My dad and I went here with my sweet grandma for her birthday, her choice because it's her favorite. The interior is nice enough, although the atmosphere feels like you're in freaking sacrament meeting. Not ideal. As a lover of great mexican food, I got the first warning sign when our waitress brought us chips and salsa and I took a bite... the salsa was WARM, not at all spicy, and it tasted like barf! WTF! Our waitress took our drink order and brought them out, she left in such a hurry without asking if we needed anything that we had to flag her down to ask for a straw for my grandma, the waitress seemed put out. (Maybe you should have asked if we needed anything the first time around?) I went the safe route and ordered chicken enchiladas as did my gma, my dad ordered chicken verde something. You know when you're eating out somewhere, anticipating the food you've ordered and when they bring it out it's just like a heavenly "AHHHHHH HAAALLELUJAH?" Not at El Matador. The waitress brought our order and the food looked so disgusting my dad and I furtively glanced at each other, both horrified that we were about to have to choke this all down (it was my grandma's birthday after all, we didn't want to hurt her feelings by not eating.) The refried beans and rice were so dry and crusted to the plate it seemed like they'd been under a food warmer since my gmas FIRST birthday. I took a bite of the enchilada and I could immediately tell it was made with unseasoned canned chicken, the sauce was bland and the tortilla was dry and crusty like the rest of the "food" on the plate. How the hell do you mess up a simple chicken enchilada that badly?! My dad's meal was some brownish chicken slop that looked like someone threw up into his bowl. And it was served with HEAVILY BUTTERED tortillas. Oh my god. But we both managed to choke down most of it and the very best thing I can say about this place is I'm glad I didn't get food poisoning.
(1)
Sage K.
Lets just say you can get better quality food down the street at betos.
(1)
Anne W.
Like a lot of the places there are to eat in Bountiful, I grew up coming to the old location as a kid. The old location was dark, abysmal and you could literally dig the dirt out of the tile on the tables. Not that I ever did that. With a fork. The food at the old location was decent. Quite tasty and well priced for families with kids. The "new" location is fancy, clean and bright. And the food tastes like the dirt you'd dig out of the tables at the old place. Okay, it's maybe not THAT bad. However, it is fairly tasteless, boring food without a lot of flavor. Everything tastes like it's been frozen and recooked. I probably have had a better frozen burrito. From Dick's Market.
(2)
Derek W.
Wow the reviews are not so glowing. We have tried El Matador about 3 times and have not had any complaints. The food is fresh, salsa is awesome and the service has always been great. I agree it's not the most authentic or flavorful but I'm sure that fits best with most of the Bountiful crowd. Give them a try, it's as good as anything else in Bountiful.
(3)
Loni M.
Delicious salsa....be sure to order it with shredded cheese too! Love their fajita chicken salad! Great atmosphere and the main thing that keeps me coming back is their cleanliness! I LOATHE a dirty restaurant. They have a great atmosphere. I like that youre not sitting on top of each other. The pico is great too.
(4)
Tyler C.
This place is severely overrated. Always amazed it is packed on the weekends. fairly positive the salsa is store bought and heated up in the microwave. I would rather eat at Taco Bell. By the way if you say anything negative on here about this establishment the manager Anton takes it very personally and will fire back with very mature insults. The level of his maturity and food quality go hand in hand.
(1)
Jared K.
I love this place. I have been coming here since I was a child. I think their salsa is the best I've ever had. I usually get the Vera Cruz. I love their soapapillas as well. The only other Mexican place I like better in Utah is the Red Iguana. I've eaten Mexican Food in Mexico, believe my review.
(5)
Tye B.
Blech! Save yourself the gas and a few bucks. Grab a Lynn Wilson burrito on your next grocery excursion and save yourself from the el matador experience. Someone likened it to Robintino's. On the mark! It saddens me that people have bad enough taste (double entendre!) to frequent these poor excuses for restaurants.
(1)
Valerie B.
Stalled for a long time from coming here because reviews were bad. 1. Food wasn't amazing but not bad. 2. Food came out quickly. 3. Place was packed on a Thursday night. 4. Service was great. 5. Dessert was not good at all, skip it. 6. They do not serve alcohol but do have Mexican sodas AND they make speciality drinks/sodas.
(4)
Tristan C.
12:30 PM, 20 min wait and there were 13 empty tables out of 16 available. Not good at lunch time. 12:50 PM, My dinning partner and I ordered the classic burger with cheese and my partner order the Baja tacos and a coke. 1:10 PM, received food. Burger is good, fresh, crisp vegetables, crunchy bun and just the right amount of sauce. The Baja tacos were not as expected. The fish looked like baked Gordon's fish sticks, but not quite baked all the way. My dining partner's favorite part was the corn tortilla, calling the whole experience was dissatisfactory saying we should have gone to Rubios instead. The coke wasn't bad but it just wasn't quite there, further compounding an otherwise unpleasant dining experience. I'm glad I got a water.
(1)
Joshua V.
