We are new to Sarasota and wanted Mexican for Cinco de Mayo. We had passed El Toro Bravo a few times and decided to try it. We wanted to get a to go order. They were extremely busy of course because of the day and I waited a bit longer for the order than what I would imagine is normal. I wasn't upset in the least because they were playing live music in the parking lot , had a portable bar out front and a very cool silent auction to pass the time. We ordered steak fajitas, a veggie quesadilla and chips and salsa. There were no complaints at all. The food was fresh and hot. The chips are those classic Mexican restaurant style and the salsa was classic and delicious. The portions sizes were very strong for the prices paid. This place is going to our go-to spot for Mexican from now on. They also serve Todd's sauce. It is a must try. I liked it on chips and the quesadilla. read more

We just took my mom there and she loved it absolutely loved it. I can't say enough about the service the staff there is great. Every time we have gone we just have smiles on the inside of our stomachs while our taste bites dance in our oral cavity all I can say is hola gracias go get some support this local Sarasota favorite the food's phenomenal your services absolutely great the ambiance it's good for families first dates grandmothers grandfathers good kids bad kids just go you deserve it. read more

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The food was tasty and the service was amazing. The workers are super nice and friendly. Nice place!! read more

El Toro Bravo Restaurant - Three Tres Taco Plate, El Caban Margarita - Mexican Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Two words Chili Colorado! Do yourself a favor and get it Christmas style! The best sit down Mexican/ Tex Mex food I have found around Sarasota. read more

Alert: Ruben has sold the business and all new staff. Food seems to remain the same but WATCH your receipt and Prices Do NOT match menu prices. Plus the price hike, there are cash versus credit card prices that none match the menu prices. There are no notices anywhere of this new owner's practice. Concerning practice. Food was delicious and as expected. Still extremely loud, due to horrible ceiling acoustics. Service is hap-hazard with only 3 servers, and several huge parties. The entrance has been changed to middle exterior door and the previous main entry room has been made a private dining space for groups of 15 to 20 people. Looked nice. Great idea. The new owner walks around in shorts and a t- shirt and looks more like a busboy than the owner. He doesn't speak Spanish and visits with only the larger groups. Don't like the deceptive pricing practice. Proceed with caution. Update: owner has stated it was a computer glitch that the prices were loaded into their POS system incorrectly. He says he will fix it. I find it difficult to believe that he is unaware of this pricing discrepancy but I'm willing to give them another chance. Will update review after next visit. read more

By far my favorite Mexican restaurant in Sarasota. I come from up North where we had ChiChi's and Don Pablo. So that's the Mexican i love. Spicy flavorful salsa. Tacos fajitas and Enchiladas. This place compares to those flavors and spice. I love it!!! The staff is friendly and i have become a regular here. read more

One of the only places open after hurricane Milton! I've been before but it's been a long time. The staff were amazing even though we just got hammered by the storm. Food came out quickly and fresh! Great Mexican food if you ever in the area. read more

El Toro Bravo Restaurant - Queso Blanco Cheese Dip - Mexican Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

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Okay, okay, okay. First time here and I sat down quickly. Like every other Mexican restaurant they served us chips and salsa which to me was too saucy almost like spaghetti sauce. The place looked nice inside though. Our waiter seemed lost but took our order and had to look at the menu in order to write down our meals. I hate to say this but it's a typical America style restaurant. Catering to the local population in Sarasota. The staff is Hispanic trying to keep the look of Spanish culture. Im very picky with my Hispanic food read more

Very average Mexican food. Ok margaritas. Be aware they add a tip to the bill and you might miss it. I almost gave a forty percent tip until a friend caught the tip already included in the bill. I will not be back. read more

Happy Friday....missed Tuesday. Had tacos and queso dip! Seriously, orgasm in my pants yummy! Service was excellent. Love the new painting on the front of the building. read more

Every time I walk in here it's so friendly. The food is amazing and consistent. The salsa is 10/10. The guacamole is good too, we get it everytime. The enchiladas are best in town (get the green sauce). The top shelf margaritas and queso dip rule. My wife usually gets the taco salad sans the shell...she loves it. I'm a chili relleno fan, they have a great one. Great price compared to some other places in the area. I have also had them cater for me and that went well too. They have a private-ish room for events but we always eat at the bar. Lots of regulars...that says something about a place to me. read more

El Toro Bravo Restaurant - Top shelf margaritas, guacamole, and chips and salsa. - Mexican Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Food was fantastic and portions were large. Service was wonderful. Waitress was friendly. Wonderful ambiance inside.

