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Tonali

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3642 Shannon Rd (at Old Chapel Hill Road)
Durham, NC 27707

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(919) 489-8000
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Reviews
( 15 )
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( 2 )

Best

Excellent food, excellent service! This is a ""Mom and Pop"" operation--Pop is the chef and Mom provides warm, friendly, and prompt service. The food is delicious, obviously pre...

Worst

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 mos...

Editorial review from Citysearch 12/1/2013

A little gem. As far as Mexican food goes: this is THE REAL DEAL. They serve sophisticated cuisine like you would find in fancy restaurants in Mexico city. Think about the most amazing flavors, fragrant salsas, colorful and aesthetic presentation, etc. We are very lucky to have such a nice restaurant around here, plus the owners are so warm. Best Mexican restaurant I've been in the US! more
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Simply the best! 2/17/2012

Excellent food, excellent service! This is a ""Mom and Pop"" operation--Pop is the chef and Mom provides warm, friendly, and prompt service. The food is delicious, obviously prepared with great care and creativity. I am on a special diet, and most of the menu items included ingredients prohibited on my diet. I explained my needs and the chef created a special dish--absolutely delicious!--that fit perfectly into my dietary requirements. I have gone several times with family and friends who order from the menu and each of them has been enthusiastic about the food. For the quality of food and service, we find the prices quite reasonable. This is not your typical Mexican restaurant! Try it and you'll see! It's near the post office on Shannon St.--easy to miss but well worth the trip. more
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superb restaurant: deserves more attention 2/1/2012

Really lovely traditional Mexican food served with great warmth and attention to detail. Went for lunch. Enjoyed wonderful black beans with rice (soup-like beans, with rice mounded in middle, both perfectly composed), grouper tacos, porcini-stuffed empanada. Reasonably priced for quality of food. Not a big fan of overly fussy food -- this is not that -- just good food prepared with care. Everything super fresh, with almost everything locally sourced. Somewhat easy to overlook from the road -- passed by it for years before neighbors told us we had to go. Very glad we did. Will be back. more
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A five star jewel 9/10/2011

This is a five star jewel hidden on Shannon Road in SW Durham. The chef, Andre, is well trained, has wonderfully creative ideas working off a regional Mexican palate. His dished are unique to our area and well worth going there. Try one of the specials for a real treat, using the freshest ingredients available. more
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Exceptional regional Mexican dining 8/29/2011

We have eaten here many times, and we're always delighted with the care and skill used in creating exceptional versions of regional Mexican dishes. Tonali's offerings are subtly complex and flavorful, nothing like the huge, oily meals served at cheap Mexican places. The location is a bit out of the way, but it's easy to find and well worth the effort. more
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Quite a find 4/25/2011

Tonali's is almost in our backyard, yet we had to look to find it. The food was outstanding. Paella was marvelous and my wife's relleno was surprisingly delicious. The margarita is the best we've had in Durham, in fact, no others come close. Highly recommended. more
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Great place to have Mexican food 3/22/2010

I have been at Tonali' Restaurant several times and always the food have been great and also the service. Pros: Fresh food. great sangria and delicious chocolate cake more
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hidden secret in Durham 2/12/2010

Every meal we have ever had at Tonalis has been excellent. The chef performs magic in the kitchen. I appreciate their use of local and in season ingredients. This is not Tex-Mex, but authentic and creative mexican cuisine. We always feel welcome, like family and have celebrated many special occasions here. They have a smaller room, perfect for private groups. Pros: always a fabulous meal and great service Cons: hidden location more
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Great food but be prepared... 10/7/2009

to spend some time and a few dollars. We just visited this spot for the first time. My husband ordered the soup of the day for $7. Assuming this would be a large bowl of soup I didn't order one for myself. When after sometime it arrived, it was beautifully presented and delicious, but of average size. We both ordered fajitas, and they were unlike any we'd ever eaten. They were also beautifully presented and delicious. We will probably return, but for an occasional treat. We will not become regulars. Pros: Great Food, Original dishes Cons: The price and the wait more
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food was delicious, full of flavor, lovely presentation 9/24/2009

Ate at Tonali last night with three friends and we shared appetizers, one entree and three desserts. None of us wanted to eat too much, so you might want to get an entree and appetizer when you go, but it was so good we ended up practically licking the plates--and with all the flavors, it was very satisfying . The pork with cilantro gnocchi was the entree choice and it was my favorite, but the empanada appetizer, the soft crab appetizer, and the grouper taco appetizers were all delicious as well and we ate all three desserts, the chocolate brioche cake with tequla strawberries, the creme brulee and the guava flan with caramel. We decided to go as a group again and eat our way through the menu. Pros: Best Gourmet Mexican in area more
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Best Mexican Food in Triangle 2/14/2009