I caught the negative reviews on this place and figured I would check it out for myself. My wife and I got a burrito and their 'Street Tacos'. Now I got to say their street taco's are from a street that isn't anywhere near what the name suggest. The taco's came out with NO hot sauce on them or even on the side, they come with refried beans ON the taco's, NOT on the side, this is already a turn off but I figured I would continue my adventure and try it further. The taco's were very dry and the beans did not help, there was NO spice and NO kick of any sort, this was the blandest taco I've ever had. The rice that was on the side, tasted like it came out of a box I would buy at the local smiths and they just added corn to it for visual affects. The beef was very flavorless, I could have made this dish better on my own. Now onto the burrito, my wife got the 'Brava" burrito, now there was an enchilada sauce on it however she asked not to include it, as the waiter described it's kind of swimming in sauce and she did not want that much oil. When she got the burrito the top of it was burned and hard, kind of like they shoved it under heat and just warmed it up. On the bottom of the burrito it was swimming in oil of some sort, she could not even finish half of it as it was THAT bad. The hot sauce that was provided initially with the chips was not hot sauce, it was warm and not spicy or even a slight kick. My wife even made the joke that my friend that is alergic to any spices would do well in this Mexican restaurant. If there is spice in that kitchen, I'm sure they do not use it. With the street taco's there was supposed to be spicy carrots and jalapeno's, they were there however no where near spicy. The carrot was so sweet I nearly spit it back out, the sauce they use with the carrot and jalapeno was too oily and not enough spice. We ordered two cokes and that was probably the best part of this whole meal because it was done by a machine. My wife wanted to order the Chicken or Beef Flautas however that was not an option on the menu and that is something that most mexican places have. When we asked the waiter if they had something similar, he replied back "What is that?". My wife nearly fell over laughing. I did the proper thing and did not walk out of the place, instead I paid for my food as I support the local restaurants and I decided to report my feed back to the manager in hopes they may take some of my feed back to improve things. I asked for the manager as I was leaving, and left me waiting for about 5-10 minutes. When the manager finally came up to me, I started to explain my experience and before i even got through my 2nd sentence he was giving me that blank facial expression like he could not wait for me to finish my feedback and leave. I wasn't being rude and I was trying to explain my feed back the best I could but I can promise anyone reading this, he just dismissed me. So the quality of food and quality of this establishment is for sure being hindered by poor management, he even stated and yes with these exact words " We even have a mexican making the food". That right there made me laugh because this food tasted like it wasn't authentic, not even the slightest. Even TACO BELL would have tasted better then what we had, and TACO BELL intends for its food to taste like that. So I advise no one goes to this place, the management clearly doesn't care about the quality of food and clearly doesn't care about customer feed back. maybe he will get replaced? I understand I come from California and i've eatin and many upscale mexican restaurants and many low scale hole in the walls but this place doesn't come anywhere near that California experience, even the hole in the walls produced better food on much lower budgets. Update 3/21/2015 Someone felt I could have elaborated more on this review, so here you go. Regarding the waiter that helped me, he was very nice and unfortunately not well educated with what is generally included in a Mexican cuisine, however this is probably due to the labeling of 'tex'mex' which means not real Mexican food so of course he would not be educated in that way. The waiter wasn't as speedy as I would have liked, it took us about 10 minutes to get our drink order in after sitting down. Regarding the time for the food, it took almost 30 minutes from the point of sitting down to ordering our food, then took an additional 30 minutes to come out. It did not seem busy that night so not sure what the hold up was. In regards to the environment, the restaurant was very nicely decorated, aired out and open. I give props and raise the star on this review by one based on the over all look of the restaurant. So over all experience, still stands true, the name of the restaurant is miss leading to authentic Mexican food and if that is supposed to be 'tex'mex', it could use improvement.
(2)
Matt S.
We normally go to the one in ogden because we live up that way. We really love that one. I decided to take my wife here since we were on out way to slc and she has never been to this location. I am not so sure the el matador in ogden is the same as this one. The menu seemed different to me. Overall it was a good experience, not great. We were seated promptly, the food came out hot, and the salsa was warm with good chips. I ordered the combo with a taco (chose pork), enchilada (I chose chicken), and a breaded shrimp. I love the flavor of the chicken and that was definitely the best item I had. The flavor was good and the enchilada shell was good. The pork was tough and I did not like the flavor of it. The taco shell looked to be out of the box, kind of disappointed. The shrimp was the worst thing I had. The breading was soggy and there was way to much breading on it. It was huge but the shrimp to breading ratio was disgusting. It was hot so I doubt it was sitting in the back long but they need to improve the breading. So basically it may be a hit or miss here it seems because my wife really loved her chili relleno and her enchilada. If there were half stars I'd give this location 2.5 stars but since there is not I bumped it up to three. I doubt I'd go here again because there are better places closer to the freeway.
(3)
Michael B.
Just walking in and seeing empty tables yet being asked to wait was the beginning of this adventure in "Mexican" cuisine. Canned bland warm tomato paste passing as salsa, cold chips. Sort of sounds like a halloween horror story. Despite our misgivings we decided to pursue this venue of culinary adventure. Is that sobbing we hear, why yes, a crying lady at the booth behind us sets the ambiance for the tale about to be told. At last food comes, cold tortillas, dry chicken in the chimichangas, canned enchilada sauce. McDonalds breakfast burritos are more Mexican than this food. Heed this warning, as the old saying goes, "remember the Ala-NO".
(1)
Penny M.
Fantastic Food! Great Service! I highly recommend this place!!
(5)
Clayton B.
Wow what do I say about a place that I used to love that let themselves go so downhill... Lets just say the only thing that got better when El Matador moved was the building but even that being said I actually miss the divey feel it used to have. The food is now sub par at best...anyone that tells you differently either loves blandness or is just too nostalgic about this place to accept the reality of what it has become now...and believe me that extra star is probably my nostalgia speaking. Beyond the food is a staff that in general doesn't seem to care whether or not your dining experience is enjoyable..probably reflective of the management that is more concerned about making money (there prices are ridiculous now) than maintaining quality.
(2)
Karen S.
I usually don't like to complain or right bad reviews but this time I had to make an exception, when we ate here I ordered cheese enchiladas and a chili reono, both items were terrible the enchiladas did not have enchiladas sauce on them but what tasted like awful chili, yuck! The chili reono was even worse, the coating was about 1/2" thick and tasted like flour and water an it also had the same sauce. I will never return here again and I would not recommend this place even to my worst enemy, it is that bad!
(1)
Melyssa B.
Not horrible, Not great.... so so... One thing that annoys the hell out of me at this place is I have an allergy to Rice, so I ask every time I go here can you just put the rice on a separate plate so that it's not touching my food. My husband will eat it and I'm paying for it so obviously I want it, I just don't want it to touch the food that I'm going to eat for obvious reasons. More than once I got my plate and saw that they had put the rice on the plate and then scooped it off when they realized what they did... um... ya thanks.. Also they make a super big deal of me just asking to have the rice on a separate plate.. " Oh sorry we can't do that" You can't put the rice on another plate? " No the kitchen won't do that" WTF I'm allergic to it jerks! Well thanks for nothing, and making a simple request that all other Mexican places have happily done for me such a big deal. I definitely have had better Mexican food elsewhere. It's not the worst Mexican food I have ever had. The chips and Salsa are good. Um.. there is just nothing that exciting about the food here. I wish it had more flavor, and like a review said below my beans were a little crusted to the plate and looked like they had been under a warmer for a bit. The one thing that I was not expecting and it's my fault, but I ordered a Iced Tea and I assumed it was sweetened because other places usually let me know that it's not when I go to order it. Well.. one swig and GAG it was not sweetened. It was absolutely disgusting.. I tried to doctor it with sweetener and I promise you it made it worse.. So gross.. gross gross..Just a heads up that the teas is not sweetened. I should have asked so I won't make that mistake again. Last night I went with my whole family and after we left a few of us had a stomach ache. I guess the food did not sit well with with us.. I know I probably won't be back anytime soon. The food to me is not worth the price.
