I don't think this place gets enough credit. We come about 4 times a month. Service is always fast and friendly in the bar. We found that the specialty dishs are far better then standard combo plates. Salsas good most if the time, when it's busy sometimes it's watered down. I don't necessarily think it's a five star but I think it's more of a 3.5 than a 2.5. read more

It's certainly not bad, but not the best in town. Chips aren't that great, and the salsa is just ok. The food is decent but not the great, fresh taste that you get at other local places- and it all kinda tastes the same. The lunch specials are priced great, though. I probably wouldn't come here so often (once a week or more) if it wasn't so close and I weren't strapped for time. read more

This place was really hyped up by a lot of my friends and I'm just not seeing it. The food seemed very "Americanized" and overall it was mostly very flavorless. Nothing about this restaurant was particularly appealing. read more

it's quick. it's fairly inexpensive... but i seem to remember an adage that went something like..... you get what you pay for. yep. that was it. i have been to this location on springfield several times, and to be honest, it's just alright. the salsa is sort of flavorless. the chips are not that great. they use white american cheese instead of authentic mexican cheeses. i know because i asked when my quesadilla tasted like a grilled cheese. the waitress said, "maybe it's because we use american cheese." yeah. i bet that's it. the staff is extremely nice and quick. i did have one instance in which a waiter wrote himself in a $10 tip on a bill i paid with a credit card. when i caught it on my credit card statement, i called the manager, marco, and told him. he gave me the $10 back. no questions asked. that was incredibly cool. not cool someone stole $10 from me... but hey, marco took care of it. the food isn't terrible, but it is not something that will inspire a diary entry about the day you had the best mexican food in the world. ********* edited to include the fact that the el toro on south neil street is a much better deal. they have a special menu for the week with dishes not included on the regular menu. i ordered a vegetarian burrito from it last week that was the bomb. it had authentic queso on it and the whole nine. so... springfield ave, not so much. neil street, maybe? read more

The first time I ever experienced what is now El Toro Bravo was in 2000! They were at the old location (El Torero). The food was incredible then - spicy and full of flavor. It was really something special to eat there. Since they moved to their new location, their quality has gotten worse and worse with each visit. I always ordered chicken fajitas, coctel de camarones (salsa aparte) or chiles poblanos. Every last one now is a greasy, sloppy, flavorless dish. This chain started from one tiny restaurant and expanded into a Mexican McDonalds. Cheap food, low quality, nothing special. read more

When I first came in, the lady wanted to seat us by the kitchen, and the restaurant is empty, then we had to wait for our chips and salsa, when I ordered my food they got it wrong, and bow everyone else is eating but me. This is the worst place to come to, they are lowdown prejudice. I will not be back here ever. read more

First and last time visiting this restaurant. We had a group of 7. After receiving menus we had to track down a waiter 20 minutes later to take our orders. 30 minutes later we had food served and some of the orders were incorrect. I personally experienced a taco salad that barely covered the bottom of the shell! To be fair those ordering drinks from the bar said they were very good. Other tables were experiencing similar service issues and left frustrated as well. We quietly expressed our concerns to management when leaving......he seemed indifferent to our comments. We'll stick with what we know and head to Dos Reales the next time hunger hits for Mexican food. I'll pass on any future El Toro experiences. read more

Top notch tacos al pastor! They were a specialty item that they mentioned had just turned into a permanent change. I lived in Mexico for a couple years and became very attached to the unique Mexican meat. This is one of the few places that comes close to what you'll find on the streets of the Mexico City. The pineapple ratio was right also and served with dos tortillas like it ought to be. It drops a star because my wife's taquitos were a bit overdone and the meat was a bit on the dry side. Moreover, the beans and rice are the normal substandard American-style Mexican food that's served everywhere - crappy canned pinto beans that just spread all over the place and taste bland. The rice was the same class of Mexican rice. But this is a local's favorite, whether it's this location or the other ones. We live around the corner and the place is literally completely filled, even with a large parking lot, every weekend without question. Go on a weekday or hit the dinner around 4:30/5pm to beat the crowds. Also, be sure to snag the fried ice cream. The honey they add on makes it some of the most unique I've had and it's a good dish, even to share if you're full. read more

Overall, this place was solid, but it didn't wow me. The chips were quite good and the salsa pretty good. The guacamole was great. I'm told this place has great margaritas, but can't say personally. My meal, a combo platter including chile relleno, enchildas, and rice and beans, was all okay. The service was equally fine without being particularly good or bad. I'd definitely go back. read more

My coworkers and I get lunch from El torro bravo a few times a month. Although it's convenient because of the Location, the quality really is hit and miss. Some lunches are incredible, but this past week I ordered 3 chicken tacos. 2 I asked be made with shredded chicken, the 3rd grilled. The grilled chicken was over cooked to the point it was almost impossible to bite through it, and my shredded chicken tacos came out basically a soup with a soft shell tortilla wrapped around it. Because they hadn't drained the chicken at all, the tortilla turned to mush. The flavor was good, but way too wet. The workers are very friendly, and they are always busy, just beware that the quality changes from day to day. read more

Best place in town! Service is absolutely the best and so are the food and margaritas, even on Cinco de Mayo, when any other business would be struggling to meet an extremely high customer count and anxious clientele. Top notch! Every person at our table had a special request for their order (extra or no onions, switch a combo item, etc.) and, in a packed house, everything came out perfect and with a smile! These folks are customer service pros! read more

