From its façade on Mission Inn Avenue in Riverside, California, Tio’s Tacos Restaurant looks like any other Mexican eatery. But behind the wrought-iron fence, between trees and shrubs, lies a unexpected world of bizarre creations.
Table of Contents
What to Expect at Tio’s Tacos
Giant wire figures filled with shells and aluminum cans. Toys and discarded bicycles cemented in the ground. Beer bottle constructions, naked dolls, broken watches and other objects of refuse – all bundled up in an unimaginable form or art.
The restaurant’s grounds are as large as they are unusual. There is a dream garden, a bottle pyramid, a fountain made of broken pieces of clay and old pipes. There is even a beer bottle chapel, with pews, icons and an altar.
Some may consider it tacky, others may say it’s ingenious, but nobody can deny that Tio’s Tacos is unique – a hodgepodge of waste and useless things turned into an unconventional form of folk art.
How it All Started – From Illegal Immigrant to Restaurant Owner
33 years ago when restaurant-owner and folk artist Martin Sanchez started his life in America, things looked very different around here. “At the age of 16 I decided to cross the border, hidden inside a car,” Sanchez recalls. “I came here like everyone else, looking for a work. I didn’t have a job, I didn’t have a home, so I began selling oranges in the parks.”
In 1989, Sanchez and his wife managed to rent a hot-dog cart and began selling tacos. A few years later, in 1995, he bought a little restaurant in downtown Riverside, on the same block where his tacos cart was. That’s how it all began.
“When Matin was a little boy, he was always the leader of his friends who used to call him Tio (uncle), as a sign of respect,” his wife says. “So he called the restaurant Tio’s Tacos.” In 2000 Sanchez also bought the adjacent parking lot and the next door house, which he has been using as his family home.
Taking Recycling to a New Level
Born in a small village in Mexico, Martin Sanchez grew up very poor. His biggest shock when he came to the States was to discover how much stuff Americans throw away. “When you come from a poor country, you don’t get rid of anything. You reuse it,” Sanchez says. “Here in the US, everything is disposable and it saddens me.” Since he grew up with nothing, he began collecting everything he could find around the neighborhood.
Soon, car parts, old pipes, tin boxes, broken toys, and other odd things began piling up in Sanchez’s backyard. His trash was threatening to become a public nuisance, but Sanchez didn’t see it that way.
For him, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”
He continued to recycle, and recycle, and recycle: lamps, folding chairs, pillow cases, old sunglasses, soda cans, oyster shells, cow bones, everything was saved. Eventually, the Department of Building and Safety took him to court, saying his property was full of junk. Sanchez represented himself and won, but he had to find a way to make his treasures blend in with the rest of the neighborhood.
Tio’s Tacos, More Than Just a Mexican Eatery
Sanchez often thought of his childhood years when he didn’t have any toys and never really got to play. “One day it hit me,” he says. “Why not do it now?” Why not create a fantasy world that would incorporate all his unfulfilled dreams? And that’s how he began creating his dream world.
“All the stress that I had inside, I took it out on this place,” Sanchez explains with a big smile. He is no longer young, but his childish enthusiasm and broad smile makes you forget that he is 51 years old and a father of three grown up girls.
“I collected toys for 22 years and at first I didn’t know what I was going to do with them, but now I realize I was letting my inner child out” he continues. “Sometimes we don’t believe in his projects until we actually see how they are transformed,” his wife jokes. But what comes out is real art, done from things that you might not even imagine.
Today, Tio’s complex occupies an entire block and his creations fill nearly every corner of it, including the trees and the rooftops around. “This project is a story of my family, of our life. If you talk to any of my children, or my wife, they can tell you something about each toy, or scrap used in these sculptures. Everything has a story,” Sanchez says.
The city that hasn’t always appreciated Sanchez’s unique and ever-evolving vision, has now a different attitude and a lot of respect for his art creation.
Eating at Tio’s Tacos
After a good 40-minute walk around this glorious mess, food becomes secondary. Not that food at Tio’s isn’t delicious, but there is so much visual stimulation, that you forget about your other senses. They have a great selection of good, authentic Mexican food. You can have beef enchilada, carnitas, fajitas, chips, salsas, fish tacos, burritos, quesadillas.
Pretty much what any Mexican restaurant would serve. They also have a pretty good bar. The mixtos aguas frescas with chopped fruit is so thick, it’s hard to drink it through a straw. The service is extremely friendly and the restaurant is clean.
The prices are very reasonable too. This place is fantastic for a quick, filling, high quality, and relatively healthy meal.
Tio’s Tacos is not about the food. It is about a strange, yet amazing form of art. It is about the turning a fantasy into reality and fighting for your dreams.
How to Get to Tio’s Tacos
Tio’s Tacos is located on 3948 Mission Inn Avenue, in Riverside. The restaurant lies between Market Street and Highway 64, quite close to Mission Inn Hotel.
