Meh. I'm not sure what to think of this place. Went for the first, and last, time with a group of friends to use a Groupon. The service was shaky, the food was average, and the atmosphere was lousy. Oh and the prices - for a dive, I was not expecting a $120 food bill for a table of 4. Cross this one off the list.
Review Source:Tostado's is right down the street from me, but I had never been until a Kentuckian made me go there because it's one of his favorite spots to get rowdy.
The Karaoke was funny and lively, they have good beer, and the food is right on par for bar food. I'm not sure that I would go there for dinner or anything, but it seems like a friendly place within walking distance of my house. It's basically a mix between a restaurant and a dive bar.
So, it's not exactly a Mexican place. Yes the name, the chips and salsa upon arrival, and Mexican items on the menu all seem to support that classification. BUT, the menu also has spaghetti! That just should not happen! So I'll call this place a bar, with a large variety of menu options to guarantee everyone has something to order.
I stopped in for lunch and ordered the chimichangas. It was a LOT of food. A huge chimichanga and a generous side of black beans and rice. The food was tasty, although it was more Americanized than most Mexican places. Again, the portion was huge, so lots of value for your dollar.
It was a ghost town during lunch. I think I was the only person there the entire hour.
It was OK, but I think I'll drive a little further to the other "real" Mexican places.
We come here every Tuesday night after softball at Schmidt field and have a consistently decent experience. Rob usually waits on us outside and for our big group he does a great job of staying on top of things. Cute, well maintained bar with a great huge patio pretty much sums it up and they have great drink prices on Tuesdays! Will continue my patronage of this bar :)
Review Source:It's a friendly neighborhood spot. There is a good sized patio and they have live music. It's a little on the dive-y side.
I was looking forward to some simple, fresh food. Unfortunately, it seemed more like basic Americanized bar food with a bit of a Mexican bent. For those who don't love Mexican, there are plenty of other completely random dishes to choose from.
We wanted to try the deep fried sauerkraut balls for something a bit different, but they weren't available.
I very much liked the salsa, chips were OK, the guac was imo, not great. They gave it a good shot, but it just had way too much stuff in it for me: lots of red onion and some kind of cream that overwhelmed the avocado, tomatoes, and some fresh cilantro which was nice.
I heard about their interesting drinks, but they have no menu! And the server didn't seem to interested in making any drink suggestions either. I was really bummed out about this. I ended up with a Corona-rita which was interesting. I think the gimmick delivers on fun. The price though, at $8 is something I'm still trying to decide on.
I think there's a lot of potential, the service could be improved for sure, the management seemed very kind and helpful, I like the patio, they need a drink menu!!, and the food could be a bit more fresh and simple rather than fried and mundane. However, I'd say that for a neighborhood dive spot in Cincy, the food is good for the target clientele.
I have been to Tostado's twice and this last time was a horrible experience as far as karaoke is concerned. The man running karaoke does not go in the order the songs are put in, particularly if you're not a regular. So after 3 hours, my song hadn't come up. When I asked about it, he was exceptionally rude. Tostado's, you just lost a 20+ group of paying customers! The server was great though, hence the one star. Food was mediocre but not worse than the karaoke guy.
Review Source:Corona-ritas! Flavored ones, even! Strawberry, peach, watermelon, grape, and many more... our server wrote down a handy-dandy list that we kept ordering off of as the night went on. The service itself wasn't that attentive or friendly, but the patio atmosphere made up for it. At least sitting back there allowed us to avoid the bad karaoke inside that so many other reviewers have mentioned. Tostado's is conveniently located off Columbia Parkway and has its own parking lot as well. The food wasn't anything I'd go out of my way for (everything from the nachos to the pizza had way too much cheese) but I'd go back if I was meeting up with people.
Review Source:I've been here a couple times for group lunches. Tasty food, good service, and supposedly amazing blue raspberry margaritas. Never had a problem getting seated either, even with 10 or so people in our party. It's not the kind of place you write home about, but it's a solid option if you're looking for Mexican food in a fun, relaxed environment.
