The food is outstanding!!! Moving from the city me and my family was scared of the difference in flavor and the way they cook...THEY ARE BETTER than any Spanish restaurant I have been too. Drinks?? 10/10 appetizer??? 10/10 now we sit back and wait for our food which I'm sure will be astonishing. read more

We tried El Matador for takeout and ordered by phone. Everything was ready when I arrived, which made pickup quick and easy. The beef and potato empanadas were very good, and the paella was tasty and loaded with clams, mussels, chicken, and chorizo. My only disappointment was that there wasn't a single shrimp or any calamari in the paella, which I was expecting. Overall, the food was flavorful and we enjoyed our meal. read more

Update, the value for the amount of food you get for the cost is not good. Blame it on the economy, but the customers are hurting too. Also, the arroz con pollo is really not good for a Spanish restaurant, it's practically flavorless and it's most dark meat chicken. Very bland and not worth $23.00. Please do better and let us know when the flavor has been improved, seriously. read more

El Matador is one of our favorite restaurants in Patchogue. Emily (the owner) is so kind and accommodating. We have had lunch and dinner on multiple occasions, both dining in as well as take out and they truly deliver quality options with wonderful service. Their cocktails are excellent and their food options are plentiful - even for the picky eaters in your life. We recently hosted a birthday party in their private room and could not have been more pleased. read more

El Matador Restaurant - Personalized menus - Spanish Near Me - East Patchogue, New York

See all

So many great dishes. I enjoyed arroz con pollo and finished every last drop it was so good. The restaurant is spacious and the owners are so kind! read more

El Matador Restaurant - Spanish Near Me - East Patchogue, New York

Good for dine in and take out! I like the Platano relleno, ropa vieja and stuffed shrimp! The drinks were pretty hit or miss last time I went (maybe just the bartender) The service is usually very good, friendly and efficient. read more

See all

Fried ice cream was fabulous!!! I called to takeout and was told that they'd wait for me to get there before preparing it so that it wouldn't be melted by the time I got home. That's great customer service!! read more

We come here almost weekly during Happy Hour! The servers are warm and respectful. The food is delicious! The ambience is friendly and so pleasant! We continue to return here because this restaurant meets all that's important to us! (Oh, the prices don't kill you!) read more

Getting back into these reviews..be eating at many different places again lately.. & I must say ---- absolutely awesome.. I tasted every bite..meaning every ingredient.. I had appetizers main course dessert and coffee beyond stuffed .. had a lemonade and it didn't taste weird.... & to top it off -Didn't feel sick in my stomach... The pricing is very reasonable.. new favorite spot read more

The food, the service, the drinks, what more can I say? This place is a 10/10 every single time! My personal favorite is the pineapple margarita, so refreshing and perfectly balanced. Their happy hour is fantastic, with tasty small bites at great prices. Definitely worth checking out! read more

Date Night brought my boyfriend and I here...so happy with our choice! From start to finish everything was delicious. The complimentary chips and salsa was delicious! The salsa wasn't spicy, but it had excellent flavor. I want to dip everything in it. For an appetizer we had Arepitas y Chorizo. It was chorizo with onions served with a cornmeal flat bread. Excellent flavor! I found out they had chicken tortilla soup as their soup of the day. I've been craving chicken tortilla soup for weeks..so I had to get it. I was served the wrong soup at first...shrimp bisque. Our server fixed it right away and apologized. The chicken tortilla soup was absolutely delicious! For my entree I had Camarones Relleno. This meal consisted of shrimp with a crab meat and shrimp stuffing in a creamy lobster bisque sauce. I was also able to pick two sides. I went with black beans and mixed veggies. Everything on my plate had amazing flavor. My boyfriend ordered Besito Salvadoreño. This meal consisted of top sirloin steak served with a fried egg, avocado, chorizo, sweet plantain, rice, and beans. It was delicious as well. For drinks I had a strawberry sangria and my boyfriend had a mojito. Service and food was excellent! We can't wait to go back. read more

See all

What a fabulous find! Put a search into maps for an 'outdoor seating restaurant' and here we are. Don't be fooled when you don't see the seating. It's around back - In an oasis of lovely plants. Service was awesome - attentive and attention to details. Food was scrumptious. Had apps with sides. Ample servings and delicious. Bonus-they tell me they are dog friendly outside. If you don't like that part, inside is just as nice. Real tableware (that matches!!!) with cloth napkins. That is impressive to me. Means they are serious about giving the best! Took a video of outside seating. Dove right into food without a pic first! But with it all around read more