(2)
Ile O.
Not sure how respond to the owner, but that's my goal here. My earliest memory of coming to El Matador was probably 1993-1994ish, i was pretty young but I have vivid memories of the old place. When it was still down by where costco is now! My parents grew up in the area and have been faithful El Matador fans since they were in their teens. I appreciate you taking time to respond to my review. I'm hoping that I will still be able to call El Matador my favorite while you are all going through this time of change.
(1)
Kim A.
Best thing I ever ate here was a cheeseburger back at their original location. Mediocre, Americanized Mexican food. If you like bland, this place is for you.
(1)
Peter L.
I ordered a taco salad with chicken. The boiled chicken was unseasoned and flavorless, and was surrounded by a wet (with grease) tortilla bowl. In addition to about 8oz of sour cream, among the lettuce was pretzels, asian snack crackers and beets. Yes, pretzels. I was asked what kind of dressing I wanted. Curious, I asked what was available. I was told Ranch, Thousand Island, Bleu Cheese or Cilantro Lime. BLEU CHEESE ON A TACO SALAD!? When I chose the cilantro lime dressing the server says, "make sure you like it before you pour it on because its a little weird." Please stop calling yourself a Mexican restaurant and serve grilled cheese with your pretzels and Asian crackers.
(2)
Carrie C.
I have been going to El Matador for over 35 years. I have loved it and I usually get the same thing every time I go, the Veracruz combination plate. We went last week with some friends. I was so disappointed. The menu was different and the prices have been increased. The food didn't even taste the same. Maybe it was a bad night? I still love the salsa though... I always have. I am really hoping that they haven't changed ownership. If so, I hope they will listen to this review and that more people speak up. The portions have gotten smaller and the prices have gone up. It was just a disappointment it made me sad. I was so looking forward to sharing this place with some friends. I was embarrassed that it wasn't what I had remembered... Even from six months ago.
(3)
Denise L.
Next time I come here it will be with others who pay. Since Artoosh died this place has taken a nose dive. I have liked the place up until recently. Quality of food is bad and customer service is worse. Waitress wasn't good at filling water. Apparently the staff was fired and the experience went out the door. I am not a chef but from watching worst cooks a big thing they harp on is knife cuts. Kitchen failed. Lettuce was cut so small and tomatoes were huge. Portion decreased, presentation suffered, it's never gonna be the same. Waitress brought me the wrong check. Davis county regulars will keep the place running.
(1)
Michelle R.
I used to love El Matador but was disappointed with my latest visit. I came in with a group yesterday for a baby shower. We told the hostess that we wanted a table with some room for gifts and whatnot. They tried to seat all 8 of us at a large booth and when we asked for a different table the hostess made a snarky comment. The service was terrible. It took 25 minutes before our table ordered and the waitress seemed to have no sense of urgency. The food was meteoker at best. I got a chicken burrito and the bottom of it was soaking wet, I did not have sauce on it either.
(2)
Bennie B.
This was a big disappointment! Food is gross, salsa is warmed up? Pork is really sweet. .. save your money!
(1)
Jared H.
If I could give 0 stars, this establishment is worthy. Went by recommendation, and was disappointed about the entire experience. Slow, negative service. Crowded dining room, had to make multiple requests for a drink refill (after they took my glass). And worst of all, they made me pay for the burrito that was so burnt, if couldn't be cut with a steak knife. What was eaten, gave me some sort of sickness for 2 days after. No redeeming value to El Matador.
(1)
C b.
Terrible service. Avoid at all costs if you plan to meet your party there. They won't even began preparing your table till Everyone arrives. Then Once your tables ready they will ask your group if its ok to sit at separate tables haha. And only 10 people. Why wait forever for your group and table only to be asked to separate???? Servers are terrible. Most all our orders were messed up. We were over charged. Chips are gross. Store bought cheap taste. Food is like they are trying to make it obviously cheap!
(1)
Annie S.
I went to El Matador twice on a recent visit and had a very nice lunch both times. I love Mexican food and whenever I go to a new Mexican restaurant, I order a cheese enchilada, rice and beans. That's my "acid test" to see if it measures up to my very favorite Mexican restaurant. Ok - so I've read the other reviews here and am surprised. I guess everyone has different tasters, and there IS Red Iguana in SLC to compare to -- but it's apples and oranges. (I LOVE RI, even though I got sick after eating there once) Now, I really liked the warm homemade salsa. i really liked that they gave everyone their own bowl of salsa so you don't have to share and can double dip in your own bowl! The enchilada plate that I ordered was yummy. Just the right temperature (I like to see bubbles on the edge when it's delivered) and seasoned really well. Not overly salty and not bland. They split our check for us without complaining, and let us sit and visit for over an hour after we had finished eating without trying to shoo us away. Both times I went, I had the same experience -- good service, good food. I had nothing that stood out as odd for me or disappointing. I'll go back again when I'm in Bountiful.
(4)
Thomas P.
Hmmmmm, where to start...... My wife and I went there for dinner. We were seated quickly at a booth. The place was only about 30% capacity. After 10 minutes the waitress came by to take the tip off the table from the previous patrons/victims and took our order. We wanted to start off with Nacho Supreme. When the Nacho Supreme order arrived it was placed on the table and I was assured a re-fill of my soda was on the way. Now I don't know if the dishwasher was complaining about cleaning too many dishes but we never got small plates to share the Nacho Supreme. I wasn't impressed with having oozing cheese stretch from the center of the table to my mouth. The conclusion of the meal was without further problems. The food was ahh.... So so. If you are local and want something that mildly resembles Mexican food El Matador is a step up from Taco Bell. I gave the 4 star rating based on the service (forgiving the lack of plates). The food graded on it's own merit would be a generous 3 stars.
(4)
Brandy J.
Well, the salt on the chips is tasty but the chips were cold and the salsa was hot. I'm not sure they have discussed temperature for much...the chicken was dry, the beans were canned and cold, the tortillas were cold. I think we could have had better Mexican food at Pizza Pie Cafe. Worst money ever spent.
