Checked this restaurant out because we were tired from drive and it was close to hotel. We were very pleased with service and food. Server was great and very attentive. Food was quick and very tasty. A little disappointed that there was an extra charge for hot salsa but it was fiery and well worth it. A bit noisy but a Friday night and lots of families with kids. I would go back if we weren't just here for two days. read more

Arrived happy to be off the highway ready for yummy food. We were seated quickly and our waitress arrived quickly for the drink requests. The coffee and margarita was fast to show up. Margarita was a 2/10 due to watery taste, no detectable tequila flavor and made with reconstituted lime juice. Chips crispy and salsa tasty, not too bland. My vegetable fajitas had parboiled veges, canned mushrooms and tasted like something at my grandma's house. Not good. It's really hard to ruin onions peppers and mushrooms but boiling, before a flat grill for only 2 minutes does ruin them. Not the first trace of seasoning detected. The side plate with rice beans guac etc was good. My companion reports not good, not bad quesadilla with steak. read more

Was in the area for work meetings at the nearby Hilton. Went for lunch and it was fantastic. I am an avid lover of Mexican food and found everything to be delicious, fresh, and authentic. I got the lunch enchilada special and it was excellent. The margaritas are good too!! Definitely recommend! read more

Never in my life has this happened to me!! It kills me to know I have leftovers in the fridge from one of my favorite places El Toreo, and I can't even eat them without getting sick we ordered togo the other night and I wasn't able to eat my whole meal as usual? The morning after I was in for a rude awakening of thro up all day from how greasy my meal was I literally threw up only grease nothing else that's messed up how much grease was really saturated in my container. Along the tops rim is dried grease. How nasty is that I'm so disappointed to have spent so much on a big meal for it to go to waste and for me to stave instead of getting to eat my leftovers! yesterday was the worst day of my life this year due to the incident!! read more

El Toreo - the inside of a toilet bowl - Mexican Near Me - Ocala, Florida

A local favorite,and my family has been eating here for over 30 years. Don't forget to get the cheese dip!

Good food and service! Enchiladas were great! A bit loud though! I believe the outside needs a bit of upkeep but inside was fine.

Service is quick and friendly at El Toreo. Portions are huge. We once had a table of 10 and it was no problem, all orders came out fast at the same time. There's lots of Mexican and other decor to look at. Its always humming with activity. My favorite orders are: The Cheese-Stuffed Chile Rellenos platter. So much food! And a Margarita with salt. read more

Wow! I've been going to El Toreo all my life and after 27 years it is still consistently delicious authentic Mexican food paired with prompt and accurate service. Needia was our server (sorry if I spelled it wrong) and she did a superb job. Anticipated our needs, was more than pleasant to work with and had to of had at least another 4 tables at the time. She was killing it!!!! Not one employee was standing around. Everyone was moving and doing an excellent job maintaining the restaurant. We both had the taco salads which are very large and only $6 a piece. Talk about bang for your buck!! You will not leave here unsatisfied or feeling empty. Highly recommend. 10/10 read more

El Toreo - Mexican Near Me - Ocala, Florida

Worst Mexican food ever. Chips and salsa, bland. Good staff, decent prices good portions, horrible food.

This's the second time I've dined at El Toreo & just like the first time, the food was absolutely delicious & the drinks "Mango Mojito" was superb. read more

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We ordered the fajitas the worse fajitas ever. Was not even warm was not sizzling when brought to the table. Had to ask the waitress to take it and heat it up. read more

Great food diverse options with large servings! Mariachi band on Thursdays a real treat. Festive atmosphere with attentive friendly service--we went at night but I did notice there was a lunch menu. Prices typical read more

I have patronized this establishment several times. Nice atmosphere in a large stand alone building. Took my wife there today and the young female hostess was so Rude, we almost walked out. She seemed prejudice and doing her job was an inconvenience. The service was very slow. Waited for a server, food came out fast, but refills, and getting the check was long. The food however, was excellent. Wife loved her steak quesadilla & chips and salsa. Chicken enchilada and beef taco was as good as it gets. read more

Food was delicious. I got quesadillas and the staff was really nice. We stopped here after a long drive back from Atlanta and it hit the spot. read more

Great food! Great atmosphere. Awesome customer service. Yummy food. Rice was perfectly cook. Camarones were seasoned properly. Not over cook or under seasoned. Guacamole were very tasty. Tamarindo was well-prepared. I would have really happy if the server offered water or another drink since the tamarindo did not come with free refill. read more