Last night Bon G and I chose El Matador in Patchogue for our Friday Dinner. Easily found next to 112 Nissan, they have their own parking lot, a big plus. We had a google rezzy and were seated immediately. We had 2 wonderful servers who took care of our every need and also gave us explains on the menu items. To get in the mood we had a couple of shots of Patron each which really helped. We were hungry, so for appys we had Fried Calamari and Baked Clams...Clams were delish but Calamari was rather small portion. They had specials and we availed ourselves to 2 of them; I had Fried Porgie and Bon had Short Ribs..Both were prepared perfectly and were outstanding.... For dessert we had the Best Flan I can remember eating! So Goooood! We had a great time in a laid back, but loud venue and will certainily be returning to try the other great menu items! read more

See all

Excellent service, Clean establishment! The food was authentic and I loved the Avocado Green Salad. We ordered the Carne AsadaAnd had the Tres Leche Cake for desert! I wish they had live music but we settled for the singing waiter! read more

food was really good in the moment of eating but after eating me and my girlfriend had a terrible stomach ache and diarrhea

Food was great!!! Service perfect and good atmosphere. Highly recommended. Will be going back. Prices are good and they have Argentinian Malbec wine read more

See all

Outstanding restaurant. Recommended by some great friends, we decided to have dinner at this location. I was amazed that this restaurant, tucked away in a small plaza, punched out great authentic flavors. The staff was super friendly with outstanding attitudes. Everyone had smiles and treated their customers with the highest quality of service. I highly recommend this establishment. The food is exceptional, the people are fantastic and the experience was worth five stars. read more

El Matador Restaurant - Spanish Near Me - East Patchogue, New York

My husband and I love going to this restaurant. The staff is friendly , the restaurant is always clean. The food is amazing. We have never had anything we didn't love.We would definitely recommend El Matador's!! read more

Went here for an early Valentine's Day dinner. Nice quiet place with excellent food. Super friendly service.Their salsa was DELICIOUS. I had gambas Al ajillo - they give you very big shrimp! Both their black beans and red beans were also good. I had a side of tostones- yummm. Margaritas were great- I had a classic one and a spicy mango. Definitely reccomend. read more

El Matador Restaurant - HUGE tostones! - Spanish Near Me - East Patchogue, New York

The food was amazing. Truly made with love and passion. Their homemade desserts were delicious! The service was great! Johanna was very attentive, kind and made sure we had absolutely everything we needed. So glad I listened to her recommendation for dessert, the tres leche cake was so good! The restaurant was very clean, the ladies room was immaculate. Lovely decor. Simple tasteful tables, comfortable chairs and well placed wall art. My group and I had a lovely time. We can't wait to go back. read more

El Matador Restaurant - The Ropa Vieja was out of this world! Don't forget to save room for one of their amazing homemade desserts. - Spanish Near Me - East Patchogue, New York

I had a delicious dinner at El Matador tonight. It was a spur of the moment decision and didn't really get to try that much but I had the skirt steak and it was absolutely delicious and my date also enjoyed her meal. The chips and salsa they give you when you are first seated were also very fresh and tasty. I say in the bar area and the bartender was our waitress and she was very attentive and kind. I can't wait to come back and try more of their dishes and add to this review. read more

El Matador is another hidden gem on 112 in Patchogue. I never had a bad meal and the drinks are awesome. Emily and the whole staff are so welcoming and accommodating. Don't forget to order a piece of flan or tres leches for dessert!!!! read more

Ordered the $24.99 family meal via curbside pickup with my husband today. The young woman I spoke with on the phone when I called it in was very friendly and once again when we picked up the food. Process was super smooth considering it is so crazy with the COVID-19 pandemic. The food was delicious and this is by far the best bang for your buck! I can't believe how much food you get for the price. The chicken was juicy and in a delicious seasoned sauce. Maduros (sweet plantains) were perfect and the penne ala vodka was creamy and surprisingly tasted like it came from an Italian restaurant. I highly recommend checking this restaurant out. I'm planning on trying other menu items real soon. read more

El Matador Restaurant - a plate of roasted chicken - Spanish Near Me - East Patchogue, New York