Eaten here 12-15 times with up to a dozen friends. One so-so dish (turkey), the rest eye-rollingly good. It is a peasure to be in a place where the chef so obviously cares about the quality of each dish and has the expertise to surprise you by making it better than at least I could imagine. Appetizers are big enough to enjoy with a friend. Try a standard, like tortilla soup, and you'll recognize what it is but be amazed what can be done with it. more
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Best Mexican Restaurant in the Triangle 2/14/2009

A wonderful restaurant with many pros and no cons. The person who complained about price must have been somewhere else. One item is at $19.00 (a dish with an assortment of fresh seafood: much more expensive anywhere else) and everything else is under $15. The appertizer dishes at $9 could be a meal in themselves. Unlike other Mexican restaurants, food is not all predone and just assembled for you. It is freshly prepared and it shows. There are no bad dishes and everything is made even more delicious by the wonderful sauces. Also, don't be driven away by the location. From Durham, on15/501 near Chapel Hill (everyone can find that), turn left onto Martin Luther King Parkway (just past the pickle, urr University Tower) and turn right at the first traffic light onto Shannon Rd. ... couldn't be any easier. Pros: Freshly prepared; not pre-done and just assembled for you. more
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Experience Gourmet Mexican Flavors 2/7/2009

Tonali's is a great place to spend a quiet dinner with friends. The chef melds flavors in a fashion not seen in other Triangle restaurants. Chef Andre's experience at other top restaurants in Durham shines through his creations. Anyone who wants to enjoy authentic Mexican cuisine should give Tonali's a try. I have frequented the restaurant over ten times and each visit is a delight. Menu changes often. Pros: Great selection of menu items. True Mexican flavors. more
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Was decent, but not great 3/23/2008

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. more
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Disappointing business practices 11/16/2007

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. more
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Wonderful Mexican cuisine 8/1/2007

What a pleasant experience we had at the Tonali Cocina Mexicana on Shannon Road in Southwest Durham. It is definitely not your typical Mexican restaurant where you order from Special #1 through #10 or some combination of the run of the mill mexican dishes that all taste the same and arrive at the table lukewarm in less than 5 minutes. This is a genuine dining experience where the food is not only tasty but a work of art. Please don't rush Chef Andre Macias as he individually prepares the food giving attention to every detail of unique dishes, and take time to enjoy the cozy atmosphere. I had never even noticed this restaurant with trips to the nearby library and post office, but believe this is a gem off the beaten path that should be noticed. more
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Highly recommended 6/21/2007

Having lived in Austin, Texas during the tech-bubble, I'm very demanding when it comes to Mexican (real) and Tex-Mex. Pros: Good food @ great prices. One of the higher ROI places in the Triangle Cons: Location. more
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Fresh flavors 5/27/2007

NOTE: Sign on door said they were open for lunch on Thursdays and Fridays. Pros: Very fresh, bright flavors in food, atypical Mexican dishes Cons: More limited menu, some language barriers in service more
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Menu has completely changed...for the negative 5/12/2007

Below is the review I wrote in the spring of 2007. I went back in May 2008 for the first time since then and I was shocked by the menu. The prices went up dramatically. There were several dishes for nearly $20. Plus, they didn't look that exciting. So, for the first time ever, we got up and left. I liked this place before but likely will never go back.-------- Pros: Good food at a good price Cons: Service can be spotty--sometimes too quick as in taking our orders and sometimes too slow as in clearing the plates more
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A Hidden Gem 3/12/2007

Excellent, fresh food. The best mole sauce and coffee I've ever had. Ingredients were super fresh, innovative, and full of flavor. Portions were perfectly sized. Everything looked and tasted amazing. The decor was a bit on the cold side but the service was excellent and prompt. Dessert was beautiful to look at and better to taste. Restroom (women's) was spotless. One down-side (they have no liquor license). It's a wonderful restaurant, excellent prices for gourmet food. This is not your normal Mexican fare. All in all, a fabulous meal. Pros: Price, Service, Gourmet Food, Best Coffee Cons: No liquor license, cold decor more
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Menu for Tonali


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Editorial

  • 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...

  • 1/8/2007 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: Mon, Tue, Wed 11am-2:30pm, 5:30pm-9pm Thu-Fri 5:30pm-9pm Sat 5:30pm-10pm
  • Payments: American Express, Master Card, Visa
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