El Toreo - Camarones alambre - Mexican Near Me - Ocala, Florida

Oh my goodness the food was so delicious!! We have the most wonderful server name Caesar. He was definitely a man of many hats since he was also working the front closing out checks but no matter he provided incredible service. Very attentive but not overwhelming. The air conditioning feels nice in the television has actual entertainment on for you men who are interested. What better way to finish out this meal then with something sweet for dessert; chocolate cheesecake!! read more

El Toreo - Chocolate cheesecake!! So good! - Mexican Near Me - Ocala, Florida

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I should have looked at most of the reviews. I was seated immediately and the chips brought promptly. They were thick, very hard and cold. The salsa was good even though it was cold enough to be fresh out of the refrigerator. I had to look around for my waitress because people that were seated after me had their orders taken already. I ordered the combination enchiladas, one chicken, one beef and one chess. It came with beans and rice. The beans were pasty and not very good. Worse than canned. The cheese enchilada was good but would have benefited from a little onion. However , once it cooled a little, the cheese was grainy. I'm not sure how they accomplish that. The chicken enchilada was dry even though it had a little enchilada sauce on the top. It was OK although it would have been better with a white cream sauce. The ground beef enchilada - the beef was so fine, it was that to discern what it was. This place must get by on its location or the drinks. read more

El Toreo - This was the "ground beef" in the beef enchilada. Horrible texture - like cat food. - Mexican Near Me - Ocala, Florida

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Ordered a "crunchy chimichanga" and received a soft, mushy burrito. The supervisor was rude and argumentative when we asked if the burrito was truly fried. Good margaritas and chips, but you can get those at any Mexican place in town. Most disappointed by the rude service today. Otherwise a clean ambiance, and we will not be sitting in that supervisor's section again IF we return. read more

We have tried this place a bunch of times and never had a bad meal. The service is always friendly, quick and accommodating. We had a chimichanga, chicken nachos, taco salad and chicken and rice. We happen to go on a Thursday night and were treated to a live mariachi band. The twins really loved it. The food came out fast and hot and was really good. It's not fine dining, but very filling and flavorful. read more

If you look at my reviews on here I very very rarely assign a single star. I try to be not only fair, but slightly generous knowing the business I review was perhaps one dinner for me, but is someone's livelihood. That noted, this is possibly the worst Mexican restaurant I've ever been to. Ever. The menu is far more tex-mex than authentic, the service horribly slow and disorganized and the actual food frankly no better than what you'd get from a grocery store frozen dinner. Plus, they mixed up my order for unsweetened tea twice and kept bringing me sweet tea. The waitress was apologetic but neither prompt nor overall very attentive. In example she never asked me what I thought of my food. Perhaps people come here for the drinks I don't know, but the food was extremely disappointing. read more

Great Margaritas and great staff. Me and my Fiancé and I enjoy going here!! The place was clean and well kept.

I have been here a few times when I've been in town. However, this time my best friend was with me and we wanted to good Mexican food so I brought her here. The food was phenomenal as it always has been when I've come here. The service was a tad slow but nothing worth ranting about. All and all she enjoyed her meal and so did I. read more

New locals first time here. Good parking and the restaurant was clean. Music was very loud to the point the server could not hear. We ordered soup only to find out they were out. We arrived at 4pm earlybirds. Should not be out of anything. The chips and salsa were good. I had Coctel de Camerones which was better than average. DW had fajita salad which she liked. But the music was so loud she got a headache and we didnt have desert. read more

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Amazing food and service every time ! One of my favorite places to go for Mexican food. Everything is great here. I love the cheese! read more

El Toreo - Mexican Near Me - Ocala, Florida

Went there for lunch the waitress was in very friendly she did not have the mask up above her nose several other workers in the restaurant did not have mascon the food was very good service unfriendly then went back a couple of days said at the bar when to have a drink bartender wasn't very friendly kind of rude margarita was good once again the service wasn't very read more

Rude and disrespectful service staff. My wife and I were seated and waited patiently for our server as well as chips and salsa. Two more tables came in about five minutes after us. One was seated in front of us and the other behind us. Both tables were brought chips but we were not. Then servers went to both tables. We were never acknowledged by anyone and still no chips or salsa. Both tables received their drinks and their orders were taken. We sat being ignored by both the male and female servers. The male server finally walked over to our table as we were getting up to leave. He was the same server who decided to ignore us and take the other tables order. We told him nevermind that after waiting fifteen minutes and being totally ignored we would go somewhere that appreciates and takes care of the customer. We will not be back based on this experience! read more

