Last weekend I and some friends visited Tio's Tacos in Riverside, CA. I had heard about it a couple of times and thought I'd have a look. I was amazed. Over the last ten years or so, this Mexican restaurant has been adding found object sculptures and paving the place with mosaic. I am guessing it's about an acre of land with several buildings and covered patios. Every table has a mosaic top. There is a chapel made out of cemented together bottles with a mosaic dome on top and another teepee-shaped structure also made out of old wine and beer bottles. There are several large figures made out of chicken wire filled with various trash items like beer cans, bottle caps, oyster shells, etc. There are figures covered in toys and dolls. There are several live palm trees wrapped with art, some of them form the bodies of giant figures. The roof of the tallest building in the complex is covered with dolls driving toy cars. There is so much to see that I want to go back and visit again.
We ate a late lunch there and the food was very good and reasonably priced, too. There is no charge to visit and stroll through the site. Here is the address: 3948 Mission Inn Avenue Riverside, CA. If you are into assemblage in a folk art style, go check it out.
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We ate a late lunch there and the food was very good and reasonably priced, too. There is no charge to visit and stroll through the site. Here is the address: 3948 Mission Inn Avenue Riverside, CA. If you are into assemblage in a folk art style, go check it out. 