Fantastic, food, Service... Great Happy Hour...We will definitely be back. Didn't realize that this place would be such a great experience..*** read more

They catered a work lunch for me & the taco bar was fresh, tasty and the portions were big! Dan was easy to work with & made my event go smoothly. read more

Food was amazing and authentic. Service was excellent especially the home made margaritas! The ambiance was good!

We just moved to town and we discovered this gem. The food and the service are amazing! The place is so welcoming, the staff is friendly and prompt. Try the fajitas and the carnitas tacos, it's so delicious! Before leaving the place, we were surprised by a welcome treat! read more

El Toro Bravo Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Always love Mexican food. Been here plenty of times .....but first for fajitas......5 stars. Love their tacos and queso....but had to leave a review for the fajitas!!! read more

This place used to be a good place to eat. Same people appear to own it but something has changed with the quality of what they serve now. Last visit we ordered a chimichanga with the server said was so good, as the sour cream really made it her favorite and it was served with guacamole. It was very average. Maybe a tablespoon of guacamole. Kitchen tried to make it look good by adding two heaps shredded lettuce. So it was just about cooked and had three tiny, and I mean tiny (why bother) squiggles of sour cream! One five dollar street taco was good but again, five dollars? read more

Are you interested in an awesome street taco simmered beef tips....fire so many good options. Taco Tuesday and 3-6 happy hour... incredible owners that are day to day engaged in their business! Give it a try! read more

El Toro Bravo Restaurant - a bar with bottles of liquor - Mexican Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

We went there about three years ago and left before ordering. The place smelled terrible, We stood waiting at the host stand for at least ten minutes before someone acknowledged us. We were seated in a far corner of the restaurant, even though there was only one other table of people. Both our menus had dried food all over them and were slimy. No one came to take a drink order, so after 15 more minutes we walked out. Yesterday, we decided to give them another try because we saw many good reviews. We were greeted and seated right away. The margaritas came quickly and were delicious, especially the mango one. We both ordered a combination plate. The food arrived quickly. As soon as I saw the hard-shelled taco, I was skeptical. But hard-shelled tacos are found in some Mexican cuisine but are pretty rare. Almost the entire plate was smothered in melted cheese. Only the rice was discernable by looking at the plate. It was supposed to have red sauce on the enchiladas and green sauce on the chili relleno. I eventually dug out the beans, enchiladas and chili relleno from under the cheese. The enchiladas tasted like they were filled with poorly seasoned Hamburger Helper. The chili relleno was flat with nothing detectable inside and the green sauce was a pale, sickening shade of yellow. The rice was good, and the beans were acceptable. There was a big pile of chopped-up greenery on one side of the plate. I assumed it might be cilantro, but the taste was unidentifiable and not good. I don't know how this place gets good reviews. I've had better Mexican food from frozen microwave meals. The service and drinks were GREAT, but the food is gross. Two strikes and they're off the list forever. read more

I had the beef and chicken enchilada special that comes with a hard shell taco and refired beans and rice. My wife has the beef burrito special and our friend has the shredded chicken taco salad. The food was meh. Our meals were all pretty bland tasting. We were underwhelmed with the flavor of our food. Service was excellent - attentive, prompt and very friendly Unfortunately if we are going out to get Mexican food, we have other choices we would go to first. read more

Had a small party there and all I can say is class act!! Manager and staff went above and beyond to facilitate everything. Food and service were simply amazing!!! read more