See all

My wife and I have eaten at El Matador several times over the last 2 years and I must say, it is absolutely amazing. This past Friday night, 01/31/25, we ordered food for takeaway, both getting the Fajita meals. Something fairly light, at least I thought! The portions provided to us were beyond generous in my opinion. We had it for dinner, then lunch, then dinner again! The food was cooked to perfection. And the taste is second to none. A big thank you, from a grateful patron. El Matador I hope your establishment is around for years to come because you guys deserve every success. From the chefs, to the cooks, wait staff, bar tenders, bus boys/girls, you all do a wonderful job. Look forward to returning again.....and again! read more

Outstanding is the first thing that comes to mind ! After checking out suggestions on my LI Foodie group I picked El Matador. We were not disappointed at all. This restaurant is a mix of dishes from Spain, Central and South America. I asked my husband to go pick up their family special. The special consisted of the following : 1 whole rotisserie chicken, rice, beans, plantains, penne ala vodka pasta and salad. All for an amazing price. This food may seem simple enough but not many restaurants have me wanting more. This is the definition of Spanish comfort food. I grew up in Queens and proud to be Colombian. That being said I am very particular. This is a gem and is thankfully close to home. The chicken was juicy and seasoned perfectly. Beans very tasty ,Pasta was creamy and delicious. This special is said to feed 4 but we are 5 with the kids. I even had leftovers which I was excited to have the next day. My biggest regret is not ordering more food ! I was also disappointed in the fact that my husband did not bring home the Sangria ! What saved him was the fact that he brought home Tres leches cake which the kids loved ! Overall, lunch was a hit for everyone. The food was fresh and well presented. My picky kids loved the food and my husband used the word delicious which is reserved. Typically, everything is just "Good" to him. I am looking forward to ordering again. I am excited to try more dishes very soon read more

El Matador Restaurant - Family Meal Combo delicious !!!!! - Spanish Near Me - East Patchogue, New York

Known about this place since it opened but never had the desire to check it out because the prices seem very high. But after reading so many positive reviews on here we decided to finally give it a try. We got the family dinner (which I only knew about from all the yelp reviews, so thank you everyone!) which included the rotisserie chicken, penne, salad, rice/beans, & plantains for $25, and we got the chicken taco family dinner for $35 as well. The food was good. Didn't blow anyone away or anything but it was nice to have something a little different than pita house or the usual Italian or Chinese in the area. The amount of food you get with these specials was great. Staff seemed very friendly. Definitely will eat here again and try some other dishes. read more

Love this place ! Great food drinks are amazing we never go in without getting a pitcher of the sangria prices are reasonable the staff is always friendly and very welcoming ! read more

El Matador Restaurant - Pollo emilio - Spanish Near Me - East Patchogue, New York

See all

First time eating here but food was great. My husband had pollo Emila which was amazing. I had fajitas, very good. We had a mojito and watermelon crusher. Both were very good/ read more

El Matador Restaurant - Chicken Emila - Spanish Near Me - East Patchogue, New York

See all

As soon as we walked in we found this restaurant to have a pretty smooth atmosphere. Nice latin music played in the background, not too loud but just audible enough to buzz. We were greeted with welcoming smiles and were led straightaway to our table. There were costumers already seated but the place was not packed. Just yet. It's a small establishment, but cute and well decorated (the walls had original artwork). The folks serving guests were super friendly and ready to assist with anything we needed. They brought us some chips, which we devoured (we were sooo hungry), so they brought us some more while we waited for our appetizers. We ordered a half-pitcher sangria; I found it tasty, though on the lighter side (kind of like a refreshing spritzer; perfect for a hot summer day). I also had their Matador Margarita which was gastronomically delightful! The onslaught of tasty food that followed was absolutely perfect! The Chorizo with Arepas was out of control. On a side note though, I could've used a few more arepas (they were so darn good) given that we had plenty of chorizo left. My son ordered the empanadas and loved them. He is not much of a person who likes spicy food and the empanadas came with a sauce that was spicy. Therefore, I took that mean sauce a drowned my churrasco with it! Holy god -- it was dynamite! My daughter had a burrito that looked absolutely mean and my wife had chicken tacos, which she really enjoyed. There were so many great items on the menu that we will simply have to return. I am so glad that they are so close by where I live that I can't wait to be able to come back. Moreover, they gave us our desserts on the house; the carrot cake was to die for, so I highly recommend it! They got quite busy; by the time six-thirty/seven o'clock came along, they were hoping! I didn't feel that they were particularly slow, but I really liked that management was conscientious about the wait time. They came around to excuse themselves for the slower service towards the end! Still, I found that if you simply flagged one of the servers and let them know that what you needed, they were absolutely eager to attend to you right-away. I could tell that they wanted to provide an excellent experience one way or the other. I cannot recommend them enough! I'm definitely coming back again and I hope you will give them shot! read more