Review Source:This is such a dive-y place. I was invited by a friend for a couple drinks and karaoke. This is the perfect place to get a cheap drink and sit back and watch hilarious karaoke renditions. This is a perfect place to people watch!
I didn't have any of the food. I was confused as to whether or not is was even a restuarant. After hours it turns straight up dive-bar. The bartenders were nice and a couple of the employees even sang a song or two.
If you like dive-y places, be sure to check this place out after dining hours for sure.
Tostado's is an authentic Mexican cantina, located across the street from it's sister restaurant, The Precinct. From the moment you walk in the door, you are immersed in Hispanic culture; From the average dive bar furniture, to the stained glass picture of a Bavarian man above the bar. It's clear they went all out when remodeling the restaurant. Believe it or not I actually like Tostado's. I've had some good times there. It's a karaoke bar, which is cool. The food is pretty decent, and the drinks are well priced. It has a hole in the wall kind of feel. As I sarcastically eluded to above, they really didn't do a whole lot in the theming department, but I don't think most people who go there really care. Also, it isn't really affiliated with The Precinct in any way. As far as karaoke goes, it's technically every night. If nobody is in the bar, they tend to pack it up early though.
Anywho, long story short: pretty average hole in the wall bar with decent food and drink prices. Karaoke can be fun, but most nights it's pretty dead.
We used to go here all the time for karaoke night. Â It used to be our go-to bar on nights when nothing else was going on. Â Not so much recently.
We love karaoke! Â My friends are actually pretty good, whereas I am terrible. Â The problem is that unless you know the DJs and are a regular, you might not get to sing all night. Â If you are lucky, you might get to sing once and can't figure out how other people have already sung 3 times before you get a chance. Â We stopped going there for that reason.
The food and drinks are decent, if a little overpriced. Â They do accept <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> on the food only, which does make it a good deal. Â Their Mexican selections are decent and they have pretty good appetizers. Â Margaritas are good and pretty strong. Â
The have a nice outdoor patio in the warmer months and usually have fire pits going in the winter months. Â
Clientele here is fun and casual. Â During karaoke, the dance floor is usually hopping while others are singing. Â It is always a party here and all are welcome. Â
This place can be a lot of fun and I have many great memories here, but for my money I would rather travel just down the road to Mt. Lookout.
People reviewing this place keep referring to "karaoke night," and it is simply untrue. It's karaoke EVERY night. Â I have probably (reluctantly) been to this place close to 10 times and every single time it has been "karaoke night" and it's been various days of the week. Â I've had the food, and don't recommend it. Â One time my food never came, but I was OK with that. Â They did give us some of the others' food for free compensate, in their defense. Â The patio is nice, as it is the only place to escape the god awful karaoke going on inside. Â How many times can you sing Brown Eyed Girl before I stab my ears with ice picks?! Â But, the patio is a decent respite from the inside, unless someone walks by and let's their dog take a crap in the bushes next to the fence. Â And doesn't clean it up. And you are trying to eat dinner. Â What appetizing aroma whilst eating. Â True story.
Review Source:If Cincinnati had any other option for karaoke, this place would surely be out of business. Â But, alas, every week karaoke stars from five to ninety-five (you know who I'm talking about) vie for a place on the selective karaoke list. Â Selective because it seems a few favorites get every other song. Â The rest of us hopefuls slug warm, cheap beer or watery margaritas, eat greasy, bland food, and try to catch the elusive waitstaff while we wait for our moment on the dance floor/stage.
Review Source:The first thing I have to say is that I've never been to Tostado's during karaoke night, and I've only heard great things, so this review is based solely on my dinner experience.
Tostado's totally caught me off guard. I was expecting a Mexican restaurant, and the atmosphere seems more American-family-ish based on my experience. There were a lot of kids running around and tons of families when I visited. The chips and salsa were decent, but everything else was pretty bad. My boyfriend ordered the chimichanga and I tried the "famous" fajitas and both were very below average. I'm so not picky when it comes to Mexican food, and we both thought both dishes lacked any sort of flavor--very, very bland. I ended up taking home leftovers and adding tons of my own spices to it. Also, the food seemed way overpriced for the quality.
