I have been here 3 times now and have never been disappointed. The service was friendly, fast and helpfully. The food is hot, fresh tasting and full of flavor. The building is clean and welcoming. I love the salsa and enchilada sauce! They truly have a classic American\Mexican taste. Nom nom nom.
(5)
Jamie L.
This is a totally acceptable spot for okay Tex-Mex food. The margaritas are not impressive and a large will run you $12. The service is always very friendly and prompt. If you're looking for authentic Mexican, this is not your place. If you're looking for semi-seasoned meat fried in tortillas and smothered in cheese sauce, this is the place for you. You're also able to make substitutions at no additional cost. The kids' meals are all $4.25 without a drink and they have a pretty sizable selection to choose from. If you bring your iCard, you get a 10% discount!
(3)
Julia K.
Came here for a quick lunch which actually took over an hour. The service was slow and the food is one of my least favorite Mexican food in champaign, if not the worst. I ordered two enchiladas with rice and beans. The dish did not come with sour cream or a little bit of guac or salad. Just enchiladas, beans, and rice. The tortilla used for the enchiladas was too fragile and broke apart with a light touch of the fork. Sauce wasn't that great either. Spanish rice was disappointing as well - too salty and therefore could not consume. Their horchata is a 2/5 since it did not taste like any that I've tried at other Mexican restaurants. Won't be coming here again unless forced by group consensus.
(2)
Kristin T.
This was the singularly worst meal and dining experience I have had in a very long time. The menu promises there will be a great meal here. The actual experience is extremely different. We ordered our meals and waited an hour for them to arrive. Our waiter was absent during this time. When our meals arrived via a different waiter the food was all lukewarm. My chile relleno was so small and unrecognizable I thought they forgot it. It consisted of small flat piece of pepper covered with a tasteless sauce and some sort of cheese. The tamale was cold, filled with unseasoned ground beef and quite tasteless itself. We never received our check until we stood up to leave. Then our waiter magically materialized, for the first time since taking our order over an hour earlier. Try any other Mexican restaurant, even Taco Bell, before going here.
(1)
Zachary H.
This is very bad Mexican food. Don't even consider going here. I ate for free because my department was paying and I wish I hadn't. Disgusting.
(1)
Kaitlyn W.
El Toro is not horrible, but its not great Mexican either. Don't let this reflect on Wedge. There are no better margaritas in CU than Wedge's. We got nachos and a chicken verde quesadilla. The nachos had cheese sauce instead of cheese. Not our thing, but the sour cream and guac were super fresh so that made up for it. The quesadilla was soggy and wet and lacking cheese. I didn't hate it but my boyfriend wouldn't take a second bite. Overall it's acceptable, but there are better Mexican places if you look elsewhere.
(2)
Memphis A.
Casual atmosphere, fast and friendly service. Food was really good. Salsa was chunky if u like that and guacamole was made fresh.
(4)
Lacey S.
I'll try and not be bias. I grew up and live in Texas which is as close to "real" Mexican food as you'll get. Any other states Mexican food is like a fancy Taco Bell(except this awesome place in Queens). It just doesn't compare. With that being said, I'd say I liked this place. Not loved. Liked. I was seated quickly and was immediately brought chips and salsa. After a few minutes, I met my server and he took my drink order. The menu was large. I wasn't too hungry but needed to eat to avoid a headache later. It was hard to pick since all the items sounded huge. Which is great seeing how good the prices were. I was honestly amazed at their queso. Any time I go to an out of state Mexican place, they either 1. Don't have queso and loom at you like you're crazy when you order it or 2. It's from a can or the same stuff they put on your nachos at ball games. But this stuff was great. I ordered the flauta plate. Like someone else said, it arrived in 5 minutes. Strange since this was a sit down place. I would expect flautas to take at least 15 minutes to arrive. So this makes me think they were made earlier and were kept in a batch under a heat lamp. Even the family of four next time got their food in less than 10 minutes. Hmmm. But regardless, they tasted good. I brought home half of them and the rest of my rice, beans and queso. And for $10 before tip, that's pretty good to have that much leftovers. I'm giving it a 3 just because it was better than I expected and it was quick. But the servers were emotionless and socialized a lot. They were nice but didn't really smile or ask anyone how their food was or check on them. It seemed like they didn't want to be there.
(3)
Matthew L.
I have to say I am really excited to have the New El Toro open, because it's only 3 blocks from my house - so smart for them to move closer to both campus and downtown... In the newly renovated warehouse building on the corner of 901 S. Neil (right next door to Kamakura), the restaurant has 6 options for seating (or at least they WILL once the outdoor seating is in place), large, spacious rooms, and good decor. The drinks are strong and generous, the food is fresh and i think MUCH better than the old Neil St Location, quick service, sporting a mixed and interesting crowd of students, yuppies, sport fans at the bar and families. GREAT location, well-designed and reliable, cheap excellent food.
(5)
Ramin A.
Terrible delivery service. People are mean and don't care about their customers service. I will not ever come back to this place. Also the food is small, not very good and too expensive.
(1)
Rhonda G.
It's just ok. Salsa was one step up from Pace which isn't really a compliment to the chef. I absolutely hate food drenched in sauces to disguise lack of flavor and this was the case with their version of the enchilada. Initially my taco came out in a crunchy tortilla and I was shocked to find out this was the norm when ordering a taco at this place. Since i'm not really into the crunchy taco bell-esque tortilla I kindly asked for a soft corn tortilla (and they gladly changed this for me). The taco was good but again not great. The peach margarita was strong but not really peach so while I got happy from the booze, I wasn't to thrilled at my mystery fruit drink though. Probably won't go back.
(3)
CaramelD C.
This particular El Toro is awful. The waiter didn't stick around long enough at our table to hear our entire order. When he did return, we had to make him be still long enough to take it. He still didn't get it correct and brought out an enchilada with no meat. We asked for shredded chicken. Not only that, it was cold when it came out. So was the tamale. Then they brought out an enchilada with some other kind of meat. It still wasn't shredded chicken. When we asked to see the Manager, we had to wait 15 minutes. We were told that she would be coming to our table, "any minute." She never came. When we got ready to leave, we stopped by the front counter and asked for her again, only to find out that she had left early that day. So someone else came out and began to dispute our bill with us. When we refused to pay the entire bill, they began yelling at us. Then a dark haired short female came out and also yelled at us at if we were trying to get over on the bill even though we never got what we ordered. I asked who the owner was, no one seemed to know (imagine that)! So I called the other El Toro, asked for the owner and of course, they referred me back to this El Toro and the cycle started all over again. I think I'm just going to call public health and maybe they can get ahold of the owner, Victor Fuentes, for me. Maybe he'll call them back. I won't be going back there. The one on W. Springfield Avenue is much better.
(1)
Mike B.
The Fuentes family has extended themselves and this Champaign El Toro location is definitely the best one in town (if you don't have a rapport with individuals at another location that is) , and I usually have a pretty decent experience here. A few notes: The place is fairly big, but the parking lot isn't, so if you pull up and can't find a spot in the lot, you can find some parking on-street parking and will still be able to get a table once you go in...don't quote me though! For the most part the waitstaff's 1st language is Spanglish, so be prepared to talk slow and point to what you want.....I don't think I ever had an issue with lack of communication. Additionally they may be a server short at all times as they are always running around trying to serve and do not fully spend as much time at the table to ensure accuracy of orders (especially special orders, etc.). My last experience the food was just alright....maybe a tad bland and lackluster. I usually get the Alambres dish...but strayed this go round.... I'd highly suggest trying the Alambres dish to anyone and will probably stick to that. I usually get the mix of steak, chicken, bacon, peppers, and cheese with the usual sides...comes out like fajitas....sizzling and ensuring it'll be nice and hot. The drinks are alright, but I think are a little too expensive for the alcohol content. I think they would benefit from an aggressive happy hour special with extended hours everyday...something to help them stand apart from all of the other competition in town which may have a slight edge in the flavor/authenticity department.. Nonetheless, El toro is a solid place to go.
(3)
Zareena M.
I'd like to dedicate my very first Yelp review to what I think is an underrated Mexican wonderland in Champaign. Maize tends to steal the spotlight, but if you're looking for a great restaurant that actually fits more then 5 people within its premises, I recommend El Toro. I went with two friends, and experienced friendly and quick service, superb cuisine, and fantastic sangria. The atmosphere is what you would expect from a family owned Mexican restaurant. It's my new go-to sit-down Mexican place. The only problems - I do not recommend ordering for pickup. The quality was compromised, but this is nothing new for any restaurant. Also, the other location of El Toro is not even half as impressive as this one. Perhaps the quality gap was due to the fact that I went to the other location with a party of 8, and the restaurant was very crowded, but I would rather order taco bell than go back to the other location. PS - if you can find yourself a DD, I highly recommend getting one of the Grande margaritas - they're literally as big as your head.
(4)
Christina T.
Went here with a group to drink some margaritas and eat some chips and salsa. Wonderful service and friendly staff. I ordered a grande raspberry margarita and it was nice and strong. Chips were hot and delicious and salsa was good (wish it was spicier but that's a personal preference)
(4)
Brian W.
Salsa is not spicy enough. But this is by far the best Mexican restaurant in the C-U area that I have been to. I had steak tacos and they were delicious
(4)
April S.
We went here on Taco Tuesday. The tacos were very good. I have eaten here several times over the years and I have always found them to be a good value and good food.
(4)
D M.
Arcola location didn't show up on yelp. Mediocre at best. Poor service. Over 80 in the restaurant. Uncomfortably warm. Go the the McDonald's next door. Sad I know.
(1)
Alyssa M.
This is another pretty good Mexican restaurant in the champaign area. It is usually never too busy, so you don't have to wait to be seated. However the service is somewhat slow and not as attentive as I think it should be. The chicken quesadilla is super yummy and definitely worth trying! I also participated in drinking a margorona while there with my friends. They're pretty darn big!! And are as tasty as the ones down in Mexico I will probably visit this restaurant again. Although I wouldn't say it's a place you have to try while in Champaign, it's not a bad place to get dinner with friends on a night out
(4)
Abhay S.
El Toro is great! We came here on a Friday night and while they weren't busy when we arrived, they were able to seat our party of 7 quickly. They also allowed us to split our checks 3 ways, which gets a huge PLUS in my book. Food and service was excellent. I look forward to my next return to El Toro II.
(5)
Ken R.
Horrible. Very, very Midwestern Mexican. (Disclaimer: I grew up in the midwest, but I have traveled and had Mexican and Southwestern food, and I've enjoyed trying the many Mexican themed restaurants in town.) Chips were okay - crispy and pretty tasty. Salsa was okay. Chips and salsa were, probably, the best part of the meal. So, +1 star for chips and decent service. My girlfriend wasn't feeling well, and wanted something lighter and got the guacamole salad. What she received was a plate of iceberg lettuce, shredded white cheese, and very salty guacamole. The guacamole tasted like it came out of a jar. The combination was exactly as appetizing as it sounds. I got a burrito plate. The burrito was not wrapped up. It just had some filling dumped into it and had been shoved into an oven, so the edges of the tortilla had become hard and browned. It was impossible to pick up and broke into pieces when I tried. The filling itself consisted of stewed, mushy beef with stewed, mushy tomatoes and onions. The sides were forgettable. I really hate to throw away leftovers, especially if I think they can be jazzed up somehow, but that's what I ended up doing with the rest of the burrito. You do get a lot of food on your plate, but if it's bland Mexican that's very, very reminiscent of what you can get out of a box at the supermarket, why bother? If you'd like better Mexican, try Huaraches Moroleon or Mas Amigos. Or Taco Loco. Cocina Real and Dos Reales aren't my favorites, but they're still better than here. (I haven't been to Maize and can't comment on it.) If you wish there was a Burrito King off campus, this is pretty much it. Except they do, at least, leave off the salty white cheese sauce here. Overall, I would avoid this place and go to one of many places that is cheaper, more charming, and more authentic.
(2)
Wayne K.
As a Californian I feel it's unfair for me to review El Toro, which may be just fine for Champaign but would be utterly crushed if it were located anywhere near San Francisco. The food wasn't very authentic and I'm not even sure this was as good as a Chevy's. THE ICKY: - The salsa was barely better than salsa you get out of a jar from the supermarket. Where are the tomatoes? The chips taste similarly store-bought. - The guacamole had no personality... maybe they couldn't get fresh avocados? - The cheese inside the quasadilla tasted really off. Were they using American cheese or something? - The tacos from head-to-toe were just not great, from the shell to the meat. THE GOOD: - I did like the horchata. :) - Despite the ickiness, I left pretty full, so large portion sizes with reasonable prices. - It had the ambiance of a taqueria, but was cleaner. - Service was fast and efficient.
(2)
E D.
This is mediocre, inexpensive American-style Mexican food. It's not terrible, but it's definitely nothing to write home about.
(3)
Crystal M.
If I could I would give them 5 stars on their salsa and chips...but I have to take the whole dining experience into account. I really liked their food. Their service was wonderful. I was there for my daughter's rehersal dinner and they did a great job accomadating about 30 of us. Then did an awsome job embarrasing the bride and groom by making them stand up and singing something to them...don't know what they were singing because it was in spanish. The parking is horrible.
(4)
Laurie T.
I went here with two co-workers for lunch. We were under a time crunch and were worried when we saw all the cars in the parking lot. We walked in and were seated immediately. The server (unfortunately I did not get her name) quickly got our drinks and food orders. Our food arrived very quickly, and we were finished in no time. Our server even took our bills for us so we would not have to wait at the register with all the other people who were leaving. As far as the food, I was pleased with mine. I got the lunch special number 3 (enchilada and taco with beans and rice). It was on par with what I expected. One of my co-workers got a bean burrito. She was pretty sure the sauce on the burrito was pizza sauce, and that seemed a little weird. I will keep this in mind the next time I only have a few minutes for lunch. I think we were in and out in about 30 minutes.
(3)
Matt N.
You want good Mexican food in Champaign, then you've gotta go to El Toro! It's not quite in the heart of campus but close enough! Make sure you ask for the white cheese dip with the chips to start, amazing! The rest of the food was delicious, the Margaritas were strong and massive, and the service was great. The only reason I took away a star was because we made a reservation and then had to still wait at the bar for about a half hour before being seated.
(4)
Elizabeth S.
They took a while to bring the food, my son ordered a chicken quesadilla that was very soggy and tasteless, the rest of the food was edible but far from good, place was ok , it's far from the best but if you hungry and desperate you can certainly go eat there.
(2)
Daniella B.
The food here is okay but the service leaves something to be desired. Last time I was here, there was a hair in my margarita and I had to be persistent to get seated because there was no hostess at the door. I also called about catering recently only to be told that the manager wasn't available. All in all, it's decent but there are certainly better mexican restaurants in town.
(3)
Allison U.
This is definitely a great place to grab drinks and dinner with friends on a Friday night. The outdoor patio is spacious and the inside space is quite large as well; finding room for out party of 8 was no problem at all! The food was pretty standard (I got the cheese quesadilla and asked to get vegetables added and our waitress was able to accommodate my request with no problem!) and the prices were very reasonable (I paid $13 for my quesadilla and a good-sized margarita, tip included). In regards to their drinks, the servings are VERY generous! Our party enjoyed a range of their margarita selection, spanning from lime margaritas on the rocks to mango-strawberry frozen margaritas and everyone was happy with their drink of choice. We all went with the Jumbo (or was it Grande?) size (the equivalent of a medium) and it was definitely bigger than expected, but great nevertheless! Not the best Mexican food I've had, but it was a great place to meet up with a group. I have a feeling that I haven't seen the last of El Toro!
(3)
Lily N.
Good food at a great price, the restaurant has become a great lunch destination. The food is basic American-Mexican combinations (burrito, enchilada, tamale for example) with very quick service. Honestly have not been to a sit down restaurant with such speedy service during the lunch rush.
(4)
Cesar S.
The inside of this place looks nicer than your average Mexican restaurant. The menu is overwhelming with all the options they offer. They provide your typical chips and salsa. The salsa was a little watery. I got their large pina colada and it was massive. The waitress did a great job with customer service. The food was good. If you are wanting to take sometime on a date here and are considering getting Mexican food, you should definitely try this place. Expect to pay $10 per meal.
(4)
Kate T.
Eh. Very greasy. The best part of this whole place is the salsa. Everything else could be better and more fresh somewhere else. I requested a stuffed poblano pepper with rice and beans instead of beans and cheese since I can't digest cheese very well. They said no. I get it but i enjoy when a restaurant tries to accommodate requests.
(2)
Cathy S.
As a west coast native I have never had worse Mexican food. The beef is unseasoned and the red sauce is marinara. The staff is friendly and fast but I won't be back due to the food.
(1)
Joe S.
The chips and queso were good and the beer was cold. Our meals were disappointing. Chicken fajita nachos with jalapeños were flavorless and bland. My wife had a seafood fajita plate which was equally bad. Flavor was lacking from all our meals - not a good experience. El Toro needs to step up their game to be on par with the quality other Mexican restaurants in the area offer.
(2)
JW S.
Lotta red flags when walking in. Ketchup on the tables, video gaming machines in the back, confusing layout, too big a menu, pronunciation guide for words like "verde" and "roja". That being said, it was much better than it should have been. Meaning it was perfectly adequate Midwestern Mexican restaurant food. Tamales were decent, as was the chori pollo. The outside seating area was pretty nice.
(3)
Patricia J.
Because my family is pescatarian, we'll only eat vegetarian or shrimp/seafood Mexican food. El Toro doesn't have much for us, and what they do have is standard rice and beans (meh) and gluey cheese stuff (ugh). Much better choices for us in town are Maize (fish tacos!), Huraches Moroleon, and Wedge.
(2)
Preston B.
I'd give this 3.5 stars. It's everything you would expect in your run-of-the-mill Mexican restaurant. Free chips n salsa and a HUGE menu with all your classic combinations of the dame handful of ingredients. Reasonably priced for the large portions you get and the quality is good. Mostly, If you are craving solid Mexican food this is a great, clean, comfortable option. Nothing too fancy or high end. Just solid Mexican!
(3)
Shaun R.
Absolutely hands-down one of the worst Mexican meals I've had in my entire life the pork was so salty you could hardly eat it "I did not eat it" there was some burnt black crusty things in it..the chicken was a four out of 10 the salsa tasted like it was out of a jar with a little added cilantro , the chips obviously came from a bag (cold) .. First and last visit !
(1)
Annette L.
I lived in Champaign for about 8 years and just moved back to Chicago this summer. I miss El Toro more than words can describe. Outstanding and fast service, great prices, and delicious food. My husband and I loved El Toro so much we had our rehearsal dinner there, and our priest mentioned El Toro in our wedding homily. I miss you Toro. :(
(5)
Angela G.
Pros: Nice ambience, fairly strong margaritas. Cons: The last time I went, the service was not great. The waitress got our orders wrong, never refilled our water, and never came back with the salsa we asked for. It wasn't busy at all, either. The food is just so-so. Everything seemed overcooked and not very thoughtfully seasoned. It's certainly no Mas Amigos or Maize.
(2)
Sarah L.
It turns out that El Toro II is the favorite restaurant of one of my best friends, so I started to go there alot recently, and it has grown on me exponentially. The service is always amazing: the food comes out in like 5 minutes piping hot and exactly as ordered whether the party has 2 people in it or 15. I think I have also gotten a handle on what I like to order here too: mango margarita (frozen) and three cheese enchiladas.
(3)
TJ M.
I order food for mostly delivery from El Toro, so my experience is strictly to do with the food and not so much so the dining experience. For your regular customer wanting americanized mexican food, this place would suffice as an average joint. But for someone who enjoys freshly made food from Maize every time, this place can't compare on any level. The food is greasy, cheesy, mushy and not fresh at all. The guacamole is sub standard, as is the salsa. There is no fresh zing to the food at all, so I have to severely question the freshness of the ingredients used and the store practices of making food. I would avoid eating at the place and would advise anyone the same. Moreover the delivery takes around 45 minutes, so that makes me all the more less likely to order when I can choose from a whole host of other places on campus. Two of my recommendations of places with good mexican food would be El Charro and Maize Mexican Grill. Unfortunately the seating options at Maize are lacking, and El Charro looks extremely run down. So if you are looking for decent dining atmosphere, I wouldn't go to the aforementioned places. But hey, if it is the food you care about, definitely go to one of those places and enjoy far better and might I say even cheaper food.
(2)
Tim J.
I had a great time on my visit. The lobby does still have a new paint smell that was off-putting, and that odor did occaisionaly drift into the dining area, but it did not affect my enjoyment. Despite what other reviewers have noted, I found their menu to be pretty expansive, going far beyond the 'typical Mexican restaurant' fare. The one thing I wanted that they didn't have was a Mole sauce, but most places don't so no big. They had a strong selection of liquor and tequilla, and pretty good drink specials. I enjoyed my enchiladas del mar, and everybody else liked what they got, too. The tamales entree was a hit. They give you warm chips and salsa that is good but pretty mild. I knocked ours up a bit with the Cholula and Tapatio they put on the tables and was sweating gleefully in no time. I wanted to try their Margarona, which is a margarita with a corona stuck into it. I know, it sounds gross to mix beer with liquor, but if it is done right, it can be surprisingly delightful. Holding me back from ordering this frankencocktail was the $8.50 pricetag, but If it were on special, I'd definitely take a Margarona behind the bleachers and deny it later.
(4)
Don W.
I usually go to Dos and love it but decided to give this place a try because of yelp. I have to say I liked the decorations better here but not much else. I had a bland flavorless El Toronto fajita that did not sizzle and were not tender (like the menu promised). It didn't come with guacamole lettuce or tomato ie the usual with fajitas. I had to ask for lettuce and sour cream which were not fresh and too cold. The waiter also seemed offended that I asked and generally didn't seem to want to be there. I'm never coming here over Dos again.
(2)
A W.
I enjoy going to this restaurant on a warm, sunny day when my friends and I can sit in the outside patio area. The service is highly variable, which can be a big problem especially if we're the only customers in the restaurant. However, the pina coladas make bad service a risk worth taking. The salsa is pretty good, as are the entrees, but what really makes this place? The outdoor patio, and the awesome drinks!
(3)
Peter C.
Had some beef tacos on corn tortillas with cilantro and onion. Definitely had better. Beef was mushy and the tortillas were not very good. Would rather go to Don Juan.
(2)
Kayla K.
Food is great! Love the steak fajitas ! If you like your drinks with the brand of liquor you requested - better go elsewhere
(3)
Holly S.
I'm only giving this 4-stars because I do not want to mislead someone looking for a little bit more of an upscale meal - but fact is, this is absolutely delicious mexican-american and for the food & service I'd give it a 5. I love everything I've had on the menu and I love the rice so much I wish I could get the recipe...I don't think I'll ever eat a Mexi rice I love more. Good sized portions - note, if multiple people want a side of rice, just order one....it's massive (did I mention I love the rice?) I've said this about my love for Monical's pizza and same goes for El Toro...I live in ChiCity and have yet to find a (non-fancy or specialty) Mexi place here I like better. I'm sure some would say I'm crazy...I don't care! YUM! Their service is the FASTEST I've ever seen. Which I know could be a good or bad thing depending on what kind of experience you're looking for (again, the 4-star thing) - but if you are HONGARY this is the place. Chips and salsa on the table as you sit down. Someone ready to take your order/answer questions immediately. Water glass never goes empty. And last but not least, so very reasonably priced (I shouldn't say this but it's cheap actually!). 3 of us can eat there for less than $20 and that includes my $3 big margarita! I wouldn't come here as an 'experience' outside of the great food and quick service...meaning you might want to go somewhere else on a first date or with friends if you're looking for atmosphere. Only other thing, is that they can be heavy handed on the salt....
(4)
Kyle H.
So we decided to try out the new El Toro since I had a coupon, and they were open decently late on a Saturday (11 pm). The first thing a little odd about the place is that their are 2 entrances, but only 1 is really an entrance; the other you have to walk through the bar area to get to the other entrance to be seated (why not just have 1 entrance then?). The ambiance of the place is pretty nice. It's not your stereotypical mexican restaurant, the decor is a lot nicer/classier. Unfortunately, they weren't playing mexican tunes, and instead we got the likes of Miley Cyrus's Party in the USA and Justin Bieber's (OMG!!!) Baby; not really what I'd expect/want to hear in a mexican restaurant. The menu is typical mexican fare; the only thing that annoyed me here was lack of pricing on the drink menu. The margaritas are fresh blended, which can be a little annoying sitting close to the bar, and margaritas prepared this way tend to be a lot more liquid than frozen. The medium size was on sale for a still expensive ~7 dollars. The strength was about average, nothing too impressive. So my biggest complaint is the waitress. We were seated right by 2 other tables that she also had, so she walked by us every couple of minutes, but seemed completely oblivious to us. We had all ordered water at the start, and we were all out of water well before the time our margaritas came. She didn't notice. Not even when she brought our margaritas did she care to ask if we wanted refills. Finally, when she did another pass, I asked for a water refill; she only grabbed my glass and refilled it (even though everybody else at the table was also empty). So, when she came back, another person at our table asked for a refill. Not getting the hint, she then just grabbed his glass and didn't think to ask anybody else if they wanted refills, luckily the other person at the table spoke up asking for a refill (as a waitress you really should be checking these things). Same thing happened with Chips and Salsa; we were empty for the longest time, and only once we asked did we receive some more... unfortunately it must've been the bottom of the bag/basket since they were pretty much all crushed. On the plus side, their salsa is definitely the best we've had in the C-U area... the chips weren't quite as good. And if this wasn't enough, we also had an issue with our food order. One of the guys at our table ordered 3 enchiladas a la carte. When our order arrived, he only had 1 enchilada. We asked the waitress about it, and she claimed that she thought he had only ordered 1 enchilada. But, when she brings us the check, she clearly wrote (and tried to charge us) for the 3 enchiladas. Surely, you would check something like this before delivering the bill (or when sending the food order to the kitchen). Also, despite the fact that we were clearly 3 unrelated people, there was no offer to split the check. I guess I'm giving it 2 stars simply because the food was decent, and this one waitress is hopefully not a reflection of the rest of the wait staff.
(2)
Lisa B.
The new place is really nice and has a lot of room. The wait staff are nice and helpful. The food was crap though. I had a burritto and the red sauce tasted like tomato soup. The chips tasted a little on the burnt side. I will go back and try again in the Spring.
(3)
Paul S.
Well the atmosphere is excellent - especially in CU. The staff was all very friendly and attentive. Kudos to them! The food was a bit better than average but nothing to knock your socks off. A good place to go with family or friends. They have a cheese sauce that is a bit spicy but tasty!
(4)
Heather T.