We only ate here once when my husband was meeting an old friend passing through town. This was mid-afternoon. I'd ordered 'starters' and they were ok. The drink, (Mojeto) however, was excellent. I had a few. We had a horrid experience with their other restaurant in Ocala, though, so I guess I was waiting for the other shoe to fall with this one. Luckily, it didn't. read more

The absolute worst Mexican food I have eaten in my life!! Ive eaten all over the USA: California, Oklahoma, texas, Washington, Oregon, Arizona. Not sure this is 'Florida' style but it was GROSS. , The cheese is velveeta or American processed cheese of some sort. The "ground" beef in the enchilada was dog food texture and tastes like a meat paste. Corn tortillas just BAD. Salsa for chips was very thin and tasted like chopped canned tomatoes with no flavor whatsoever and was ICE cold. I sent my.plate back and got a chicken taco salad, not much better. The amount of sour cream was INSANE, At least 1/2 cup plopped on top. No guacamole, no salsa, just this ginormous blob of sour cream! Shredded iceberg lettuce and seriously overripe tomatoes that were close to spoiled. Do NOT waste your money. read more

On arrival we were presented with fresh chips and salsa which was pretty good. We ordered some cheese, sour cream and guacamole to also dip in and I would recommend you also follow suit as it will definitely enhance your chips and dip! We also tried the jalapeño poppers as appetizers and thought they were great with the right ratio of cheese to jalapeño to breading. My mom had a quesadilla which she thought was pretty good except that the lettuce was not on it but on the side which is a bit tricky to get in a quesadilla that is stuck together with cheesy goodness! My wife had the burrito with beans and rice. I also tried hers and thought it was good. I had a combination and would recommend this as it allows you to try a few things. I chose combo number 13 and this was a beef burrito, enchilada and a tamale. I thought it was all good and have no complaints. Service was ok. The waiter was very nice but I thought it odd he didn't write anything down and made a joke about this with him and he insisted he could remember everything so long as not too large a party. (He couldn't though as forgot to put in our poppers order and forgot my moms root beer! he was still a good server however he might want to rethink about not writing things down!) Price wise this is very a very reasonable restaurant for the quality and standard of food. I would come back. read more

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Luves up to its logo...the best! Lived the quac dip! Also, best tamale I've ever gotten. And I always order them at Mexican Restaurants! Great service also! read more

Whenever I'm tooling south down I-75 towards Orlando, one of my favorite stops is El Toreo. Situated in front of a La Quinta and a Hilton, it makes a great dinner place for the weary traveler. High ceilings and wood paneling grace the interior, though I usually choose to sit outside. The menu is bright, festive and fun, with five different kinds of margaritas listed along with frozen drinks, beer, mixed drinks, Mexican sodas and other beverages. 23 combination platters are the centerpiece with an array of sides ranging from cheese and sour cream to chalupas and chile relleno. If you're in between 12 and 55, you don't qualify for the kids and seniors menu, which includes such fare as burritos, enchiladas, tacos and (natch) chicken fingers. Standout offerings include: Parilla Mexicana - beef and chicken Dakotas, shrimp shishkebob, served with bell peppers and onions, flour tortillas, beans, rice, pico de gallo and guacamole salad; Seafood enchilada stuffed with seafood mix; Fish Ceviche - raw catfish marinated in lime juice mixed with chopped cilantro, tomatoes, onions, avocado and jalapeño and Bistec a la Tampiquena - grilled, sliced flank steak served with one cheese enchilada, refried beans and guacamole salad. Always on the quest for the "ultimate" rendition of this dish, I ordered the ever-popular Camarones a la Diabla (Satanic shrimp, just kidding, a little) which is jumbo shrimp stuffed with a fiery "Chile de Arbol" sauce and served with freshly simmered rice and vegetables. The warning on spices, complete with gratuitous exclamation points, warranted a good ride for a heat-head. As promised, they didn't skimp on the Hades and delivered a sassy sauce along with fresh green beans and squash. The tongue was a little wilted after this one: win! The place is a little noisy, which is one of the reasons why I choose to sit outside. Situated, as it is, in a part of old Florida, it's nice to savor that atmosphere and escape some of the din inside as well. read more

El Toreo - The perfect starter - Mexican Near Me - Ocala, Florida

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Second time here and just as great as we remember. Service is quick and food is fast to table and fantastic. We will be back on our yearly stop to our winter assignment! read more