(1)
Brad S.
I'm torn between 3 stars and 4 stars on this review. This place is a family favorite but I can also see what other reviewers say about the lacking service and some of the meals. I really like the food, I love their salsa w/chips and I normally get the Vera Cruz which should never leave you hungry. The service could be better and they could up their game on quality of food but for now I'm going to go with 4 stars because I still think it's pretty good Mexican food.
(4)
Chris H.
Reviews are wrong on El Matador. Staff are friendly and have been there for a long time. They remember you great family environment. For me I think the fajitas are the way to go. The salsa rocks ask for shredded cheese to make even better.
(5)
Dave H.
Absolutely abysmal. I've eaten at the new location twice with my wife and I would much rather go to Taco Bell. Dry rice and beans and a bland tomato soup for salsa. I can't believe they sell the salsa up front. Before they relocated it was pretty good. If they've had a change in management it was definitely for the worse.
(1)
Deano G.
omg-stay away.... for your own good, just stay away....
(1)
Tristan A.
My two wonderful friends helped me move. Their big wish, eat here.. why o why. This place sux. Wow, what a load of bland. But anyone who helps me move gets whatever they want: so I paid for the boatload of bland and tried not to worry/comment when the water ran out, and the ordering and then arrival of the food took ages and then the food was so err, forgettable. How could my beloved friends LOVE this place so much? Avoid.
(1)
Dale D.
Wake up owners of el mats! You have lost it. What a let down. And I've tried it 4 times now, after a few months I forget how bad and go back. Went there last week and yuck. TIRED, Boring food, hamburger tacos (I hope that was hamburger), but it was probably Sysco mexican taco meat product #1 that comes frozen. So sad, they don't care anymore. 20 years ago I too would drive from ogden 2-3 times a week. Screw em now, they gave up and really don't care about their guests anymore. Absolutely nothing is special about this place anymore. Can't tell it from Del Taco food.
(2)
Dave F.
WOW! What a God awful excuse for a Mexican restaurant.... The food is simply horrible.... The salsa is basically marinara: no flavor, no complexity, no spice, and its severed WARM - no excuse for this whatsoever.... The ground beef products are terrible, the chicken is rubbery.... I've given them multiple attempts, buy the good us always ZERO stars.... And finally don't get me started on the creepy wheelchair dude that yells at literally everyone.... Lame Restaurant, Lame
(1)
Douglas D.
The sad part is the food. The other sad part is the service. The really disturbingly sad part is the man in the wheelchair rolling around yelling at everyone. Such an odd place. AND it's crowded? It's the Robintino's (another confusing Bountiful restaurant) of Mexican food. The good part is we've been able to eliminate the word "suck" from our vocabulary. We now use El Matador. As in "Wow, that El Matador'd" or "That place really El Matadors" or "That El Matador'd so hard it could bring a golf ball through a garden hose." Like other places in Bountiful, the locals have happy memories of eating there when it was one of the three restaurants in town. Return business will continue to perpetuate itself through several successive generations. Just look at it like the Elk's Lodge... it's a secret club you don't really need to join.
(1)
Dan T.
Food is bad bad bad. i wont eat here again. They serve their tasteless salsa warm. My pork salad had canned fruit plopped on it (the kind with soggy peaches cubes, pears, and half sliced cherries)... they would not take it back and charged me. Eaten there twice with friends... hate it. Never again.
(1)
Rangar B.
The best thing here are the deep fried soaps with the honey butter. Can not get enough. Also try cheese in the salsa, good!
(3)
Chris O.
Wow. Most of the reviews here on Yelp are pretty abysmal. I've never had any trouble with the service. My waitress has always been friendly, prompt, courteous and overall done a great job. As to the food, I can agree that from a high level there's not a lot that truly sets apart some of these dishes from other average Mexican offerings. However, it is definitely better than the "fast food" or large chain Mexican which are the only other real Mexican here in the immediate Bountiful area. Honestly there aren't a ton of stellar Mexican restaurants around the area anyway. I'm not saying that lack of competition makes El Matador any better, but I've always had good experience with the staff and I find the flavor and offerings to be adequate. If you are going to stay in Bountiful and have a craving for Mexican, give it a try. I personally don't think it's as bad as all these other reviews claim...in fact, it's pretty tasty. If you're going to travel further north or south (Salt Lake, Ogden, etc), you can find better, but it's worth a try to check out good Mexican in South Davis County.
(3)
Devin W.
Quick friendly staff, our food was good, the sweet pork could have had a bit more flavor. The dessert was average. Nicely priced for what ya get. Good place overall.
(3)
Camille g.
HORRIBLE. I grew up on the Ogden location and it is so much better, this place is terrible. Never again. Food was flavorless and cold and the space is like a train station with children running around everywhere. Bad service. How can this possibly be related to the Ogden location?
(1)
Joseph S.
I had visions of El matador when it first opened in Ogden a combo with huge Mexico shrimp. I had to wait almost 30 min to get seated oddly enough they plenty of seating, why the wait? I ordered the combo with shrimp. The salsa tasted odd I added hot sauce The chips were sorta ok The food arrived it was sorta ok but I have had better for less money. Guess I will stick to Chubbys, I have not tried Gordos the sister to Chubbys
(2)
Doug H.
Horrible is the best i could say about this place. Im definately never coming back. The service and food both suck. They charge you for chips and dont refill them!! Food is reheated!! Embarassing!!
(1)
Bugal K.
Eh. Crappy mexican food. But they try...
(1)
Jessica L.
I agree with the rest of the reviewers. I gave this 2 stars because at least they have a nice building and they accept credit cards. Enchilada sauce was definitely from a can, I swear. I feel bad for the waitresses, they really have to wear those outfits? Oh and the ogden restaurant isn't any better. Get some new cooks guys.
(2)
Blue B.
Have given them multiple chances. Always a disappointment. Menu sounds good but the food is boring.
(1)
Clifton L.
Everything tasted like they bought it frozen at the grocery store and cooked it. Pretty poor all around.
(1)
Whitney P.
This is the worst excuse for mexican food on the planet. Taco Bell gets 5 stars compared to this place. Can the waitresses look more ridiculous in those Tijuana dresses and tennis shoes? If someone ever recommends this place to you, think twice.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Cat L.