I was all excited about El Toro moving closer to my house...and then I went there. For lunch. At 1pm on a Sunday. And there was absolutely ZERO parking. One of the nice things about the old El Toro was the humongous parking lot--even when it was packed with people inside, there was always a place to park. Irritating, but I was willing to look past it. The new El Toro is, in a word, cavernous. Where the old one was cavernous-but-packed-like-sardines sort of way, this one is just full of space. It's nice that you're not all up on the table next to you. When paired with the shellacked, corporate decor of the new location, however, the ambiance is sorely lacking. I felt like I was eating at a big, faceless Mexican restaurant that you would find in a suburb of Madison or some other larger city. It was just...personality-less. This is not to mention that they have changed up the menu. I loved their salsa for the garlicky flavor, but what I was served did not taste the same anymore. One of my friends always gets some sort of chicken nachos, and he said that this, too, was different. Sad. That said, El Toro still has ginormous portions on the cheap, and I'm sure the booze still works. The service is still uber-efficient and attentive (you'll get new baskets of chips so fast your head will spin). I think I'll give another location a try next time, though.
(3)
Grimace B.
The absolute best thing about this place and a reason I would go back.... The Margaritas. Best margaritas I have ever had. Lots of flavors (though the original lime is the best) and STRONG. They really load these drinks with the tequila, and I like it. I honestly would go here just to grab a margarita. As for the rest of the deal, the restaurant is huge inside, clean, and nicely designed/decorated. The service was good. The food though was very bland. I only went once so maybe it was just a bad night, but my parties and my entrees all looked delicious, but tasted very bland. Even the salsa, chips, and other dips were all really bland. I never knew that food that looked so good could be so bland. I probably would not go back again for the food. Definitely check this place out though for the margaritas, you won't be disappointed.
They have specials listed on the front of the restaurant, but ask the bartenders as well. Each bartender charged differently for their drinks. I had some of their pre-mixed lime margaritas on ice. I'm not usually a margarita on ice person, but they were pretty tasty. HUGE free basket of nachos and salsa as soon as we sat at the bar. I saw large groups, parties, kids, the whole spectrum.
The last time I was there, there was a cockroach crawling on my table. The cockroach then climbed onto a stand up menu. We pointed it out to the waiter and he took the menu and threw it on the floor and tried to stomp on the cockroach. We mentioned to the woman at the check out section that there was a cockroach and she gave us 10% off our order. She told me that they had recently sprayed for them, but apparently they were still a problem. She was very apologetic. It's a real shame because the food is not half bad. And many of the people who work there are quite nice. But I don't think I'll be eating there any time soon again...
(2)
Seth B.
Tamales were GREAT! But the margaritas were SUPER salty. Great place to meet friends for a drink.
(3)
Kelly R.
Tasty salsa, great prices, quick service. If he wasn't so amusing, I might have been put off by the frazzled older guy who was our waiter. He seemed to misunderstand my friend's margarita order(he ended up with a mondo sized one), couldn't quite grasp what I was saying when I said that we needed another set of siverware...but he did swiftly refill my beverage--no matter if he gave me water, when I was drinking Diet Pepsi. We all got a laugh from that(including him). He brought me a replacement fizzy beverage, but left the glass that now looked like dirty pond water. My Carne Asada was overdone and lacking flavor, but the other items in my platter were okay. Next time, I'm trying that Fajita Quesadilla, that Heather T. was lobbying for. Looked great!
(4)
Annie W.
In a lot of ways, El Toro is your typical Mexican-American restaurant--same options on the menu, same cheap prices, same piles of free chips and salsa. The things that make it even more worth checking out: -Great service, even in massive groups with complicated ticket-splitting and lots of different drink orders -The fajita quesadilla is particularly delicious, only $8, and huge enough to eat half for dinner and half for lunch the next day -Gigantic margaritas for cheap every Thursday! Try the strawberry-banana, but they'll mix anything up for you. Overall--not particularly authentic Mexican food, but definitely one of the better Mexican-American places in town.
(4)
Jeffrey E.
Monday lunch review, ordered a fajitas burrito from the lunch special menu ($7.95). Good chips and watery salsa served upon being seated. I have eaten at the various incarnations of El Toro for ten years, some pretty good, some not so much, but this was my first visit to the new Neil St. store, and it is really very nice. Service started fine, party of one, not busy, several Hispanic male servers on the floor, but I got the girl. Burrito arrived promptly, but the beans and sour cream in the menu description were missing. The girl thought the beans might be in the burrito, and brought SC immediately. If beans were in burrito, they were well hidden. Conference between girl and waiter yielded a "side" of refritos on a 12 inch oval platter, easily a serving for four. Spent rest of lunch wondering how much I would be charged for beans that were supposed to come with meal. It was only $1.75, so no drama. Original girl had gone missing, so not sure who I would have complained to in any event. Ten minutes is a long time with dirty dishes and a credit card on the table to get permission to leave. Incidentally, the meat in the burrito was round steak, lean, tough, dry, tasteless. I often buy skirt steak at the Mexican grocery, and make my own carne asada. This was beef and peppers, in a tortilla. Not terrible, but not great either. Back to Taco Loco for my burritos from now on.
(2)
Briana J.
My service was quick and great! My food came so fast and my plates were taken from my table immediately after I was finished! I will definitely come back to this el toro!
(5)
Teej T.
Four stars for the win, El Toro. At last, a place where I can watch the Pumas, eat some decent food, joke in Spanish, and even have fried ice cream if I'm playing gringo tourist. I like it. And I don't mind taking midwestern friends here. It makes me look 'edgy' cuando yo hablo en espanol con la gente. ;) Also, the alambres were fantastic.
(4)
B D.
Definitely one of the best Mexican restaurants I have ever been to. I do have to point out that the food is only good if you order the real stuff and non of that "flour tortilla please" crap. The chips are nice and crispy and if you get the spicy sauce, even though not spicy enough, it had good taste that satisfy my trained taste buds. The margaritas are awesome and the service is great; I can always ask any of the guys for help and they are there right away. Also, I should point out that if you have NOT had real Mexican food, you will end up ordering the typical American disgusting version and will be dissatisfied. I on the other hand have been here multiple times and can say the food and service has been great because I know what to order and expect. SAY NO TO FLOUR TORTILLAS!!! That is not Mexican.
(5)
Linda Y.
I just went here last night with a friend searching for some decent mexican food in this town (we are both from the Chicagoland area). We chose this El Toro since it was the only one we could remember after realizing that El Torero was closed down. It is clearly family owned, judging by the young boy functioning as a host and a painted sign saying that it was the Fuerez family's. That's quaint. Service was extremely fast...perhaps a little too fast. They probably either have too many waiters on a Friday night, or their serving areas are just so small that every few minutes the waiter approached to ask if we were ready (we were not the first three times...). We ordered the veggie fajitas, the chiles poblanos, and margaritas. The food was pretty good and very filling. Quite large portions (as most Mexican restaurants) but it was still not the most magnificent thing I've had in my life. It wasn't prepared too quickly, as most people are concerned about, but I guess since it was a Friday night, it was prepared as quick as I would like even though we tarnished off nearly all the chips and some margarita. The chips and salsa were ok. As with other reviewers..the salsa seemed like pureed tomato straight out the can with a bit of other ingredients. Bland. The chips were warm but also a tad bit lackluster...but I like my chips without salt or spices... The drinks were strong. We ordered the margarita on special (the $6.00 jumbo) and it comes out the size of a bowl of cereal. Which is good...but be forewarned that it will take a while to finish. In all. This place was ok. Good enough to curb Mexican cravings or catching up with friends, but I would never bring my parents here on a night when they visit. It just wasn't good enough.
(3)
A K.
I went here very frequently when I lived in C-U. They have a good variety (plenty of vegetarian options too), reasonable prices, a kind waitstaff, and I've never had to wait for a table. I love the outdoor patio in the spring & summer. It's also a great place for a birthday, as they are very accommodating.
(5)
Emily M.
Their food is decent, but the reason I'm writing this review is their healthy margarita. It's incredible and I'm not even usually a margarita fan! My husband ordered the regular margarita and we both agreed that the healthy was much better than the regular margarita. Go try it!
(4)
Andy W.
Good food, plus it's usually pretty fast. Language barrier applies at times, but not usually a problem. Prices are reasonable, too. UI students get a discount with ID!
(4)
Briana J.
My service was quick and great! My food came so fast and my plates were taken from my table immediately after I was finished! I will definitely come back to this el toro!
(5)
Teej T.
Four stars for the win, El Toro. At last, a place where I can watch the Pumas, eat some decent food, joke in Spanish, and even have fried ice cream if I'm playing gringo tourist. I like it. And I don't mind taking midwestern friends here. It makes me look 'edgy' cuando yo hablo en espanol con la gente. ;) Also, the alambres were fantastic.
(4)
Don W.
I usually go to Dos and love it but decided to give this place a try because of yelp. I have to say I liked the decorations better here but not much else. I had a bland flavorless El Toronto fajita that did not sizzle and were not tender (like the menu promised). It didn't come with guacamole lettuce or tomato ie the usual with fajitas. I had to ask for lettuce and sour cream which were not fresh and too cold. The waiter also seemed offended that I asked and generally didn't seem to want to be there. I'm never coming here over Dos again.
(2)
Annette L.
I lived in Champaign for about 8 years and just moved back to Chicago this summer. I miss El Toro more than words can describe. Outstanding and fast service, great prices, and delicious food. My husband and I loved El Toro so much we had our rehearsal dinner there, and our priest mentioned El Toro in our wedding homily. I miss you Toro. :(
(5)
Jeffrey E.
Monday lunch review, ordered a fajitas burrito from the lunch special menu ($7.95). Good chips and watery salsa served upon being seated. I have eaten at the various incarnations of El Toro for ten years, some pretty good, some not so much, but this was my first visit to the new Neil St. store, and it is really very nice. Service started fine, party of one, not busy, several Hispanic male servers on the floor, but I got the girl. Burrito arrived promptly, but the beans and sour cream in the menu description were missing. The girl thought the beans might be in the burrito, and brought SC immediately. If beans were in burrito, they were well hidden. Conference between girl and waiter yielded a "side" of refritos on a 12 inch oval platter, easily a serving for four. Spent rest of lunch wondering how much I would be charged for beans that were supposed to come with meal. It was only $1.75, so no drama. Original girl had gone missing, so not sure who I would have complained to in any event. Ten minutes is a long time with dirty dishes and a credit card on the table to get permission to leave. Incidentally, the meat in the burrito was round steak, lean, tough, dry, tasteless. I often buy skirt steak at the Mexican grocery, and make my own carne asada. This was beef and peppers, in a tortilla. Not terrible, but not great either. Back to Taco Loco for my burritos from now on.
(2)
Wayne K.
As a Californian I feel it's unfair for me to review El Toro, which may be just fine for Champaign but would be utterly crushed if it were located anywhere near San Francisco. The food wasn't very authentic and I'm not even sure this was as good as a Chevy's. THE ICKY: - The salsa was barely better than salsa you get out of a jar from the supermarket. Where are the tomatoes? The chips taste similarly store-bought. - The guacamole had no personality... maybe they couldn't get fresh avocados? - The cheese inside the quasadilla tasted really off. Were they using American cheese or something? - The tacos from head-to-toe were just not great, from the shell to the meat. THE GOOD: - I did like the horchata. :) - Despite the ickiness, I left pretty full, so large portion sizes with reasonable prices. - It had the ambiance of a taqueria, but was cleaner. - Service was fast and efficient.
(2)
E D.
This is mediocre, inexpensive American-style Mexican food. It's not terrible, but it's definitely nothing to write home about.
(3)
Matthew L.
I have to say I am really excited to have the New El Toro open, because it's only 3 blocks from my house - so smart for them to move closer to both campus and downtown... In the newly renovated warehouse building on the corner of 901 S. Neil (right next door to Kamakura), the restaurant has 6 options for seating (or at least they WILL once the outdoor seating is in place), large, spacious rooms, and good decor. The drinks are strong and generous, the food is fresh and i think MUCH better than the old Neil St Location, quick service, sporting a mixed and interesting crowd of students, yuppies, sport fans at the bar and families. GREAT location, well-designed and reliable, cheap excellent food.
(5)
Kaitlyn W.
El Toro is not horrible, but its not great Mexican either. Don't let this reflect on Wedge. There are no better margaritas in CU than Wedge's. We got nachos and a chicken verde quesadilla. The nachos had cheese sauce instead of cheese. Not our thing, but the sour cream and guac were super fresh so that made up for it. The quesadilla was soggy and wet and lacking cheese. I didn't hate it but my boyfriend wouldn't take a second bite. Overall it's acceptable, but there are better Mexican places if you look elsewhere.
(2)
Memphis A.
Casual atmosphere, fast and friendly service. Food was really good. Salsa was chunky if u like that and guacamole was made fresh.
(4)
Ramin A.
Terrible delivery service. People are mean and don't care about their customers service. I will not ever come back to this place. Also the food is small, not very good and too expensive.
(1)
Rhonda G.
It's just ok. Salsa was one step up from Pace which isn't really a compliment to the chef. I absolutely hate food drenched in sauces to disguise lack of flavor and this was the case with their version of the enchilada. Initially my taco came out in a crunchy tortilla and I was shocked to find out this was the norm when ordering a taco at this place. Since i'm not really into the crunchy taco bell-esque tortilla I kindly asked for a soft corn tortilla (and they gladly changed this for me). The taco was good but again not great. The peach margarita was strong but not really peach so while I got happy from the booze, I wasn't to thrilled at my mystery fruit drink though. Probably won't go back.
(3)
CaramelD C.
This particular El Toro is awful. The waiter didn't stick around long enough at our table to hear our entire order. When he did return, we had to make him be still long enough to take it. He still didn't get it correct and brought out an enchilada with no meat. We asked for shredded chicken. Not only that, it was cold when it came out. So was the tamale. Then they brought out an enchilada with some other kind of meat. It still wasn't shredded chicken. When we asked to see the Manager, we had to wait 15 minutes. We were told that she would be coming to our table, "any minute." She never came. When we got ready to leave, we stopped by the front counter and asked for her again, only to find out that she had left early that day. So someone else came out and began to dispute our bill with us. When we refused to pay the entire bill, they began yelling at us. Then a dark haired short female came out and also yelled at us at if we were trying to get over on the bill even though we never got what we ordered. I asked who the owner was, no one seemed to know (imagine that)! So I called the other El Toro, asked for the owner and of course, they referred me back to this El Toro and the cycle started all over again. I think I'm just going to call public health and maybe they can get ahold of the owner, Victor Fuentes, for me. Maybe he'll call them back. I won't be going back there. The one on W. Springfield Avenue is much better.
(1)
TJ M.
I order food for mostly delivery from El Toro, so my experience is strictly to do with the food and not so much so the dining experience. For your regular customer wanting americanized mexican food, this place would suffice as an average joint. But for someone who enjoys freshly made food from Maize every time, this place can't compare on any level. The food is greasy, cheesy, mushy and not fresh at all. The guacamole is sub standard, as is the salsa. There is no fresh zing to the food at all, so I have to severely question the freshness of the ingredients used and the store practices of making food. I would avoid eating at the place and would advise anyone the same. Moreover the delivery takes around 45 minutes, so that makes me all the more less likely to order when I can choose from a whole host of other places on campus. Two of my recommendations of places with good mexican food would be El Charro and Maize Mexican Grill. Unfortunately the seating options at Maize are lacking, and El Charro looks extremely run down. So if you are looking for decent dining atmosphere, I wouldn't go to the aforementioned places. But hey, if it is the food you care about, definitely go to one of those places and enjoy far better and might I say even cheaper food.
(2)
Tim J.
I had a great time on my visit. The lobby does still have a new paint smell that was off-putting, and that odor did occaisionaly drift into the dining area, but it did not affect my enjoyment. Despite what other reviewers have noted, I found their menu to be pretty expansive, going far beyond the 'typical Mexican restaurant' fare. The one thing I wanted that they didn't have was a Mole sauce, but most places don't so no big. They had a strong selection of liquor and tequilla, and pretty good drink specials. I enjoyed my enchiladas del mar, and everybody else liked what they got, too. The tamales entree was a hit. They give you warm chips and salsa that is good but pretty mild. I knocked ours up a bit with the Cholula and Tapatio they put on the tables and was sweating gleefully in no time. I wanted to try their Margarona, which is a margarita with a corona stuck into it. I know, it sounds gross to mix beer with liquor, but if it is done right, it can be surprisingly delightful. Holding me back from ordering this frankencocktail was the $8.50 pricetag, but If it were on special, I'd definitely take a Margarona behind the bleachers and deny it later.
(4)
Seth B.
Tamales were GREAT! But the margaritas were SUPER salty. Great place to meet friends for a drink.
(3)
Sarah L.
It turns out that El Toro II is the favorite restaurant of one of my best friends, so I started to go there alot recently, and it has grown on me exponentially. The service is always amazing: the food comes out in like 5 minutes piping hot and exactly as ordered whether the party has 2 people in it or 15. I think I have also gotten a handle on what I like to order here too: mango margarita (frozen) and three cheese enchiladas.
(3)
Holly S.
I'm only giving this 4-stars because I do not want to mislead someone looking for a little bit more of an upscale meal - but fact is, this is absolutely delicious mexican-american and for the food & service I'd give it a 5. I love everything I've had on the menu and I love the rice so much I wish I could get the recipe...I don't think I'll ever eat a Mexi rice I love more. Good sized portions - note, if multiple people want a side of rice, just order one....it's massive (did I mention I love the rice?) I've said this about my love for Monical's pizza and same goes for El Toro...I live in ChiCity and have yet to find a (non-fancy or specialty) Mexi place here I like better. I'm sure some would say I'm crazy...I don't care! YUM! Their service is the FASTEST I've ever seen. Which I know could be a good or bad thing depending on what kind of experience you're looking for (again, the 4-star thing) - but if you are HONGARY this is the place. Chips and salsa on the table as you sit down. Someone ready to take your order/answer questions immediately. Water glass never goes empty. And last but not least, so very reasonably priced (I shouldn't say this but it's cheap actually!). 3 of us can eat there for less than $20 and that includes my $3 big margarita! I wouldn't come here as an 'experience' outside of the great food and quick service...meaning you might want to go somewhere else on a first date or with friends if you're looking for atmosphere. Only other thing, is that they can be heavy handed on the salt....
(4)
Crystal M.
If I could I would give them 5 stars on their salsa and chips...but I have to take the whole dining experience into account. I really liked their food. Their service was wonderful. I was there for my daughter's rehersal dinner and they did a great job accomadating about 30 of us. Then did an awsome job embarrasing the bride and groom by making them stand up and singing something to them...don't know what they were singing because it was in spanish. The parking is horrible.
(4)
Laurie T.
I went here with two co-workers for lunch. We were under a time crunch and were worried when we saw all the cars in the parking lot. We walked in and were seated immediately. The server (unfortunately I did not get her name) quickly got our drinks and food orders. Our food arrived very quickly, and we were finished in no time. Our server even took our bills for us so we would not have to wait at the register with all the other people who were leaving. As far as the food, I was pleased with mine. I got the lunch special number 3 (enchilada and taco with beans and rice). It was on par with what I expected. One of my co-workers got a bean burrito. She was pretty sure the sauce on the burrito was pizza sauce, and that seemed a little weird. I will keep this in mind the next time I only have a few minutes for lunch. I think we were in and out in about 30 minutes.
(3)
Matt N.
You want good Mexican food in Champaign, then you've gotta go to El Toro! It's not quite in the heart of campus but close enough! Make sure you ask for the white cheese dip with the chips to start, amazing! The rest of the food was delicious, the Margaritas were strong and massive, and the service was great. The only reason I took away a star was because we made a reservation and then had to still wait at the bar for about a half hour before being seated.
(4)
Heather T.
I was all excited about El Toro moving closer to my house...and then I went there. For lunch. At 1pm on a Sunday. And there was absolutely ZERO parking. One of the nice things about the old El Toro was the humongous parking lot--even when it was packed with people inside, there was always a place to park. Irritating, but I was willing to look past it. The new El Toro is, in a word, cavernous. Where the old one was cavernous-but-packed-like-sardines sort of way, this one is just full of space. It's nice that you're not all up on the table next to you. When paired with the shellacked, corporate decor of the new location, however, the ambiance is sorely lacking. I felt like I was eating at a big, faceless Mexican restaurant that you would find in a suburb of Madison or some other larger city. It was just...personality-less. This is not to mention that they have changed up the menu. I loved their salsa for the garlicky flavor, but what I was served did not taste the same anymore. One of my friends always gets some sort of chicken nachos, and he said that this, too, was different. Sad. That said, El Toro still has ginormous portions on the cheap, and I'm sure the booze still works. The service is still uber-efficient and attentive (you'll get new baskets of chips so fast your head will spin). I think I'll give another location a try next time, though.
(3)
Grimace B.
The absolute best thing about this place and a reason I would go back.... The Margaritas. Best margaritas I have ever had. Lots of flavors (though the original lime is the best) and STRONG. They really load these drinks with the tequila, and I like it. I honestly would go here just to grab a margarita. As for the rest of the deal, the restaurant is huge inside, clean, and nicely designed/decorated. The service was good. The food though was very bland. I only went once so maybe it was just a bad night, but my parties and my entrees all looked delicious, but tasted very bland. Even the salsa, chips, and other dips were all really bland. I never knew that food that looked so good could be so bland. I probably would not go back again for the food. Definitely check this place out though for the margaritas, you won't be disappointed.
So we decided to try out the new El Toro since I had a coupon, and they were open decently late on a Saturday (11 pm). The first thing a little odd about the place is that their are 2 entrances, but only 1 is really an entrance; the other you have to walk through the bar area to get to the other entrance to be seated (why not just have 1 entrance then?). The ambiance of the place is pretty nice. It's not your stereotypical mexican restaurant, the decor is a lot nicer/classier. Unfortunately, they weren't playing mexican tunes, and instead we got the likes of Miley Cyrus's Party in the USA and Justin Bieber's (OMG!!!) Baby; not really what I'd expect/want to hear in a mexican restaurant. The menu is typical mexican fare; the only thing that annoyed me here was lack of pricing on the drink menu. The margaritas are fresh blended, which can be a little annoying sitting close to the bar, and margaritas prepared this way tend to be a lot more liquid than frozen. The medium size was on sale for a still expensive ~7 dollars. The strength was about average, nothing too impressive. So my biggest complaint is the waitress. We were seated right by 2 other tables that she also had, so she walked by us every couple of minutes, but seemed completely oblivious to us. We had all ordered water at the start, and we were all out of water well before the time our margaritas came. She didn't notice. Not even when she brought our margaritas did she care to ask if we wanted refills. Finally, when she did another pass, I asked for a water refill; she only grabbed my glass and refilled it (even though everybody else at the table was also empty). So, when she came back, another person at our table asked for a refill. Not getting the hint, she then just grabbed his glass and didn't think to ask anybody else if they wanted refills, luckily the other person at the table spoke up asking for a refill (as a waitress you really should be checking these things). Same thing happened with Chips and Salsa; we were empty for the longest time, and only once we asked did we receive some more... unfortunately it must've been the bottom of the bag/basket since they were pretty much all crushed. On the plus side, their salsa is definitely the best we've had in the C-U area... the chips weren't quite as good. And if this wasn't enough, we also had an issue with our food order. One of the guys at our table ordered 3 enchiladas a la carte. When our order arrived, he only had 1 enchilada. We asked the waitress about it, and she claimed that she thought he had only ordered 1 enchilada. But, when she brings us the check, she clearly wrote (and tried to charge us) for the 3 enchiladas. Surely, you would check something like this before delivering the bill (or when sending the food order to the kitchen). Also, despite the fact that we were clearly 3 unrelated people, there was no offer to split the check. I guess I'm giving it 2 stars simply because the food was decent, and this one waitress is hopefully not a reflection of the rest of the wait staff.
(2)
Lisa B.
The new place is really nice and has a lot of room. The wait staff are nice and helpful. The food was crap though. I had a burritto and the red sauce tasted like tomato soup. The chips tasted a little on the burnt side. I will go back and try again in the Spring.
(3)
Paul S.
Well the atmosphere is excellent - especially in CU. The staff was all very friendly and attentive. Kudos to them! The food was a bit better than average but nothing to knock your socks off. A good place to go with family or friends. They have a cheese sauce that is a bit spicy but tasty!
(4)
Bailey B.
They have specials listed on the front of the restaurant, but ask the bartenders as well. Each bartender charged differently for their drinks. I had some of their pre-mixed lime margaritas on ice. I'm not usually a margarita on ice person, but they were pretty tasty. HUGE free basket of nachos and salsa as soon as we sat at the bar. I saw large groups, parties, kids, the whole spectrum.
(4)
Rachel S.
The last time I was there, there was a cockroach crawling on my table. The cockroach then climbed onto a stand up menu. We pointed it out to the waiter and he took the menu and threw it on the floor and tried to stomp on the cockroach. We mentioned to the woman at the check out section that there was a cockroach and she gave us 10% off our order. She told me that they had recently sprayed for them, but apparently they were still a problem. She was very apologetic. It's a real shame because the food is not half bad. And many of the people who work there are quite nice. But I don't think I'll be eating there any time soon again...
(2)
Kelly R.
Tasty salsa, great prices, quick service. If he wasn't so amusing, I might have been put off by the frazzled older guy who was our waiter. He seemed to misunderstand my friend's margarita order(he ended up with a mondo sized one), couldn't quite grasp what I was saying when I said that we needed another set of siverware...but he did swiftly refill my beverage--no matter if he gave me water, when I was drinking Diet Pepsi. We all got a laugh from that(including him). He brought me a replacement fizzy beverage, but left the glass that now looked like dirty pond water. My Carne Asada was overdone and lacking flavor, but the other items in my platter were okay. Next time, I'm trying that Fajita Quesadilla, that Heather T. was lobbying for. Looked great!
(4)
Annie W.
In a lot of ways, El Toro is your typical Mexican-American restaurant--same options on the menu, same cheap prices, same piles of free chips and salsa. The things that make it even more worth checking out: -Great service, even in massive groups with complicated ticket-splitting and lots of different drink orders -The fajita quesadilla is particularly delicious, only $8, and huge enough to eat half for dinner and half for lunch the next day -Gigantic margaritas for cheap every Thursday! Try the strawberry-banana, but they'll mix anything up for you. Overall--not particularly authentic Mexican food, but definitely one of the better Mexican-American places in town.
(4)
A W.
I enjoy going to this restaurant on a warm, sunny day when my friends and I can sit in the outside patio area. The service is highly variable, which can be a big problem especially if we're the only customers in the restaurant. However, the pina coladas make bad service a risk worth taking. The salsa is pretty good, as are the entrees, but what really makes this place? The outdoor patio, and the awesome drinks!
(3)
B D.
Definitely one of the best Mexican restaurants I have ever been to. I do have to point out that the food is only good if you order the real stuff and non of that "flour tortilla please" crap. The chips are nice and crispy and if you get the spicy sauce, even though not spicy enough, it had good taste that satisfy my trained taste buds. The margaritas are awesome and the service is great; I can always ask any of the guys for help and they are there right away. Also, I should point out that if you have NOT had real Mexican food, you will end up ordering the typical American disgusting version and will be dissatisfied. I on the other hand have been here multiple times and can say the food and service has been great because I know what to order and expect. SAY NO TO FLOUR TORTILLAS!!! That is not Mexican.
