Tonali
Durham, NC 27707
Phone: (919) 489-8000
- Price:
- $$
- Cross Street:
- Old Chapel Hill Road
- Hours:
- Mon, Tue, Wed 11am-2:30pm, 5:30pm-9pm, Thu-Fri 5:30pm-9pm, Sat 5:30pm-10pm
Editorial Review for Tonali – by Neha Shah
In Short
Just like a friendly and warm Mexican kitchen, enter the place to see a good variety of local artwork intermingled with Mexican art. Delightful smells welcome you as you savor the freshest fish, the greenest greens, and made-from-scratch tortillas. Groups, families, and business guests all find this spot a rare ad inviting change, with fun appetizers (antojitos) and entrees.
Editorial content is independent of paid advertisers. Any expenses are paid for by Citysearch.
Insider Tips
Save TimeWeekends are very busy so call ahead to get on a list because reservations are not taken.
Know Before You GoThe authenic Mexican menu ambitiously changes weekly to offer local produce, plus organic, whenever available.
User Reviews for Tonali
03/23/2008 Posted by J1977
My partner had been to this restaurant before and recommended it, so we went. To our surprise, the dishes were much more expensive than we were expecting (he had been for lunch). Dinner was $14-$20 or so. In my opinion, it wasn't really worth the price. I have been living on the west coast, so maybe I am just spoiled for Mexican food. It was decent, but nothing I would rush back for, especially given the prices. The menu was also very limited variety. There were only about 5 dishes offered, all of which had something that I don't like in them. I ended up with a chicken mole. The mole sauce was good, but the chicken was heavily seasoned with cilantro (which I hate). The chicken I ordered also said it was served with rose petals. I asked the waiter about it and he said they were sort of as a garnish, but the plate came without any rose petals whatsoever. My partner had a paella which he enjoyed, but said was also not worth the price. One complaint I have is that the waitstaff took things before I was done with them. For instance, I had a glass of beer with dinner and a waitress asked if I wanted another when the glass got low. When I said no to another, she took the glass, even though I hadn't finished it. The same happened later with my water glass. All in all, it was decent, but Durham has a lot better to offer for the same price.
11/16/2007 Posted by jillianp
Going on the belief that being a good neighbor in the community counts just as much as food or service, Tonali's falls disappointingly short of the generally positive approach most folks in our area take to conducting business. After leaving an hour long dance session in the studio next door to the restaurant, I came out to find my vehicle had been towed from one of Tonali's spaces and I'd be spending $150 to get it back. I certainly respect that having parking available for customers is important and sometimes extreme measures are necessary to achieve results in areas where parking is limited (though Shannon Rd doesn't really fit that bill). But rather than alienating potential clients in then neighboring dance studio who have been coming to this location longer than the restaurant has been open, it would have left a much more positive impression (and made better business sense) to issue notices about the week-old towing practices now in effect and invite us over to give Tonali's a try for dinner and drinks before/after class. It's especially tough to support the owner's decision to tow, given there were vacant spots available, and on that particular Tuesday night, parking for restaurant patrons was not difficult to secure. While the food or service could be up to par, for customers who think business practices count as much as the product being sold, you may wish to seek an establishment that takes its neighborhood relationships a little more to heart.
0 out of 3 people found this review helpful
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