The saving grace was the drink specials. They have pretty inexpensive happy hour specials and the margarita was delicious! I will likely visit again simply for the drinks and to check out their karaoke nights, but I'll leave the food.
Whether looking for well prepared mexican cuisine in a city mostly lacking, a fun Karaoke night filled with falsetto induced nostalgic sing alongs, or a generally hip neighborhood bar, Tostado's simply doesn't fit the bill.
Firstly, The food at Tostados is somewhere in between the standard american version of the mexican restaurant and reaheated taco bell... which is worsened by the prices...which aren't cheap for what you get.
Mounds of shredded iceburg lettuce greet your fork at every turn and the cheese dip is a strange concoction baring the taste of something strangely tangy rather than cheesy with a bizarre aftertaste. Â I will say, however, that the house salsa and guacamole were two of the better items sampled during the visit.
If it is karaoke you are looking for you will hopefully plan on arriving right as the night is starting and put in as many songs as possible right away. Otherwise, be ready to be shut out after 10pm if you aren't a regular. Also, a lot of the songs don't even work as it seems that all of them are low quality versions downloaded right off of the internet.
If you get really lucky, you may end up experiencing the guy that doesn't even work there running karaoke. You will recognize him by his  general disposition towards fun as he glares disgustingly at anyone singing who is not him/ his friend/ a regular.
I will say though that our server was attentive and never kept us waiting too too long for any drinks even though we were a larger group on a pretty busy weekend night.
So, If you are looking for a bar/restaurant with an atmosphere that falls somewhere between a dive bar  and a 1980's seafood restaurant with poorly run karaoke and warned over sub par mexican food then I highly recommend Tostado's.
Tostado's has the honor of being home to the WILDEST karaoke night I have ever been to! If there were a place with this karaoke scene in Chicago, I would be there ALL the time!
I had been visiting family in Cincinnati for the holidays and decided to stay an extra day to go out on the town with my sister and her husband. They knew I was a karaoke fiend, and knew we would end up singing somewhere that night, but they had little luck finding a place listed as doing Saturday karaoke nights. They asked their friends also, and nobody had any idea.
I tried my hand at internet research and found that most places for karaoke in Cincinnati were only hosting on Thursday or Sunday, which seemed a little odd to me. Eventually, via Yelp Talk I found only one sentence that was "Tostado's has karaoke on Saturday".
Any other information on Tostado's or karaoke was impossible to find. But I will happily gamble on new places. Hanging out with my awesome sister I knew I was going to have fun no matter what, and the weirder the place the better in my opinion. I love strange karaoke!
And boy, was this place strange...
My sister, her husband, and I walked in at about 11pm and the first thing I noticed was that the three of our ages totalled together would still not have equalled the age of anyone else in the bar (restaurant?).
I had promised my sister upon suggesting this rather unknown place "if it is lame, we can just go." As she began to raise an eyebrow at me, my crooked grin split my face, and I said, "Table for three, please. This is going to be amazing! Just you wait..."
As the waiter (bartender?) found us a table adjacent to the dance floor, we heard, "Alright, ladies and gentleman, please welcome Beatrice!"
Never let it be said that just because someone is old, they do not know how to rock. Beatrice had likely matured before even "rock music" was a viable phrase. And while Beatrice might have had a little difficulty in standing up, she had no difficulty whatsoever in singing Joan Jett's "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" with more ballz, pardon the expression, than anyone I'd ever seen perhaps Joan herself, complete with raucous whoops and screeches!
Rock on, Beatrice!
After a few more singers, the host took a break and put on dance music really loud. Normally, I would take a dim view of long breaks and pointless loudness, but I couldn't argue with his results. They were near instantaneous.
In retrospect, this must have been a signal of some kind, like the ultrasonic whistle summoning the Hound of the Baskervilles. At one time, all the rockin' old folk got up and left, and the partyin' young folk came streaming in. More like a river. They went straight to the dancefloor and never left.