(5)
Linda Y.
I just went here last night with a friend searching for some decent mexican food in this town (we are both from the Chicagoland area). We chose this El Toro since it was the only one we could remember after realizing that El Torero was closed down. It is clearly family owned, judging by the young boy functioning as a host and a painted sign saying that it was the Fuerez family's. That's quaint. Service was extremely fast...perhaps a little too fast. They probably either have too many waiters on a Friday night, or their serving areas are just so small that every few minutes the waiter approached to ask if we were ready (we were not the first three times...). We ordered the veggie fajitas, the chiles poblanos, and margaritas. The food was pretty good and very filling. Quite large portions (as most Mexican restaurants) but it was still not the most magnificent thing I've had in my life. It wasn't prepared too quickly, as most people are concerned about, but I guess since it was a Friday night, it was prepared as quick as I would like even though we tarnished off nearly all the chips and some margarita. The chips and salsa were ok. As with other reviewers..the salsa seemed like pureed tomato straight out the can with a bit of other ingredients. Bland. The chips were warm but also a tad bit lackluster...but I like my chips without salt or spices... The drinks were strong. We ordered the margarita on special (the $6.00 jumbo) and it comes out the size of a bowl of cereal. Which is good...but be forewarned that it will take a while to finish. In all. This place was ok. Good enough to curb Mexican cravings or catching up with friends, but I would never bring my parents here on a night when they visit. It just wasn't good enough.
(3)
A K.
I went here very frequently when I lived in C-U. They have a good variety (plenty of vegetarian options too), reasonable prices, a kind waitstaff, and I've never had to wait for a table. I love the outdoor patio in the spring & summer. It's also a great place for a birthday, as they are very accommodating.
(5)
Emily M.
Their food is decent, but the reason I'm writing this review is their healthy margarita. It's incredible and I'm not even usually a margarita fan! My husband ordered the regular margarita and we both agreed that the healthy was much better than the regular margarita. Go try it!
(4)
Andy W.
Good food, plus it's usually pretty fast. Language barrier applies at times, but not usually a problem. Prices are reasonable, too. UI students get a discount with ID!
(4)
Grimace B.
The absolute best thing about this place and a reason I would go back.... The Margaritas. Best margaritas I have ever had. Lots of flavors (though the original lime is the best) and STRONG. They really load these drinks with the tequila, and I like it. I honestly would go here just to grab a margarita. As for the rest of the deal, the restaurant is huge inside, clean, and nicely designed/decorated. The service was good. The food though was very bland. I only went once so maybe it was just a bad night, but my parties and my entrees all looked delicious, but tasted very bland. Even the salsa, chips, and other dips were all really bland. I never knew that food that looked so good could be so bland. I probably would not go back again for the food. Definitely check this place out though for the margaritas, you won't be disappointed.
They have specials listed on the front of the restaurant, but ask the bartenders as well. Each bartender charged differently for their drinks. I had some of their pre-mixed lime margaritas on ice. I'm not usually a margarita on ice person, but they were pretty tasty. HUGE free basket of nachos and salsa as soon as we sat at the bar. I saw large groups, parties, kids, the whole spectrum.
(4)
Don W.
I usually go to Dos and love it but decided to give this place a try because of yelp. I have to say I liked the decorations better here but not much else. I had a bland flavorless El Toronto fajita that did not sizzle and were not tender (like the menu promised). It didn't come with guacamole lettuce or tomato ie the usual with fajitas. I had to ask for lettuce and sour cream which were not fresh and too cold. The waiter also seemed offended that I asked and generally didn't seem to want to be there. I'm never coming here over Dos again.
(2)
A W.
I enjoy going to this restaurant on a warm, sunny day when my friends and I can sit in the outside patio area. The service is highly variable, which can be a big problem especially if we're the only customers in the restaurant. However, the pina coladas make bad service a risk worth taking. The salsa is pretty good, as are the entrees, but what really makes this place? The outdoor patio, and the awesome drinks!
(3)
Jeffrey E.
Monday lunch review, ordered a fajitas burrito from the lunch special menu ($7.95). Good chips and watery salsa served upon being seated. I have eaten at the various incarnations of El Toro for ten years, some pretty good, some not so much, but this was my first visit to the new Neil St. store, and it is really very nice. Service started fine, party of one, not busy, several Hispanic male servers on the floor, but I got the girl. Burrito arrived promptly, but the beans and sour cream in the menu description were missing. The girl thought the beans might be in the burrito, and brought SC immediately. If beans were in burrito, they were well hidden. Conference between girl and waiter yielded a "side" of refritos on a 12 inch oval platter, easily a serving for four. Spent rest of lunch wondering how much I would be charged for beans that were supposed to come with meal. It was only $1.75, so no drama. Original girl had gone missing, so not sure who I would have complained to in any event. Ten minutes is a long time with dirty dishes and a credit card on the table to get permission to leave. Incidentally, the meat in the burrito was round steak, lean, tough, dry, tasteless. I often buy skirt steak at the Mexican grocery, and make my own carne asada. This was beef and peppers, in a tortilla. Not terrible, but not great either. Back to Taco Loco for my burritos from now on.
(2)
Kelly R.
Tasty salsa, great prices, quick service. If he wasn't so amusing, I might have been put off by the frazzled older guy who was our waiter. He seemed to misunderstand my friend's margarita order(he ended up with a mondo sized one), couldn't quite grasp what I was saying when I said that we needed another set of siverware...but he did swiftly refill my beverage--no matter if he gave me water, when I was drinking Diet Pepsi. We all got a laugh from that(including him). He brought me a replacement fizzy beverage, but left the glass that now looked like dirty pond water. My Carne Asada was overdone and lacking flavor, but the other items in my platter were okay. Next time, I'm trying that Fajita Quesadilla, that Heather T. was lobbying for. Looked great!
(4)
Annie W.
In a lot of ways, El Toro is your typical Mexican-American restaurant--same options on the menu, same cheap prices, same piles of free chips and salsa. The things that make it even more worth checking out: -Great service, even in massive groups with complicated ticket-splitting and lots of different drink orders -The fajita quesadilla is particularly delicious, only $8, and huge enough to eat half for dinner and half for lunch the next day -Gigantic margaritas for cheap every Thursday! Try the strawberry-banana, but they'll mix anything up for you. Overall--not particularly authentic Mexican food, but definitely one of the better Mexican-American places in town.
(4)
Briana J.
My service was quick and great! My food came so fast and my plates were taken from my table immediately after I was finished! I will definitely come back to this el toro!
(5)
Teej T.
Four stars for the win, El Toro. At last, a place where I can watch the Pumas, eat some decent food, joke in Spanish, and even have fried ice cream if I'm playing gringo tourist. I like it. And I don't mind taking midwestern friends here. It makes me look 'edgy' cuando yo hablo en espanol con la gente. ;) Also, the alambres were fantastic.
(4)
A K.
I went here very frequently when I lived in C-U. They have a good variety (plenty of vegetarian options too), reasonable prices, a kind waitstaff, and I've never had to wait for a table. I love the outdoor patio in the spring & summer. It's also a great place for a birthday, as they are very accommodating.
(5)
Emily M.
Their food is decent, but the reason I'm writing this review is their healthy margarita. It's incredible and I'm not even usually a margarita fan! My husband ordered the regular margarita and we both agreed that the healthy was much better than the regular margarita. Go try it!
(4)
Andy W.
Good food, plus it's usually pretty fast. Language barrier applies at times, but not usually a problem. Prices are reasonable, too. UI students get a discount with ID!
(4)
B D.
Definitely one of the best Mexican restaurants I have ever been to. I do have to point out that the food is only good if you order the real stuff and non of that "flour tortilla please" crap. The chips are nice and crispy and if you get the spicy sauce, even though not spicy enough, it had good taste that satisfy my trained taste buds. The margaritas are awesome and the service is great; I can always ask any of the guys for help and they are there right away. Also, I should point out that if you have NOT had real Mexican food, you will end up ordering the typical American disgusting version and will be dissatisfied. I on the other hand have been here multiple times and can say the food and service has been great because I know what to order and expect. SAY NO TO FLOUR TORTILLAS!!! That is not Mexican.
(5)
Linda Y.
I just went here last night with a friend searching for some decent mexican food in this town (we are both from the Chicagoland area). We chose this El Toro since it was the only one we could remember after realizing that El Torero was closed down. It is clearly family owned, judging by the young boy functioning as a host and a painted sign saying that it was the Fuerez family's. That's quaint. Service was extremely fast...perhaps a little too fast. They probably either have too many waiters on a Friday night, or their serving areas are just so small that every few minutes the waiter approached to ask if we were ready (we were not the first three times...). We ordered the veggie fajitas, the chiles poblanos, and margaritas. The food was pretty good and very filling. Quite large portions (as most Mexican restaurants) but it was still not the most magnificent thing I've had in my life. It wasn't prepared too quickly, as most people are concerned about, but I guess since it was a Friday night, it was prepared as quick as I would like even though we tarnished off nearly all the chips and some margarita. The chips and salsa were ok. As with other reviewers..the salsa seemed like pureed tomato straight out the can with a bit of other ingredients. Bland. The chips were warm but also a tad bit lackluster...but I like my chips without salt or spices... The drinks were strong. We ordered the margarita on special (the $6.00 jumbo) and it comes out the size of a bowl of cereal. Which is good...but be forewarned that it will take a while to finish. In all. This place was ok. Good enough to curb Mexican cravings or catching up with friends, but I would never bring my parents here on a night when they visit. It just wasn't good enough.
(3)
Lily N.
Good food at a great price, the restaurant has become a great lunch destination. The food is basic American-Mexican combinations (burrito, enchilada, tamale for example) with very quick service. Honestly have not been to a sit down restaurant with such speedy service during the lunch rush.
(4)
Mike B.
The Fuentes family has extended themselves and this Champaign El Toro location is definitely the best one in town (if you don't have a rapport with individuals at another location that is) , and I usually have a pretty decent experience here. A few notes: The place is fairly big, but the parking lot isn't, so if you pull up and can't find a spot in the lot, you can find some parking on-street parking and will still be able to get a table once you go in...don't quote me though! For the most part the waitstaff's 1st language is Spanglish, so be prepared to talk slow and point to what you want.....I don't think I ever had an issue with lack of communication. Additionally they may be a server short at all times as they are always running around trying to serve and do not fully spend as much time at the table to ensure accuracy of orders (especially special orders, etc.). My last experience the food was just alright....maybe a tad bland and lackluster. I usually get the Alambres dish...but strayed this go round.... I'd highly suggest trying the Alambres dish to anyone and will probably stick to that. I usually get the mix of steak, chicken, bacon, peppers, and cheese with the usual sides...comes out like fajitas....sizzling and ensuring it'll be nice and hot. The drinks are alright, but I think are a little too expensive for the alcohol content. I think they would benefit from an aggressive happy hour special with extended hours everyday...something to help them stand apart from all of the other competition in town which may have a slight edge in the flavor/authenticity department.. Nonetheless, El toro is a solid place to go.
(3)
Zareena M.
I'd like to dedicate my very first Yelp review to what I think is an underrated Mexican wonderland in Champaign. Maize tends to steal the spotlight, but if you're looking for a great restaurant that actually fits more then 5 people within its premises, I recommend El Toro. I went with two friends, and experienced friendly and quick service, superb cuisine, and fantastic sangria. The atmosphere is what you would expect from a family owned Mexican restaurant. It's my new go-to sit-down Mexican place. The only problems - I do not recommend ordering for pickup. The quality was compromised, but this is nothing new for any restaurant. Also, the other location of El Toro is not even half as impressive as this one. Perhaps the quality gap was due to the fact that I went to the other location with a party of 8, and the restaurant was very crowded, but I would rather order taco bell than go back to the other location. PS - if you can find yourself a DD, I highly recommend getting one of the Grande margaritas - they're literally as big as your head.
(4)
Christina T.
Went here with a group to drink some margaritas and eat some chips and salsa. Wonderful service and friendly staff. I ordered a grande raspberry margarita and it was nice and strong. Chips were hot and delicious and salsa was good (wish it was spicier but that's a personal preference)
(4)
Brian W.
Salsa is not spicy enough. But this is by far the best Mexican restaurant in the C-U area that I have been to. I had steak tacos and they were delicious
(4)
Kristin T.
This was the singularly worst meal and dining experience I have had in a very long time. The menu promises there will be a great meal here. The actual experience is extremely different. We ordered our meals and waited an hour for them to arrive. Our waiter was absent during this time. When our meals arrived via a different waiter the food was all lukewarm. My chile relleno was so small and unrecognizable I thought they forgot it. It consisted of small flat piece of pepper covered with a tasteless sauce and some sort of cheese. The tamale was cold, filled with unseasoned ground beef and quite tasteless itself. We never received our check until we stood up to leave. Then our waiter magically materialized, for the first time since taking our order over an hour earlier. Try any other Mexican restaurant, even Taco Bell, before going here.
(1)
Lacey S.
I'll try and not be bias. I grew up and live in Texas which is as close to "real" Mexican food as you'll get. Any other states Mexican food is like a fancy Taco Bell(except this awesome place in Queens). It just doesn't compare. With that being said, I'd say I liked this place. Not loved. Liked. I was seated quickly and was immediately brought chips and salsa. After a few minutes, I met my server and he took my drink order. The menu was large. I wasn't too hungry but needed to eat to avoid a headache later. It was hard to pick since all the items sounded huge. Which is great seeing how good the prices were. I was honestly amazed at their queso. Any time I go to an out of state Mexican place, they either 1. Don't have queso and loom at you like you're crazy when you order it or 2. It's from a can or the same stuff they put on your nachos at ball games. But this stuff was great. I ordered the flauta plate. Like someone else said, it arrived in 5 minutes. Strange since this was a sit down place. I would expect flautas to take at least 15 minutes to arrive. So this makes me think they were made earlier and were kept in a batch under a heat lamp. Even the family of four next time got their food in less than 10 minutes. Hmmm. But regardless, they tasted good. I brought home half of them and the rest of my rice, beans and queso. And for $10 before tip, that's pretty good to have that much leftovers. I'm giving it a 3 just because it was better than I expected and it was quick. But the servers were emotionless and socialized a lot. They were nice but didn't really smile or ask anyone how their food was or check on them. It seemed like they didn't want to be there.
(3)
Angela G.
Pros: Nice ambience, fairly strong margaritas. Cons: The last time I went, the service was not great. The waitress got our orders wrong, never refilled our water, and never came back with the salsa we asked for. It wasn't busy at all, either. The food is just so-so. Everything seemed overcooked and not very thoughtfully seasoned. It's certainly no Mas Amigos or Maize.
(2)
April S.
We went here on Taco Tuesday. The tacos were very good. I have eaten here several times over the years and I have always found them to be a good value and good food.
(4)
D M.
Arcola location didn't show up on yelp. Mediocre at best. Poor service. Over 80 in the restaurant. Uncomfortably warm. Go the the McDonald's next door. Sad I know.
(1)
Jamie L.
This is a totally acceptable spot for okay Tex-Mex food. The margaritas are not impressive and a large will run you $12. The service is always very friendly and prompt. If you're looking for authentic Mexican, this is not your place. If you're looking for semi-seasoned meat fried in tortillas and smothered in cheese sauce, this is the place for you. You're also able to make substitutions at no additional cost. The kids' meals are all $4.25 without a drink and they have a pretty sizable selection to choose from. If you bring your iCard, you get a 10% discount!
(3)
Julia K.
Came here for a quick lunch which actually took over an hour. The service was slow and the food is one of my least favorite Mexican food in champaign, if not the worst. I ordered two enchiladas with rice and beans. The dish did not come with sour cream or a little bit of guac or salad. Just enchiladas, beans, and rice. The tortilla used for the enchiladas was too fragile and broke apart with a light touch of the fork. Sauce wasn't that great either. Spanish rice was disappointing as well - too salty and therefore could not consume. Their horchata is a 2/5 since it did not taste like any that I've tried at other Mexican restaurants. Won't be coming here again unless forced by group consensus.
(2)
Daniella B.
The food here is okay but the service leaves something to be desired. Last time I was here, there was a hair in my margarita and I had to be persistent to get seated because there was no hostess at the door. I also called about catering recently only to be told that the manager wasn't available. All in all, it's decent but there are certainly better mexican restaurants in town.
(3)
Cesar S.
The inside of this place looks nicer than your average Mexican restaurant. The menu is overwhelming with all the options they offer. They provide your typical chips and salsa. The salsa was a little watery. I got their large pina colada and it was massive. The waitress did a great job with customer service. The food was good. If you are wanting to take sometime on a date here and are considering getting Mexican food, you should definitely try this place. Expect to pay $10 per meal.
(4)
Allison U.
This is definitely a great place to grab drinks and dinner with friends on a Friday night. The outdoor patio is spacious and the inside space is quite large as well; finding room for out party of 8 was no problem at all! The food was pretty standard (I got the cheese quesadilla and asked to get vegetables added and our waitress was able to accommodate my request with no problem!) and the prices were very reasonable (I paid $13 for my quesadilla and a good-sized margarita, tip included). In regards to their drinks, the servings are VERY generous! Our party enjoyed a range of their margarita selection, spanning from lime margaritas on the rocks to mango-strawberry frozen margaritas and everyone was happy with their drink of choice. We all went with the Jumbo (or was it Grande?) size (the equivalent of a medium) and it was definitely bigger than expected, but great nevertheless! Not the best Mexican food I've had, but it was a great place to meet up with a group. I have a feeling that I haven't seen the last of El Toro!
(3)
Kate T.
Eh. Very greasy. The best part of this whole place is the salsa. Everything else could be better and more fresh somewhere else. I requested a stuffed poblano pepper with rice and beans instead of beans and cheese since I can't digest cheese very well. They said no. I get it but i enjoy when a restaurant tries to accommodate requests.
(2)
Cathy S.
As a west coast native I have never had worse Mexican food. The beef is unseasoned and the red sauce is marinara. The staff is friendly and fast but I won't be back due to the food.
The last time I was there, there was a cockroach crawling on my table. The cockroach then climbed onto a stand up menu. We pointed it out to the waiter and he took the menu and threw it on the floor and tried to stomp on the cockroach. We mentioned to the woman at the check out section that there was a cockroach and she gave us 10% off our order. She told me that they had recently sprayed for them, but apparently they were still a problem. She was very apologetic. It's a real shame because the food is not half bad. And many of the people who work there are quite nice. But I don't think I'll be eating there any time soon again...
(2)
Seth B.
Tamales were GREAT! But the margaritas were SUPER salty. Great place to meet friends for a drink.
(3)
Sarah L.
It turns out that El Toro II is the favorite restaurant of one of my best friends, so I started to go there alot recently, and it has grown on me exponentially. The service is always amazing: the food comes out in like 5 minutes piping hot and exactly as ordered whether the party has 2 people in it or 15. I think I have also gotten a handle on what I like to order here too: mango margarita (frozen) and three cheese enchiladas.
(3)
Annette L.
I lived in Champaign for about 8 years and just moved back to Chicago this summer. I miss El Toro more than words can describe. Outstanding and fast service, great prices, and delicious food. My husband and I loved El Toro so much we had our rehearsal dinner there, and our priest mentioned El Toro in our wedding homily. I miss you Toro. :(
(5)
Sarah T.
I have been here 3 times now and have never been disappointed. The service was friendly, fast and helpfully. The food is hot, fresh tasting and full of flavor. The building is clean and welcoming. I love the salsa and enchilada sauce! They truly have a classic American\Mexican taste. Nom nom nom.
(5)
Shaun R.
Absolutely hands-down one of the worst Mexican meals I've had in my entire life the pork was so salty you could hardly eat it "I did not eat it" there was some burnt black crusty things in it..the chicken was a four out of 10 the salsa tasted like it was out of a jar with a little added cilantro , the chips obviously came from a bag (cold) .. First and last visit !
(1)
Elizabeth S.
They took a while to bring the food, my son ordered a chicken quesadilla that was very soggy and tasteless, the rest of the food was edible but far from good, place was ok , it's far from the best but if you hungry and desperate you can certainly go eat there.
(2)
Ken R.
Horrible. Very, very Midwestern Mexican. (Disclaimer: I grew up in the midwest, but I have traveled and had Mexican and Southwestern food, and I've enjoyed trying the many Mexican themed restaurants in town.) Chips were okay - crispy and pretty tasty. Salsa was okay. Chips and salsa were, probably, the best part of the meal. So, +1 star for chips and decent service. My girlfriend wasn't feeling well, and wanted something lighter and got the guacamole salad. What she received was a plate of iceberg lettuce, shredded white cheese, and very salty guacamole. The guacamole tasted like it came out of a jar. The combination was exactly as appetizing as it sounds. I got a burrito plate. The burrito was not wrapped up. It just had some filling dumped into it and had been shoved into an oven, so the edges of the tortilla had become hard and browned. It was impossible to pick up and broke into pieces when I tried. The filling itself consisted of stewed, mushy beef with stewed, mushy tomatoes and onions. The sides were forgettable. I really hate to throw away leftovers, especially if I think they can be jazzed up somehow, but that's what I ended up doing with the rest of the burrito. You do get a lot of food on your plate, but if it's bland Mexican that's very, very reminiscent of what you can get out of a box at the supermarket, why bother? If you'd like better Mexican, try Huaraches Moroleon or Mas Amigos. Or Taco Loco. Cocina Real and Dos Reales aren't my favorites, but they're still better than here. (I haven't been to Maize and can't comment on it.) If you wish there was a Burrito King off campus, this is pretty much it. Except they do, at least, leave off the salty white cheese sauce here. Overall, I would avoid this place and go to one of many places that is cheaper, more charming, and more authentic.
(2)
Wayne K.
As a Californian I feel it's unfair for me to review El Toro, which may be just fine for Champaign but would be utterly crushed if it were located anywhere near San Francisco. The food wasn't very authentic and I'm not even sure this was as good as a Chevy's. THE ICKY: - The salsa was barely better than salsa you get out of a jar from the supermarket. Where are the tomatoes? The chips taste similarly store-bought. - The guacamole had no personality... maybe they couldn't get fresh avocados? - The cheese inside the quasadilla tasted really off. Were they using American cheese or something? - The tacos from head-to-toe were just not great, from the shell to the meat. THE GOOD: - I did like the horchata. :) - Despite the ickiness, I left pretty full, so large portion sizes with reasonable prices. - It had the ambiance of a taqueria, but was cleaner. - Service was fast and efficient.
(2)
E D.
This is mediocre, inexpensive American-style Mexican food. It's not terrible, but it's definitely nothing to write home about.
(3)
Matthew L.
I have to say I am really excited to have the New El Toro open, because it's only 3 blocks from my house - so smart for them to move closer to both campus and downtown... In the newly renovated warehouse building on the corner of 901 S. Neil (right next door to Kamakura), the restaurant has 6 options for seating (or at least they WILL once the outdoor seating is in place), large, spacious rooms, and good decor. The drinks are strong and generous, the food is fresh and i think MUCH better than the old Neil St Location, quick service, sporting a mixed and interesting crowd of students, yuppies, sport fans at the bar and families. GREAT location, well-designed and reliable, cheap excellent food.
(5)
TJ M.
I order food for mostly delivery from El Toro, so my experience is strictly to do with the food and not so much so the dining experience. For your regular customer wanting americanized mexican food, this place would suffice as an average joint. But for someone who enjoys freshly made food from Maize every time, this place can't compare on any level. The food is greasy, cheesy, mushy and not fresh at all. The guacamole is sub standard, as is the salsa. There is no fresh zing to the food at all, so I have to severely question the freshness of the ingredients used and the store practices of making food. I would avoid eating at the place and would advise anyone the same. Moreover the delivery takes around 45 minutes, so that makes me all the more less likely to order when I can choose from a whole host of other places on campus. Two of my recommendations of places with good mexican food would be El Charro and Maize Mexican Grill. Unfortunately the seating options at Maize are lacking, and El Charro looks extremely run down. So if you are looking for decent dining atmosphere, I wouldn't go to the aforementioned places. But hey, if it is the food you care about, definitely go to one of those places and enjoy far better and might I say even cheaper food.
(2)
Crystal M.
If I could I would give them 5 stars on their salsa and chips...but I have to take the whole dining experience into account. I really liked their food. Their service was wonderful. I was there for my daughter's rehersal dinner and they did a great job accomadating about 30 of us. Then did an awsome job embarrasing the bride and groom by making them stand up and singing something to them...don't know what they were singing because it was in spanish. The parking is horrible.
(4)
Tim J.
I had a great time on my visit. The lobby does still have a new paint smell that was off-putting, and that odor did occaisionaly drift into the dining area, but it did not affect my enjoyment. Despite what other reviewers have noted, I found their menu to be pretty expansive, going far beyond the 'typical Mexican restaurant' fare. The one thing I wanted that they didn't have was a Mole sauce, but most places don't so no big. They had a strong selection of liquor and tequilla, and pretty good drink specials. I enjoyed my enchiladas del mar, and everybody else liked what they got, too. The tamales entree was a hit. They give you warm chips and salsa that is good but pretty mild. I knocked ours up a bit with the Cholula and Tapatio they put on the tables and was sweating gleefully in no time. I wanted to try their Margarona, which is a margarita with a corona stuck into it. I know, it sounds gross to mix beer with liquor, but if it is done right, it can be surprisingly delightful. Holding me back from ordering this frankencocktail was the $8.50 pricetag, but If it were on special, I'd definitely take a Margarona behind the bleachers and deny it later.
(4)
Holly S.
I'm only giving this 4-stars because I do not want to mislead someone looking for a little bit more of an upscale meal - but fact is, this is absolutely delicious mexican-american and for the food & service I'd give it a 5. I love everything I've had on the menu and I love the rice so much I wish I could get the recipe...I don't think I'll ever eat a Mexi rice I love more. Good sized portions - note, if multiple people want a side of rice, just order one....it's massive (did I mention I love the rice?) I've said this about my love for Monical's pizza and same goes for El Toro...I live in ChiCity and have yet to find a (non-fancy or specialty) Mexi place here I like better. I'm sure some would say I'm crazy...I don't care! YUM! Their service is the FASTEST I've ever seen. Which I know could be a good or bad thing depending on what kind of experience you're looking for (again, the 4-star thing) - but if you are HONGARY this is the place. Chips and salsa on the table as you sit down. Someone ready to take your order/answer questions immediately. Water glass never goes empty. And last but not least, so very reasonably priced (I shouldn't say this but it's cheap actually!). 3 of us can eat there for less than $20 and that includes my $3 big margarita! I wouldn't come here as an 'experience' outside of the great food and quick service...meaning you might want to go somewhere else on a first date or with friends if you're looking for atmosphere. Only other thing, is that they can be heavy handed on the salt....
(4)
Kyle H.