Very good Mexican food in a warm and inviting atmosphere. We ordered a Burrito Supreme and a Chicken Quesadilla ... the Quesadilla was especially delicious IMHO. Service was quick; however, our waiter was hard to understand, pleasant but by no means friendly, and obviously did not seem the least bit interested in waiting on his customers except to get them fed and out the door. Otherwise, this would be a 5-star review as the food was very good. Restrooms were clean, which was a plus. read more

El Toreo - Burrito Supreme - Mexican Near Me - Ocala, Florida

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A very standard Mexican restaurant with all of the staple food items. I ordered the chicken tacos which ended up being chicken in a tortilla.....that's it. I had to ask for some cheese and there was Pico on the side that I put on to give it some more flavor. They ended up being really good but seriously, just chicken in a tortilla? The rice was good but the refried beans were super salty for some reason. read more

Two stars may be generous. Chips were fine. Salsa ok though more like tomato sauce. Queso dip enjoyable. 99 cent margaritas on Wednesdays probably the only real draw. Two combination dinners were horrid. And, they are very vegetarian un-friendly. Rarely have I ever been to a "bad" Mexican restaurant but there's always a first and that happened here. Diners consisted of older white locals who apparently don't mind the slop being served them. Absolutely do not recommend. read more

Food was horrible. I ordered a taco salad , consisted of some chicken meat that was pink and flavorless, lettuce, and sour cream and some cheese. The worst was my husbands meal, he ordered a Chile relleno, I have never seen something so awful, it was drowned in bean sauce and cheese, one little Chile in the center surround by hamburger mush, the server said they had one with a Pablo pepper, he brought that, it was okay but drowned in water down sauce. We will never go back, this was the second time for us and never been impressed. read more

Their website says they are open until 10:30 and Google says 11, yet I am told they close at 10 PM. Please update your information.

On both work and pleasure road trips up and down on I-75, I always seem to be in this area when I get hungry. They put out some fairly decent Tex-Mex fare. While nothing really stands out as exceptional to me here, you do get a decent portion of tasty food for your money. I've been here both when they were very busy and practically empty, and have always found the service here to be attentive. A big plus is that it's right next to an exit, so it's easy to come and go here (besides rush hour, of course). Also, for the both hungry and tired traveler, there are plenty of lodgings just a short walk away. So perhaps not like your favorite joint in your hometown, I am always thankful to stop and stretch my legs at El Toreo and enjoy some decent Tex-Mex... read more

On our way home from Orlando, we stopped at El Toreo for dinner. It's right off the interstate. When we pulled into the parking lot, their advertisement (under their main sign) was Kids Meal .99! This was a great sign for us, since we had 3 children in tow. Inside the ambiance is nice. Dim lights, music playing in the background. They have a bar seating area as well as regular seating. There are a couple of arcade games set up near the front. This caused us problems since two out of the three children are 2 years old and can't see/reach the games. Crying quickly ensued. We pulled up a chair for them to stand in, but, of course, that wasn't safe so the staff put a stop to it. More crying ensued. I guess they don't have activities for the kids because they never brought coloring books/pages or anything, even with all the crying. They did bring chips and salsa to the table very quickly. Their chips weren't anything special... but their salsa was rather good and quite spicy. Yum. I ordered the Carnitas, which was a little over $10. It was blah to okay... It lacked something. I just couldn't pinpoint what it was missing though. The entree consisted of pork pieces, rice, refried beans, lettuce and tomatoes, and tortillas. I ordered a taco for my oldest son, but for some reason the server put it down as an "al a carte" taco instead of a kid's taco, even though I was pointing to the taco on the kids' menu. When it arrived at the table, I asked where the rice and beans were that were supposed to come with the kids' taco. She said, "Oh, you wanted a kid's taco? I thought you just wanted a taco for him..." Why in the world would I do that when the kids' taco is only .99?! She corrected it and brought him some rice and beans. My brother-in-law got the seafood chimichanga. It was really tasty, though I don't think that it was made with real crab. My husband got a steak burrito, which I can only assume was good since he ate it all without offering me a single bite. All in all, this place was okay, the server was nice, and the food came out quickly. If we're in the mood for Mexican next time we're in Ocala, though, we'll probably try another place. read more

El Toreo - El Toreo - Mexican Near Me - Ocala, Florida

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We normally get take out at El Toreo once a week. The service and quality have gone down hill so much that I doubt we will ever come back. The last three times we ordered the meals have been screwed up. I typically order the beef burritos. Tonight my wife gets home and we go to have dinner, the burritos have nothing on them and no meat. They were filled with avocados... I'm going to have to recommend staying away from El Toreo. The food quality and service have become horrible. read more

El Toreo - Mexican Near Me - Ocala, Florida

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