Tio's Mexican, Main Street to Sumter Street: 2008 (moved) 12 comments
The thing about Tio's is that it is open late. However, that's not enough in my opinion. I went there a few years ago when it was after 10pm and not a weekend night, so my choices for Mexican were severely limited. I was a bit encouraged by the place featuring dozens of bottles of different kinds of hot sauce, but unfortunately, they didn't seem to actually use any of them in preparing the food. When I was on campus recently, I picked up a copy of the student newspaper, The Daily Gamecock which had a less than positive review.
Anyway, I mention Tios because it has moved from Main Street at the base of the Capitol to Sumter.
UPDATE 21 December 2023: Adding map icon, updating tags.
12 Responses to 'Tio's Mexican, Main Street to Sumter Street: 2008 (moved)'
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Dennis
24 Oct 08 at 10:19 pm
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The place I just mentioned became a strip club called Bottoms Up after the restaurant closed.
Dennis
25 Oct 08 at 7:09 am
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Ted,
While getting some takeout in a restaurant today I came up with an exception to you Signs Your Favorite Restaurant is About to Close - which is, if the restaurant is operated by a bunch of stoners then it is perfectly reasonable to be out of mundane things like straws and lids. I'm not sure how they keep the rest of the restaurant thriving but they do - its just some of the small details that slip by.Joe
25 Oct 08 at 5:40 pm
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Well, every rule has exceptions!
And that same rule applied to D's on Beltline, which is apparently open again and now open on Sunday -- New ownership perhaps?
ted
25 Oct 08 at 5:45 pm
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Damn, that is one unprofessional yet harsh review. I wonder what effect the review might have on their business.
Michael
26 Oct 08 at 10:39 pm
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Well, I guess that depends on if anyone actually reads The Daily Gamecock. My memories from college are than nobody did (except that time they printed the topless picture of that girl on spring break).
I was unimpressed with Tio's, but thought it was low-average, not as bad as the Gamecock guy. (The worst Mexican I ever had was in Red Bank New Jersey).
ted
26 Oct 08 at 11:05 pm
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An FYI to that reviewer. The reason they call it a "Wet Burrito" is because it has sauce on it. Tio's isn't bad. I stopped in there last week w/o my signature yellow cup. The server charged me for another large drink, but failed to bring me another yellow cup til I requested it. It wouldn't kill them to bring some free chips/salsa out, since everybody is so used to that at the bigger chain places.
I'm glad they have adequate parking there. Does anybody remember Orlando's in that same group of shops?
Dennis, that was Tez's at 1-26/Bush River Road. They also had another location on Broad River Road in Friarsgate Shopping Center, where Monterrey's is located. I think they were exclusively "Tex-Mex."
Jonathan
27 Oct 08 at 9:39 am
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The one really good thing about Tio's is the extra-hot salsa. It's a flavorful habanero salsa that outshines everything else on the menu -- you should consider their food merely a substrate on which to put the extra-hot salsa.
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The current Tio's was a Lizard's Thicket back in the 90's. There used to be a McDonald's and a drug store in that same stretch of spaces (under cornell arms) back in the early 80's. The businesses in that stretch as well as the adjacent building (beazer's subs, old new clear days records) have undergone so many changes in the past 20 years its hard to keep track.
Alex
12 Dec 08 at 3:36 pm
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I remember the Tio's being a Lizard's Thicket when I was at USC in the 90's and a McDonald's when I was in elementary school in the mid-80's.
I think next door to the Beezer's was a Sandy's Hot Dogs back in the mid-80's too.
When I was in 4th grade, as part of the "ALERT" program in RD2 once-a-week at Forest Lake Elem., we took tours of historic Columbia... We alwayd had lunch at either that McDonald's, the Sandy's next door, or the Sandy's below Sylvan's (where Hampton St. Vineyard is now). I'd always forget to tell my mom we were going downtown, and I'd only bring the usual $0.65 for lunch!
Dave
13 Dec 08 at 4:39 am
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Sandy's was definitely next door in the 80s, as well as a video arcade and Budget Tapes & Records
ted
13 Dec 08 at 2:40 pm
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Yes, there was a McDonalds at that location in the late 70s-early 80s. I worked at it when a student at USC. Also, Sandy's was next door. This was before Cornell Arms was bought out by the University. I still have my uniform which I am donating to McDonald's archives in Chicago.
Lisa
24 Nov 14 at 10:47 am
What was the name of the Mexican place that was on Bush River Rd. near I-26? Was that also Tio's?