So we decided to try out the new El Toro since I had a coupon, and they were open decently late on a Saturday (11 pm). The first thing a little odd about the place is that their are 2 entrances, but only 1 is really an entrance; the other you have to walk through the bar area to get to the other entrance to be seated (why not just have 1 entrance then?). The ambiance of the place is pretty nice. It's not your stereotypical mexican restaurant, the decor is a lot nicer/classier. Unfortunately, they weren't playing mexican tunes, and instead we got the likes of Miley Cyrus's Party in the USA and Justin Bieber's (OMG!!!) Baby; not really what I'd expect/want to hear in a mexican restaurant. The menu is typical mexican fare; the only thing that annoyed me here was lack of pricing on the drink menu. The margaritas are fresh blended, which can be a little annoying sitting close to the bar, and margaritas prepared this way tend to be a lot more liquid than frozen. The medium size was on sale for a still expensive ~7 dollars. The strength was about average, nothing too impressive. So my biggest complaint is the waitress. We were seated right by 2 other tables that she also had, so she walked by us every couple of minutes, but seemed completely oblivious to us. We had all ordered water at the start, and we were all out of water well before the time our margaritas came. She didn't notice. Not even when she brought our margaritas did she care to ask if we wanted refills. Finally, when she did another pass, I asked for a water refill; she only grabbed my glass and refilled it (even though everybody else at the table was also empty). So, when she came back, another person at our table asked for a refill. Not getting the hint, she then just grabbed his glass and didn't think to ask anybody else if they wanted refills, luckily the other person at the table spoke up asking for a refill (as a waitress you really should be checking these things). Same thing happened with Chips and Salsa; we were empty for the longest time, and only once we asked did we receive some more... unfortunately it must've been the bottom of the bag/basket since they were pretty much all crushed. On the plus side, their salsa is definitely the best we've had in the C-U area... the chips weren't quite as good. And if this wasn't enough, we also had an issue with our food order. One of the guys at our table ordered 3 enchiladas a la carte. When our order arrived, he only had 1 enchilada. We asked the waitress about it, and she claimed that she thought he had only ordered 1 enchilada. But, when she brings us the check, she clearly wrote (and tried to charge us) for the 3 enchiladas. Surely, you would check something like this before delivering the bill (or when sending the food order to the kitchen). Also, despite the fact that we were clearly 3 unrelated people, there was no offer to split the check. I guess I'm giving it 2 stars simply because the food was decent, and this one waitress is hopefully not a reflection of the rest of the wait staff.
(2)
Lisa B.
The new place is really nice and has a lot of room. The wait staff are nice and helpful. The food was crap though. I had a burritto and the red sauce tasted like tomato soup. The chips tasted a little on the burnt side. I will go back and try again in the Spring.
(3)
Paul S.
Well the atmosphere is excellent - especially in CU. The staff was all very friendly and attentive. Kudos to them! The food was a bit better than average but nothing to knock your socks off. A good place to go with family or friends. They have a cheese sauce that is a bit spicy but tasty!
(4)
Laurie T.
I went here with two co-workers for lunch. We were under a time crunch and were worried when we saw all the cars in the parking lot. We walked in and were seated immediately. The server (unfortunately I did not get her name) quickly got our drinks and food orders. Our food arrived very quickly, and we were finished in no time. Our server even took our bills for us so we would not have to wait at the register with all the other people who were leaving. As far as the food, I was pleased with mine. I got the lunch special number 3 (enchilada and taco with beans and rice). It was on par with what I expected. One of my co-workers got a bean burrito. She was pretty sure the sauce on the burrito was pizza sauce, and that seemed a little weird. I will keep this in mind the next time I only have a few minutes for lunch. I think we were in and out in about 30 minutes.
(3)
Matt N.
You want good Mexican food in Champaign, then you've gotta go to El Toro! It's not quite in the heart of campus but close enough! Make sure you ask for the white cheese dip with the chips to start, amazing! The rest of the food was delicious, the Margaritas were strong and massive, and the service was great. The only reason I took away a star was because we made a reservation and then had to still wait at the bar for about a half hour before being seated.
(4)
Heather T.
I was all excited about El Toro moving closer to my house...and then I went there. For lunch. At 1pm on a Sunday. And there was absolutely ZERO parking. One of the nice things about the old El Toro was the humongous parking lot--even when it was packed with people inside, there was always a place to park. Irritating, but I was willing to look past it. The new El Toro is, in a word, cavernous. Where the old one was cavernous-but-packed-like-sardines sort of way, this one is just full of space. It's nice that you're not all up on the table next to you. When paired with the shellacked, corporate decor of the new location, however, the ambiance is sorely lacking. I felt like I was eating at a big, faceless Mexican restaurant that you would find in a suburb of Madison or some other larger city. It was just...personality-less. This is not to mention that they have changed up the menu. I loved their salsa for the garlicky flavor, but what I was served did not taste the same anymore. One of my friends always gets some sort of chicken nachos, and he said that this, too, was different. Sad. That said, El Toro still has ginormous portions on the cheap, and I'm sure the booze still works. The service is still uber-efficient and attentive (you'll get new baskets of chips so fast your head will spin). I think I'll give another location a try next time, though.
(3)
JW S.
Lotta red flags when walking in. Ketchup on the tables, video gaming machines in the back, confusing layout, too big a menu, pronunciation guide for words like "verde" and "roja". That being said, it was much better than it should have been. Meaning it was perfectly adequate Midwestern Mexican restaurant food. Tamales were decent, as was the chori pollo. The outside seating area was pretty nice.
(3)
Alyssa M.
This is another pretty good Mexican restaurant in the champaign area. It is usually never too busy, so you don't have to wait to be seated. However the service is somewhat slow and not as attentive as I think it should be. The chicken quesadilla is super yummy and definitely worth trying! I also participated in drinking a margorona while there with my friends. They're pretty darn big!! And are as tasty as the ones down in Mexico I will probably visit this restaurant again. Although I wouldn't say it's a place you have to try while in Champaign, it's not a bad place to get dinner with friends on a night out
(4)
Abhay S.
El Toro is great! We came here on a Friday night and while they weren't busy when we arrived, they were able to seat our party of 7 quickly. They also allowed us to split our checks 3 ways, which gets a huge PLUS in my book. Food and service was excellent. I look forward to my next return to El Toro II.
(5)
Patricia J.
Because my family is pescatarian, we'll only eat vegetarian or shrimp/seafood Mexican food. El Toro doesn't have much for us, and what they do have is standard rice and beans (meh) and gluey cheese stuff (ugh). Much better choices for us in town are Maize (fish tacos!), Huraches Moroleon, and Wedge.
(2)
Preston B.
I'd give this 3.5 stars. It's everything you would expect in your run-of-the-mill Mexican restaurant. Free chips n salsa and a HUGE menu with all your classic combinations of the dame handful of ingredients. Reasonably priced for the large portions you get and the quality is good. Mostly, If you are craving solid Mexican food this is a great, clean, comfortable option. Nothing too fancy or high end. Just solid Mexican!
(3)
Peter C.
Had some beef tacos on corn tortillas with cilantro and onion. Definitely had better. Beef was mushy and the tortillas were not very good. Would rather go to Don Juan.
(2)
Kayla K.
Food is great! Love the steak fajitas ! If you like your drinks with the brand of liquor you requested - better go elsewhere
(3)
Joe S.
The chips and queso were good and the beer was cold. Our meals were disappointing. Chicken fajita nachos with jalapeños were flavorless and bland. My wife had a seafood fajita plate which was equally bad. Flavor was lacking from all our meals - not a good experience. El Toro needs to step up their game to be on par with the quality other Mexican restaurants in the area offer.
(2)
Zachary H.
This is very bad Mexican food. Don't even consider going here. I ate for free because my department was paying and I wish I hadn't. Disgusting.
(1)
Kaitlyn W.
El Toro is not horrible, but its not great Mexican either. Don't let this reflect on Wedge. There are no better margaritas in CU than Wedge's. We got nachos and a chicken verde quesadilla. The nachos had cheese sauce instead of cheese. Not our thing, but the sour cream and guac were super fresh so that made up for it. The quesadilla was soggy and wet and lacking cheese. I didn't hate it but my boyfriend wouldn't take a second bite. Overall it's acceptable, but there are better Mexican places if you look elsewhere.
(2)
Memphis A.
Casual atmosphere, fast and friendly service. Food was really good. Salsa was chunky if u like that and guacamole was made fresh.
(4)
Ramin A.
Terrible delivery service. People are mean and don't care about their customers service. I will not ever come back to this place. Also the food is small, not very good and too expensive.
(1)
Rhonda G.
It's just ok. Salsa was one step up from Pace which isn't really a compliment to the chef. I absolutely hate food drenched in sauces to disguise lack of flavor and this was the case with their version of the enchilada. Initially my taco came out in a crunchy tortilla and I was shocked to find out this was the norm when ordering a taco at this place. Since i'm not really into the crunchy taco bell-esque tortilla I kindly asked for a soft corn tortilla (and they gladly changed this for me). The taco was good but again not great. The peach margarita was strong but not really peach so while I got happy from the booze, I wasn't to thrilled at my mystery fruit drink though. Probably won't go back.
(3)
CaramelD C.
This particular El Toro is awful. The waiter didn't stick around long enough at our table to hear our entire order. When he did return, we had to make him be still long enough to take it. He still didn't get it correct and brought out an enchilada with no meat. We asked for shredded chicken. Not only that, it was cold when it came out. So was the tamale. Then they brought out an enchilada with some other kind of meat. It still wasn't shredded chicken. When we asked to see the Manager, we had to wait 15 minutes. We were told that she would be coming to our table, "any minute." She never came. When we got ready to leave, we stopped by the front counter and asked for her again, only to find out that she had left early that day. So someone else came out and began to dispute our bill with us. When we refused to pay the entire bill, they began yelling at us. Then a dark haired short female came out and also yelled at us at if we were trying to get over on the bill even though we never got what we ordered. I asked who the owner was, no one seemed to know (imagine that)! So I called the other El Toro, asked for the owner and of course, they referred me back to this El Toro and the cycle started all over again. I think I'm just going to call public health and maybe they can get ahold of the owner, Victor Fuentes, for me. Maybe he'll call them back. I won't be going back there. The one on W. Springfield Avenue is much better.
(1)
Patricia J.
Because my family is pescatarian, we'll only eat vegetarian or shrimp/seafood Mexican food. El Toro doesn't have much for us, and what they do have is standard rice and beans (meh) and gluey cheese stuff (ugh). Much better choices for us in town are Maize (fish tacos!), Huraches Moroleon, and Wedge.
(2)
Preston B.
I'd give this 3.5 stars. It's everything you would expect in your run-of-the-mill Mexican restaurant. Free chips n salsa and a HUGE menu with all your classic combinations of the dame handful of ingredients. Reasonably priced for the large portions you get and the quality is good. Mostly, If you are craving solid Mexican food this is a great, clean, comfortable option. Nothing too fancy or high end. Just solid Mexican!
(3)
Sarah T.
I have been here 3 times now and have never been disappointed. The service was friendly, fast and helpfully. The food is hot, fresh tasting and full of flavor. The building is clean and welcoming. I love the salsa and enchilada sauce! They truly have a classic American\Mexican taste. Nom nom nom.
(5)
Jamie L.
This is a totally acceptable spot for okay Tex-Mex food. The margaritas are not impressive and a large will run you $12. The service is always very friendly and prompt. If you're looking for authentic Mexican, this is not your place. If you're looking for semi-seasoned meat fried in tortillas and smothered in cheese sauce, this is the place for you. You're also able to make substitutions at no additional cost. The kids' meals are all $4.25 without a drink and they have a pretty sizable selection to choose from. If you bring your iCard, you get a 10% discount!
(3)
Peter C.
Had some beef tacos on corn tortillas with cilantro and onion. Definitely had better. Beef was mushy and the tortillas were not very good. Would rather go to Don Juan.
(2)
Kayla K.
Food is great! Love the steak fajitas ! If you like your drinks with the brand of liquor you requested - better go elsewhere
(3)
Elizabeth S.
They took a while to bring the food, my son ordered a chicken quesadilla that was very soggy and tasteless, the rest of the food was edible but far from good, place was ok , it's far from the best but if you hungry and desperate you can certainly go eat there.
(2)
Daniella B.
The food here is okay but the service leaves something to be desired. Last time I was here, there was a hair in my margarita and I had to be persistent to get seated because there was no hostess at the door. I also called about catering recently only to be told that the manager wasn't available. All in all, it's decent but there are certainly better mexican restaurants in town.
(3)
Julia K.
Came here for a quick lunch which actually took over an hour. The service was slow and the food is one of my least favorite Mexican food in champaign, if not the worst. I ordered two enchiladas with rice and beans. The dish did not come with sour cream or a little bit of guac or salad. Just enchiladas, beans, and rice. The tortilla used for the enchiladas was too fragile and broke apart with a light touch of the fork. Sauce wasn't that great either. Spanish rice was disappointing as well - too salty and therefore could not consume. Their horchata is a 2/5 since it did not taste like any that I've tried at other Mexican restaurants. Won't be coming here again unless forced by group consensus.
(2)
JW S.
Lotta red flags when walking in. Ketchup on the tables, video gaming machines in the back, confusing layout, too big a menu, pronunciation guide for words like "verde" and "roja". That being said, it was much better than it should have been. Meaning it was perfectly adequate Midwestern Mexican restaurant food. Tamales were decent, as was the chori pollo. The outside seating area was pretty nice.
(3)
Mike B.
The Fuentes family has extended themselves and this Champaign El Toro location is definitely the best one in town (if you don't have a rapport with individuals at another location that is) , and I usually have a pretty decent experience here. A few notes: The place is fairly big, but the parking lot isn't, so if you pull up and can't find a spot in the lot, you can find some parking on-street parking and will still be able to get a table once you go in...don't quote me though! For the most part the waitstaff's 1st language is Spanglish, so be prepared to talk slow and point to what you want.....I don't think I ever had an issue with lack of communication. Additionally they may be a server short at all times as they are always running around trying to serve and do not fully spend as much time at the table to ensure accuracy of orders (especially special orders, etc.). My last experience the food was just alright....maybe a tad bland and lackluster. I usually get the Alambres dish...but strayed this go round.... I'd highly suggest trying the Alambres dish to anyone and will probably stick to that. I usually get the mix of steak, chicken, bacon, peppers, and cheese with the usual sides...comes out like fajitas....sizzling and ensuring it'll be nice and hot. The drinks are alright, but I think are a little too expensive for the alcohol content. I think they would benefit from an aggressive happy hour special with extended hours everyday...something to help them stand apart from all of the other competition in town which may have a slight edge in the flavor/authenticity department.. Nonetheless, El toro is a solid place to go.
(3)
Zareena M.
I'd like to dedicate my very first Yelp review to what I think is an underrated Mexican wonderland in Champaign. Maize tends to steal the spotlight, but if you're looking for a great restaurant that actually fits more then 5 people within its premises, I recommend El Toro. I went with two friends, and experienced friendly and quick service, superb cuisine, and fantastic sangria. The atmosphere is what you would expect from a family owned Mexican restaurant. It's my new go-to sit-down Mexican place. The only problems - I do not recommend ordering for pickup. The quality was compromised, but this is nothing new for any restaurant. Also, the other location of El Toro is not even half as impressive as this one. Perhaps the quality gap was due to the fact that I went to the other location with a party of 8, and the restaurant was very crowded, but I would rather order taco bell than go back to the other location. PS - if you can find yourself a DD, I highly recommend getting one of the Grande margaritas - they're literally as big as your head.
(4)
Christina T.
Went here with a group to drink some margaritas and eat some chips and salsa. Wonderful service and friendly staff. I ordered a grande raspberry margarita and it was nice and strong. Chips were hot and delicious and salsa was good (wish it was spicier but that's a personal preference)
(4)
Brian W.
Salsa is not spicy enough. But this is by far the best Mexican restaurant in the C-U area that I have been to. I had steak tacos and they were delicious
(4)
Kristin T.
This was the singularly worst meal and dining experience I have had in a very long time. The menu promises there will be a great meal here. The actual experience is extremely different. We ordered our meals and waited an hour for them to arrive. Our waiter was absent during this time. When our meals arrived via a different waiter the food was all lukewarm. My chile relleno was so small and unrecognizable I thought they forgot it. It consisted of small flat piece of pepper covered with a tasteless sauce and some sort of cheese. The tamale was cold, filled with unseasoned ground beef and quite tasteless itself. We never received our check until we stood up to leave. Then our waiter magically materialized, for the first time since taking our order over an hour earlier. Try any other Mexican restaurant, even Taco Bell, before going here.
(1)
Lacey S.
I'll try and not be bias. I grew up and live in Texas which is as close to "real" Mexican food as you'll get. Any other states Mexican food is like a fancy Taco Bell(except this awesome place in Queens). It just doesn't compare. With that being said, I'd say I liked this place. Not loved. Liked. I was seated quickly and was immediately brought chips and salsa. After a few minutes, I met my server and he took my drink order. The menu was large. I wasn't too hungry but needed to eat to avoid a headache later. It was hard to pick since all the items sounded huge. Which is great seeing how good the prices were. I was honestly amazed at their queso. Any time I go to an out of state Mexican place, they either 1. Don't have queso and loom at you like you're crazy when you order it or 2. It's from a can or the same stuff they put on your nachos at ball games. But this stuff was great. I ordered the flauta plate. Like someone else said, it arrived in 5 minutes. Strange since this was a sit down place. I would expect flautas to take at least 15 minutes to arrive. So this makes me think they were made earlier and were kept in a batch under a heat lamp. Even the family of four next time got their food in less than 10 minutes. Hmmm. But regardless, they tasted good. I brought home half of them and the rest of my rice, beans and queso. And for $10 before tip, that's pretty good to have that much leftovers. I'm giving it a 3 just because it was better than I expected and it was quick. But the servers were emotionless and socialized a lot. They were nice but didn't really smile or ask anyone how their food was or check on them. It seemed like they didn't want to be there.
(3)
Angela G.
Pros: Nice ambience, fairly strong margaritas. Cons: The last time I went, the service was not great. The waitress got our orders wrong, never refilled our water, and never came back with the salsa we asked for. It wasn't busy at all, either. The food is just so-so. Everything seemed overcooked and not very thoughtfully seasoned. It's certainly no Mas Amigos or Maize.
(2)
April S.
We went here on Taco Tuesday. The tacos were very good. I have eaten here several times over the years and I have always found them to be a good value and good food.
(4)
D M.
Arcola location didn't show up on yelp. Mediocre at best. Poor service. Over 80 in the restaurant. Uncomfortably warm. Go the the McDonald's next door. Sad I know.
(1)
Alyssa M.
This is another pretty good Mexican restaurant in the champaign area. It is usually never too busy, so you don't have to wait to be seated. However the service is somewhat slow and not as attentive as I think it should be. The chicken quesadilla is super yummy and definitely worth trying! I also participated in drinking a margorona while there with my friends. They're pretty darn big!! And are as tasty as the ones down in Mexico I will probably visit this restaurant again. Although I wouldn't say it's a place you have to try while in Champaign, it's not a bad place to get dinner with friends on a night out
(4)
Abhay S.
El Toro is great! We came here on a Friday night and while they weren't busy when we arrived, they were able to seat our party of 7 quickly. They also allowed us to split our checks 3 ways, which gets a huge PLUS in my book. Food and service was excellent. I look forward to my next return to El Toro II.
(5)
Zachary H.
This is very bad Mexican food. Don't even consider going here. I ate for free because my department was paying and I wish I hadn't. Disgusting.
(1)
Ken R.
Horrible. Very, very Midwestern Mexican. (Disclaimer: I grew up in the midwest, but I have traveled and had Mexican and Southwestern food, and I've enjoyed trying the many Mexican themed restaurants in town.) Chips were okay - crispy and pretty tasty. Salsa was okay. Chips and salsa were, probably, the best part of the meal. So, +1 star for chips and decent service. My girlfriend wasn't feeling well, and wanted something lighter and got the guacamole salad. What she received was a plate of iceberg lettuce, shredded white cheese, and very salty guacamole. The guacamole tasted like it came out of a jar. The combination was exactly as appetizing as it sounds. I got a burrito plate. The burrito was not wrapped up. It just had some filling dumped into it and had been shoved into an oven, so the edges of the tortilla had become hard and browned. It was impossible to pick up and broke into pieces when I tried. The filling itself consisted of stewed, mushy beef with stewed, mushy tomatoes and onions. The sides were forgettable. I really hate to throw away leftovers, especially if I think they can be jazzed up somehow, but that's what I ended up doing with the rest of the burrito. You do get a lot of food on your plate, but if it's bland Mexican that's very, very reminiscent of what you can get out of a box at the supermarket, why bother? If you'd like better Mexican, try Huaraches Moroleon or Mas Amigos. Or Taco Loco. Cocina Real and Dos Reales aren't my favorites, but they're still better than here. (I haven't been to Maize and can't comment on it.) If you wish there was a Burrito King off campus, this is pretty much it. Except they do, at least, leave off the salty white cheese sauce here. Overall, I would avoid this place and go to one of many places that is cheaper, more charming, and more authentic.
(2)
Shaun R.
Absolutely hands-down one of the worst Mexican meals I've had in my entire life the pork was so salty you could hardly eat it "I did not eat it" there was some burnt black crusty things in it..the chicken was a four out of 10 the salsa tasted like it was out of a jar with a little added cilantro , the chips obviously came from a bag (cold) .. First and last visit !
(1)
Allison U.
This is definitely a great place to grab drinks and dinner with friends on a Friday night. The outdoor patio is spacious and the inside space is quite large as well; finding room for out party of 8 was no problem at all! The food was pretty standard (I got the cheese quesadilla and asked to get vegetables added and our waitress was able to accommodate my request with no problem!) and the prices were very reasonable (I paid $13 for my quesadilla and a good-sized margarita, tip included). In regards to their drinks, the servings are VERY generous! Our party enjoyed a range of their margarita selection, spanning from lime margaritas on the rocks to mango-strawberry frozen margaritas and everyone was happy with their drink of choice. We all went with the Jumbo (or was it Grande?) size (the equivalent of a medium) and it was definitely bigger than expected, but great nevertheless! Not the best Mexican food I've had, but it was a great place to meet up with a group. I have a feeling that I haven't seen the last of El Toro!
(3)
Lily N.
Good food at a great price, the restaurant has become a great lunch destination. The food is basic American-Mexican combinations (burrito, enchilada, tamale for example) with very quick service. Honestly have not been to a sit down restaurant with such speedy service during the lunch rush.
(4)
Cesar S.
The inside of this place looks nicer than your average Mexican restaurant. The menu is overwhelming with all the options they offer. They provide your typical chips and salsa. The salsa was a little watery. I got their large pina colada and it was massive. The waitress did a great job with customer service. The food was good. If you are wanting to take sometime on a date here and are considering getting Mexican food, you should definitely try this place. Expect to pay $10 per meal.
(4)
Kate T.
Eh. Very greasy. The best part of this whole place is the salsa. Everything else could be better and more fresh somewhere else. I requested a stuffed poblano pepper with rice and beans instead of beans and cheese since I can't digest cheese very well. They said no. I get it but i enjoy when a restaurant tries to accommodate requests.
(2)
Cathy S.
As a west coast native I have never had worse Mexican food. The beef is unseasoned and the red sauce is marinara. The staff is friendly and fast but I won't be back due to the food.
(1)
Joe S.
The chips and queso were good and the beer was cold. Our meals were disappointing. Chicken fajita nachos with jalapeños were flavorless and bland. My wife had a seafood fajita plate which was equally bad. Flavor was lacking from all our meals - not a good experience. El Toro needs to step up their game to be on par with the quality other Mexican restaurants in the area offer.
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
If you enjoy Taco Tuesday, then you have officially fallen in love with the Mexican Food. The main grain of Mexican cuisine is maize. Also known as corn, maize is grown for the past 9000 years after the crop was discovered by the people in Mayan civilization. Mexican empire flourished when they started growing beans, tomatoes, chili pepper, sweet potato and cactus. Till this date these ingredients are used in cooking authentic Mexican dishes and drinks.
Great use of spices, fresh chili pepper dishes like fajitas, tortilla chips, corn chips, salsa, chimichangas, burritos, nachos and quesadillas are invented in America. But when you are looking for authentic Mexican food then you must find a restaurant in the city that serves Rajas con Queso, Garbanzo in a Guajillo Chile Sauce, Pork Filled Chiles Rellenos, Chiles en Nogada, Molcajete Salsa, Pico de Gallo and Frijoles de la Olla. An eye-opening fact – Mexican don't like their food hot. They use fresh chili and other spices to create a flavor that lingers in your mouth.
Mexican food is great for those who are Gluten Intolerant as they use Corn instead of wheat in most of their dishes. Also, you can easily find many beans based Mexican dishes. Another dish which didn't get similar glory as tacos or nachos is the Mexican hot chocolate. If you love something hot on a chilly day, then go for Mexican Hot Chocolate. On merry days, you can enjoy the authentic Mexican Drinks like Tequila, Mezcal, Tecuí, Sotol, Bacanora, Charanda, Posh O Pox, Puebla and Pulque. Mexican Cuisine is for people who enjoy strong drinks and hearty meals.
Sarah T.
I have been here 3 times now and have never been disappointed. The service was friendly, fast and helpfully. The food is hot, fresh tasting and full of flavor. The building is clean and welcoming. I love the salsa and enchilada sauce! They truly have a classic American\Mexican taste. Nom nom nom.
(5)Jamie L.
This is a totally acceptable spot for okay Tex-Mex food. The margaritas are not impressive and a large will run you $12. The service is always very friendly and prompt. If you're looking for authentic Mexican, this is not your place. If you're looking for semi-seasoned meat fried in tortillas and smothered in cheese sauce, this is the place for you. You're also able to make substitutions at no additional cost. The kids' meals are all $4.25 without a drink and they have a pretty sizable selection to choose from. If you bring your iCard, you get a 10% discount!
(3)Julia K.
Came here for a quick lunch which actually took over an hour. The service was slow and the food is one of my least favorite Mexican food in champaign, if not the worst. I ordered two enchiladas with rice and beans. The dish did not come with sour cream or a little bit of guac or salad. Just enchiladas, beans, and rice. The tortilla used for the enchiladas was too fragile and broke apart with a light touch of the fork. Sauce wasn't that great either. Spanish rice was disappointing as well - too salty and therefore could not consume. Their horchata is a 2/5 since it did not taste like any that I've tried at other Mexican restaurants. Won't be coming here again unless forced by group consensus.
(2)Kristin T.
This was the singularly worst meal and dining experience I have had in a very long time. The menu promises there will be a great meal here. The actual experience is extremely different. We ordered our meals and waited an hour for them to arrive. Our waiter was absent during this time. When our meals arrived via a different waiter the food was all lukewarm. My chile relleno was so small and unrecognizable I thought they forgot it. It consisted of small flat piece of pepper covered with a tasteless sauce and some sort of cheese. The tamale was cold, filled with unseasoned ground beef and quite tasteless itself. We never received our check until we stood up to leave. Then our waiter magically materialized, for the first time since taking our order over an hour earlier. Try any other Mexican restaurant, even Taco Bell, before going here.
(1)Zachary H.
