El Arena Taco Shop is a Mexican wrestling fan’s paradise. Located in an unassuming building on Douglas Road, guests enter into a vibrant, bright, and colorful celebration of luchadores (professional wrestlers) and their Mexican heritage. Every piece of furniture in the restaurant is covered in painted portraits of luchadores, either as solo portraits or in the midst of grappling with opponents. The walls are covered with authentic luchador masks and memorabilia. It is truly a uniquely spirited spot, unlike any other locally.
To begin our meal, our party ordered the classic chips and salsa, guacamole, and chorizo queso. The guacamole was creamy and fresh, and the queso was the perfect combination of cheese and spicy chorizo. These, along with warm chips, combined to make a fantastic dip sampler that was a great start to our meal, being careful not to spoil our appetites, which could be dangerously easy.
When in a “taco shop” . . .
If a restaurant is going to call itself a “taco shop”, it seems that would be the menu item to try. So we ordered the “taco smorgasbord” — consisting of a carnitas taco, an al pastor taco, a carne asada taco, and the signature quesabirria tacos. The carnitas, al pastor, and carne asada were all served street taco style (with cilantro, onion and lime), and were bursting with flavor. Each had its own spice blend, making each taco a different experience. El Arena prides itself on the quesabirria tacos. Three corn tortillas stuffed with birria dipped beef, queso Chihuahua, chopped onions, and cilantro, served with a traditional Mexican birria style beef broth. Truly, these were among the best tacos I have ever eaten in my life. Incredible on their own, when dipped in the broth they somehow became even better, culminating in a flavor experience that I’ve been craving ever since.
For dessert, we were pointed in the direction of the fried ice cream, and it certainly did not disappoint. Some “fried ice cream” desserts are just a scoop of ice cream in a fried tortilla shell, but this one was truly impressive. Chocolate chip ice cream that was, indeed, fried, with a chewy outer crust, covered in chocolate sauce and caramel and served in the fried tortilla shell. We absolutely devoured the dessert and loved every last bite.
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The drink menu is simple but the offerings are made with good quality ingredients, featuring a variety of styles and flavors of margaritas, beers — both imported and domestic — and a few other classic cocktails. We opted for margaritas, one classic lime and the other raspberry. Both were nicely balanced, between the fruit juices and the tequila, and fresh. I’ve had my fair share of artificially flavored margaritas that slap you in the face with tequila (and sometimes that’s what the moment calls for), but these margaritas were different and blended the flavors very well; the perfect addition to the meal.
El Arena Taco Shop is one of Toledo’s most unique dining environments. It is one thing to have a theme for a restaurant. It is another thing entirely to commit to that theme from decor to table to booth to bar. El Arena does it with authenticity and joy, and it is fun to witness as a diner. This is definitely a must-see venue that delivers both with showmanship as well as culinary prowess, where this reviewer highly recommends that you stop in when in the mood for a flavor knockout!
Tues-Thurs: 12pm-8pm
Fri & Sat: 12pm-9pm
Sun: 12pm-8pm
Mon: Closed
4635 Douglas Rd.
Toledo, OH 43613
567-315-8944
Facebook: El Arena Taco Shop
Lighting: Well-lit
Parking: Plenty
Kid-Friendly: Yes
Noise: Medium
Price: Low-Medium ($5-$25)
