Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com

Uncle Tito's in Akron, finalist in Best Mexican Restaurant contest

AKRON, Ohio -- Upon arriving at Uncle Tito's Mexican Grill in Akron, we were greeted by their biggest fan and supporter Kenny Farmer, along with owner Fernando Leon and his friendly staff.

If the greeting we received was any indication, we were in store for a fun and entertaining visit as we make the rounds to the 20 finalists in Northeast Ohio's Best Mexican Restaurant contest. They did not disappoint, and neither did the food.

Cleveland's Best reporters Brenda Cain and Yadi Rodriguez review several dishes below.

Cain and Rodriguez will name the ultimate winner and rankings based on these taste tests. The results will be unveiled May 21 during a surprise visit to the winning establishment. It will be broadcast live on cleveland.com's Facebook page.

And look for lots of superlative winners in May, including Best Margaritas, Best Tacos, Best Guacamoles, and more.

Back at Tito's, we were made to feel like family from the moment we walked in the door.

The pride Leon has for Uncle Tito's and his staff was apparent in conversation with him.

Now, on to the food and drinks!

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Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com

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Don't these look delicious? We were brought these drinks to try during the taste test: a fresh margarita on the rocks, a mojito, a frozen house margarita and Sangria. Which one is your favorite?

We enjoyed sampling all of them! You can taste lots of juice in the strong fresh margarita. We did have to be responsible since we had to drive back to Cleveland.

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Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com

Nachos Mexicanos

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Take a good look at these Nachos Mexicanos. Yes, they were as good as they look.

The restaurant describes them as a bed of nachos topped with tender strips of grilled steak, grilled chorizo, grilled red onions, refried beans, avocado, sour cream and pico de gallo.

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Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com

Chile con queso

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This homemade cheese dip is full of onions, peppers, tomatoes and jalapenos.

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Kristen Davis, cleveland.com

It sure was a hard day of work for Cleveland's Best reporters Yadi Rodriguez, left, and Brenda Cain. This can be you, too! We invite you to join us for any of our future visits.

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Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com

Fajitas Yucatan

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These are not your typical fajitas. Why? Not only do you get the standard veggies of onions and peppers, but it also has broccoli, cauliflower, squash and zucchini. Oh, and steak and chicken. The best part is the vegetables are not soggy; they still have some crunch to them.

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Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com

Beef taco

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There was no shortage of cheese in this hard taco. These come in threes on the menu with the option of beef or shredded chicken.

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Yadi Rodriguez

Sangria

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If margaritas aren't your thing, give this sangria a try. It is packed with blueberries, strawberries, orange, lime, and cherries.

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Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com

Chipotle shrimp nachos

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These shrimp nachos are out of this world. Each strip is covered in a light layer of refried beans and smothered with shrimp in just the right amount of chipotle sauce. Definitely a must try.

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Uncle Tito's, which will be celebrating five years in November, has several shirts for sale. Leon likes to have fun with the apparel and make people stop and take notice.

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Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com

Street taco

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You also get three tacos with an order. We tried the carnitas on a yellow corn tortilla. This was covered in fresh onion and cilantro.

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Brenda Cain, cleveland.com

Vote for where we should celebrate Cinco de Mayo

Have you been to Uncle Tito's? Is this the place to be on Cinco de Mayo? We are asking readers to vote in a poll to determine where we will celebrate. If you want us to return here and partake in the fiesta, vote until May 1.

We invite readers to join us and we also will broadcast the festivities on cleveland.com's Facebook page.

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Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com

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Salsas, quesos and guacamole! Take your pick. We tried the house salsa, queso with chorizo, chile con queso, tomatillo sauce, hot salsa, guacamole, super fan Kenny's salsa mixture, and of course pico de gallo.

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Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com

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This was new to us, but one of our team members -- Cleveland's Best manager Kristen Davis -- likes to soak chips in salsa to get a bit soggy.....what???

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Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com

Enchilada trio

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Check out this trio of enchiladas. We had a beef verde, seafood mix traditional enchilada and a chicken mole. You can have enchiladas your way.

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Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com

Happy Birthday!

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Our very own Brenda Cain just celebrated a birthday. Flan was her special dessert.

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Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com

soft chimichanga

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This soft chimichanga was filled with beef tips and topped with the homemade cheese dip.

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Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com

Parrillada

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Have you tried Parrillada? If not, you are missing out. Wow is it fantastic. This is described by Uncle Tito's as grilled chicken strips, shrimp and scallops served on a hot skillet (see the steam in the photo!) topped with savory bacon and shredded cheese.

Wow!

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Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com

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Kenny Farmer is one of Uncle Tito's biggest supporters. He's a family friend, will help out when needed, and rallies support for his favorite Mexican restaurant. When he isn't at his day job, you may find him helping out behind the bar or sitting at the bar enjoying some food and a drink.

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Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com

Kenny's special salsa

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This is Farmer's special salsa. Make sure you have a glass of water next to you when you are eating this. Muy caliente!

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Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com

Queso with chorizo

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The chorizo is generous throughout this queso.

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Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com

Mojito

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Look at all of that fresh mint in this refreshing mojito.

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Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com

Flan

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Enjoy some flan to end your meal -- if you have any room left in your stomach.

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Follow search for Northeast Ohio's Best Mexican Restaurant:

Meet the Top 20 finalists

We invite you to join us at our future taste test visits

Poll: Vote for where we should celebrate Cinco de Mayo

Top moments and observations from our surprise visits to the 20 finalists