This is very bad Mexican food. Don't even consider going here. I ate for free because my department was paying and I wish I hadn't. Disgusting.
(1)Kaitlyn W.
El Toro is not horrible, but its not great Mexican either. Don't let this reflect on Wedge. There are no better margaritas in CU than Wedge's. We got nachos and a chicken verde quesadilla. The nachos had cheese sauce instead of cheese. Not our thing, but the sour cream and guac were super fresh so that made up for it. The quesadilla was soggy and wet and lacking cheese. I didn't hate it but my boyfriend wouldn't take a second bite. Overall it's acceptable, but there are better Mexican places if you look elsewhere.
(2)Memphis A.
Casual atmosphere, fast and friendly service. Food was really good. Salsa was chunky if u like that and guacamole was made fresh.
(4)Lacey S.
I'll try and not be bias. I grew up and live in Texas which is as close to "real" Mexican food as you'll get. Any other states Mexican food is like a fancy Taco Bell(except this awesome place in Queens). It just doesn't compare. With that being said, I'd say I liked this place. Not loved. Liked. I was seated quickly and was immediately brought chips and salsa. After a few minutes, I met my server and he took my drink order. The menu was large. I wasn't too hungry but needed to eat to avoid a headache later. It was hard to pick since all the items sounded huge. Which is great seeing how good the prices were. I was honestly amazed at their queso. Any time I go to an out of state Mexican place, they either 1. Don't have queso and loom at you like you're crazy when you order it or 2. It's from a can or the same stuff they put on your nachos at ball games. But this stuff was great. I ordered the flauta plate. Like someone else said, it arrived in 5 minutes. Strange since this was a sit down place. I would expect flautas to take at least 15 minutes to arrive. So this makes me think they were made earlier and were kept in a batch under a heat lamp. Even the family of four next time got their food in less than 10 minutes. Hmmm. But regardless, they tasted good. I brought home half of them and the rest of my rice, beans and queso. And for $10 before tip, that's pretty good to have that much leftovers. I'm giving it a 3 just because it was better than I expected and it was quick. But the servers were emotionless and socialized a lot. They were nice but didn't really smile or ask anyone how their food was or check on them. It seemed like they didn't want to be there.
(3)Matthew L.
I have to say I am really excited to have the New El Toro open, because it's only 3 blocks from my house - so smart for them to move closer to both campus and downtown... In the newly renovated warehouse building on the corner of 901 S. Neil (right next door to Kamakura), the restaurant has 6 options for seating (or at least they WILL once the outdoor seating is in place), large, spacious rooms, and good decor. The drinks are strong and generous, the food is fresh and i think MUCH better than the old Neil St Location, quick service, sporting a mixed and interesting crowd of students, yuppies, sport fans at the bar and families. GREAT location, well-designed and reliable, cheap excellent food.
(5)Ramin A.
Terrible delivery service. People are mean and don't care about their customers service. I will not ever come back to this place. Also the food is small, not very good and too expensive.
(1)Rhonda G.
It's just ok. Salsa was one step up from Pace which isn't really a compliment to the chef. I absolutely hate food drenched in sauces to disguise lack of flavor and this was the case with their version of the enchilada. Initially my taco came out in a crunchy tortilla and I was shocked to find out this was the norm when ordering a taco at this place. Since i'm not really into the crunchy taco bell-esque tortilla I kindly asked for a soft corn tortilla (and they gladly changed this for me). The taco was good but again not great. The peach margarita was strong but not really peach so while I got happy from the booze, I wasn't to thrilled at my mystery fruit drink though. Probably won't go back.
(3)CaramelD C.
This particular El Toro is awful. The waiter didn't stick around long enough at our table to hear our entire order. When he did return, we had to make him be still long enough to take it. He still didn't get it correct and brought out an enchilada with no meat. We asked for shredded chicken. Not only that, it was cold when it came out. So was the tamale. Then they brought out an enchilada with some other kind of meat. It still wasn't shredded chicken. When we asked to see the Manager, we had to wait 15 minutes. We were told that she would be coming to our table, "any minute." She never came. When we got ready to leave, we stopped by the front counter and asked for her again, only to find out that she had left early that day. So someone else came out and began to dispute our bill with us. When we refused to pay the entire bill, they began yelling at us. Then a dark haired short female came out and also yelled at us at if we were trying to get over on the bill even though we never got what we ordered. I asked who the owner was, no one seemed to know (imagine that)! So I called the other El Toro, asked for the owner and of course, they referred me back to this El Toro and the cycle started all over again. I think I'm just going to call public health and maybe they can get ahold of the owner, Victor Fuentes, for me. Maybe he'll call them back. I won't be going back there. The one on W. Springfield Avenue is much better.
(1)Mike B.
The Fuentes family has extended themselves and this Champaign El Toro location is definitely the best one in town (if you don't have a rapport with individuals at another location that is) , and I usually have a pretty decent experience here. A few notes: The place is fairly big, but the parking lot isn't, so if you pull up and can't find a spot in the lot, you can find some parking on-street parking and will still be able to get a table once you go in...don't quote me though! For the most part the waitstaff's 1st language is Spanglish, so be prepared to talk slow and point to what you want.....I don't think I ever had an issue with lack of communication. Additionally they may be a server short at all times as they are always running around trying to serve and do not fully spend as much time at the table to ensure accuracy of orders (especially special orders, etc.). My last experience the food was just alright....maybe a tad bland and lackluster. I usually get the Alambres dish...but strayed this go round.... I'd highly suggest trying the Alambres dish to anyone and will probably stick to that. I usually get the mix of steak, chicken, bacon, peppers, and cheese with the usual sides...comes out like fajitas....sizzling and ensuring it'll be nice and hot. The drinks are alright, but I think are a little too expensive for the alcohol content. I think they would benefit from an aggressive happy hour special with extended hours everyday...something to help them stand apart from all of the other competition in town which may have a slight edge in the flavor/authenticity department.. Nonetheless, El toro is a solid place to go.
(3)Zareena M.
I'd like to dedicate my very first Yelp review to what I think is an underrated Mexican wonderland in Champaign. Maize tends to steal the spotlight, but if you're looking for a great restaurant that actually fits more then 5 people within its premises, I recommend El Toro. I went with two friends, and experienced friendly and quick service, superb cuisine, and fantastic sangria. The atmosphere is what you would expect from a family owned Mexican restaurant. It's my new go-to sit-down Mexican place. The only problems - I do not recommend ordering for pickup. The quality was compromised, but this is nothing new for any restaurant. Also, the other location of El Toro is not even half as impressive as this one. Perhaps the quality gap was due to the fact that I went to the other location with a party of 8, and the restaurant was very crowded, but I would rather order taco bell than go back to the other location. PS - if you can find yourself a DD, I highly recommend getting one of the Grande margaritas - they're literally as big as your head.
(4)Christina T.
Went here with a group to drink some margaritas and eat some chips and salsa. Wonderful service and friendly staff. I ordered a grande raspberry margarita and it was nice and strong. Chips were hot and delicious and salsa was good (wish it was spicier but that's a personal preference)
(4)Brian W.
Salsa is not spicy enough. But this is by far the best Mexican restaurant in the C-U area that I have been to. I had steak tacos and they were delicious
(4)April S.
We went here on Taco Tuesday. The tacos were very good. I have eaten here several times over the years and I have always found them to be a good value and good food.
(4)D M.
Arcola location didn't show up on yelp. Mediocre at best. Poor service. Over 80 in the restaurant. Uncomfortably warm. Go the the McDonald's next door. Sad I know.
(1)Alyssa M.
This is another pretty good Mexican restaurant in the champaign area. It is usually never too busy, so you don't have to wait to be seated. However the service is somewhat slow and not as attentive as I think it should be. The chicken quesadilla is super yummy and definitely worth trying! I also participated in drinking a margorona while there with my friends. They're pretty darn big!! And are as tasty as the ones down in Mexico I will probably visit this restaurant again. Although I wouldn't say it's a place you have to try while in Champaign, it's not a bad place to get dinner with friends on a night out
(4)Abhay S.
El Toro is great! We came here on a Friday night and while they weren't busy when we arrived, they were able to seat our party of 7 quickly. They also allowed us to split our checks 3 ways, which gets a huge PLUS in my book. Food and service was excellent. I look forward to my next return to El Toro II.
(5)Ken R.
Horrible. Very, very Midwestern Mexican. (Disclaimer: I grew up in the midwest, but I have traveled and had Mexican and Southwestern food, and I've enjoyed trying the many Mexican themed restaurants in town.) Chips were okay - crispy and pretty tasty. Salsa was okay. Chips and salsa were, probably, the best part of the meal. So, +1 star for chips and decent service. My girlfriend wasn't feeling well, and wanted something lighter and got the guacamole salad. What she received was a plate of iceberg lettuce, shredded white cheese, and very salty guacamole. The guacamole tasted like it came out of a jar. The combination was exactly as appetizing as it sounds. I got a burrito plate. The burrito was not wrapped up. It just had some filling dumped into it and had been shoved into an oven, so the edges of the tortilla had become hard and browned. It was impossible to pick up and broke into pieces when I tried. The filling itself consisted of stewed, mushy beef with stewed, mushy tomatoes and onions. The sides were forgettable. I really hate to throw away leftovers, especially if I think they can be jazzed up somehow, but that's what I ended up doing with the rest of the burrito. You do get a lot of food on your plate, but if it's bland Mexican that's very, very reminiscent of what you can get out of a box at the supermarket, why bother? If you'd like better Mexican, try Huaraches Moroleon or Mas Amigos. Or Taco Loco. Cocina Real and Dos Reales aren't my favorites, but they're still better than here. (I haven't been to Maize and can't comment on it.) If you wish there was a Burrito King off campus, this is pretty much it. Except they do, at least, leave off the salty white cheese sauce here. Overall, I would avoid this place and go to one of many places that is cheaper, more charming, and more authentic.
(2)Wayne K.
As a Californian I feel it's unfair for me to review El Toro, which may be just fine for Champaign but would be utterly crushed if it were located anywhere near San Francisco. The food wasn't very authentic and I'm not even sure this was as good as a Chevy's. THE ICKY: - The salsa was barely better than salsa you get out of a jar from the supermarket. Where are the tomatoes? The chips taste similarly store-bought. - The guacamole had no personality... maybe they couldn't get fresh avocados? - The cheese inside the quasadilla tasted really off. Were they using American cheese or something? - The tacos from head-to-toe were just not great, from the shell to the meat. THE GOOD: - I did like the horchata. :) - Despite the ickiness, I left pretty full, so large portion sizes with reasonable prices. - It had the ambiance of a taqueria, but was cleaner. - Service was fast and efficient.
(2)E D.
This is mediocre, inexpensive American-style Mexican food. It's not terrible, but it's definitely nothing to write home about.
(3)Crystal M.
If I could I would give them 5 stars on their salsa and chips...but I have to take the whole dining experience into account. I really liked their food. Their service was wonderful. I was there for my daughter's rehersal dinner and they did a great job accomadating about 30 of us. Then did an awsome job embarrasing the bride and groom by making them stand up and singing something to them...don't know what they were singing because it was in spanish. The parking is horrible.
(4)Laurie T.
I went here with two co-workers for lunch. We were under a time crunch and were worried when we saw all the cars in the parking lot. We walked in and were seated immediately. The server (unfortunately I did not get her name) quickly got our drinks and food orders. Our food arrived very quickly, and we were finished in no time. Our server even took our bills for us so we would not have to wait at the register with all the other people who were leaving. As far as the food, I was pleased with mine. I got the lunch special number 3 (enchilada and taco with beans and rice). It was on par with what I expected. One of my co-workers got a bean burrito. She was pretty sure the sauce on the burrito was pizza sauce, and that seemed a little weird. I will keep this in mind the next time I only have a few minutes for lunch. I think we were in and out in about 30 minutes.
(3)Matt N.
You want good Mexican food in Champaign, then you've gotta go to El Toro! It's not quite in the heart of campus but close enough! Make sure you ask for the white cheese dip with the chips to start, amazing! The rest of the food was delicious, the Margaritas were strong and massive, and the service was great. The only reason I took away a star was because we made a reservation and then had to still wait at the bar for about a half hour before being seated.
(4)Elizabeth S.
They took a while to bring the food, my son ordered a chicken quesadilla that was very soggy and tasteless, the rest of the food was edible but far from good, place was ok , it's far from the best but if you hungry and desperate you can certainly go eat there.
(2)Daniella B.
The food here is okay but the service leaves something to be desired. Last time I was here, there was a hair in my margarita and I had to be persistent to get seated because there was no hostess at the door. I also called about catering recently only to be told that the manager wasn't available. All in all, it's decent but there are certainly better mexican restaurants in town.
(3)Allison U.
This is definitely a great place to grab drinks and dinner with friends on a Friday night. The outdoor patio is spacious and the inside space is quite large as well; finding room for out party of 8 was no problem at all! The food was pretty standard (I got the cheese quesadilla and asked to get vegetables added and our waitress was able to accommodate my request with no problem!) and the prices were very reasonable (I paid $13 for my quesadilla and a good-sized margarita, tip included). In regards to their drinks, the servings are VERY generous! Our party enjoyed a range of their margarita selection, spanning from lime margaritas on the rocks to mango-strawberry frozen margaritas and everyone was happy with their drink of choice. We all went with the Jumbo (or was it Grande?) size (the equivalent of a medium) and it was definitely bigger than expected, but great nevertheless! Not the best Mexican food I've had, but it was a great place to meet up with a group. I have a feeling that I haven't seen the last of El Toro!
(3)Lily N.
Good food at a great price, the restaurant has become a great lunch destination. The food is basic American-Mexican combinations (burrito, enchilada, tamale for example) with very quick service. Honestly have not been to a sit down restaurant with such speedy service during the lunch rush.
(4)Cesar S.
The inside of this place looks nicer than your average Mexican restaurant. The menu is overwhelming with all the options they offer. They provide your typical chips and salsa. The salsa was a little watery. I got their large pina colada and it was massive. The waitress did a great job with customer service. The food was good. If you are wanting to take sometime on a date here and are considering getting Mexican food, you should definitely try this place. Expect to pay $10 per meal.
(4)Kate T.
Eh. Very greasy. The best part of this whole place is the salsa. Everything else could be better and more fresh somewhere else. I requested a stuffed poblano pepper with rice and beans instead of beans and cheese since I can't digest cheese very well. They said no. I get it but i enjoy when a restaurant tries to accommodate requests.
(2)Cathy S.
As a west coast native I have never had worse Mexican food. The beef is unseasoned and the red sauce is marinara. The staff is friendly and fast but I won't be back due to the food.
(1)Joe S.
The chips and queso were good and the beer was cold. Our meals were disappointing. Chicken fajita nachos with jalapeños were flavorless and bland. My wife had a seafood fajita plate which was equally bad. Flavor was lacking from all our meals - not a good experience. El Toro needs to step up their game to be on par with the quality other Mexican restaurants in the area offer.
(2)JW S.
Lotta red flags when walking in. Ketchup on the tables, video gaming machines in the back, confusing layout, too big a menu, pronunciation guide for words like "verde" and "roja". That being said, it was much better than it should have been. Meaning it was perfectly adequate Midwestern Mexican restaurant food. Tamales were decent, as was the chori pollo. The outside seating area was pretty nice.
(3)Patricia J.
Because my family is pescatarian, we'll only eat vegetarian or shrimp/seafood Mexican food. El Toro doesn't have much for us, and what they do have is standard rice and beans (meh) and gluey cheese stuff (ugh). Much better choices for us in town are Maize (fish tacos!), Huraches Moroleon, and Wedge.
(2)Preston B.
I'd give this 3.5 stars. It's everything you would expect in your run-of-the-mill Mexican restaurant. Free chips n salsa and a HUGE menu with all your classic combinations of the dame handful of ingredients. Reasonably priced for the large portions you get and the quality is good. Mostly, If you are craving solid Mexican food this is a great, clean, comfortable option. Nothing too fancy or high end. Just solid Mexican!
(3)Shaun R.
Absolutely hands-down one of the worst Mexican meals I've had in my entire life the pork was so salty you could hardly eat it "I did not eat it" there was some burnt black crusty things in it..the chicken was a four out of 10 the salsa tasted like it was out of a jar with a little added cilantro , the chips obviously came from a bag (cold) .. First and last visit !
(1)Annette L.
I lived in Champaign for about 8 years and just moved back to Chicago this summer. I miss El Toro more than words can describe. Outstanding and fast service, great prices, and delicious food. My husband and I loved El Toro so much we had our rehearsal dinner there, and our priest mentioned El Toro in our wedding homily. I miss you Toro. :(
(5)Angela G.
Pros: Nice ambience, fairly strong margaritas. Cons: The last time I went, the service was not great. The waitress got our orders wrong, never refilled our water, and never came back with the salsa we asked for. It wasn't busy at all, either. The food is just so-so. Everything seemed overcooked and not very thoughtfully seasoned. It's certainly no Mas Amigos or Maize.
(2)Sarah L.
It turns out that El Toro II is the favorite restaurant of one of my best friends, so I started to go there alot recently, and it has grown on me exponentially. The service is always amazing: the food comes out in like 5 minutes piping hot and exactly as ordered whether the party has 2 people in it or 15. I think I have also gotten a handle on what I like to order here too: mango margarita (frozen) and three cheese enchiladas.
(3)TJ M.
I order food for mostly delivery from El Toro, so my experience is strictly to do with the food and not so much so the dining experience. For your regular customer wanting americanized mexican food, this place would suffice as an average joint. But for someone who enjoys freshly made food from Maize every time, this place can't compare on any level. The food is greasy, cheesy, mushy and not fresh at all. The guacamole is sub standard, as is the salsa. There is no fresh zing to the food at all, so I have to severely question the freshness of the ingredients used and the store practices of making food. I would avoid eating at the place and would advise anyone the same. Moreover the delivery takes around 45 minutes, so that makes me all the more less likely to order when I can choose from a whole host of other places on campus. Two of my recommendations of places with good mexican food would be El Charro and Maize Mexican Grill. Unfortunately the seating options at Maize are lacking, and El Charro looks extremely run down. So if you are looking for decent dining atmosphere, I wouldn't go to the aforementioned places. But hey, if it is the food you care about, definitely go to one of those places and enjoy far better and might I say even cheaper food.
(2)Tim J.
I had a great time on my visit. The lobby does still have a new paint smell that was off-putting, and that odor did occaisionaly drift into the dining area, but it did not affect my enjoyment. Despite what other reviewers have noted, I found their menu to be pretty expansive, going far beyond the 'typical Mexican restaurant' fare. The one thing I wanted that they didn't have was a Mole sauce, but most places don't so no big. They had a strong selection of liquor and tequilla, and pretty good drink specials. I enjoyed my enchiladas del mar, and everybody else liked what they got, too. The tamales entree was a hit. They give you warm chips and salsa that is good but pretty mild. I knocked ours up a bit with the Cholula and Tapatio they put on the tables and was sweating gleefully in no time. I wanted to try their Margarona, which is a margarita with a corona stuck into it. I know, it sounds gross to mix beer with liquor, but if it is done right, it can be surprisingly delightful. Holding me back from ordering this frankencocktail was the $8.50 pricetag, but If it were on special, I'd definitely take a Margarona behind the bleachers and deny it later.
(4)Don W.
I usually go to Dos and love it but decided to give this place a try because of yelp. I have to say I liked the decorations better here but not much else. I had a bland flavorless El Toronto fajita that did not sizzle and were not tender (like the menu promised). It didn't come with guacamole lettuce or tomato ie the usual with fajitas. I had to ask for lettuce and sour cream which were not fresh and too cold. The waiter also seemed offended that I asked and generally didn't seem to want to be there. I'm never coming here over Dos again.
(2)A W.
I enjoy going to this restaurant on a warm, sunny day when my friends and I can sit in the outside patio area. The service is highly variable, which can be a big problem especially if we're the only customers in the restaurant. However, the pina coladas make bad service a risk worth taking. The salsa is pretty good, as are the entrees, but what really makes this place? The outdoor patio, and the awesome drinks!
(3)Peter C.
Had some beef tacos on corn tortillas with cilantro and onion. Definitely had better. Beef was mushy and the tortillas were not very good. Would rather go to Don Juan.
(2)Kayla K.
Food is great! Love the steak fajitas ! If you like your drinks with the brand of liquor you requested - better go elsewhere
(3)Holly S.
I'm only giving this 4-stars because I do not want to mislead someone looking for a little bit more of an upscale meal - but fact is, this is absolutely delicious mexican-american and for the food & service I'd give it a 5. I love everything I've had on the menu and I love the rice so much I wish I could get the recipe...I don't think I'll ever eat a Mexi rice I love more. Good sized portions - note, if multiple people want a side of rice, just order one....it's massive (did I mention I love the rice?) I've said this about my love for Monical's pizza and same goes for El Toro...I live in ChiCity and have yet to find a (non-fancy or specialty) Mexi place here I like better. I'm sure some would say I'm crazy...I don't care! YUM! Their service is the FASTEST I've ever seen. Which I know could be a good or bad thing depending on what kind of experience you're looking for (again, the 4-star thing) - but if you are HONGARY this is the place. Chips and salsa on the table as you sit down. Someone ready to take your order/answer questions immediately. Water glass never goes empty. And last but not least, so very reasonably priced (I shouldn't say this but it's cheap actually!). 3 of us can eat there for less than $20 and that includes my $3 big margarita! I wouldn't come here as an 'experience' outside of the great food and quick service...meaning you might want to go somewhere else on a first date or with friends if you're looking for atmosphere. Only other thing, is that they can be heavy handed on the salt....
(4)Kyle H.
So we decided to try out the new El Toro since I had a coupon, and they were open decently late on a Saturday (11 pm). The first thing a little odd about the place is that their are 2 entrances, but only 1 is really an entrance; the other you have to walk through the bar area to get to the other entrance to be seated (why not just have 1 entrance then?). The ambiance of the place is pretty nice. It's not your stereotypical mexican restaurant, the decor is a lot nicer/classier. Unfortunately, they weren't playing mexican tunes, and instead we got the likes of Miley Cyrus's Party in the USA and Justin Bieber's (OMG!!!) Baby; not really what I'd expect/want to hear in a mexican restaurant. The menu is typical mexican fare; the only thing that annoyed me here was lack of pricing on the drink menu. The margaritas are fresh blended, which can be a little annoying sitting close to the bar, and margaritas prepared this way tend to be a lot more liquid than frozen. The medium size was on sale for a still expensive ~7 dollars. The strength was about average, nothing too impressive. So my biggest complaint is the waitress. We were seated right by 2 other tables that she also had, so she walked by us every couple of minutes, but seemed completely oblivious to us. We had all ordered water at the start, and we were all out of water well before the time our margaritas came. She didn't notice. Not even when she brought our margaritas did she care to ask if we wanted refills. Finally, when she did another pass, I asked for a water refill; she only grabbed my glass and refilled it (even though everybody else at the table was also empty). So, when she came back, another person at our table asked for a refill. Not getting the hint, she then just grabbed his glass and didn't think to ask anybody else if they wanted refills, luckily the other person at the table spoke up asking for a refill (as a waitress you really should be checking these things). Same thing happened with Chips and Salsa; we were empty for the longest time, and only once we asked did we receive some more... unfortunately it must've been the bottom of the bag/basket since they were pretty much all crushed. On the plus side, their salsa is definitely the best we've had in the C-U area... the chips weren't quite as good. And if this wasn't enough, we also had an issue with our food order. One of the guys at our table ordered 3 enchiladas a la carte. When our order arrived, he only had 1 enchilada. We asked the waitress about it, and she claimed that she thought he had only ordered 1 enchilada. But, when she brings us the check, she clearly wrote (and tried to charge us) for the 3 enchiladas. Surely, you would check something like this before delivering the bill (or when sending the food order to the kitchen). Also, despite the fact that we were clearly 3 unrelated people, there was no offer to split the check. I guess I'm giving it 2 stars simply because the food was decent, and this one waitress is hopefully not a reflection of the rest of the wait staff.
(2)Lisa B.
The new place is really nice and has a lot of room. The wait staff are nice and helpful. The food was crap though. I had a burritto and the red sauce tasted like tomato soup. The chips tasted a little on the burnt side. I will go back and try again in the Spring.
(3)Paul S.
Well the atmosphere is excellent - especially in CU. The staff was all very friendly and attentive. Kudos to them! The food was a bit better than average but nothing to knock your socks off. A good place to go with family or friends. They have a cheese sauce that is a bit spicy but tasty!
(4)Heather T.
I was all excited about El Toro moving closer to my house...and then I went there. For lunch. At 1pm on a Sunday. And there was absolutely ZERO parking. One of the nice things about the old El Toro was the humongous parking lot--even when it was packed with people inside, there was always a place to park. Irritating, but I was willing to look past it. The new El Toro is, in a word, cavernous. Where the old one was cavernous-but-packed-like-sardines sort of way, this one is just full of space. It's nice that you're not all up on the table next to you. When paired with the shellacked, corporate decor of the new location, however, the ambiance is sorely lacking. I felt like I was eating at a big, faceless Mexican restaurant that you would find in a suburb of Madison or some other larger city. It was just...personality-less. This is not to mention that they have changed up the menu. I loved their salsa for the garlicky flavor, but what I was served did not taste the same anymore. One of my friends always gets some sort of chicken nachos, and he said that this, too, was different. Sad. That said, El Toro still has ginormous portions on the cheap, and I'm sure the booze still works. The service is still uber-efficient and attentive (you'll get new baskets of chips so fast your head will spin). I think I'll give another location a try next time, though.
(3)Grimace B.
The absolute best thing about this place and a reason I would go back.... The Margaritas. Best margaritas I have ever had. Lots of flavors (though the original lime is the best) and STRONG. They really load these drinks with the tequila, and I like it. I honestly would go here just to grab a margarita. As for the rest of the deal, the restaurant is huge inside, clean, and nicely designed/decorated. The service was good. The food though was very bland. I only went once so maybe it was just a bad night, but my parties and my entrees all looked delicious, but tasted very bland. Even the salsa, chips, and other dips were all really bland. I never knew that food that looked so good could be so bland. I probably would not go back again for the food. Definitely check this place out though for the margaritas, you won't be disappointed.
(3)Dan H.
I am going to give this place a five star review for this one dish. I've never seen it anywhere else. I've never tried anything else here because of the unbelievable awesomeness packed into it. What is this tasty tasty dish you speak of? Pollo Amables. It's essentially the chicken and veggies that would be in a fajita, but they're covered in cheese and sautéed with bacon. YES BACON! in Mexican food. Go and order it, it's awesome, I had a margarita, I ordered the cheap one and it tasted ok, and it was super strong. Spend the money for the upgrade for the better booze
(5)Bailey B.
They have specials listed on the front of the restaurant, but ask the bartenders as well. Each bartender charged differently for their drinks. I had some of their pre-mixed lime margaritas on ice. I'm not usually a margarita on ice person, but they were pretty tasty. HUGE free basket of nachos and salsa as soon as we sat at the bar. I saw large groups, parties, kids, the whole spectrum.