Food was not Mexican. I spoke with our waitress, who was not at all compassionate, and she told us that most of the cooks were from Puerto Rico. So if your looking for good quality Mexican food, this isn't it. The rice was very sour and bitter tasting. When I told our waitress that we were expecting something else, she did not offer to take it back or offer another item. Very poor customer service, need to teach the waitress' how to make someone's experience better, even if it's by just an act of kindness. read more

We heard such great things about this restaurant however we were extremely disappointed. I've been looking everywhere for something that rivals El Adobe but El Toro Bravo was so salty that it was completely inedible without a ton of cheese and sour cream smothered on top. We live right down the street in gulfgate and my parents like to eat here periodically because of the fun atmosphere. So we ordered a bunch of food for takeout and the portion sizes were amazing. However, every bite we took the food burned our mouths in such an unexplainable way that we had to put sour cream all over everything just to eat it. If you want Mexican food that reminds you of El Adobe and isn't super duper gourmet go to the Grasshopper restaurant. So much better than El Toro Bravo. read more

Support the small local business when you can- this place is going above and beyond with an abundance of caution on clean and sanitary! Thank you for all of that! The FOOD- is amazing! We have missed quality Mexican food and this really hit the spot. If you have a hankering for tacos and burritos and even VEGETARIAN AND VEGAN OPTIONS- check them out and support them in these crazy times! We will continue to be regulars! read more

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When the cookie cutter strip mall chains don't cut it this place cuts it. Homemade chips and salsa are five stars by themselves. Then the friendly but not over friendly staff is also a breath of fresh air. The bar in back has 4 screens dedicated to the game(s) of the night and comfortable stools with backs. The onions on the steak fajitas were carmelizing at exactly the moment the griddle hit the table. Plenty of steak and plenty of sides. I can't express enough how good this food was and how cold the Coronas were. Not to mention I walked in 30 minutes before closing but you'd have thought the wait staff loved working because there was zero rushing anyone to leave. read more

El Toro Bravo Restaurant - Steak fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Order take form here. My first time at the restaurant and ordering food. Dan was such a nice and helpful worker that helped me that day. Food was great! Will be back for more. read more

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This place was once wonderful--the best southwestern Mexican food I've had in Florida, replete with New Mexico-style Hatch's green chili and chili rellenos. But, unfortunately, the new owners have ruined it. The menu remains the same, or close to it, but the quality of the food has deteriorated beyond recognition. I had the Veracruz Combo, an old favorite of mine, but the taco was soggy and bitter tasting, the chili relleno was undercooked and tasteless, and the beans and rice and everything else on the plate was too salty to eat. My wife had the Chili Relleno Plate--also undercooked and too salty to eat. This was our second try at this restaurant since the ownership change (I decided to give it another chance) with the same disastrous results. Won't be back, ever. read more

Guacamole is great! Chips crispy. Great selection. Friendly staff. Super yummy margaritas, taste homemade! Definitely will come back. read more

El Toro Bravo Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

How this restaurant gets 4 stars I'll never know. We had great expectations based on the rating. Atmosphere is so-so: a large open room with tacky decorations on the walls. There was a sign on the table stating that due to increased labor and product costs, only 2 servings of chips and salsa would be served free. They needn't have bothered. The store bought chips and salsa were hardly worth eating. My wife had the taco platter, 1 chicken and 2 beef, and I had their fajita burrito. She said the chicken taco was dry and devoid of flavor and that the beef ones were also tasteless. She said a little flavoring would have been nice and I can attest to that as I tried the beef one and couldn't agree more. The burrito was large and covered with melted cheese and spicy red sauce. That's the only good thing I can say. The fajita steak inside was so tough it was barely chewable. As I was eating it I was trying to figure out what the spice was they flavored it with. Finally it occurred to me: taco seasoning. Not spices from the rack but taco seasoning. Horrible. I only ate a third of it and gave up. To add insult to injury, they passed on the the credit card company charge to me on the bill. My Mastercard purchase cost me an extra 4%. Never seen this in a restaurant and never expect to again. If you didn't figure it out yet from my review, spend your money somewhere else - you'll be happy you did. read more

