room left in your stomach, the order is huge.

It was a last minute decision to go here bc the window was up and it looked uber kewl. They managed to fit us in @the bar which was rather quite nice. Bartender was amazing. He made exactly what we were in the mood for . We shared the flank steak dish. It was a party in my mouth and we still had leftovers so portions are quite generous. Recommend and will be returning!

Second visit coming through Thunder Bay

Came for the beer, stayed for the Guac. Huge variety of tequila. Good atmosphere.

Amazing authentic food

Very special experience, food and service wise. My wife had tacos and I had enchiladas. It was delicious and prepared with care. We were happy to find this restaurant. Even more special evening beside food we had because of our server, Nicholas (I think). He was very kind, he explained the dishes with passion and recommended the food we greatly enjoyed that evening. Highly recommended place for all people who appreciate Mexican cuisine!

Fantastic food, atmosphere, and staff. Knowing I was also a bartender I was offered a small sample of a future cocktail, will definitely return if in the city.

What a place! Drinks were perfect, food was delicious and the staff were both inviting and fun! Will be back again when Im up this way! Ps. Do yourself the favor and order the taquitos

First I want to say our server Mario was great! They were working the patio alone and was very attentive and so friendly despite it being super busy! I split the guacamole and chips with a friend and then got the nachos because on the menu they sounded really tasty. The chips that came with the guacamole were somehow undercooked yet overcooked at the same time? They were super thick and rock solid. Not thin and crispy. They used the same chips for the nachos but because they then have to put them in the oven they were burnt and even harder than the ones that came with the guacamole. I literally texted my friend the next day that my jaw hurt from chewing the chips. Nachos were super bland, and gave me severe I wish I had of just made these at home vibes. I would possibly consider going back to see if maybe I just ordered a weak item on the menu but overall I think for the price and quality I was disappointed.

Amazing tacos!

Wow!

An excellent experience. Enjoyed the enchiladas (con Carne y batata) and finished off with fresh churros and coffee. We were seated with a view of the street for people watching and our waiter (Nick) was very attentive and pleasant. The Latino music played in the background and took us back to the fond memories of old Mexico as we whiled away our winter blues. Thanks guys, you made our evening out!

Delicious, fresh, and gluten friendly.

Great stuff good food and good selection on drinks all around fun place

Consistently amazing!!

Amazing food. Great beer choices and tableside by our server Nick. I will 100% be going back often Vegetarian options: Flautas were amazing

The chorizo queso is AMAZING! Nick was hilarious and made our experience wonderful. 10/10 recommend getting a margarita pitcher to share between friends.

My partner and I LOVE El Tres! The atmosphere is always amazing & the food is consistently top notch. I will say that even if the food was constantly awful, I d still go just for the Server Nick! He makes El Tres go from a 10/10 date night spot to a 981761/10. Cannot recommend enough!

Nasty. Pork was so overcooked that it was like chewing on beef jerky.

Great food, great atmosphere and great service.

Havent been since before the lockdowns, but they had great food!

We had ordered 5 chicken and 5 pork tacos and had high expectations from the reviews. Unfortunately, they were cold and had no spice or seasoning. Over all I was very disappointed paying over 70$ for 10 small tacos and a burito. We ordered for 3 people but the tacos were so small and flavourless we ended up ordering pizza after. I hope this was a one off day but from talking to friends and family they too have had similar experiences to mine. I dont believe the Google reviews reflect the food accurately. I like supporting local businesses but after eating here I will be going to taco time from now on.

Online service wasnt great. Called twice and both calls dropped and went nowhere. Finally, was put in hold for 15 min and then call cancelled. 4th call I was able to make it through with a 1.5 hr wait time for food. For the price, Id expect more but I guess its Cinco so....

Phenomenal service, incredible food, and the margaritas are next level. You need to eat here.

Friendly and efficient serves are well versed in explaining, to us small townies, the components of Mexican good that doesnt involve tater tots! The food was delicious and subtle, if slightly underseasoned, probably adapting to Northern Ontario palates makes a truly authentic taste difficult to balance. If you like tequila, I strongly suggest trying some of the imports available at the bar. Tortillas needed a little freshening on the griddle, but had a good feel. Enter at front, patio on side, reservation recommended.

Very expensive, and I dont really see where they find the justification for the price. I will say, their queso blanco was very good, although it is no longer on the menu and was replaced with a chorizo version. Their margaritas are good, but way to expensive, and if you want the house marg. well thats even MORE expensive. When they first opened they equipped each table with a selection of hot sauces, now you have to pay for it to come on the side and you pay per hot sauce.. $12 for two small tacos and you have to pay $2.50 if you want to put hot sauce on them? Overall, its underwhelming food for overwhelming prices and it was better when they first opened.