See all

We rented out the back room of this restaurant for our engagement dinner last Saturday. All I have to say is wow!! Emily and the staff did such a great job with setting up, being precise with every detail and of course the food being really delicious. Everyone left the party saying they had a really good time and that the sangria and carne asada was amazing. Thank you Emily and staff for helping me pull this party off. I highly recommend this place for any occasion - you won't regret it! read more

See all

A hidden gem! Food is amazing and service is excellent. Place is clean, you are not rushed. We both had seafood, mine the daily special and the baked clams and rice balls. Will definitely be returning!! read more

El Matador Restaurant - Red snapper and shrimp - Spanish Near Me - East Patchogue, New York

See all

Disclaimer: only been here once for take out during Quarantine With that being said - I would give this place a 10 out of 10 if I could. My girlfriend and I had their rotisserie chicken with brown sauce, plantains, beans, salad, rice, penne all's vodka, and red sangria. It's safe to say that I have no had food like this before in my lifetime. Specifically, the chicken, plantains, rice, and beans were some of the best I've encountered. The red sangria was the exactly type of red sangria you want when you order it. And the penne all's vodka was delicious but yk it's penne all's vodka. Anyways, service was great and will be back again. TY :) read more

Located at the old Pita House. I have been scoping this place out ever since it opened. Never went in because every time I drove by it was empty. Also it's in a small strip mall with only one entrance. So if aren't looking for it you will drive right by it. So yesterday we decided to try it out. Based this visit on the fact it was Friday night and they wouldn't have a long wait. And I am so happy I stopped in. Congratulations you received a rare 5 start from me. I liked everything about this place. And have made it my new go to for Latin cuisine. Establishment and decor was very nice and very clean down to the bathrooms. Service on point. Everything came out on time and spaced perfectly. Servers were knowledgeable and efficient. Always came bu often to check on you or clear something from the table. All of the staff were polite and friendly. Now the food EVERYTHING WAS GREAT. Ceviche was plentiful and fresh. Relleno de Camarones delicious first time ever having this type of appetizer. Wife had Ropa Vieja best I ever had anywhere. I had the Churrasco tender and perfectly seasoned. No salt needed. My doctor will love that lower my high blood pressure. Even had my niece show up later into the dinner and order Pollo Emilia which they rushed so that she could dine with us and not after us. Had a bite of that and it was delicious. Price $118.00 for 3 entrees , 2 drinks , 1 soda and 2 appetizers. Not bad. Actually great when the food is on point and the experience was good. End of the day this place was great top to bottom. I usually frequent Gallo Tropical on Main Street which I personally feel has dropped off in the years. Bad news for them after discovering El Matador Gallo just lost a customer. Keep up the great work. See you soon. read more

El Matador Restaurant - The dining room and the decor. Clean as a whistle. - Spanish Near Me - East Patchogue, New York

See all

The food has been consistently good. The service is good. The ambiance can be touched up. If your in the mood for a different cuisine then try here. It's more European Spanish food ( Spain) . read more

We took my in laws today for lunch, and everyone was extremely pleased and left the plates empty, which is always a good sign. Service was friendly and she told us about their 5 de mayo Happy Hour! Would recommend, food was very flavorful. The table ordered Tilapia, Carne Asada, Ropa Vieja, Pork Chop, and clams. For appetizers we ordered the empanadas, delicious Oh, and the black beans, well I took my sister in laws because they were so good. read more

See all

The food and drinks were delicious. The staff was really nice. The mint mojitos were so yummy. Passion fruit was my favorite. read more

See all

Good food. Not really Mexican, but it's ok Central American food. Pretty much spice free unfortunately.

First time there, we definitely we will be back. Nice atmosphere, wonderful food, fair price. read more

Please don't come to this restaurant; I went to eat seafood; The squid needed to be cooked, the shells were frozen, however I ate them because I was very hungry; When I got home, I had a terrible discomfort in my stomach. I ended up going to the doctor who told me that I had a bacteria caused by shellfish, which caused me a lot of damage. There are nights when I can't sleep because of the pain; please avoid eating here; In the name of God I tell you. I just want them to not go through what I'm going through, May god bless read more

Excellent food and service was exceptional! The ambience was great! Music so appropriate for eating g!