The food is cheap and service is super fast, always friendly. The place seems busy all of the time too. I think the food is decent at best however. If it wasn't for the prices and fast friendly service my review would be in the one to two star range based solely on the food. read more

Typically this place is fine...not tonight! We ordered take out. Enchiladas and two Pollos with white cheese dip. The cheese dip was maybe 1/4 of a cup and one tiny thing of salsa. We had asked for some extra salsa...I guess a thimble full is all you need for 3 meals. When my husband arrived to pick up our food, our order was sitting there. And he waited for close to 30 minutes! We have ordered take out several times in the past...this may be our last! I chose this as my birthday meal today...I am so disappointed! read more

The service is terrific. The food is solid, but nothing really stands out. Your visit is likely to be a pleasant enough but unmemorable experience. I usually go when I'm stressed out and can't handle anything unpredictable or far from home. Ultimately, though, the inexpensive 32 oz Dos Equis drafts keep me coming back. read more

Every time I come here I am disappointed. Today, I placed an order at noon for 430 pick up. I got here at 430 and waited for 20minutes, because they didn't have my order ready. This is the second time I've placed a to go order and had to wait over 15 minutes. Poor service and sub par food has cost them a costumer! I'll never be back! read more

My whole family loves this place. Great food and it's served quick and hot, even the busiest nights the service is good. The chips & salsa are practially a meal and you can't go wrong with the Pollo Asado. The lunch menu is a favorite for me & friends, especially the Chicken Fajita plate. read more

I ordered food to go and it was horrible the food was full of hot peppers when I call to complain a manager never came to the phone read more

El Toro Bravo - They gave me large pieces of jalapeno peppers - Mexican Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

This place is so good. Been here for a while now. I love the robust salsa with tomatoes and onions and cilantro. Sooo good. Everyone should try the chicken and cheese quesadilla. read more

Clearly lacking compared to the one in Urbana. All the waiters act like you're inconveniencing them by asking for the simplest things.... nobody checks on you after your food is given. The foods consistently pretty good but nobody wants to beg you for service. read more

Good food, and a wonderfully friendly staff. The more you go, the more they treat you like family. Love the place.

Excellent food and service, but feel as their margs have lessened in strength of tequila.

I used to love El Toro in their old location; I even had them cater a few times. But since they moved to the new location, the food has gone downhill. The quality is worse, and the prices are higher, ironically. The food is sloppy, flavorless, and takes no care at all to be special. Even the beans and rice don't taste good! The new "fancy" building has gone to their heads. It might look good on the outside, but the food food they serve is sub-par. I won't go there again unless it's for a work function. read more

I grew up in the South with amazing Mexican & I was very disappointed with what I got here. My fajita's came out not sizzling & the meat was warm and grey. I went another time and had just tacos, assuming that was hard to screw up, but the meat had no seasoning. People around here say its good, but there are far better Mexican places to eat here. Their only positive is a decent margarita. read more

Visiting Champaign and found this with a Google search. Their breakfast skillet was AMAZING!

This place has gone from 3 stars to 1/2 stars in my opinion. When they first opened it was a great spot for lunch or dinner. My lady 3 visits have been bad to worse. Good is cold, oh yeah it can be heated again. However heating lettuce is never good. Cheese is watered down to just a sauce. Try somewhere else!!! read more

Food was fine and as fast as one expects at an El Toro but service was strange. The first waiter got my order wrong then was obviously angry and suddenly we had a new waiter. But he appeared to be solicitous to the nearby tables so maybe it was just me. read more

Solid mall Mexican: the combos you expect, nice hot chips, tasty salsa, as well as an array of grilled meats and seafood options and a small vegetarian menu. A good option when you want something predictable. The staff are very quick, efficient, and friendly. read more

i love the steak burrito has been really good i also get guacamole for the chips they give you on the table..my only problem i have is the waiters some of them forget our drinks so it takes about 15-20 mins before we get refills but ive had that at other places so not a huge deal read more

The Quality varies greatly, but overall it is no more than Taco Bell with silverware!

For authentic Mexican...not good. Price is high for what you get, Service is awesome so the food should be to. Won't go back til it changes. Champaign, IL needs a Authentic Mexican resturant for sure. Not many here and someone who has the building and loction should be on it with this. read more

We have eaten at El Toro's several times and always been very satisfied with the food and service. They are slower getting the orders out but they are usually pretty busy The order has rarely been anything but very satisfactory and on the rare occasion there was a problem it was taken care of immediately. It is our favorite Mexican food restaurant. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the Danville, Illinois restaurant but that's another review. read more

I usually don't get online and bitch about restaurant service. It was 9:25, I just left at 11 hour day at work and am greeted and then seated. Then the chips come as the waiter tells the person bringing chips to take them back as he says to me that they close in five minutes and I just order now, without even looking at the menu or knowing their hours. I am hungry so I ordered to go, as I'm looking around the restaurant at fishbowls of alcohol (margaritas) that are full and just got served, obviously they didn't see a need to rush them out the door, just me as all I wanted to do was eat dinner and leave anyways. Very rude. Those people won't even be done with their margaritas by the time I got done eating, and I wasn't even interested in drinking. I felt like he passed some sort of judgement on me like I wasn't good enough to eat while everyone else was just drinking, and he rushed me out the door. Very rude. Won't be back. read more