My dad and I went here with my sweet grandma for her birthday, her choice because it's her favorite. The interior is nice enough, although the atmosphere feels like you're in freaking sacrament meeting. Not ideal. As a lover of great mexican food, I got the first warning sign when our waitress brought us chips and salsa and I took a bite... the salsa was WARM, not at all spicy, and it tasted like barf! WTF! Our waitress took our drink order and brought them out, she left in such a hurry without asking if we needed anything that we had to flag her down to ask for a straw for my grandma, the waitress seemed put out. (Maybe you should have asked if we needed anything the first time around?) I went the safe route and ordered chicken enchiladas as did my gma, my dad ordered chicken verde something. You know when you're eating out somewhere, anticipating the food you've ordered and when they bring it out it's just like a heavenly "AHHHHHH HAAALLELUJAH?" Not at El Matador. The waitress brought our order and the food looked so disgusting my dad and I furtively glanced at each other, both horrified that we were about to have to choke this all down (it was my grandma's birthday after all, we didn't want to hurt her feelings by not eating.) The refried beans and rice were so dry and crusted to the plate it seemed like they'd been under a food warmer since my gmas FIRST birthday. I took a bite of the enchilada and I could immediately tell it was made with unseasoned canned chicken, the sauce was bland and the tortilla was dry and crusty like the rest of the "food" on the plate. How the hell do you mess up a simple chicken enchilada that badly?! My dad's meal was some brownish chicken slop that looked like someone threw up into his bowl. And it was served with HEAVILY BUTTERED tortillas. Oh my god. But we both managed to choke down most of it and the very best thing I can say about this place is I'm glad I didn't get food poisoning.
(1)Sage K.
Lets just say you can get better quality food down the street at betos.
(1)Anne W.
Like a lot of the places there are to eat in Bountiful, I grew up coming to the old location as a kid. The old location was dark, abysmal and you could literally dig the dirt out of the tile on the tables. Not that I ever did that. With a fork. The food at the old location was decent. Quite tasty and well priced for families with kids. The "new" location is fancy, clean and bright. And the food tastes like the dirt you'd dig out of the tables at the old place. Okay, it's maybe not THAT bad. However, it is fairly tasteless, boring food without a lot of flavor. Everything tastes like it's been frozen and recooked. I probably have had a better frozen burrito. From Dick's Market.
(2)Derek W.
Wow the reviews are not so glowing. We have tried El Matador about 3 times and have not had any complaints. The food is fresh, salsa is awesome and the service has always been great. I agree it's not the most authentic or flavorful but I'm sure that fits best with most of the Bountiful crowd. Give them a try, it's as good as anything else in Bountiful.
(3)Loni M.
Delicious salsa....be sure to order it with shredded cheese too! Love their fajita chicken salad! Great atmosphere and the main thing that keeps me coming back is their cleanliness! I LOATHE a dirty restaurant. They have a great atmosphere. I like that youre not sitting on top of each other. The pico is great too.
(4)Tyler C.
This place is severely overrated. Always amazed it is packed on the weekends. fairly positive the salsa is store bought and heated up in the microwave. I would rather eat at Taco Bell. By the way if you say anything negative on here about this establishment the manager Anton takes it very personally and will fire back with very mature insults. The level of his maturity and food quality go hand in hand.
(1)Jared K.
I love this place. I have been coming here since I was a child. I think their salsa is the best I've ever had. I usually get the Vera Cruz. I love their soapapillas as well. The only other Mexican place I like better in Utah is the Red Iguana. I've eaten Mexican Food in Mexico, believe my review.
(5)Tye B.
Blech! Save yourself the gas and a few bucks. Grab a Lynn Wilson burrito on your next grocery excursion and save yourself from the el matador experience. Someone likened it to Robintino's. On the mark! It saddens me that people have bad enough taste (double entendre!) to frequent these poor excuses for restaurants.
(1)Valerie B.
Stalled for a long time from coming here because reviews were bad. 1. Food wasn't amazing but not bad. 2. Food came out quickly. 3. Place was packed on a Thursday night. 4. Service was great. 5. Dessert was not good at all, skip it. 6. They do not serve alcohol but do have Mexican sodas AND they make speciality drinks/sodas.
(4)Tristan C.
12:30 PM, 20 min wait and there were 13 empty tables out of 16 available. Not good at lunch time. 12:50 PM, My dinning partner and I ordered the classic burger with cheese and my partner order the Baja tacos and a coke. 1:10 PM, received food. Burger is good, fresh, crisp vegetables, crunchy bun and just the right amount of sauce. The Baja tacos were not as expected. The fish looked like baked Gordon's fish sticks, but not quite baked all the way. My dining partner's favorite part was the corn tortilla, calling the whole experience was dissatisfactory saying we should have gone to Rubios instead. The coke wasn't bad but it just wasn't quite there, further compounding an otherwise unpleasant dining experience. I'm glad I got a water.
(1)Joshua V.
