Where to Eat in Toledo, Ohio

Toledo is my second home! My mom is from there and I have TONS of family up there. Naturally, I’m in the area a lot and can let you in on some good places to eat in Toledo. I was up there this past weekend for the solar eclipse. It was phenomenal! I’ll be writing a post on it soon. But, for this I’ll give you my opinion on the places I ate at in Toledo over the weekend.

If you’re looking for things to do in and around Toledo, check out my blog post on hidden gems in Ohio. Like I said, I’m in Toledo a lot. When I’m there we usually do day trips in Michigan and other parts of Ohio. Sometimes we even stay a few days in Michigan. They’re underrated states (especially Michigan), but full of fun! I offer my custom itineraries in both states.

The View Outside the Back Doors at The Real Seafood Company

The Real Seafood Company

This is one of the best places to eat in Toledo (in my opinion)! It’s found at the docks in downtown. They offer fresh fish, not just from the Great Lakes but from New England and the Gulf of Mexico too. Our food was delicious!

I usually always order crab cakes at a seafood restaurant because they’re my favorite. These did not disappoint and were some of the best ones I have had. My fiance ordered tuna tartare for the table. I don’t eat tartare so I didn’t try any, but everyone else said it was good. My fiance said if you like tartare then you need to try it here.

Once you’re finished you can go out the back doors and walk along the waterfront. It’s very pretty and on a nice day you can even eat outside. There are other restaurants at the docks too, Zia’s is one of them. I’ve eaten there before and loved it!

Why is at called the docks? Because there is a place to dock your boat outside the restaurants. In the summer we ride the pontoon over and eat at one of the places.

Rather you want to eat at Zia’s, the Real Seafood Company, or one of the other places at the docks, make reservations beforehand. Otherwise, it’s very hard to get in to some of them.

Tony Packo’s Restaurant

Out of all the places to eat in Toledo, Tony Packo’s is probably the most famous. There are many locations in Toledo, Sylvania, and Maumee. However, the original location is in Downtown Toledo and that is the one I visited.

The atmosphere of the restaurant was really neat! Tiffany lamps hang from the ceiling, there are signed buns on the walls, and the overall feel is like you’ve stepped back in time. There is a gift shop where you can buy some of their food and other stuff. I took home a sweatshirt and some chili. My fiance took home a chili starter and some pickles.

I’m not sure what I was expecting out of the place, but I was a little disappointed. My hotdog was good, not great. I expected it to be the best hot dog I had ever eaten. Sadly, it wasn’t — it was like any normal hotdog. Maybe it was because I ordered a Hungarian hotdog and I should have gotten an American one? I don’t know. My chili was very good though, I was very happy with it.

I did really enjoy walking around and looking at all the signed hot dog buns. Each bun has the persons’ name under it too so if you can’t read the signature you can still see who it is. I expected the place to be covered in hot dog buns, but that wasn’t the case. They were along the walls but not covering the walls. Does that make sense? I also expected them to be on the ceiling but they weren’t.

Overall, it wasn’t what I expected. But, that doesn’t mean it was bad. The food was good, I enjoyed looking at the signed buns, and I really liked the atmosphere. I would still recommended it as a good place to eat in Toledo.

fresh seafood at The Seafood Company in Toledo

Lake Erie Walleye Milanese at The Real Seafood Company

Signed Hot Dog Buns at Tony Packo’s

Random Acts of Walbridge

Okay this one isn’t in Toledo. But, it’s closeby in Walbridge, Ohio. I included it because it’s a very unique place and we really enjoyed going here. It’s a cafe, gift shop, coffee shop, ice cream shop, and gem shop all rolled into one.

They were pleasantly surprised when they heard our accents. They said they don’t see out-of-towners often, typically, only locals come in. My Ohio family walked in at that point and it all made sense. They were a tiny bit disappointed we didn’t just find them on our own…. Hopefully, this post will help with that!

We didn’t get food here, but it looked really good. We did get coffees and… oh my…. I was reminded why I love local coffee shops. It was very tasty! They had all kinds of flavors and drinks to choose from. My fiance got a Butterfinger one and I got a Marshmallow Peep one.

All of us really liked the store too. They had all kinds of gemstones, old books, vintage glassware, jewelry, vintage knick knacks, plants, and more. The prices weren’t bad either.

Te’kela

Mexican food anyone? Here you go and it’s one of my go-to places to eat in Toledo. Technically, it’s in Sylvania but depending on where you are in Toledo, it’s very close. My cousins house is only 10 minutes away from it. There is a location in Perrysburg, Ohio too, but I’ve never been to that one.

I like all the food here. The chorizo queso, the salsa, burritos, tacos, it’s all good! The guacamole is to die for! Some of the best I’ve ever had. You really need to try it when you’re here. They have a lot of tacos to choose from and you can mix and match.

They have live music on the weekends sometimes too. Te’kela definitely isn’t the only mexican place in Toledo. There are more authentic options, this place is similar to Condado Tacos (if you’ve ever been there). In my opinion, it’s very good and it’s one of my favorite places to eat in Toledo.