And the river never stopped. Every two minutes another wad of people would walk in. As karaoke eventually resumed, the dancefloor overflowed to engulf our table, and beyond. This didn't slow down service for a minute. The bartender (waiter?) was totally on it. He shoved his way through to keep our drinks and salsa full.
Let me tell you, little makes a better karaoke experience than a roomful of people smashed together and grooving to one's drunken warblings.
It was a very diverse group, too, for you people watchers. Couples and singles, gay and straight, young and old, black, white, hispanic and asian, girls and guys, you name it, they were all in the throng, and having a blast. Plus if public drunken girlie makeouts are your thing, there were ample sights to be seen here.
We didn't order any food, but I am really disappointed we ate beforehand because I wanted to find out what a "Mexican Hotdog" was.
We finally ended up leaving when my sister unexpectedly ran out of the building. It turns out she just needed fresh air because "frat boys were farting on her". That's the price one pays for having that much fun in close quarters, I suppose. Maybe they had the Mexican Hotdog...
People were still walking in as we left.
**By the way, I dare you to find the men's bathroom without assistance. They actually have a security guard for the women's bathroom, I think because of the men's room obfuscation.**
So in conclusion, I have now contributed two much-needed new searches to Yelp Cincinnati:
--------
Saturday Karaoke : Cincinnati, OH
Mexican Hotdog Girlie Makeouts : Cincinnati, OH
--------
Well, Â they're new anyway. The need will become more clear in time, I'm sure.
Tostado's is the kind of easy-going place that's easy to forget about in the hype-of-the-week dining culture represented by Yelp and local food blogs. Â (And I say this as an avid Yelper and a sometime reader of those same blogs.)
It's kind of a refreshing change-of-course over on the east side of town, where so many restaurants, even those with rather modest menus and aims and with very casual atmospheres, go out of their way to make sure their middle-class and upper-middle class clienteles won't feel uncomfortable. Â Even an old warhorse of a neighborhood pub like Zip's has a cute choo-choo train, as if to send the signal that it's family-friendly.
Although kids are welcome at Tostado's, its proprietors don't worry about such niceties.  Just down the block from the Precinct, Tostado's is more or less an old roadhouse, and the interior barroom and dining area are decidedly downscale.  Some folks over on this side of town will probably find Tostado's to be a bit shabby-looking and even sad-sack. (Some Hyde Park-types might  even call it a "dive," but if they did, they would instantly mark themselves as folks who've never actually been inside one...)  It's a neighborhood tavern, the kind of good-times adult rec room that is very common nationwide in neighborhoods built before the 1960s or 1970s.  Think of a big, dark, low-ceilinged room with beer signs, a karaoke machine, big TVs, and radio rock.  It's comfortable and welcoming, and it's about as unpretentious as you can get.  (There's a nice patio out back, too, but now it's unfortunately shadowed by the big, boring, empty, & new commercial building at Delta & Columbia Parkway.)
The menu runs the bar-food gamut, but the limited list of Mexican stuff is probably best, as the name of the place might suggest. Â I wish there were more of it. Â The carnitas plate is one of the better ones in town. Â (The tortillas are of poor quality, though.) Â Burgers, etc., are more than adequate. Â But the food is probably a bit overpriced, given the downscale atmosphere; the carnitas plate, while gargantuan, is $12.99. Â Beer prices seem a bit high as well (e.g., $3.50 for a less-than-pint-sized Negra Modelo draft). Â As Paul B. says, service is pretty average.
All in all, Tostado's is an all-right stop-in every now and then.
Went to Tostado's on karaoke night, first thing that sold me was the fact that Ohio bars are non-smoking.
I can't stand to be at a place that isn't smoke free, so it was nice.
Service was average, and sometimes took so long I bypassed the waitress to just go get a drink at the bar myself.
Again, I'd go back just because the air doesn't smell like puke though! Good job Cincinnati with the Smoking Ban!
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