I caught the negative reviews on this place and figured I would check it out for myself. My wife and I got a burrito and their 'Street Tacos'. Now I got to say their street taco's are from a street that isn't anywhere near what the name suggest. The taco's came out with NO hot sauce on them or even on the side, they come with refried beans ON the taco's, NOT on the side, this is already a turn off but I figured I would continue my adventure and try it further. The taco's were very dry and the beans did not help, there was NO spice and NO kick of any sort, this was the blandest taco I've ever had. The rice that was on the side, tasted like it came out of a box I would buy at the local smiths and they just added corn to it for visual affects. The beef was very flavorless, I could have made this dish better on my own. Now onto the burrito, my wife got the 'Brava" burrito, now there was an enchilada sauce on it however she asked not to include it, as the waiter described it's kind of swimming in sauce and she did not want that much oil. When she got the burrito the top of it was burned and hard, kind of like they shoved it under heat and just warmed it up. On the bottom of the burrito it was swimming in oil of some sort, she could not even finish half of it as it was THAT bad. The hot sauce that was provided initially with the chips was not hot sauce, it was warm and not spicy or even a slight kick. My wife even made the joke that my friend that is alergic to any spices would do well in this Mexican restaurant. If there is spice in that kitchen, I'm sure they do not use it. With the street taco's there was supposed to be spicy carrots and jalapeno's, they were there however no where near spicy. The carrot was so sweet I nearly spit it back out, the sauce they use with the carrot and jalapeno was too oily and not enough spice. We ordered two cokes and that was probably the best part of this whole meal because it was done by a machine. My wife wanted to order the Chicken or Beef Flautas however that was not an option on the menu and that is something that most mexican places have. When we asked the waiter if they had something similar, he replied back "What is that?". My wife nearly fell over laughing. I did the proper thing and did not walk out of the place, instead I paid for my food as I support the local restaurants and I decided to report my feed back to the manager in hopes they may take some of my feed back to improve things. I asked for the manager as I was leaving, and left me waiting for about 5-10 minutes. When the manager finally came up to me, I started to explain my experience and before i even got through my 2nd sentence he was giving me that blank facial expression like he could not wait for me to finish my feedback and leave. I wasn't being rude and I was trying to explain my feed back the best I could but I can promise anyone reading this, he just dismissed me. So the quality of food and quality of this establishment is for sure being hindered by poor management, he even stated and yes with these exact words " We even have a mexican making the food". That right there made me laugh because this food tasted like it wasn't authentic, not even the slightest. Even TACO BELL would have tasted better then what we had, and TACO BELL intends for its food to taste like that. So I advise no one goes to this place, the management clearly doesn't care about the quality of food and clearly doesn't care about customer feed back. maybe he will get replaced? I understand I come from California and i've eatin and many upscale mexican restaurants and many low scale hole in the walls but this place doesn't come anywhere near that California experience, even the hole in the walls produced better food on much lower budgets. Update 3/21/2015 Someone felt I could have elaborated more on this review, so here you go. Regarding the waiter that helped me, he was very nice and unfortunately not well educated with what is generally included in a Mexican cuisine, however this is probably due to the labeling of 'tex'mex' which means not real Mexican food so of course he would not be educated in that way. The waiter wasn't as speedy as I would have liked, it took us about 10 minutes to get our drink order in after sitting down. Regarding the time for the food, it took almost 30 minutes from the point of sitting down to ordering our food, then took an additional 30 minutes to come out. It did not seem busy that night so not sure what the hold up was. In regards to the environment, the restaurant was very nicely decorated, aired out and open. I give props and raise the star on this review by one based on the over all look of the restaurant. So over all experience, still stands true, the name of the restaurant is miss leading to authentic Mexican food and if that is supposed to be 'tex'mex', it could use improvement.
(2)Matt S.
We normally go to the one in ogden because we live up that way. We really love that one. I decided to take my wife here since we were on out way to slc and she has never been to this location. I am not so sure the el matador in ogden is the same as this one. The menu seemed different to me. Overall it was a good experience, not great. We were seated promptly, the food came out hot, and the salsa was warm with good chips. I ordered the combo with a taco (chose pork), enchilada (I chose chicken), and a breaded shrimp. I love the flavor of the chicken and that was definitely the best item I had. The flavor was good and the enchilada shell was good. The pork was tough and I did not like the flavor of it. The taco shell looked to be out of the box, kind of disappointed. The shrimp was the worst thing I had. The breading was soggy and there was way to much breading on it. It was huge but the shrimp to breading ratio was disgusting. It was hot so I doubt it was sitting in the back long but they need to improve the breading. So basically it may be a hit or miss here it seems because my wife really loved her chili relleno and her enchilada. If there were half stars I'd give this location 2.5 stars but since there is not I bumped it up to three. I doubt I'd go here again because there are better places closer to the freeway.
(3)Michael B.
Just walking in and seeing empty tables yet being asked to wait was the beginning of this adventure in "Mexican" cuisine. Canned bland warm tomato paste passing as salsa, cold chips. Sort of sounds like a halloween horror story. Despite our misgivings we decided to pursue this venue of culinary adventure. Is that sobbing we hear, why yes, a crying lady at the booth behind us sets the ambiance for the tale about to be told. At last food comes, cold tortillas, dry chicken in the chimichangas, canned enchilada sauce. McDonalds breakfast burritos are more Mexican than this food. Heed this warning, as the old saying goes, "remember the Ala-NO".
(1)Penny M.
Fantastic Food! Great Service! I highly recommend this place!!
(5)Clayton B.
Wow what do I say about a place that I used to love that let themselves go so downhill... Lets just say the only thing that got better when El Matador moved was the building but even that being said I actually miss the divey feel it used to have. The food is now sub par at best...anyone that tells you differently either loves blandness or is just too nostalgic about this place to accept the reality of what it has become now...and believe me that extra star is probably my nostalgia speaking. Beyond the food is a staff that in general doesn't seem to care whether or not your dining experience is enjoyable..probably reflective of the management that is more concerned about making money (there prices are ridiculous now) than maintaining quality.
(2)Karen S.
I usually don't like to complain or right bad reviews but this time I had to make an exception, when we ate here I ordered cheese enchiladas and a chili reono, both items were terrible the enchiladas did not have enchiladas sauce on them but what tasted like awful chili, yuck! The chili reono was even worse, the coating was about 1/2" thick and tasted like flour and water an it also had the same sauce. I will never return here again and I would not recommend this place even to my worst enemy, it is that bad!
(1)Melyssa B.
Not horrible, Not great.... so so... One thing that annoys the hell out of me at this place is I have an allergy to Rice, so I ask every time I go here can you just put the rice on a separate plate so that it's not touching my food. My husband will eat it and I'm paying for it so obviously I want it, I just don't want it to touch the food that I'm going to eat for obvious reasons. More than once I got my plate and saw that they had put the rice on the plate and then scooped it off when they realized what they did... um... ya thanks.. Also they make a super big deal of me just asking to have the rice on a separate plate.. " Oh sorry we can't do that" You can't put the rice on another plate? " No the kitchen won't do that" WTF I'm allergic to it jerks! Well thanks for nothing, and making a simple request that all other Mexican places have happily done for me such a big deal. I definitely have had better Mexican food elsewhere. It's not the worst Mexican food I have ever had. The chips and Salsa are good. Um.. there is just nothing that exciting about the food here. I wish it had more flavor, and like a review said below my beans were a little crusted to the plate and looked like they had been under a warmer for a bit. The one thing that I was not expecting and it's my fault, but I ordered a Iced Tea and I assumed it was sweetened because other places usually let me know that it's not when I go to order it. Well.. one swig and GAG it was not sweetened. It was absolutely disgusting.. I tried to doctor it with sweetener and I promise you it made it worse.. So gross.. gross gross..Just a heads up that the teas is not sweetened. I should have asked so I won't make that mistake again. Last night I went with my whole family and after we left a few of us had a stomach ache. I guess the food did not sit well with with us.. I know I probably won't be back anytime soon. The food to me is not worth the price.