(4)Kari W.
Oh El Toro, how I love you! I've been a loyal patron at the El Toro on South Neil for five years, eating there at least once a month--and usually once a week in the summer. Sitting on their patio getting schnockered on margaritas is a fabulous way to spend a summer day, and, oh yeah, the food is awesome. When they mentioned they were moving, I was understandably nervous. I shouldn't have worried. Their new building, freshly renovated, is gorgeous--and only two blocks from my house. (Can you say 'stumbling-distance'?) The bar area has less seating, but over all, the seating seems to have expanded. The décor is much more understated and less kitschy, which makes the whole place seem classier. The outdoor seating area hasn't opened yet, but it looks fabulous, with several glass doors separating it from the inside, so even if you prefer to eat indoors, you can still enjoy the summer sun with your margarita. The food is consistently good and very fast, and the margaritas are strong. It's no longer on the menu (the owner told me they are redoing the daily specials), but the Paisa Burritos are delish. You can't really go wrong with chorizo-stuffed tortillas slathered in cheese sauce! I also tried something new: a Margarona. It's a frozen margarita with a bottle of Corona up-ended into it. Trust me, it tastes better than it sounds, and it looks really bad-ass. Two small nitpicks: a distinct lack of parking during lunch--after 5 you can park across Williams Street at Bacon & Van Buskirk--and during the busy times (Saturday nights, for example) the food and service is much slower than at their old location. I hope this is just them working out a few kinks in the kitchen and they'll return to their speedy service in time for me setting up camp on the patio this summer!
(5)Rachel S.
The last time I was there, there was a cockroach crawling on my table. The cockroach then climbed onto a stand up menu. We pointed it out to the waiter and he took the menu and threw it on the floor and tried to stomp on the cockroach. We mentioned to the woman at the check out section that there was a cockroach and she gave us 10% off our order. She told me that they had recently sprayed for them, but apparently they were still a problem. She was very apologetic. It's a real shame because the food is not half bad. And many of the people who work there are quite nice. But I don't think I'll be eating there any time soon again...
(2)Seth B.
Tamales were GREAT! But the margaritas were SUPER salty. Great place to meet friends for a drink.
(3)Kelly R.
Tasty salsa, great prices, quick service. If he wasn't so amusing, I might have been put off by the frazzled older guy who was our waiter. He seemed to misunderstand my friend's margarita order(he ended up with a mondo sized one), couldn't quite grasp what I was saying when I said that we needed another set of siverware...but he did swiftly refill my beverage--no matter if he gave me water, when I was drinking Diet Pepsi. We all got a laugh from that(including him). He brought me a replacement fizzy beverage, but left the glass that now looked like dirty pond water. My Carne Asada was overdone and lacking flavor, but the other items in my platter were okay. Next time, I'm trying that Fajita Quesadilla, that Heather T. was lobbying for. Looked great!
(4)Annie W.
In a lot of ways, El Toro is your typical Mexican-American restaurant--same options on the menu, same cheap prices, same piles of free chips and salsa. The things that make it even more worth checking out: -Great service, even in massive groups with complicated ticket-splitting and lots of different drink orders -The fajita quesadilla is particularly delicious, only $8, and huge enough to eat half for dinner and half for lunch the next day -Gigantic margaritas for cheap every Thursday! Try the strawberry-banana, but they'll mix anything up for you. Overall--not particularly authentic Mexican food, but definitely one of the better Mexican-American places in town.
(4)Jeffrey E.
Monday lunch review, ordered a fajitas burrito from the lunch special menu ($7.95). Good chips and watery salsa served upon being seated. I have eaten at the various incarnations of El Toro for ten years, some pretty good, some not so much, but this was my first visit to the new Neil St. store, and it is really very nice. Service started fine, party of one, not busy, several Hispanic male servers on the floor, but I got the girl. Burrito arrived promptly, but the beans and sour cream in the menu description were missing. The girl thought the beans might be in the burrito, and brought SC immediately. If beans were in burrito, they were well hidden. Conference between girl and waiter yielded a "side" of refritos on a 12 inch oval platter, easily a serving for four. Spent rest of lunch wondering how much I would be charged for beans that were supposed to come with meal. It was only $1.75, so no drama. Original girl had gone missing, so not sure who I would have complained to in any event. Ten minutes is a long time with dirty dishes and a credit card on the table to get permission to leave. Incidentally, the meat in the burrito was round steak, lean, tough, dry, tasteless. I often buy skirt steak at the Mexican grocery, and make my own carne asada. This was beef and peppers, in a tortilla. Not terrible, but not great either. Back to Taco Loco for my burritos from now on.
(2)Briana J.
My service was quick and great! My food came so fast and my plates were taken from my table immediately after I was finished! I will definitely come back to this el toro!
(5)Teej T.
Four stars for the win, El Toro. At last, a place where I can watch the Pumas, eat some decent food, joke in Spanish, and even have fried ice cream if I'm playing gringo tourist. I like it. And I don't mind taking midwestern friends here. It makes me look 'edgy' cuando yo hablo en espanol con la gente. ;) Also, the alambres were fantastic.
(4)B D.
Definitely one of the best Mexican restaurants I have ever been to. I do have to point out that the food is only good if you order the real stuff and non of that "flour tortilla please" crap. The chips are nice and crispy and if you get the spicy sauce, even though not spicy enough, it had good taste that satisfy my trained taste buds. The margaritas are awesome and the service is great; I can always ask any of the guys for help and they are there right away. Also, I should point out that if you have NOT had real Mexican food, you will end up ordering the typical American disgusting version and will be dissatisfied. I on the other hand have been here multiple times and can say the food and service has been great because I know what to order and expect. SAY NO TO FLOUR TORTILLAS!!! That is not Mexican.
(5)Linda Y.
I just went here last night with a friend searching for some decent mexican food in this town (we are both from the Chicagoland area). We chose this El Toro since it was the only one we could remember after realizing that El Torero was closed down. It is clearly family owned, judging by the young boy functioning as a host and a painted sign saying that it was the Fuerez family's. That's quaint. Service was extremely fast...perhaps a little too fast. They probably either have too many waiters on a Friday night, or their serving areas are just so small that every few minutes the waiter approached to ask if we were ready (we were not the first three times...). We ordered the veggie fajitas, the chiles poblanos, and margaritas. The food was pretty good and very filling. Quite large portions (as most Mexican restaurants) but it was still not the most magnificent thing I've had in my life. It wasn't prepared too quickly, as most people are concerned about, but I guess since it was a Friday night, it was prepared as quick as I would like even though we tarnished off nearly all the chips and some margarita. The chips and salsa were ok. As with other reviewers..the salsa seemed like pureed tomato straight out the can with a bit of other ingredients. Bland. The chips were warm but also a tad bit lackluster...but I like my chips without salt or spices... The drinks were strong. We ordered the margarita on special (the $6.00 jumbo) and it comes out the size of a bowl of cereal. Which is good...but be forewarned that it will take a while to finish. In all. This place was ok. Good enough to curb Mexican cravings or catching up with friends, but I would never bring my parents here on a night when they visit. It just wasn't good enough.
(3)A K.
I went here very frequently when I lived in C-U. They have a good variety (plenty of vegetarian options too), reasonable prices, a kind waitstaff, and I've never had to wait for a table. I love the outdoor patio in the spring & summer. It's also a great place for a birthday, as they are very accommodating.
(5)Emily M.
Their food is decent, but the reason I'm writing this review is their healthy margarita. It's incredible and I'm not even usually a margarita fan! My husband ordered the regular margarita and we both agreed that the healthy was much better than the regular margarita. Go try it!
(4)Andy W.
Good food, plus it's usually pretty fast. Language barrier applies at times, but not usually a problem. Prices are reasonable, too. UI students get a discount with ID!
(4)Briana J.
My service was quick and great! My food came so fast and my plates were taken from my table immediately after I was finished! I will definitely come back to this el toro!
(5)Teej T.
Four stars for the win, El Toro. At last, a place where I can watch the Pumas, eat some decent food, joke in Spanish, and even have fried ice cream if I'm playing gringo tourist. I like it. And I don't mind taking midwestern friends here. It makes me look 'edgy' cuando yo hablo en espanol con la gente. ;) Also, the alambres were fantastic.
(4)Don W.
I usually go to Dos and love it but decided to give this place a try because of yelp. I have to say I liked the decorations better here but not much else. I had a bland flavorless El Toronto fajita that did not sizzle and were not tender (like the menu promised). It didn't come with guacamole lettuce or tomato ie the usual with fajitas. I had to ask for lettuce and sour cream which were not fresh and too cold. The waiter also seemed offended that I asked and generally didn't seem to want to be there. I'm never coming here over Dos again.
(2)Annette L.
I lived in Champaign for about 8 years and just moved back to Chicago this summer. I miss El Toro more than words can describe. Outstanding and fast service, great prices, and delicious food. My husband and I loved El Toro so much we had our rehearsal dinner there, and our priest mentioned El Toro in our wedding homily. I miss you Toro. :(
(5)Jeffrey E.
Monday lunch review, ordered a fajitas burrito from the lunch special menu ($7.95). Good chips and watery salsa served upon being seated. I have eaten at the various incarnations of El Toro for ten years, some pretty good, some not so much, but this was my first visit to the new Neil St. store, and it is really very nice. Service started fine, party of one, not busy, several Hispanic male servers on the floor, but I got the girl. Burrito arrived promptly, but the beans and sour cream in the menu description were missing. The girl thought the beans might be in the burrito, and brought SC immediately. If beans were in burrito, they were well hidden. Conference between girl and waiter yielded a "side" of refritos on a 12 inch oval platter, easily a serving for four. Spent rest of lunch wondering how much I would be charged for beans that were supposed to come with meal. It was only $1.75, so no drama. Original girl had gone missing, so not sure who I would have complained to in any event. Ten minutes is a long time with dirty dishes and a credit card on the table to get permission to leave. Incidentally, the meat in the burrito was round steak, lean, tough, dry, tasteless. I often buy skirt steak at the Mexican grocery, and make my own carne asada. This was beef and peppers, in a tortilla. Not terrible, but not great either. Back to Taco Loco for my burritos from now on.
(2)Wayne K.
As a Californian I feel it's unfair for me to review El Toro, which may be just fine for Champaign but would be utterly crushed if it were located anywhere near San Francisco. The food wasn't very authentic and I'm not even sure this was as good as a Chevy's. THE ICKY: - The salsa was barely better than salsa you get out of a jar from the supermarket. Where are the tomatoes? The chips taste similarly store-bought. - The guacamole had no personality... maybe they couldn't get fresh avocados? - The cheese inside the quasadilla tasted really off. Were they using American cheese or something? - The tacos from head-to-toe were just not great, from the shell to the meat. THE GOOD: - I did like the horchata. :) - Despite the ickiness, I left pretty full, so large portion sizes with reasonable prices. - It had the ambiance of a taqueria, but was cleaner. - Service was fast and efficient.
(2)E D.
This is mediocre, inexpensive American-style Mexican food. It's not terrible, but it's definitely nothing to write home about.
(3)Matthew L.
I have to say I am really excited to have the New El Toro open, because it's only 3 blocks from my house - so smart for them to move closer to both campus and downtown... In the newly renovated warehouse building on the corner of 901 S. Neil (right next door to Kamakura), the restaurant has 6 options for seating (or at least they WILL once the outdoor seating is in place), large, spacious rooms, and good decor. The drinks are strong and generous, the food is fresh and i think MUCH better than the old Neil St Location, quick service, sporting a mixed and interesting crowd of students, yuppies, sport fans at the bar and families. GREAT location, well-designed and reliable, cheap excellent food.
(5)Kaitlyn W.
El Toro is not horrible, but its not great Mexican either. Don't let this reflect on Wedge. There are no better margaritas in CU than Wedge's. We got nachos and a chicken verde quesadilla. The nachos had cheese sauce instead of cheese. Not our thing, but the sour cream and guac were super fresh so that made up for it. The quesadilla was soggy and wet and lacking cheese. I didn't hate it but my boyfriend wouldn't take a second bite. Overall it's acceptable, but there are better Mexican places if you look elsewhere.
(2)Memphis A.
Casual atmosphere, fast and friendly service. Food was really good. Salsa was chunky if u like that and guacamole was made fresh.
(4)Ramin A.
Terrible delivery service. People are mean and don't care about their customers service. I will not ever come back to this place. Also the food is small, not very good and too expensive.
(1)Rhonda G.
It's just ok. Salsa was one step up from Pace which isn't really a compliment to the chef. I absolutely hate food drenched in sauces to disguise lack of flavor and this was the case with their version of the enchilada. Initially my taco came out in a crunchy tortilla and I was shocked to find out this was the norm when ordering a taco at this place. Since i'm not really into the crunchy taco bell-esque tortilla I kindly asked for a soft corn tortilla (and they gladly changed this for me). The taco was good but again not great. The peach margarita was strong but not really peach so while I got happy from the booze, I wasn't to thrilled at my mystery fruit drink though. Probably won't go back.
(3)CaramelD C.
This particular El Toro is awful. The waiter didn't stick around long enough at our table to hear our entire order. When he did return, we had to make him be still long enough to take it. He still didn't get it correct and brought out an enchilada with no meat. We asked for shredded chicken. Not only that, it was cold when it came out. So was the tamale. Then they brought out an enchilada with some other kind of meat. It still wasn't shredded chicken. When we asked to see the Manager, we had to wait 15 minutes. We were told that she would be coming to our table, "any minute." She never came. When we got ready to leave, we stopped by the front counter and asked for her again, only to find out that she had left early that day. So someone else came out and began to dispute our bill with us. When we refused to pay the entire bill, they began yelling at us. Then a dark haired short female came out and also yelled at us at if we were trying to get over on the bill even though we never got what we ordered. I asked who the owner was, no one seemed to know (imagine that)! So I called the other El Toro, asked for the owner and of course, they referred me back to this El Toro and the cycle started all over again. I think I'm just going to call public health and maybe they can get ahold of the owner, Victor Fuentes, for me. Maybe he'll call them back. I won't be going back there. The one on W. Springfield Avenue is much better.
(1)TJ M.
I order food for mostly delivery from El Toro, so my experience is strictly to do with the food and not so much so the dining experience. For your regular customer wanting americanized mexican food, this place would suffice as an average joint. But for someone who enjoys freshly made food from Maize every time, this place can't compare on any level. The food is greasy, cheesy, mushy and not fresh at all. The guacamole is sub standard, as is the salsa. There is no fresh zing to the food at all, so I have to severely question the freshness of the ingredients used and the store practices of making food. I would avoid eating at the place and would advise anyone the same. Moreover the delivery takes around 45 minutes, so that makes me all the more less likely to order when I can choose from a whole host of other places on campus. Two of my recommendations of places with good mexican food would be El Charro and Maize Mexican Grill. Unfortunately the seating options at Maize are lacking, and El Charro looks extremely run down. So if you are looking for decent dining atmosphere, I wouldn't go to the aforementioned places. But hey, if it is the food you care about, definitely go to one of those places and enjoy far better and might I say even cheaper food.
(2)Tim J.
I had a great time on my visit. The lobby does still have a new paint smell that was off-putting, and that odor did occaisionaly drift into the dining area, but it did not affect my enjoyment. Despite what other reviewers have noted, I found their menu to be pretty expansive, going far beyond the 'typical Mexican restaurant' fare. The one thing I wanted that they didn't have was a Mole sauce, but most places don't so no big. They had a strong selection of liquor and tequilla, and pretty good drink specials. I enjoyed my enchiladas del mar, and everybody else liked what they got, too. The tamales entree was a hit. They give you warm chips and salsa that is good but pretty mild. I knocked ours up a bit with the Cholula and Tapatio they put on the tables and was sweating gleefully in no time. I wanted to try their Margarona, which is a margarita with a corona stuck into it. I know, it sounds gross to mix beer with liquor, but if it is done right, it can be surprisingly delightful. Holding me back from ordering this frankencocktail was the $8.50 pricetag, but If it were on special, I'd definitely take a Margarona behind the bleachers and deny it later.
(4)Seth B.
Tamales were GREAT! But the margaritas were SUPER salty. Great place to meet friends for a drink.
(3)Sarah L.
It turns out that El Toro II is the favorite restaurant of one of my best friends, so I started to go there alot recently, and it has grown on me exponentially. The service is always amazing: the food comes out in like 5 minutes piping hot and exactly as ordered whether the party has 2 people in it or 15. I think I have also gotten a handle on what I like to order here too: mango margarita (frozen) and three cheese enchiladas.
(3)Holly S.
I'm only giving this 4-stars because I do not want to mislead someone looking for a little bit more of an upscale meal - but fact is, this is absolutely delicious mexican-american and for the food & service I'd give it a 5. I love everything I've had on the menu and I love the rice so much I wish I could get the recipe...I don't think I'll ever eat a Mexi rice I love more. Good sized portions - note, if multiple people want a side of rice, just order one....it's massive (did I mention I love the rice?) I've said this about my love for Monical's pizza and same goes for El Toro...I live in ChiCity and have yet to find a (non-fancy or specialty) Mexi place here I like better. I'm sure some would say I'm crazy...I don't care! YUM! Their service is the FASTEST I've ever seen. Which I know could be a good or bad thing depending on what kind of experience you're looking for (again, the 4-star thing) - but if you are HONGARY this is the place. Chips and salsa on the table as you sit down. Someone ready to take your order/answer questions immediately. Water glass never goes empty. And last but not least, so very reasonably priced (I shouldn't say this but it's cheap actually!). 3 of us can eat there for less than $20 and that includes my $3 big margarita! I wouldn't come here as an 'experience' outside of the great food and quick service...meaning you might want to go somewhere else on a first date or with friends if you're looking for atmosphere. Only other thing, is that they can be heavy handed on the salt....
(4)Crystal M.
If I could I would give them 5 stars on their salsa and chips...but I have to take the whole dining experience into account. I really liked their food. Their service was wonderful. I was there for my daughter's rehersal dinner and they did a great job accomadating about 30 of us. Then did an awsome job embarrasing the bride and groom by making them stand up and singing something to them...don't know what they were singing because it was in spanish. The parking is horrible.
(4)Laurie T.
I went here with two co-workers for lunch. We were under a time crunch and were worried when we saw all the cars in the parking lot. We walked in and were seated immediately. The server (unfortunately I did not get her name) quickly got our drinks and food orders. Our food arrived very quickly, and we were finished in no time. Our server even took our bills for us so we would not have to wait at the register with all the other people who were leaving. As far as the food, I was pleased with mine. I got the lunch special number 3 (enchilada and taco with beans and rice). It was on par with what I expected. One of my co-workers got a bean burrito. She was pretty sure the sauce on the burrito was pizza sauce, and that seemed a little weird. I will keep this in mind the next time I only have a few minutes for lunch. I think we were in and out in about 30 minutes.
(3)Matt N.
You want good Mexican food in Champaign, then you've gotta go to El Toro! It's not quite in the heart of campus but close enough! Make sure you ask for the white cheese dip with the chips to start, amazing! The rest of the food was delicious, the Margaritas were strong and massive, and the service was great. The only reason I took away a star was because we made a reservation and then had to still wait at the bar for about a half hour before being seated.
(4)Heather T.
I was all excited about El Toro moving closer to my house...and then I went there. For lunch. At 1pm on a Sunday. And there was absolutely ZERO parking. One of the nice things about the old El Toro was the humongous parking lot--even when it was packed with people inside, there was always a place to park. Irritating, but I was willing to look past it. The new El Toro is, in a word, cavernous. Where the old one was cavernous-but-packed-like-sardines sort of way, this one is just full of space. It's nice that you're not all up on the table next to you. When paired with the shellacked, corporate decor of the new location, however, the ambiance is sorely lacking. I felt like I was eating at a big, faceless Mexican restaurant that you would find in a suburb of Madison or some other larger city. It was just...personality-less. This is not to mention that they have changed up the menu. I loved their salsa for the garlicky flavor, but what I was served did not taste the same anymore. One of my friends always gets some sort of chicken nachos, and he said that this, too, was different. Sad. That said, El Toro still has ginormous portions on the cheap, and I'm sure the booze still works. The service is still uber-efficient and attentive (you'll get new baskets of chips so fast your head will spin). I think I'll give another location a try next time, though.
(3)Grimace B.
The absolute best thing about this place and a reason I would go back.... The Margaritas. Best margaritas I have ever had. Lots of flavors (though the original lime is the best) and STRONG. They really load these drinks with the tequila, and I like it. I honestly would go here just to grab a margarita. As for the rest of the deal, the restaurant is huge inside, clean, and nicely designed/decorated. The service was good. The food though was very bland. I only went once so maybe it was just a bad night, but my parties and my entrees all looked delicious, but tasted very bland. Even the salsa, chips, and other dips were all really bland. I never knew that food that looked so good could be so bland. I probably would not go back again for the food. Definitely check this place out though for the margaritas, you won't be disappointed.
(3)Dan H.
I am going to give this place a five star review for this one dish. I've never seen it anywhere else. I've never tried anything else here because of the unbelievable awesomeness packed into it. What is this tasty tasty dish you speak of? Pollo Amables. It's essentially the chicken and veggies that would be in a fajita, but they're covered in cheese and sautéed with bacon. YES BACON! in Mexican food. Go and order it, it's awesome, I had a margarita, I ordered the cheap one and it tasted ok, and it was super strong. Spend the money for the upgrade for the better booze
(5)Kari W.
Oh El Toro, how I love you! I've been a loyal patron at the El Toro on South Neil for five years, eating there at least once a month--and usually once a week in the summer. Sitting on their patio getting schnockered on margaritas is a fabulous way to spend a summer day, and, oh yeah, the food is awesome. When they mentioned they were moving, I was understandably nervous. I shouldn't have worried. Their new building, freshly renovated, is gorgeous--and only two blocks from my house. (Can you say 'stumbling-distance'?) The bar area has less seating, but over all, the seating seems to have expanded. The décor is much more understated and less kitschy, which makes the whole place seem classier. The outdoor seating area hasn't opened yet, but it looks fabulous, with several glass doors separating it from the inside, so even if you prefer to eat indoors, you can still enjoy the summer sun with your margarita. The food is consistently good and very fast, and the margaritas are strong. It's no longer on the menu (the owner told me they are redoing the daily specials), but the Paisa Burritos are delish. You can't really go wrong with chorizo-stuffed tortillas slathered in cheese sauce! I also tried something new: a Margarona. It's a frozen margarita with a bottle of Corona up-ended into it. Trust me, it tastes better than it sounds, and it looks really bad-ass. Two small nitpicks: a distinct lack of parking during lunch--after 5 you can park across Williams Street at Bacon & Van Buskirk--and during the busy times (Saturday nights, for example) the food and service is much slower than at their old location. I hope this is just them working out a few kinks in the kitchen and they'll return to their speedy service in time for me setting up camp on the patio this summer!
(5)Kyle H.
So we decided to try out the new El Toro since I had a coupon, and they were open decently late on a Saturday (11 pm). The first thing a little odd about the place is that their are 2 entrances, but only 1 is really an entrance; the other you have to walk through the bar area to get to the other entrance to be seated (why not just have 1 entrance then?). The ambiance of the place is pretty nice. It's not your stereotypical mexican restaurant, the decor is a lot nicer/classier. Unfortunately, they weren't playing mexican tunes, and instead we got the likes of Miley Cyrus's Party in the USA and Justin Bieber's (OMG!!!) Baby; not really what I'd expect/want to hear in a mexican restaurant. The menu is typical mexican fare; the only thing that annoyed me here was lack of pricing on the drink menu. The margaritas are fresh blended, which can be a little annoying sitting close to the bar, and margaritas prepared this way tend to be a lot more liquid than frozen. The medium size was on sale for a still expensive ~7 dollars. The strength was about average, nothing too impressive. So my biggest complaint is the waitress. We were seated right by 2 other tables that she also had, so she walked by us every couple of minutes, but seemed completely oblivious to us. We had all ordered water at the start, and we were all out of water well before the time our margaritas came. She didn't notice. Not even when she brought our margaritas did she care to ask if we wanted refills. Finally, when she did another pass, I asked for a water refill; she only grabbed my glass and refilled it (even though everybody else at the table was also empty). So, when she came back, another person at our table asked for a refill. Not getting the hint, she then just grabbed his glass and didn't think to ask anybody else if they wanted refills, luckily the other person at the table spoke up asking for a refill (as a waitress you really should be checking these things). Same thing happened with Chips and Salsa; we were empty for the longest time, and only once we asked did we receive some more... unfortunately it must've been the bottom of the bag/basket since they were pretty much all crushed. On the plus side, their salsa is definitely the best we've had in the C-U area... the chips weren't quite as good. And if this wasn't enough, we also had an issue with our food order. One of the guys at our table ordered 3 enchiladas a la carte. When our order arrived, he only had 1 enchilada. We asked the waitress about it, and she claimed that she thought he had only ordered 1 enchilada. But, when she brings us the check, she clearly wrote (and tried to charge us) for the 3 enchiladas. Surely, you would check something like this before delivering the bill (or when sending the food order to the kitchen). Also, despite the fact that we were clearly 3 unrelated people, there was no offer to split the check. I guess I'm giving it 2 stars simply because the food was decent, and this one waitress is hopefully not a reflection of the rest of the wait staff.
(2)Lisa B.
The new place is really nice and has a lot of room. The wait staff are nice and helpful. The food was crap though. I had a burritto and the red sauce tasted like tomato soup. The chips tasted a little on the burnt side. I will go back and try again in the Spring.
(3)Paul S.
Well the atmosphere is excellent - especially in CU. The staff was all very friendly and attentive. Kudos to them! The food was a bit better than average but nothing to knock your socks off. A good place to go with family or friends. They have a cheese sauce that is a bit spicy but tasty!
(4)Bailey B.
They have specials listed on the front of the restaurant, but ask the bartenders as well. Each bartender charged differently for their drinks. I had some of their pre-mixed lime margaritas on ice. I'm not usually a margarita on ice person, but they were pretty tasty. HUGE free basket of nachos and salsa as soon as we sat at the bar. I saw large groups, parties, kids, the whole spectrum.
(4)Rachel S.
The last time I was there, there was a cockroach crawling on my table. The cockroach then climbed onto a stand up menu. We pointed it out to the waiter and he took the menu and threw it on the floor and tried to stomp on the cockroach. We mentioned to the woman at the check out section that there was a cockroach and she gave us 10% off our order. She told me that they had recently sprayed for them, but apparently they were still a problem. She was very apologetic. It's a real shame because the food is not half bad. And many of the people who work there are quite nice. But I don't think I'll be eating there any time soon again...
(2)Kelly R.
Tasty salsa, great prices, quick service. If he wasn't so amusing, I might have been put off by the frazzled older guy who was our waiter. He seemed to misunderstand my friend's margarita order(he ended up with a mondo sized one), couldn't quite grasp what I was saying when I said that we needed another set of siverware...but he did swiftly refill my beverage--no matter if he gave me water, when I was drinking Diet Pepsi. We all got a laugh from that(including him). He brought me a replacement fizzy beverage, but left the glass that now looked like dirty pond water. My Carne Asada was overdone and lacking flavor, but the other items in my platter were okay. Next time, I'm trying that Fajita Quesadilla, that Heather T. was lobbying for. Looked great!