Tio’s Tacos is perhaps one of the best kept secrets of Los Angeles, a place that will surely amaze you even if you don’t like Mexican food.
Paul
Ahhhhhh, Tio’s!!
On a trip from Canada I was going from San Diego to vegas on greyhound. Sitting at the riverside terminal on bus, I looked out the window and saw a couple wild figures in the backyard next door along with tones of palm trees. Thought it was pretty wild and trip carried on..
8 months later a girl I was seeing down there sent me a picture of a Mexican restaurant they went too. IT WAS THE PLACE !!! I immediately found out more and next trip down we went to Tios.. it was pouring rain out , which was wild enough, but my Toolmate and I wandered around outside for seemed like an eternity. The place is an absolute gem! And that was 10 years ago!
Soaked to the skin, we went inside and had a very good meal, very great priced..
Thank you for all the research behind place, and thank you mr Sanchez, your place is a landmark all should see 🙂
Anda
Glad you discovered this one-of-a-kind restaurant. It’s indeed a gem!
Adrienne Mcnally
I’m sorry the strawberry margaritas are gross and the beans are dry the chile relleno doesn’t come with salsa make sure you ask them you want the chili relleno wet. Cool place though not the food.
Anisa
Anda – I love the story behind Tio’s Tacos, so inspirational! The artwork is really interesting too. I would love to visit, especially since tacos are my favorite food!
Elaine Masters
I so appreciate his drive and the family’s support. It reminds me of Kenny Irwin’s sculptures in Palm Springs. Thanks for sharing this. I’d love to visit.
Anda Galffy
I didn’t see Kenny Irwin’s sculptures, but I’ll make sure to check them out next time I’m in Palm Springs
Ruth | Tanama Tales
Anda, so cool you featured this place. I once saw a photo of it and was surprised it was located on Riverside. I made a mental note and then forgot the name with time. Now, I will remember the name for sure. I have passed by Riverside tons of times but have never actually stopped to check out the city. Feels like I have to do and this place will be in the itinerary.
Anda Galffy
You definitely should drop by sometimes and see this place, Ruth. You’ll love it, I promise.
Lara Dunning
What a fascinating read and I so enjoyed learning about Martin’s story and his passion for collecting and making art. I love that his medium is all the things we throw away, which in itself holds such symbolism. The end result is something strange and cool, and I’d love to see it in person.
Anda Galffy
It took a tremendous amount of work (and collecting!), but in the end something very unique came out.
Esther
Wow, this looks so interesting! And that cocktail looks good too. I’d love to try it.
tracy collins
I think what Sanchez has achieved is amazing. So much stuff we own and dispose of – and he has made his interpretation of art out of it. Consumerism gone mad these days – we realised just how much stuff we had when we decided to sell up and start travelling. It made us vow to think carefully about every single purchase we have made since. If you can’t eat it, wear it or read it generally we don’t buy it.
Anda Galffy
I know what you are saying, Tracy, but disposing of all my earthly possession would be a very difficult decision to make. I admire you for being able to do it though. Good for you.
Michelle
This place looks AMAZING!! I love how he’s managed to create real works of art out of all this stuff that people usually just dispose of without a second thought. And it speaks volumes about our consumerist and, frankly, wasteful culture. So it’s not just easy on the eye, it’s thought-provoking as well. Just like good art should be. If I ever get back to California, will make sure to check this out. I love Mexican food anyway! 🙂
Anda Galffy
You are so right, Michelle. We so easily dispose of our stuff that it’s shocking for some other cultures. Especially for people from poor country, who can make use of almost anything.
Lolo
Wow this is incredibly impressive! I’ve seen other things like this on TV before, for example there’s a man who also built a house/boat from water bottles. When you see this and realize how much stuff is thrown away, it’s just so shocking! I wonder what future generations will think of us when they see such things!
Anda Galffy
I asked myself the same thing, Lolo. In all honesty, this is a very interesting display of “art,” but it’s not necessarily an eye pleaser.
Rhonda Albom
The garden reminds me of Watts Tower. I like to see the re-use of objects instead of them being disposed of in the dump. And, I miss good Mexican food.
Anda Galffy
You don’t have any good Mexican food restaurants in New Zealand, Rhonda?
jill
What an interesting man – and an interesting place! I would love, love, love it here. I’m going to have to remember Tio’s Tacos!
Mary (The World Is A Book)
I have heard of Tio’s Tacos but didn’t realize to what extent it offers for visitors. How very cool! Love their humble beginnings story to their current situation too. We’ll definitely make plans to visit this soon! All the quirky stuff made me really want to visit.
Anda Galffy
Your kids will have a lot of fun there, Mary. Do visit this place, by all means.
Lydia C. Lee
That’s pretty out there…
Jessica @ Independent Travel Cats
Wow, this taco place looks like so much fun, would definitely love to eat there. Love the back story of the family and what an interesting place!