(2)Ile O.
Not sure how respond to the owner, but that's my goal here. My earliest memory of coming to El Matador was probably 1993-1994ish, i was pretty young but I have vivid memories of the old place. When it was still down by where costco is now! My parents grew up in the area and have been faithful El Matador fans since they were in their teens. I appreciate you taking time to respond to my review. I'm hoping that I will still be able to call El Matador my favorite while you are all going through this time of change.
(1)Kim A.
Best thing I ever ate here was a cheeseburger back at their original location. Mediocre, Americanized Mexican food. If you like bland, this place is for you.
(1)Peter L.
I ordered a taco salad with chicken. The boiled chicken was unseasoned and flavorless, and was surrounded by a wet (with grease) tortilla bowl. In addition to about 8oz of sour cream, among the lettuce was pretzels, asian snack crackers and beets. Yes, pretzels. I was asked what kind of dressing I wanted. Curious, I asked what was available. I was told Ranch, Thousand Island, Bleu Cheese or Cilantro Lime. BLEU CHEESE ON A TACO SALAD!? When I chose the cilantro lime dressing the server says, "make sure you like it before you pour it on because its a little weird." Please stop calling yourself a Mexican restaurant and serve grilled cheese with your pretzels and Asian crackers.
(2)Carrie C.
I have been going to El Matador for over 35 years. I have loved it and I usually get the same thing every time I go, the Veracruz combination plate. We went last week with some friends. I was so disappointed. The menu was different and the prices have been increased. The food didn't even taste the same. Maybe it was a bad night? I still love the salsa though... I always have. I am really hoping that they haven't changed ownership. If so, I hope they will listen to this review and that more people speak up. The portions have gotten smaller and the prices have gone up. It was just a disappointment it made me sad. I was so looking forward to sharing this place with some friends. I was embarrassed that it wasn't what I had remembered... Even from six months ago.
(3)Denise L.
Next time I come here it will be with others who pay. Since Artoosh died this place has taken a nose dive. I have liked the place up until recently. Quality of food is bad and customer service is worse. Waitress wasn't good at filling water. Apparently the staff was fired and the experience went out the door. I am not a chef but from watching worst cooks a big thing they harp on is knife cuts. Kitchen failed. Lettuce was cut so small and tomatoes were huge. Portion decreased, presentation suffered, it's never gonna be the same. Waitress brought me the wrong check. Davis county regulars will keep the place running.
(1)Michelle R.
I used to love El Matador but was disappointed with my latest visit. I came in with a group yesterday for a baby shower. We told the hostess that we wanted a table with some room for gifts and whatnot. They tried to seat all 8 of us at a large booth and when we asked for a different table the hostess made a snarky comment. The service was terrible. It took 25 minutes before our table ordered and the waitress seemed to have no sense of urgency. The food was meteoker at best. I got a chicken burrito and the bottom of it was soaking wet, I did not have sauce on it either.
(2)Bennie B.
This was a big disappointment! Food is gross, salsa is warmed up? Pork is really sweet. .. save your money!
(1)Jared H.
If I could give 0 stars, this establishment is worthy. Went by recommendation, and was disappointed about the entire experience. Slow, negative service. Crowded dining room, had to make multiple requests for a drink refill (after they took my glass). And worst of all, they made me pay for the burrito that was so burnt, if couldn't be cut with a steak knife. What was eaten, gave me some sort of sickness for 2 days after. No redeeming value to El Matador.
(1)C b.
Terrible service. Avoid at all costs if you plan to meet your party there. They won't even began preparing your table till Everyone arrives. Then Once your tables ready they will ask your group if its ok to sit at separate tables haha. And only 10 people. Why wait forever for your group and table only to be asked to separate???? Servers are terrible. Most all our orders were messed up. We were over charged. Chips are gross. Store bought cheap taste. Food is like they are trying to make it obviously cheap!
(1)Annie S.
I went to El Matador twice on a recent visit and had a very nice lunch both times. I love Mexican food and whenever I go to a new Mexican restaurant, I order a cheese enchilada, rice and beans. That's my "acid test" to see if it measures up to my very favorite Mexican restaurant. Ok - so I've read the other reviews here and am surprised. I guess everyone has different tasters, and there IS Red Iguana in SLC to compare to -- but it's apples and oranges. (I LOVE RI, even though I got sick after eating there once) Now, I really liked the warm homemade salsa. i really liked that they gave everyone their own bowl of salsa so you don't have to share and can double dip in your own bowl! The enchilada plate that I ordered was yummy. Just the right temperature (I like to see bubbles on the edge when it's delivered) and seasoned really well. Not overly salty and not bland. They split our check for us without complaining, and let us sit and visit for over an hour after we had finished eating without trying to shoo us away. Both times I went, I had the same experience -- good service, good food. I had nothing that stood out as odd for me or disappointing. I'll go back again when I'm in Bountiful.
(4)Thomas P.
Hmmmmm, where to start...... My wife and I went there for dinner. We were seated quickly at a booth. The place was only about 30% capacity. After 10 minutes the waitress came by to take the tip off the table from the previous patrons/victims and took our order. We wanted to start off with Nacho Supreme. When the Nacho Supreme order arrived it was placed on the table and I was assured a re-fill of my soda was on the way. Now I don't know if the dishwasher was complaining about cleaning too many dishes but we never got small plates to share the Nacho Supreme. I wasn't impressed with having oozing cheese stretch from the center of the table to my mouth. The conclusion of the meal was without further problems. The food was ahh.... So so. If you are local and want something that mildly resembles Mexican food El Matador is a step up from Taco Bell. I gave the 4 star rating based on the service (forgiving the lack of plates). The food graded on it's own merit would be a generous 3 stars.
(4)Brandy J.
Well, the salt on the chips is tasty but the chips were cold and the salsa was hot. I'm not sure they have discussed temperature for much...the chicken was dry, the beans were canned and cold, the tortillas were cold. I think we could have had better Mexican food at Pizza Pie Cafe. Worst money ever spent.