Food was great just what I wanted from a good Mexican restaurant. Food was fresh, portions was fantastic as well, came out fast and was hot. Waitress was attentive and manager comes around to greet everyone too. I wouldn't mind coming in again when I visit. read more

My family and I decided to come to Sarasota for two nights, for our surprise most restaurants close at 9pm. Of course we are running to eat and trying to find Mexican Food and boom, we got lucky and we called El Toro Bravo and they got us in and closed late because of us, we were the last customers but the staff were very nice and they always had a smile and excellent customer service, the food was amazing. The owner Mr Ruben came to speak to us, served us extra food himself and helped with some details. My experience was excellent and recommend it 200% Thanks guys and I hope your restaurant is full all the time!!! read more

El Toro Bravo Restaurant - Local - Mexican Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Good quality Mexican food! Cadillac Marg was great. We had the steak smothered in a sauce I forget the name of, but it was incredible and the best Mexican establishment steak I've ever had. Owner or manager not sure which was walking around checking up on everyone's experience, and the servers did an awesome job. It was clean and everyone took pride in the place. First timers get a sweet little welcome dessert! read more

FORTUNATELY we are in a far corner. Bartender has mask around her neck. People shoulder to shoulder SITTING at the bar. Did the CDC regs CHANGE while I wasn't looking? Our server did wear a mask. Lost my appetite. NOT coming back. read more

El Toro Bravo Restaurant - Wall hanging. - Mexican Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Fantastic @homemade recipes. ALWAYS COMSISTANTLY yummy and delicious. The chile Reinos are my fav!

We tried this place on a weekday after my wife's work shift. We got there around 5:30pm, thinking it would be empty and we could get fast and personalized service. We were mistaken, the place was busy (mostly Caucasian senior citizens) my wife and myself were the only Latinos being served. Our server was friendly, took our order and we didn't see her until we got the check. Her attention was all focused on the Caucasian patrons, I'm assuming they tip better and need special attention. The food was mediocre for a Mexican restaurant, small portions and overpriced for the area. I ordered the "carne asada" version of what they had on the menu and my wife a fish plate, lack of seasoning and full taste. I've been to a lot of Mexican restaurants throughout the US and Mexico and let me tell you this joint don't serve "authentic" Mexican food, it's more like a fusion between American and Mexican dishes. If you want the real thing, avoid this place and tried other Mexican places in the city. It seems only the name "El Toro Bravo" was 100% Mexican. read more

Drinks and food were good , little pricy for top self margarita $17 , but was large and made without sour mix , so no heartburn later on ! Guacamole was great and shrimp dish was well done w/ flour tortillas provided. Many auth Mexican dishes .. I would come back , during happy hour ... read more

My new favorite! Food is delicious and staff always friendly! Dan the owner is a great guy working all the time! Best in Sarasota!

Yummy and large portions Quality and efficiency Clean surroundings Shall return again read more

Good from beginning to end It has been a year since El Toro Bravo moved to their larger place, yet it looks so new and fresh they could have had their grand opening last week. There is no mistaking you have walked into a Mexican restaurant. The place made a very good first impression on us. It wasn't very busy, so we were able to chat with our server from time to time. She provided information and excellent service from start to finish, and it took much less than 10 minutes from the time we ordered until we received our food. Chips and salsa kept us satisfied while we looked through their menu. For my dinner I selected the Monterrey, one of their combo offerings of enchiladas and a taco. It came with rice, refried beans, and a small salad. Like many of the dishes, you have a choice of red or green sauce, or both. I liked all my food and cleaned my plate. We shared a Flan for dessert, a nice smooth finish. read more

El Toro Bravo Restaurant - Monterrey #1 - Mexican Near Me - Sarasota, Florida