(4)Annie W.
In a lot of ways, El Toro is your typical Mexican-American restaurant--same options on the menu, same cheap prices, same piles of free chips and salsa. The things that make it even more worth checking out: -Great service, even in massive groups with complicated ticket-splitting and lots of different drink orders -The fajita quesadilla is particularly delicious, only $8, and huge enough to eat half for dinner and half for lunch the next day -Gigantic margaritas for cheap every Thursday! Try the strawberry-banana, but they'll mix anything up for you. Overall--not particularly authentic Mexican food, but definitely one of the better Mexican-American places in town.
(4)A W.
I enjoy going to this restaurant on a warm, sunny day when my friends and I can sit in the outside patio area. The service is highly variable, which can be a big problem especially if we're the only customers in the restaurant. However, the pina coladas make bad service a risk worth taking. The salsa is pretty good, as are the entrees, but what really makes this place? The outdoor patio, and the awesome drinks!
(3)B D.
Definitely one of the best Mexican restaurants I have ever been to. I do have to point out that the food is only good if you order the real stuff and non of that "flour tortilla please" crap. The chips are nice and crispy and if you get the spicy sauce, even though not spicy enough, it had good taste that satisfy my trained taste buds. The margaritas are awesome and the service is great; I can always ask any of the guys for help and they are there right away. Also, I should point out that if you have NOT had real Mexican food, you will end up ordering the typical American disgusting version and will be dissatisfied. I on the other hand have been here multiple times and can say the food and service has been great because I know what to order and expect. SAY NO TO FLOUR TORTILLAS!!! That is not Mexican.
(5)Linda Y.
I just went here last night with a friend searching for some decent mexican food in this town (we are both from the Chicagoland area). We chose this El Toro since it was the only one we could remember after realizing that El Torero was closed down. It is clearly family owned, judging by the young boy functioning as a host and a painted sign saying that it was the Fuerez family's. That's quaint. Service was extremely fast...perhaps a little too fast. They probably either have too many waiters on a Friday night, or their serving areas are just so small that every few minutes the waiter approached to ask if we were ready (we were not the first three times...). We ordered the veggie fajitas, the chiles poblanos, and margaritas. The food was pretty good and very filling. Quite large portions (as most Mexican restaurants) but it was still not the most magnificent thing I've had in my life. It wasn't prepared too quickly, as most people are concerned about, but I guess since it was a Friday night, it was prepared as quick as I would like even though we tarnished off nearly all the chips and some margarita. The chips and salsa were ok. As with other reviewers..the salsa seemed like pureed tomato straight out the can with a bit of other ingredients. Bland. The chips were warm but also a tad bit lackluster...but I like my chips without salt or spices... The drinks were strong. We ordered the margarita on special (the $6.00 jumbo) and it comes out the size of a bowl of cereal. Which is good...but be forewarned that it will take a while to finish. In all. This place was ok. Good enough to curb Mexican cravings or catching up with friends, but I would never bring my parents here on a night when they visit. It just wasn't good enough.
(3)A K.
I went here very frequently when I lived in C-U. They have a good variety (plenty of vegetarian options too), reasonable prices, a kind waitstaff, and I've never had to wait for a table. I love the outdoor patio in the spring & summer. It's also a great place for a birthday, as they are very accommodating.
(5)Emily M.
Their food is decent, but the reason I'm writing this review is their healthy margarita. It's incredible and I'm not even usually a margarita fan! My husband ordered the regular margarita and we both agreed that the healthy was much better than the regular margarita. Go try it!
(4)Andy W.
Good food, plus it's usually pretty fast. Language barrier applies at times, but not usually a problem. Prices are reasonable, too. UI students get a discount with ID!
(4)Grimace B.
The absolute best thing about this place and a reason I would go back.... The Margaritas. Best margaritas I have ever had. Lots of flavors (though the original lime is the best) and STRONG. They really load these drinks with the tequila, and I like it. I honestly would go here just to grab a margarita. As for the rest of the deal, the restaurant is huge inside, clean, and nicely designed/decorated. The service was good. The food though was very bland. I only went once so maybe it was just a bad night, but my parties and my entrees all looked delicious, but tasted very bland. Even the salsa, chips, and other dips were all really bland. I never knew that food that looked so good could be so bland. I probably would not go back again for the food. Definitely check this place out though for the margaritas, you won't be disappointed.
(3)Dan H.
I am going to give this place a five star review for this one dish. I've never seen it anywhere else. I've never tried anything else here because of the unbelievable awesomeness packed into it. What is this tasty tasty dish you speak of? Pollo Amables. It's essentially the chicken and veggies that would be in a fajita, but they're covered in cheese and sautéed with bacon. YES BACON! in Mexican food. Go and order it, it's awesome, I had a margarita, I ordered the cheap one and it tasted ok, and it was super strong. Spend the money for the upgrade for the better booze
(5)Bailey B.
They have specials listed on the front of the restaurant, but ask the bartenders as well. Each bartender charged differently for their drinks. I had some of their pre-mixed lime margaritas on ice. I'm not usually a margarita on ice person, but they were pretty tasty. HUGE free basket of nachos and salsa as soon as we sat at the bar. I saw large groups, parties, kids, the whole spectrum.
(4)Don W.
I usually go to Dos and love it but decided to give this place a try because of yelp. I have to say I liked the decorations better here but not much else. I had a bland flavorless El Toronto fajita that did not sizzle and were not tender (like the menu promised). It didn't come with guacamole lettuce or tomato ie the usual with fajitas. I had to ask for lettuce and sour cream which were not fresh and too cold. The waiter also seemed offended that I asked and generally didn't seem to want to be there. I'm never coming here over Dos again.
(2)A W.
I enjoy going to this restaurant on a warm, sunny day when my friends and I can sit in the outside patio area. The service is highly variable, which can be a big problem especially if we're the only customers in the restaurant. However, the pina coladas make bad service a risk worth taking. The salsa is pretty good, as are the entrees, but what really makes this place? The outdoor patio, and the awesome drinks!
(3)Jeffrey E.
Monday lunch review, ordered a fajitas burrito from the lunch special menu ($7.95). Good chips and watery salsa served upon being seated. I have eaten at the various incarnations of El Toro for ten years, some pretty good, some not so much, but this was my first visit to the new Neil St. store, and it is really very nice. Service started fine, party of one, not busy, several Hispanic male servers on the floor, but I got the girl. Burrito arrived promptly, but the beans and sour cream in the menu description were missing. The girl thought the beans might be in the burrito, and brought SC immediately. If beans were in burrito, they were well hidden. Conference between girl and waiter yielded a "side" of refritos on a 12 inch oval platter, easily a serving for four. Spent rest of lunch wondering how much I would be charged for beans that were supposed to come with meal. It was only $1.75, so no drama. Original girl had gone missing, so not sure who I would have complained to in any event. Ten minutes is a long time with dirty dishes and a credit card on the table to get permission to leave. Incidentally, the meat in the burrito was round steak, lean, tough, dry, tasteless. I often buy skirt steak at the Mexican grocery, and make my own carne asada. This was beef and peppers, in a tortilla. Not terrible, but not great either. Back to Taco Loco for my burritos from now on.
(2)Kelly R.
Tasty salsa, great prices, quick service. If he wasn't so amusing, I might have been put off by the frazzled older guy who was our waiter. He seemed to misunderstand my friend's margarita order(he ended up with a mondo sized one), couldn't quite grasp what I was saying when I said that we needed another set of siverware...but he did swiftly refill my beverage--no matter if he gave me water, when I was drinking Diet Pepsi. We all got a laugh from that(including him). He brought me a replacement fizzy beverage, but left the glass that now looked like dirty pond water. My Carne Asada was overdone and lacking flavor, but the other items in my platter were okay. Next time, I'm trying that Fajita Quesadilla, that Heather T. was lobbying for. Looked great!
(4)Annie W.
In a lot of ways, El Toro is your typical Mexican-American restaurant--same options on the menu, same cheap prices, same piles of free chips and salsa. The things that make it even more worth checking out: -Great service, even in massive groups with complicated ticket-splitting and lots of different drink orders -The fajita quesadilla is particularly delicious, only $8, and huge enough to eat half for dinner and half for lunch the next day -Gigantic margaritas for cheap every Thursday! Try the strawberry-banana, but they'll mix anything up for you. Overall--not particularly authentic Mexican food, but definitely one of the better Mexican-American places in town.
(4)Briana J.
My service was quick and great! My food came so fast and my plates were taken from my table immediately after I was finished! I will definitely come back to this el toro!
(5)Teej T.
Four stars for the win, El Toro. At last, a place where I can watch the Pumas, eat some decent food, joke in Spanish, and even have fried ice cream if I'm playing gringo tourist. I like it. And I don't mind taking midwestern friends here. It makes me look 'edgy' cuando yo hablo en espanol con la gente. ;) Also, the alambres were fantastic.
(4)A K.
I went here very frequently when I lived in C-U. They have a good variety (plenty of vegetarian options too), reasonable prices, a kind waitstaff, and I've never had to wait for a table. I love the outdoor patio in the spring & summer. It's also a great place for a birthday, as they are very accommodating.
(5)Emily M.
Their food is decent, but the reason I'm writing this review is their healthy margarita. It's incredible and I'm not even usually a margarita fan! My husband ordered the regular margarita and we both agreed that the healthy was much better than the regular margarita. Go try it!
(4)Andy W.
Good food, plus it's usually pretty fast. Language barrier applies at times, but not usually a problem. Prices are reasonable, too. UI students get a discount with ID!
(4)B D.
Definitely one of the best Mexican restaurants I have ever been to. I do have to point out that the food is only good if you order the real stuff and non of that "flour tortilla please" crap. The chips are nice and crispy and if you get the spicy sauce, even though not spicy enough, it had good taste that satisfy my trained taste buds. The margaritas are awesome and the service is great; I can always ask any of the guys for help and they are there right away. Also, I should point out that if you have NOT had real Mexican food, you will end up ordering the typical American disgusting version and will be dissatisfied. I on the other hand have been here multiple times and can say the food and service has been great because I know what to order and expect. SAY NO TO FLOUR TORTILLAS!!! That is not Mexican.
(5)Linda Y.
I just went here last night with a friend searching for some decent mexican food in this town (we are both from the Chicagoland area). We chose this El Toro since it was the only one we could remember after realizing that El Torero was closed down. It is clearly family owned, judging by the young boy functioning as a host and a painted sign saying that it was the Fuerez family's. That's quaint. Service was extremely fast...perhaps a little too fast. They probably either have too many waiters on a Friday night, or their serving areas are just so small that every few minutes the waiter approached to ask if we were ready (we were not the first three times...). We ordered the veggie fajitas, the chiles poblanos, and margaritas. The food was pretty good and very filling. Quite large portions (as most Mexican restaurants) but it was still not the most magnificent thing I've had in my life. It wasn't prepared too quickly, as most people are concerned about, but I guess since it was a Friday night, it was prepared as quick as I would like even though we tarnished off nearly all the chips and some margarita. The chips and salsa were ok. As with other reviewers..the salsa seemed like pureed tomato straight out the can with a bit of other ingredients. Bland. The chips were warm but also a tad bit lackluster...but I like my chips without salt or spices... The drinks were strong. We ordered the margarita on special (the $6.00 jumbo) and it comes out the size of a bowl of cereal. Which is good...but be forewarned that it will take a while to finish. In all. This place was ok. Good enough to curb Mexican cravings or catching up with friends, but I would never bring my parents here on a night when they visit. It just wasn't good enough.
(3)Lily N.
Good food at a great price, the restaurant has become a great lunch destination. The food is basic American-Mexican combinations (burrito, enchilada, tamale for example) with very quick service. Honestly have not been to a sit down restaurant with such speedy service during the lunch rush.
(4)Mike B.
The Fuentes family has extended themselves and this Champaign El Toro location is definitely the best one in town (if you don't have a rapport with individuals at another location that is) , and I usually have a pretty decent experience here. A few notes: The place is fairly big, but the parking lot isn't, so if you pull up and can't find a spot in the lot, you can find some parking on-street parking and will still be able to get a table once you go in...don't quote me though! For the most part the waitstaff's 1st language is Spanglish, so be prepared to talk slow and point to what you want.....I don't think I ever had an issue with lack of communication. Additionally they may be a server short at all times as they are always running around trying to serve and do not fully spend as much time at the table to ensure accuracy of orders (especially special orders, etc.). My last experience the food was just alright....maybe a tad bland and lackluster. I usually get the Alambres dish...but strayed this go round.... I'd highly suggest trying the Alambres dish to anyone and will probably stick to that. I usually get the mix of steak, chicken, bacon, peppers, and cheese with the usual sides...comes out like fajitas....sizzling and ensuring it'll be nice and hot. The drinks are alright, but I think are a little too expensive for the alcohol content. I think they would benefit from an aggressive happy hour special with extended hours everyday...something to help them stand apart from all of the other competition in town which may have a slight edge in the flavor/authenticity department.. Nonetheless, El toro is a solid place to go.
(3)Zareena M.
I'd like to dedicate my very first Yelp review to what I think is an underrated Mexican wonderland in Champaign. Maize tends to steal the spotlight, but if you're looking for a great restaurant that actually fits more then 5 people within its premises, I recommend El Toro. I went with two friends, and experienced friendly and quick service, superb cuisine, and fantastic sangria. The atmosphere is what you would expect from a family owned Mexican restaurant. It's my new go-to sit-down Mexican place. The only problems - I do not recommend ordering for pickup. The quality was compromised, but this is nothing new for any restaurant. Also, the other location of El Toro is not even half as impressive as this one. Perhaps the quality gap was due to the fact that I went to the other location with a party of 8, and the restaurant was very crowded, but I would rather order taco bell than go back to the other location. PS - if you can find yourself a DD, I highly recommend getting one of the Grande margaritas - they're literally as big as your head.
(4)Christina T.
Went here with a group to drink some margaritas and eat some chips and salsa. Wonderful service and friendly staff. I ordered a grande raspberry margarita and it was nice and strong. Chips were hot and delicious and salsa was good (wish it was spicier but that's a personal preference)
(4)Brian W.
Salsa is not spicy enough. But this is by far the best Mexican restaurant in the C-U area that I have been to. I had steak tacos and they were delicious
(4)Kristin T.
This was the singularly worst meal and dining experience I have had in a very long time. The menu promises there will be a great meal here. The actual experience is extremely different. We ordered our meals and waited an hour for them to arrive. Our waiter was absent during this time. When our meals arrived via a different waiter the food was all lukewarm. My chile relleno was so small and unrecognizable I thought they forgot it. It consisted of small flat piece of pepper covered with a tasteless sauce and some sort of cheese. The tamale was cold, filled with unseasoned ground beef and quite tasteless itself. We never received our check until we stood up to leave. Then our waiter magically materialized, for the first time since taking our order over an hour earlier. Try any other Mexican restaurant, even Taco Bell, before going here.
(1)Lacey S.
I'll try and not be bias. I grew up and live in Texas which is as close to "real" Mexican food as you'll get. Any other states Mexican food is like a fancy Taco Bell(except this awesome place in Queens). It just doesn't compare. With that being said, I'd say I liked this place. Not loved. Liked. I was seated quickly and was immediately brought chips and salsa. After a few minutes, I met my server and he took my drink order. The menu was large. I wasn't too hungry but needed to eat to avoid a headache later. It was hard to pick since all the items sounded huge. Which is great seeing how good the prices were. I was honestly amazed at their queso. Any time I go to an out of state Mexican place, they either 1. Don't have queso and loom at you like you're crazy when you order it or 2. It's from a can or the same stuff they put on your nachos at ball games. But this stuff was great. I ordered the flauta plate. Like someone else said, it arrived in 5 minutes. Strange since this was a sit down place. I would expect flautas to take at least 15 minutes to arrive. So this makes me think they were made earlier and were kept in a batch under a heat lamp. Even the family of four next time got their food in less than 10 minutes. Hmmm. But regardless, they tasted good. I brought home half of them and the rest of my rice, beans and queso. And for $10 before tip, that's pretty good to have that much leftovers. I'm giving it a 3 just because it was better than I expected and it was quick. But the servers were emotionless and socialized a lot. They were nice but didn't really smile or ask anyone how their food was or check on them. It seemed like they didn't want to be there.
(3)Angela G.
Pros: Nice ambience, fairly strong margaritas. Cons: The last time I went, the service was not great. The waitress got our orders wrong, never refilled our water, and never came back with the salsa we asked for. It wasn't busy at all, either. The food is just so-so. Everything seemed overcooked and not very thoughtfully seasoned. It's certainly no Mas Amigos or Maize.
(2)April S.
We went here on Taco Tuesday. The tacos were very good. I have eaten here several times over the years and I have always found them to be a good value and good food.
(4)D M.
Arcola location didn't show up on yelp. Mediocre at best. Poor service. Over 80 in the restaurant. Uncomfortably warm. Go the the McDonald's next door. Sad I know.
(1)Jamie L.
This is a totally acceptable spot for okay Tex-Mex food. The margaritas are not impressive and a large will run you $12. The service is always very friendly and prompt. If you're looking for authentic Mexican, this is not your place. If you're looking for semi-seasoned meat fried in tortillas and smothered in cheese sauce, this is the place for you. You're also able to make substitutions at no additional cost. The kids' meals are all $4.25 without a drink and they have a pretty sizable selection to choose from. If you bring your iCard, you get a 10% discount!
(3)Julia K.
Came here for a quick lunch which actually took over an hour. The service was slow and the food is one of my least favorite Mexican food in champaign, if not the worst. I ordered two enchiladas with rice and beans. The dish did not come with sour cream or a little bit of guac or salad. Just enchiladas, beans, and rice. The tortilla used for the enchiladas was too fragile and broke apart with a light touch of the fork. Sauce wasn't that great either. Spanish rice was disappointing as well - too salty and therefore could not consume. Their horchata is a 2/5 since it did not taste like any that I've tried at other Mexican restaurants. Won't be coming here again unless forced by group consensus.
(2)Daniella B.
The food here is okay but the service leaves something to be desired. Last time I was here, there was a hair in my margarita and I had to be persistent to get seated because there was no hostess at the door. I also called about catering recently only to be told that the manager wasn't available. All in all, it's decent but there are certainly better mexican restaurants in town.
(3)Cesar S.
The inside of this place looks nicer than your average Mexican restaurant. The menu is overwhelming with all the options they offer. They provide your typical chips and salsa. The salsa was a little watery. I got their large pina colada and it was massive. The waitress did a great job with customer service. The food was good. If you are wanting to take sometime on a date here and are considering getting Mexican food, you should definitely try this place. Expect to pay $10 per meal.
(4)Allison U.
This is definitely a great place to grab drinks and dinner with friends on a Friday night. The outdoor patio is spacious and the inside space is quite large as well; finding room for out party of 8 was no problem at all! The food was pretty standard (I got the cheese quesadilla and asked to get vegetables added and our waitress was able to accommodate my request with no problem!) and the prices were very reasonable (I paid $13 for my quesadilla and a good-sized margarita, tip included). In regards to their drinks, the servings are VERY generous! Our party enjoyed a range of their margarita selection, spanning from lime margaritas on the rocks to mango-strawberry frozen margaritas and everyone was happy with their drink of choice. We all went with the Jumbo (or was it Grande?) size (the equivalent of a medium) and it was definitely bigger than expected, but great nevertheless! Not the best Mexican food I've had, but it was a great place to meet up with a group. I have a feeling that I haven't seen the last of El Toro!
(3)Kate T.
Eh. Very greasy. The best part of this whole place is the salsa. Everything else could be better and more fresh somewhere else. I requested a stuffed poblano pepper with rice and beans instead of beans and cheese since I can't digest cheese very well. They said no. I get it but i enjoy when a restaurant tries to accommodate requests.
(2)Cathy S.
As a west coast native I have never had worse Mexican food. The beef is unseasoned and the red sauce is marinara. The staff is friendly and fast but I won't be back due to the food.
(1)Kari W.
Oh El Toro, how I love you! I've been a loyal patron at the El Toro on South Neil for five years, eating there at least once a month--and usually once a week in the summer. Sitting on their patio getting schnockered on margaritas is a fabulous way to spend a summer day, and, oh yeah, the food is awesome. When they mentioned they were moving, I was understandably nervous. I shouldn't have worried. Their new building, freshly renovated, is gorgeous--and only two blocks from my house. (Can you say 'stumbling-distance'?) The bar area has less seating, but over all, the seating seems to have expanded. The décor is much more understated and less kitschy, which makes the whole place seem classier. The outdoor seating area hasn't opened yet, but it looks fabulous, with several glass doors separating it from the inside, so even if you prefer to eat indoors, you can still enjoy the summer sun with your margarita. The food is consistently good and very fast, and the margaritas are strong. It's no longer on the menu (the owner told me they are redoing the daily specials), but the Paisa Burritos are delish. You can't really go wrong with chorizo-stuffed tortillas slathered in cheese sauce! I also tried something new: a Margarona. It's a frozen margarita with a bottle of Corona up-ended into it. Trust me, it tastes better than it sounds, and it looks really bad-ass. Two small nitpicks: a distinct lack of parking during lunch--after 5 you can park across Williams Street at Bacon & Van Buskirk--and during the busy times (Saturday nights, for example) the food and service is much slower than at their old location. I hope this is just them working out a few kinks in the kitchen and they'll return to their speedy service in time for me setting up camp on the patio this summer!
(5)Rachel S.
The last time I was there, there was a cockroach crawling on my table. The cockroach then climbed onto a stand up menu. We pointed it out to the waiter and he took the menu and threw it on the floor and tried to stomp on the cockroach. We mentioned to the woman at the check out section that there was a cockroach and she gave us 10% off our order. She told me that they had recently sprayed for them, but apparently they were still a problem. She was very apologetic. It's a real shame because the food is not half bad. And many of the people who work there are quite nice. But I don't think I'll be eating there any time soon again...
(2)Seth B.
Tamales were GREAT! But the margaritas were SUPER salty. Great place to meet friends for a drink.
(3)Sarah L.
It turns out that El Toro II is the favorite restaurant of one of my best friends, so I started to go there alot recently, and it has grown on me exponentially. The service is always amazing: the food comes out in like 5 minutes piping hot and exactly as ordered whether the party has 2 people in it or 15. I think I have also gotten a handle on what I like to order here too: mango margarita (frozen) and three cheese enchiladas.
(3)Annette L.
I lived in Champaign for about 8 years and just moved back to Chicago this summer. I miss El Toro more than words can describe. Outstanding and fast service, great prices, and delicious food. My husband and I loved El Toro so much we had our rehearsal dinner there, and our priest mentioned El Toro in our wedding homily. I miss you Toro. :(
(5)Sarah T.
I have been here 3 times now and have never been disappointed. The service was friendly, fast and helpfully. The food is hot, fresh tasting and full of flavor. The building is clean and welcoming. I love the salsa and enchilada sauce! They truly have a classic American\Mexican taste. Nom nom nom.
(5)Shaun R.
Absolutely hands-down one of the worst Mexican meals I've had in my entire life the pork was so salty you could hardly eat it "I did not eat it" there was some burnt black crusty things in it..the chicken was a four out of 10 the salsa tasted like it was out of a jar with a little added cilantro , the chips obviously came from a bag (cold) .. First and last visit !
(1)Elizabeth S.
They took a while to bring the food, my son ordered a chicken quesadilla that was very soggy and tasteless, the rest of the food was edible but far from good, place was ok , it's far from the best but if you hungry and desperate you can certainly go eat there.
(2)Ken R.
Horrible. Very, very Midwestern Mexican. (Disclaimer: I grew up in the midwest, but I have traveled and had Mexican and Southwestern food, and I've enjoyed trying the many Mexican themed restaurants in town.) Chips were okay - crispy and pretty tasty. Salsa was okay. Chips and salsa were, probably, the best part of the meal. So, +1 star for chips and decent service. My girlfriend wasn't feeling well, and wanted something lighter and got the guacamole salad. What she received was a plate of iceberg lettuce, shredded white cheese, and very salty guacamole. The guacamole tasted like it came out of a jar. The combination was exactly as appetizing as it sounds. I got a burrito plate. The burrito was not wrapped up. It just had some filling dumped into it and had been shoved into an oven, so the edges of the tortilla had become hard and browned. It was impossible to pick up and broke into pieces when I tried. The filling itself consisted of stewed, mushy beef with stewed, mushy tomatoes and onions. The sides were forgettable. I really hate to throw away leftovers, especially if I think they can be jazzed up somehow, but that's what I ended up doing with the rest of the burrito. You do get a lot of food on your plate, but if it's bland Mexican that's very, very reminiscent of what you can get out of a box at the supermarket, why bother? If you'd like better Mexican, try Huaraches Moroleon or Mas Amigos. Or Taco Loco. Cocina Real and Dos Reales aren't my favorites, but they're still better than here. (I haven't been to Maize and can't comment on it.) If you wish there was a Burrito King off campus, this is pretty much it. Except they do, at least, leave off the salty white cheese sauce here. Overall, I would avoid this place and go to one of many places that is cheaper, more charming, and more authentic.
(2)Wayne K.
As a Californian I feel it's unfair for me to review El Toro, which may be just fine for Champaign but would be utterly crushed if it were located anywhere near San Francisco. The food wasn't very authentic and I'm not even sure this was as good as a Chevy's. THE ICKY: - The salsa was barely better than salsa you get out of a jar from the supermarket. Where are the tomatoes? The chips taste similarly store-bought. - The guacamole had no personality... maybe they couldn't get fresh avocados? - The cheese inside the quasadilla tasted really off. Were they using American cheese or something? - The tacos from head-to-toe were just not great, from the shell to the meat. THE GOOD: - I did like the horchata. :) - Despite the ickiness, I left pretty full, so large portion sizes with reasonable prices. - It had the ambiance of a taqueria, but was cleaner. - Service was fast and efficient.
(2)E D.
This is mediocre, inexpensive American-style Mexican food. It's not terrible, but it's definitely nothing to write home about.
(3)Matthew L.
I have to say I am really excited to have the New El Toro open, because it's only 3 blocks from my house - so smart for them to move closer to both campus and downtown... In the newly renovated warehouse building on the corner of 901 S. Neil (right next door to Kamakura), the restaurant has 6 options for seating (or at least they WILL once the outdoor seating is in place), large, spacious rooms, and good decor. The drinks are strong and generous, the food is fresh and i think MUCH better than the old Neil St Location, quick service, sporting a mixed and interesting crowd of students, yuppies, sport fans at the bar and families. GREAT location, well-designed and reliable, cheap excellent food.
(5)TJ M.