(1)Brad S.
I'm torn between 3 stars and 4 stars on this review. This place is a family favorite but I can also see what other reviewers say about the lacking service and some of the meals. I really like the food, I love their salsa w/chips and I normally get the Vera Cruz which should never leave you hungry. The service could be better and they could up their game on quality of food but for now I'm going to go with 4 stars because I still think it's pretty good Mexican food.
(4)Chris H.
Reviews are wrong on El Matador. Staff are friendly and have been there for a long time. They remember you great family environment. For me I think the fajitas are the way to go. The salsa rocks ask for shredded cheese to make even better.
(5)Dave H.
Absolutely abysmal. I've eaten at the new location twice with my wife and I would much rather go to Taco Bell. Dry rice and beans and a bland tomato soup for salsa. I can't believe they sell the salsa up front. Before they relocated it was pretty good. If they've had a change in management it was definitely for the worse.
(1)Deano G.
omg-stay away.... for your own good, just stay away....
(1)Tristan A.
My two wonderful friends helped me move. Their big wish, eat here.. why o why. This place sux. Wow, what a load of bland. But anyone who helps me move gets whatever they want: so I paid for the boatload of bland and tried not to worry/comment when the water ran out, and the ordering and then arrival of the food took ages and then the food was so err, forgettable. How could my beloved friends LOVE this place so much? Avoid.
(1)Dale D.
Wake up owners of el mats! You have lost it. What a let down. And I've tried it 4 times now, after a few months I forget how bad and go back. Went there last week and yuck. TIRED, Boring food, hamburger tacos (I hope that was hamburger), but it was probably Sysco mexican taco meat product #1 that comes frozen. So sad, they don't care anymore. 20 years ago I too would drive from ogden 2-3 times a week. Screw em now, they gave up and really don't care about their guests anymore. Absolutely nothing is special about this place anymore. Can't tell it from Del Taco food.
(2)Dave F.
WOW! What a God awful excuse for a Mexican restaurant.... The food is simply horrible.... The salsa is basically marinara: no flavor, no complexity, no spice, and its severed WARM - no excuse for this whatsoever.... The ground beef products are terrible, the chicken is rubbery.... I've given them multiple attempts, buy the good us always ZERO stars.... And finally don't get me started on the creepy wheelchair dude that yells at literally everyone.... Lame Restaurant, Lame
(1)Douglas D.
The sad part is the food. The other sad part is the service. The really disturbingly sad part is the man in the wheelchair rolling around yelling at everyone. Such an odd place. AND it's crowded? It's the Robintino's (another confusing Bountiful restaurant) of Mexican food. The good part is we've been able to eliminate the word "suck" from our vocabulary. We now use El Matador. As in "Wow, that El Matador'd" or "That place really El Matadors" or "That El Matador'd so hard it could bring a golf ball through a garden hose." Like other places in Bountiful, the locals have happy memories of eating there when it was one of the three restaurants in town. Return business will continue to perpetuate itself through several successive generations. Just look at it like the Elk's Lodge... it's a secret club you don't really need to join.
(1)Dan T.
Food is bad bad bad. i wont eat here again. They serve their tasteless salsa warm. My pork salad had canned fruit plopped on it (the kind with soggy peaches cubes, pears, and half sliced cherries)... they would not take it back and charged me. Eaten there twice with friends... hate it. Never again.
(1)Rangar B.
The best thing here are the deep fried soaps with the honey butter. Can not get enough. Also try cheese in the salsa, good!
(3)Chris O.
Wow. Most of the reviews here on Yelp are pretty abysmal. I've never had any trouble with the service. My waitress has always been friendly, prompt, courteous and overall done a great job. As to the food, I can agree that from a high level there's not a lot that truly sets apart some of these dishes from other average Mexican offerings. However, it is definitely better than the "fast food" or large chain Mexican which are the only other real Mexican here in the immediate Bountiful area. Honestly there aren't a ton of stellar Mexican restaurants around the area anyway. I'm not saying that lack of competition makes El Matador any better, but I've always had good experience with the staff and I find the flavor and offerings to be adequate. If you are going to stay in Bountiful and have a craving for Mexican, give it a try. I personally don't think it's as bad as all these other reviews claim...in fact, it's pretty tasty. If you're going to travel further north or south (Salt Lake, Ogden, etc), you can find better, but it's worth a try to check out good Mexican in South Davis County.
(3)Devin W.
Quick friendly staff, our food was good, the sweet pork could have had a bit more flavor. The dessert was average. Nicely priced for what ya get. Good place overall.
(3)Camille g.
HORRIBLE. I grew up on the Ogden location and it is so much better, this place is terrible. Never again. Food was flavorless and cold and the space is like a train station with children running around everywhere. Bad service. How can this possibly be related to the Ogden location?
(1)Joseph S.
I had visions of El matador when it first opened in Ogden a combo with huge Mexico shrimp. I had to wait almost 30 min to get seated oddly enough they plenty of seating, why the wait? I ordered the combo with shrimp. The salsa tasted odd I added hot sauce The chips were sorta ok The food arrived it was sorta ok but I have had better for less money. Guess I will stick to Chubbys, I have not tried Gordos the sister to Chubbys
(2)Doug H.
Horrible is the best i could say about this place. Im definately never coming back. The service and food both suck. They charge you for chips and dont refill them!! Food is reheated!! Embarassing!!
(1)Bugal K.
Eh. Crappy mexican food. But they try...
(1)Jessica L.
I agree with the rest of the reviewers. I gave this 2 stars because at least they have a nice building and they accept credit cards. Enchilada sauce was definitely from a can, I swear. I feel bad for the waitresses, they really have to wear those outfits? Oh and the ogden restaurant isn't any better. Get some new cooks guys.
(2)Blue B.
Have given them multiple chances. Always a disappointment. Menu sounds good but the food is boring.
(1)Clifton L.
Everything tasted like they bought it frozen at the grocery store and cooked it. Pretty poor all around.
(1)Whitney P.
This is the worst excuse for mexican food on the planet. Taco Bell gets 5 stars compared to this place. Can the waitresses look more ridiculous in those Tijuana dresses and tennis shoes? If someone ever recommends this place to you, think twice.
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