Authentic Mexican restaurant . Good for mexican cocktail and food. Good quality and portion of food.

Great food and presentation! Filling and tasty, the tacos especially. That pile of nachos! Service also enjoyable and courteous and fast.

Delicious but a bit overpriced

The appetizers were very good. I tried the enchiladas con carne and was a little underwhelmed. Could be personal preference though. Definitely worth a visit to see for yourself.

Awesome place to get some good eats!

I was very happy with my food, the restaurant atmosphere, and our server - he was a character, and a lot of fun to joke around with. Plus he let me get a dessert to go 20 minutes before the kitchen closed. Its been a long time since Ive given a tip over 20%.

Great food, hilarious and fun service that came with odd movie suggestions. Thanks for a great night, Nick (our server)

Very clean, very friendly staff

Great food! Fresh and tasty, the MARGARITA was super delicious! 5 stars for this great place!

Waiter was fun, attentive and wonderful sense of humor. Food was amazing. Atmosphere is great.

The culinary scene has certainly changed from my Lakehead University days! El Tres - was a delightful experience! Located on Red River Road (Port Arthur), it offers up a wonderfully uncomplicated menu. You ll be sure to find something that fills those cravings! While I kept things simple with some local craft beer (Lake of the Woods Kolsch), there is a good selection of cocktails and wine. The food , from the opening round of chips and guacamole, to the flautas, to the esquites, to the fish tacos, inspired and transported you away. The service was engaging, and entertaining! If you have a craving for Mexican, then be sure to visit El Tres!

Amazing food and nice ambiance we will definitely be back to try more

Great authentic Mexican food and a wonderful selection of tequila.

Fantastic Mexican food 2,800 km from Mexico. Food was perfect, just the right amount of spice, desert was amazing and the server was great. Id recommend this to anyone who doesnt want bland chain food Mexican.

So, the food has a great flavour, service was good and I really liked the mexican aesthetics in there. Would I call it authentic mexican food? Nope. Its more like a fusion with tex mex. Did I enjoyed my chorizo empanadas? Absolutely! Portion was very decent, right amount of spicyness and tons of flavour. Someone else order taquitos and I have to say that the beans tasted really good. Those taquitos are decently spicy, maybe too much for someone that is not used to spicy food. I was very excited when I read in the menu that they offer traditional churros, but although they were tasty, again, not what youd expect if you ever have ate mexican churros. I had the horchata drink and I loved it. A little pricey, so definitely something to consider before hand, but overall, a good experience.

First time there, no food compliant, good sizes. Try the in house Iced Tea!

Good service quick tacos big and tasty meat the burritos are a good size a gin hibiscus drink very good recommended

Really good atmosphere

Food is good. Service is awesome

Loved the tasting menu. Good service. Great selection of tequila and mezcal.

Good is okay, service is just incredibly slow

Great guacamole, alittle cool in there though.

Ive been frequenting the Great White North for some time now. As of late I have been very impressed by the quality and the variety of restaurants in this town. El Tres is another great example of said statement. I ordered the taco plater which allows one to sample one of each of the tacos available on the menu. The dish was so attractive and aromatic that I totally forgot to take a picture. This is not the first time this has happened. I was also very happy to see that ONLY Local Beers where available on Tap. The decor felt right and the crowd was lively for a Tuesday night. Finally, the wait staff was very chatty while maintaining a professional deportment. As always, dont forget to tip your waitstaff. Cheers!

Great service and amazing food!

Love love love this place! Best fish tacos Ive ever had! They make a mean margarita too! All the staff are fantastic too very knowledgeable of the menu

Delicious dinner tonight! Almost as good as if we were there!!! Just looking for someone to do my dishes;) Thank you!!

this place has gone down hill. used to be one of my favourite spots but then they stopped serving heatbeat hot sauce. Also, they should offer a side (coleslaw perhaps) with the tacos. this will validate the high prices.

Chyeah

Friendly, fresh, delicious! Staff was great, music and patio setup was nice. Best tacos in Thunder Bay - closest thing to eating in Mexico. Would 10/10 recommend the walleye and beef tacos any day of the week.

Spent a really good time with my girlfriends Tried guacamole, margaritas, assorted taco s and strawberry churros. 10/10

Highly recommend! First time, came with a group of 7 from Edmonton. Food was top notch and our server Nick was truly outstanding. Yum!!