I order food for mostly delivery from El Toro, so my experience is strictly to do with the food and not so much so the dining experience. For your regular customer wanting americanized mexican food, this place would suffice as an average joint. But for someone who enjoys freshly made food from Maize every time, this place can't compare on any level. The food is greasy, cheesy, mushy and not fresh at all. The guacamole is sub standard, as is the salsa. There is no fresh zing to the food at all, so I have to severely question the freshness of the ingredients used and the store practices of making food. I would avoid eating at the place and would advise anyone the same. Moreover the delivery takes around 45 minutes, so that makes me all the more less likely to order when I can choose from a whole host of other places on campus. Two of my recommendations of places with good mexican food would be El Charro and Maize Mexican Grill. Unfortunately the seating options at Maize are lacking, and El Charro looks extremely run down. So if you are looking for decent dining atmosphere, I wouldn't go to the aforementioned places. But hey, if it is the food you care about, definitely go to one of those places and enjoy far better and might I say even cheaper food.
(2)Crystal M.
If I could I would give them 5 stars on their salsa and chips...but I have to take the whole dining experience into account. I really liked their food. Their service was wonderful. I was there for my daughter's rehersal dinner and they did a great job accomadating about 30 of us. Then did an awsome job embarrasing the bride and groom by making them stand up and singing something to them...don't know what they were singing because it was in spanish. The parking is horrible.
(4)Tim J.
I had a great time on my visit. The lobby does still have a new paint smell that was off-putting, and that odor did occaisionaly drift into the dining area, but it did not affect my enjoyment. Despite what other reviewers have noted, I found their menu to be pretty expansive, going far beyond the 'typical Mexican restaurant' fare. The one thing I wanted that they didn't have was a Mole sauce, but most places don't so no big. They had a strong selection of liquor and tequilla, and pretty good drink specials. I enjoyed my enchiladas del mar, and everybody else liked what they got, too. The tamales entree was a hit. They give you warm chips and salsa that is good but pretty mild. I knocked ours up a bit with the Cholula and Tapatio they put on the tables and was sweating gleefully in no time. I wanted to try their Margarona, which is a margarita with a corona stuck into it. I know, it sounds gross to mix beer with liquor, but if it is done right, it can be surprisingly delightful. Holding me back from ordering this frankencocktail was the $8.50 pricetag, but If it were on special, I'd definitely take a Margarona behind the bleachers and deny it later.
(4)Holly S.
I'm only giving this 4-stars because I do not want to mislead someone looking for a little bit more of an upscale meal - but fact is, this is absolutely delicious mexican-american and for the food & service I'd give it a 5. I love everything I've had on the menu and I love the rice so much I wish I could get the recipe...I don't think I'll ever eat a Mexi rice I love more. Good sized portions - note, if multiple people want a side of rice, just order one....it's massive (did I mention I love the rice?) I've said this about my love for Monical's pizza and same goes for El Toro...I live in ChiCity and have yet to find a (non-fancy or specialty) Mexi place here I like better. I'm sure some would say I'm crazy...I don't care! YUM! Their service is the FASTEST I've ever seen. Which I know could be a good or bad thing depending on what kind of experience you're looking for (again, the 4-star thing) - but if you are HONGARY this is the place. Chips and salsa on the table as you sit down. Someone ready to take your order/answer questions immediately. Water glass never goes empty. And last but not least, so very reasonably priced (I shouldn't say this but it's cheap actually!). 3 of us can eat there for less than $20 and that includes my $3 big margarita! I wouldn't come here as an 'experience' outside of the great food and quick service...meaning you might want to go somewhere else on a first date or with friends if you're looking for atmosphere. Only other thing, is that they can be heavy handed on the salt....
(4)Kyle H.
So we decided to try out the new El Toro since I had a coupon, and they were open decently late on a Saturday (11 pm). The first thing a little odd about the place is that their are 2 entrances, but only 1 is really an entrance; the other you have to walk through the bar area to get to the other entrance to be seated (why not just have 1 entrance then?). The ambiance of the place is pretty nice. It's not your stereotypical mexican restaurant, the decor is a lot nicer/classier. Unfortunately, they weren't playing mexican tunes, and instead we got the likes of Miley Cyrus's Party in the USA and Justin Bieber's (OMG!!!) Baby; not really what I'd expect/want to hear in a mexican restaurant. The menu is typical mexican fare; the only thing that annoyed me here was lack of pricing on the drink menu. The margaritas are fresh blended, which can be a little annoying sitting close to the bar, and margaritas prepared this way tend to be a lot more liquid than frozen. The medium size was on sale for a still expensive ~7 dollars. The strength was about average, nothing too impressive. So my biggest complaint is the waitress. We were seated right by 2 other tables that she also had, so she walked by us every couple of minutes, but seemed completely oblivious to us. We had all ordered water at the start, and we were all out of water well before the time our margaritas came. She didn't notice. Not even when she brought our margaritas did she care to ask if we wanted refills. Finally, when she did another pass, I asked for a water refill; she only grabbed my glass and refilled it (even though everybody else at the table was also empty). So, when she came back, another person at our table asked for a refill. Not getting the hint, she then just grabbed his glass and didn't think to ask anybody else if they wanted refills, luckily the other person at the table spoke up asking for a refill (as a waitress you really should be checking these things). Same thing happened with Chips and Salsa; we were empty for the longest time, and only once we asked did we receive some more... unfortunately it must've been the bottom of the bag/basket since they were pretty much all crushed. On the plus side, their salsa is definitely the best we've had in the C-U area... the chips weren't quite as good. And if this wasn't enough, we also had an issue with our food order. One of the guys at our table ordered 3 enchiladas a la carte. When our order arrived, he only had 1 enchilada. We asked the waitress about it, and she claimed that she thought he had only ordered 1 enchilada. But, when she brings us the check, she clearly wrote (and tried to charge us) for the 3 enchiladas. Surely, you would check something like this before delivering the bill (or when sending the food order to the kitchen). Also, despite the fact that we were clearly 3 unrelated people, there was no offer to split the check. I guess I'm giving it 2 stars simply because the food was decent, and this one waitress is hopefully not a reflection of the rest of the wait staff.
(2)Lisa B.
The new place is really nice and has a lot of room. The wait staff are nice and helpful. The food was crap though. I had a burritto and the red sauce tasted like tomato soup. The chips tasted a little on the burnt side. I will go back and try again in the Spring.
(3)Paul S.
Well the atmosphere is excellent - especially in CU. The staff was all very friendly and attentive. Kudos to them! The food was a bit better than average but nothing to knock your socks off. A good place to go with family or friends. They have a cheese sauce that is a bit spicy but tasty!
(4)Laurie T.
I went here with two co-workers for lunch. We were under a time crunch and were worried when we saw all the cars in the parking lot. We walked in and were seated immediately. The server (unfortunately I did not get her name) quickly got our drinks and food orders. Our food arrived very quickly, and we were finished in no time. Our server even took our bills for us so we would not have to wait at the register with all the other people who were leaving. As far as the food, I was pleased with mine. I got the lunch special number 3 (enchilada and taco with beans and rice). It was on par with what I expected. One of my co-workers got a bean burrito. She was pretty sure the sauce on the burrito was pizza sauce, and that seemed a little weird. I will keep this in mind the next time I only have a few minutes for lunch. I think we were in and out in about 30 minutes.
(3)Matt N.
You want good Mexican food in Champaign, then you've gotta go to El Toro! It's not quite in the heart of campus but close enough! Make sure you ask for the white cheese dip with the chips to start, amazing! The rest of the food was delicious, the Margaritas were strong and massive, and the service was great. The only reason I took away a star was because we made a reservation and then had to still wait at the bar for about a half hour before being seated.
(4)Heather T.
I was all excited about El Toro moving closer to my house...and then I went there. For lunch. At 1pm on a Sunday. And there was absolutely ZERO parking. One of the nice things about the old El Toro was the humongous parking lot--even when it was packed with people inside, there was always a place to park. Irritating, but I was willing to look past it. The new El Toro is, in a word, cavernous. Where the old one was cavernous-but-packed-like-sardines sort of way, this one is just full of space. It's nice that you're not all up on the table next to you. When paired with the shellacked, corporate decor of the new location, however, the ambiance is sorely lacking. I felt like I was eating at a big, faceless Mexican restaurant that you would find in a suburb of Madison or some other larger city. It was just...personality-less. This is not to mention that they have changed up the menu. I loved their salsa for the garlicky flavor, but what I was served did not taste the same anymore. One of my friends always gets some sort of chicken nachos, and he said that this, too, was different. Sad. That said, El Toro still has ginormous portions on the cheap, and I'm sure the booze still works. The service is still uber-efficient and attentive (you'll get new baskets of chips so fast your head will spin). I think I'll give another location a try next time, though.
(3)JW S.
Lotta red flags when walking in. Ketchup on the tables, video gaming machines in the back, confusing layout, too big a menu, pronunciation guide for words like "verde" and "roja". That being said, it was much better than it should have been. Meaning it was perfectly adequate Midwestern Mexican restaurant food. Tamales were decent, as was the chori pollo. The outside seating area was pretty nice.
(3)Alyssa M.
This is another pretty good Mexican restaurant in the champaign area. It is usually never too busy, so you don't have to wait to be seated. However the service is somewhat slow and not as attentive as I think it should be. The chicken quesadilla is super yummy and definitely worth trying! I also participated in drinking a margorona while there with my friends. They're pretty darn big!! And are as tasty as the ones down in Mexico I will probably visit this restaurant again. Although I wouldn't say it's a place you have to try while in Champaign, it's not a bad place to get dinner with friends on a night out
(4)Abhay S.
El Toro is great! We came here on a Friday night and while they weren't busy when we arrived, they were able to seat our party of 7 quickly. They also allowed us to split our checks 3 ways, which gets a huge PLUS in my book. Food and service was excellent. I look forward to my next return to El Toro II.
(5)Patricia J.
Because my family is pescatarian, we'll only eat vegetarian or shrimp/seafood Mexican food. El Toro doesn't have much for us, and what they do have is standard rice and beans (meh) and gluey cheese stuff (ugh). Much better choices for us in town are Maize (fish tacos!), Huraches Moroleon, and Wedge.
(2)Preston B.
I'd give this 3.5 stars. It's everything you would expect in your run-of-the-mill Mexican restaurant. Free chips n salsa and a HUGE menu with all your classic combinations of the dame handful of ingredients. Reasonably priced for the large portions you get and the quality is good. Mostly, If you are craving solid Mexican food this is a great, clean, comfortable option. Nothing too fancy or high end. Just solid Mexican!
(3)Peter C.
Had some beef tacos on corn tortillas with cilantro and onion. Definitely had better. Beef was mushy and the tortillas were not very good. Would rather go to Don Juan.
(2)Kayla K.
Food is great! Love the steak fajitas ! If you like your drinks with the brand of liquor you requested - better go elsewhere
(3)Joe S.
The chips and queso were good and the beer was cold. Our meals were disappointing. Chicken fajita nachos with jalapeños were flavorless and bland. My wife had a seafood fajita plate which was equally bad. Flavor was lacking from all our meals - not a good experience. El Toro needs to step up their game to be on par with the quality other Mexican restaurants in the area offer.
(2)Zachary H.
This is very bad Mexican food. Don't even consider going here. I ate for free because my department was paying and I wish I hadn't. Disgusting.
(1)Kaitlyn W.
El Toro is not horrible, but its not great Mexican either. Don't let this reflect on Wedge. There are no better margaritas in CU than Wedge's. We got nachos and a chicken verde quesadilla. The nachos had cheese sauce instead of cheese. Not our thing, but the sour cream and guac were super fresh so that made up for it. The quesadilla was soggy and wet and lacking cheese. I didn't hate it but my boyfriend wouldn't take a second bite. Overall it's acceptable, but there are better Mexican places if you look elsewhere.
(2)Memphis A.
Casual atmosphere, fast and friendly service. Food was really good. Salsa was chunky if u like that and guacamole was made fresh.
(4)Ramin A.
Terrible delivery service. People are mean and don't care about their customers service. I will not ever come back to this place. Also the food is small, not very good and too expensive.
(1)Rhonda G.
It's just ok. Salsa was one step up from Pace which isn't really a compliment to the chef. I absolutely hate food drenched in sauces to disguise lack of flavor and this was the case with their version of the enchilada. Initially my taco came out in a crunchy tortilla and I was shocked to find out this was the norm when ordering a taco at this place. Since i'm not really into the crunchy taco bell-esque tortilla I kindly asked for a soft corn tortilla (and they gladly changed this for me). The taco was good but again not great. The peach margarita was strong but not really peach so while I got happy from the booze, I wasn't to thrilled at my mystery fruit drink though. Probably won't go back.
(3)CaramelD C.
This particular El Toro is awful. The waiter didn't stick around long enough at our table to hear our entire order. When he did return, we had to make him be still long enough to take it. He still didn't get it correct and brought out an enchilada with no meat. We asked for shredded chicken. Not only that, it was cold when it came out. So was the tamale. Then they brought out an enchilada with some other kind of meat. It still wasn't shredded chicken. When we asked to see the Manager, we had to wait 15 minutes. We were told that she would be coming to our table, "any minute." She never came. When we got ready to leave, we stopped by the front counter and asked for her again, only to find out that she had left early that day. So someone else came out and began to dispute our bill with us. When we refused to pay the entire bill, they began yelling at us. Then a dark haired short female came out and also yelled at us at if we were trying to get over on the bill even though we never got what we ordered. I asked who the owner was, no one seemed to know (imagine that)! So I called the other El Toro, asked for the owner and of course, they referred me back to this El Toro and the cycle started all over again. I think I'm just going to call public health and maybe they can get ahold of the owner, Victor Fuentes, for me. Maybe he'll call them back. I won't be going back there. The one on W. Springfield Avenue is much better.
(1)Patricia J.
Because my family is pescatarian, we'll only eat vegetarian or shrimp/seafood Mexican food. El Toro doesn't have much for us, and what they do have is standard rice and beans (meh) and gluey cheese stuff (ugh). Much better choices for us in town are Maize (fish tacos!), Huraches Moroleon, and Wedge.
(2)Preston B.
I'd give this 3.5 stars. It's everything you would expect in your run-of-the-mill Mexican restaurant. Free chips n salsa and a HUGE menu with all your classic combinations of the dame handful of ingredients. Reasonably priced for the large portions you get and the quality is good. Mostly, If you are craving solid Mexican food this is a great, clean, comfortable option. Nothing too fancy or high end. Just solid Mexican!
(3)Sarah T.
I have been here 3 times now and have never been disappointed. The service was friendly, fast and helpfully. The food is hot, fresh tasting and full of flavor. The building is clean and welcoming. I love the salsa and enchilada sauce! They truly have a classic American\Mexican taste. Nom nom nom.
(5)Jamie L.
This is a totally acceptable spot for okay Tex-Mex food. The margaritas are not impressive and a large will run you $12. The service is always very friendly and prompt. If you're looking for authentic Mexican, this is not your place. If you're looking for semi-seasoned meat fried in tortillas and smothered in cheese sauce, this is the place for you. You're also able to make substitutions at no additional cost. The kids' meals are all $4.25 without a drink and they have a pretty sizable selection to choose from. If you bring your iCard, you get a 10% discount!
(3)Peter C.
Had some beef tacos on corn tortillas with cilantro and onion. Definitely had better. Beef was mushy and the tortillas were not very good. Would rather go to Don Juan.
(2)Kayla K.
Food is great! Love the steak fajitas ! If you like your drinks with the brand of liquor you requested - better go elsewhere
(3)Elizabeth S.
They took a while to bring the food, my son ordered a chicken quesadilla that was very soggy and tasteless, the rest of the food was edible but far from good, place was ok , it's far from the best but if you hungry and desperate you can certainly go eat there.
(2)Daniella B.
The food here is okay but the service leaves something to be desired. Last time I was here, there was a hair in my margarita and I had to be persistent to get seated because there was no hostess at the door. I also called about catering recently only to be told that the manager wasn't available. All in all, it's decent but there are certainly better mexican restaurants in town.
(3)Julia K.
Came here for a quick lunch which actually took over an hour. The service was slow and the food is one of my least favorite Mexican food in champaign, if not the worst. I ordered two enchiladas with rice and beans. The dish did not come with sour cream or a little bit of guac or salad. Just enchiladas, beans, and rice. The tortilla used for the enchiladas was too fragile and broke apart with a light touch of the fork. Sauce wasn't that great either. Spanish rice was disappointing as well - too salty and therefore could not consume. Their horchata is a 2/5 since it did not taste like any that I've tried at other Mexican restaurants. Won't be coming here again unless forced by group consensus.
(2)JW S.
Lotta red flags when walking in. Ketchup on the tables, video gaming machines in the back, confusing layout, too big a menu, pronunciation guide for words like "verde" and "roja". That being said, it was much better than it should have been. Meaning it was perfectly adequate Midwestern Mexican restaurant food. Tamales were decent, as was the chori pollo. The outside seating area was pretty nice.
(3)Mike B.
The Fuentes family has extended themselves and this Champaign El Toro location is definitely the best one in town (if you don't have a rapport with individuals at another location that is) , and I usually have a pretty decent experience here. A few notes: The place is fairly big, but the parking lot isn't, so if you pull up and can't find a spot in the lot, you can find some parking on-street parking and will still be able to get a table once you go in...don't quote me though! For the most part the waitstaff's 1st language is Spanglish, so be prepared to talk slow and point to what you want.....I don't think I ever had an issue with lack of communication. Additionally they may be a server short at all times as they are always running around trying to serve and do not fully spend as much time at the table to ensure accuracy of orders (especially special orders, etc.). My last experience the food was just alright....maybe a tad bland and lackluster. I usually get the Alambres dish...but strayed this go round.... I'd highly suggest trying the Alambres dish to anyone and will probably stick to that. I usually get the mix of steak, chicken, bacon, peppers, and cheese with the usual sides...comes out like fajitas....sizzling and ensuring it'll be nice and hot. The drinks are alright, but I think are a little too expensive for the alcohol content. I think they would benefit from an aggressive happy hour special with extended hours everyday...something to help them stand apart from all of the other competition in town which may have a slight edge in the flavor/authenticity department.. Nonetheless, El toro is a solid place to go.
(3)Zareena M.
I'd like to dedicate my very first Yelp review to what I think is an underrated Mexican wonderland in Champaign. Maize tends to steal the spotlight, but if you're looking for a great restaurant that actually fits more then 5 people within its premises, I recommend El Toro. I went with two friends, and experienced friendly and quick service, superb cuisine, and fantastic sangria. The atmosphere is what you would expect from a family owned Mexican restaurant. It's my new go-to sit-down Mexican place. The only problems - I do not recommend ordering for pickup. The quality was compromised, but this is nothing new for any restaurant. Also, the other location of El Toro is not even half as impressive as this one. Perhaps the quality gap was due to the fact that I went to the other location with a party of 8, and the restaurant was very crowded, but I would rather order taco bell than go back to the other location. PS - if you can find yourself a DD, I highly recommend getting one of the Grande margaritas - they're literally as big as your head.
(4)Christina T.
Went here with a group to drink some margaritas and eat some chips and salsa. Wonderful service and friendly staff. I ordered a grande raspberry margarita and it was nice and strong. Chips were hot and delicious and salsa was good (wish it was spicier but that's a personal preference)
(4)Brian W.
Salsa is not spicy enough. But this is by far the best Mexican restaurant in the C-U area that I have been to. I had steak tacos and they were delicious
(4)Kristin T.
This was the singularly worst meal and dining experience I have had in a very long time. The menu promises there will be a great meal here. The actual experience is extremely different. We ordered our meals and waited an hour for them to arrive. Our waiter was absent during this time. When our meals arrived via a different waiter the food was all lukewarm. My chile relleno was so small and unrecognizable I thought they forgot it. It consisted of small flat piece of pepper covered with a tasteless sauce and some sort of cheese. The tamale was cold, filled with unseasoned ground beef and quite tasteless itself. We never received our check until we stood up to leave. Then our waiter magically materialized, for the first time since taking our order over an hour earlier. Try any other Mexican restaurant, even Taco Bell, before going here.
(1)Lacey S.
I'll try and not be bias. I grew up and live in Texas which is as close to "real" Mexican food as you'll get. Any other states Mexican food is like a fancy Taco Bell(except this awesome place in Queens). It just doesn't compare. With that being said, I'd say I liked this place. Not loved. Liked. I was seated quickly and was immediately brought chips and salsa. After a few minutes, I met my server and he took my drink order. The menu was large. I wasn't too hungry but needed to eat to avoid a headache later. It was hard to pick since all the items sounded huge. Which is great seeing how good the prices were. I was honestly amazed at their queso. Any time I go to an out of state Mexican place, they either 1. Don't have queso and loom at you like you're crazy when you order it or 2. It's from a can or the same stuff they put on your nachos at ball games. But this stuff was great. I ordered the flauta plate. Like someone else said, it arrived in 5 minutes. Strange since this was a sit down place. I would expect flautas to take at least 15 minutes to arrive. So this makes me think they were made earlier and were kept in a batch under a heat lamp. Even the family of four next time got their food in less than 10 minutes. Hmmm. But regardless, they tasted good. I brought home half of them and the rest of my rice, beans and queso. And for $10 before tip, that's pretty good to have that much leftovers. I'm giving it a 3 just because it was better than I expected and it was quick. But the servers were emotionless and socialized a lot. They were nice but didn't really smile or ask anyone how their food was or check on them. It seemed like they didn't want to be there.
(3)Angela G.
Pros: Nice ambience, fairly strong margaritas. Cons: The last time I went, the service was not great. The waitress got our orders wrong, never refilled our water, and never came back with the salsa we asked for. It wasn't busy at all, either. The food is just so-so. Everything seemed overcooked and not very thoughtfully seasoned. It's certainly no Mas Amigos or Maize.
(2)April S.
We went here on Taco Tuesday. The tacos were very good. I have eaten here several times over the years and I have always found them to be a good value and good food.
(4)D M.
Arcola location didn't show up on yelp. Mediocre at best. Poor service. Over 80 in the restaurant. Uncomfortably warm. Go the the McDonald's next door. Sad I know.
(1)Alyssa M.
This is another pretty good Mexican restaurant in the champaign area. It is usually never too busy, so you don't have to wait to be seated. However the service is somewhat slow and not as attentive as I think it should be. The chicken quesadilla is super yummy and definitely worth trying! I also participated in drinking a margorona while there with my friends. They're pretty darn big!! And are as tasty as the ones down in Mexico I will probably visit this restaurant again. Although I wouldn't say it's a place you have to try while in Champaign, it's not a bad place to get dinner with friends on a night out
(4)Abhay S.
El Toro is great! We came here on a Friday night and while they weren't busy when we arrived, they were able to seat our party of 7 quickly. They also allowed us to split our checks 3 ways, which gets a huge PLUS in my book. Food and service was excellent. I look forward to my next return to El Toro II.
(5)Zachary H.
This is very bad Mexican food. Don't even consider going here. I ate for free because my department was paying and I wish I hadn't. Disgusting.
(1)Ken R.
Horrible. Very, very Midwestern Mexican. (Disclaimer: I grew up in the midwest, but I have traveled and had Mexican and Southwestern food, and I've enjoyed trying the many Mexican themed restaurants in town.) Chips were okay - crispy and pretty tasty. Salsa was okay. Chips and salsa were, probably, the best part of the meal. So, +1 star for chips and decent service. My girlfriend wasn't feeling well, and wanted something lighter and got the guacamole salad. What she received was a plate of iceberg lettuce, shredded white cheese, and very salty guacamole. The guacamole tasted like it came out of a jar. The combination was exactly as appetizing as it sounds. I got a burrito plate. The burrito was not wrapped up. It just had some filling dumped into it and had been shoved into an oven, so the edges of the tortilla had become hard and browned. It was impossible to pick up and broke into pieces when I tried. The filling itself consisted of stewed, mushy beef with stewed, mushy tomatoes and onions. The sides were forgettable. I really hate to throw away leftovers, especially if I think they can be jazzed up somehow, but that's what I ended up doing with the rest of the burrito. You do get a lot of food on your plate, but if it's bland Mexican that's very, very reminiscent of what you can get out of a box at the supermarket, why bother? If you'd like better Mexican, try Huaraches Moroleon or Mas Amigos. Or Taco Loco. Cocina Real and Dos Reales aren't my favorites, but they're still better than here. (I haven't been to Maize and can't comment on it.) If you wish there was a Burrito King off campus, this is pretty much it. Except they do, at least, leave off the salty white cheese sauce here. Overall, I would avoid this place and go to one of many places that is cheaper, more charming, and more authentic.
(2)Shaun R.
Absolutely hands-down one of the worst Mexican meals I've had in my entire life the pork was so salty you could hardly eat it "I did not eat it" there was some burnt black crusty things in it..the chicken was a four out of 10 the salsa tasted like it was out of a jar with a little added cilantro , the chips obviously came from a bag (cold) .. First and last visit !
(1)Allison U.
This is definitely a great place to grab drinks and dinner with friends on a Friday night. The outdoor patio is spacious and the inside space is quite large as well; finding room for out party of 8 was no problem at all! The food was pretty standard (I got the cheese quesadilla and asked to get vegetables added and our waitress was able to accommodate my request with no problem!) and the prices were very reasonable (I paid $13 for my quesadilla and a good-sized margarita, tip included). In regards to their drinks, the servings are VERY generous! Our party enjoyed a range of their margarita selection, spanning from lime margaritas on the rocks to mango-strawberry frozen margaritas and everyone was happy with their drink of choice. We all went with the Jumbo (or was it Grande?) size (the equivalent of a medium) and it was definitely bigger than expected, but great nevertheless! Not the best Mexican food I've had, but it was a great place to meet up with a group. I have a feeling that I haven't seen the last of El Toro!
(3)Lily N.
Good food at a great price, the restaurant has become a great lunch destination. The food is basic American-Mexican combinations (burrito, enchilada, tamale for example) with very quick service. Honestly have not been to a sit down restaurant with such speedy service during the lunch rush.
(4)Cesar S.
The inside of this place looks nicer than your average Mexican restaurant. The menu is overwhelming with all the options they offer. They provide your typical chips and salsa. The salsa was a little watery. I got their large pina colada and it was massive. The waitress did a great job with customer service. The food was good. If you are wanting to take sometime on a date here and are considering getting Mexican food, you should definitely try this place. Expect to pay $10 per meal.
(4)Kate T.
Eh. Very greasy. The best part of this whole place is the salsa. Everything else could be better and more fresh somewhere else. I requested a stuffed poblano pepper with rice and beans instead of beans and cheese since I can't digest cheese very well. They said no. I get it but i enjoy when a restaurant tries to accommodate requests.
(2)Cathy S.
As a west coast native I have never had worse Mexican food. The beef is unseasoned and the red sauce is marinara. The staff is friendly and fast but I won't be back due to the food.
(1)Joe S.
The chips and queso were good and the beer was cold. Our meals were disappointing. Chicken fajita nachos with jalapeños were flavorless and bland. My wife had a seafood fajita plate which was equally bad. Flavor was lacking from all our meals - not a good experience. El Toro needs to step up their game to be on par with the quality other Mexican restaurants in the area offer.
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