I d call this place a Mexican fine dining restaurant. Food was flavourful, presented well and the service was good, but definitely pricier than most Mexican restaurants I ve been to. The hottest hot sauce on the menu had quite the kick to it.

Great atmosphere. Helpful and friendly staff. Very accommodating of kids. Good food. A great spot for a family dinner.

Amazing service and excellent food

Amazing food and atmosphere

Outstanding food, drinks, and service in a comfortable and cozy atmosphere. I ate here on a drive across the country, and it was my favourite restaurant of the trip!

not authentic :/ also really expensive for some reason but the food is ok

We enjoy the Mexican vibes and their authentic foods! Definitely worth a visit.

Such great food and even better customer service. We had a severe food allergy in our group and they accommodated us perfectly. Our waiter Nick was so friendly and funny. I will be back for sure.

Excellent indoor vibe. Quick, casual service. Close your eyes and point at the menu, itll always be tight. Best margaritas in town, extremely sessionable.

this is the best cuisine in thunder bay, aside from Westfort Coney

Great food and service. Cant wait to visit again!

Awesome atmosphere and authentic Mexican cuisine. Great Margarita and tortilla chips and salsa were addictive.

Love it!! Service was amazing food was beyond amazing.

Food was expensive for portions and quality. The churros were not the best quality. The set of 4 tacos were good, but way too expensive for the portion size. The only thing I would order again is the burrito, because the portion is decent for the 21 dollar price tag.

Great authentic food, sizeable servings and very affordable.

Amazing food...wonderful drinks and cozy atmosphere

After waiting an unneeded amount of time for a few tacos, we were about to leave, but our food finally did show up. When the bill came, our server asked my wife and I if we would like separate bills. As a couple we have faced this more than once, but it continues to be a horribly offensive. The other groups around us were all on single bills, but to be asked if we would like separate bill because we are a mixed race couple is so insensitive that it left a terrible experience to both my wife and I.

Mexican Food by numbers. Overall im quite unimpressed by El Tres. I had very high hopes when I perused the menu - happily reading through authentic, delicious sounding mexican recipes, while i struggled to keep my drool under control. Alas, where El Tres fails miserably, is FLAVOUR. Talk about disappointing - The food is interesting sounding, and unique - but across the board, its desperately lacking in seasoning. There are Mexican ingredients aplenty, but to say Mexican flavour would be inaccurate - the flavour (if you can call it that) is completely bland, and missing any semblance of the joie de vivre that id expect from classical Mexican cuisine. Boring boring boring. The Tacos fell apart before i had even gotten the first bite to my mouth, and even when i gathered up all the ingredients with my bare hands, the flavour was so disappointing, i wished i hadnt even bothered. Over priced, and under delivers - youre probably better off spending your money at taco time.

For the price of the food, I was expecting a little bit more. The food was okay. Very limited menu. Tequila selection is solid.

Good authentic Mexican food.

Very good Mexican and helpful staff to decipher the nonsense on the menu.

The best place in Tbay. I miss the churros and the dipping sauce. It would be great if i could know what are those called. But everyone who still lives in Tbay give it a shot its an amazing place

The food was good and the staff were helpful.

I love El TREZ! The food is delicious and filling. Their margaritas are amazing

Crazy good cocktails, tasty empanada and I had a desert (Natilla) to die for! Trendy vibe and amazing decor. Good latino music .

Interesting drinks and great bartenders!

Good hot sauce

Really nice atmosphere, drinks and food. Only thing I wasnt a fan of was the fish taco. The taste of it was just deep fried. However everything else was quite pleasant .

Great atmosphere. Friendly staff. I highly recommend the guacamole, and the pollo tacos with a sweet heat margarita is a great pairing.

Wow the portions are very large, ordered the tasting menu and we were full before the main!

I dont care what you like, get the brisket tacos.

Unbelievable food and a great staff. A must visit while in Thunder Bay

Lively atmosphere great drinks and great food friendly and courteous staff Sarah was a very helpful server to explain all our drinks and food questions

Foods great, only annoying thing is if you want to make a reservation as a Couple, or Smaller group, they wont reserve anything unless you have a group of 6 or more which kind of sucks especially because they are a more high traffic restaurant .

Amazing food and friendly staff. Gotta love the guac here.

Delicious!!!!

Awesome atmosphere, and great selection of tequilas and hot sauces, including a Heartbeat hot sauce exclusive. Food and service is top notch as well.

Not good!

Margaritas and tacos

Fresh, clean and yummy food. Keeps me going back every time Im in town!

Pretty good authentic mexican

Great food, slowest service ever. I mean horribly slow. Didnt see our server for up to 20 minutes or more at some points.

food was delicious. will go again soon