El Toro gives all the classic small town Mexican restaurant vibes in the best way possible! Good food, friendly staff, and quick service.

Love this restaurant. Nice decorations. Friendly and attentive staff. Food I love. I almost always get the chicken fajitas but at this point I have tried almost everything and actually really enjoy everything I have tried. Will keep going every week. Highly recommend read more

It's the only non-chain restaurant in Chillicothe MO it's okay for a mexican-ish restaurant. Slow service. Okay Mexican food. read more

I don't know if I arrived hangry or what - but our experience with El Toro was less than stellar. We were visiting nearby Hamilton / Quilt Town for the weekend and finding a spot to eat for our crew with dietary restrictions was hard. We settled on Mexican food, tried to find a menu online for El Toro after a local suggested it, and we could not do so. The husband called the restaurant and was told to go look at the pictures of the menu on their Facebook page. Frustrated, we decided to hop in the car and go physically look at the menu while the other half of our party stayed back at the AirBnB. Once there, we sent pics to our party and went to order. We got the cheese with meat appetizer and the guacamole appetizer, 4 dinners/meals, and a drink to go (see below). I was told that we had to order chips for our appetizers as they did not come with them. We placed the order which came to over $70 and went outside to wait as no one - not the staff nor patrons - no one was wearing a mask. No signs on the door to indicate they were required, either. When our food was ready, they had stacked 6 containers in one bag and by the time we got to the parking lot we realized the chorizo and cheese dip was on it's side and leaking all over the rest of the food. We made a quick shuffle to put things together again and headed back with our grub. Once at the AirBnB, we realized we had 4 huge bags of chips (unnecessary) - so obviously the apps came with chips and we did not need to order (or be charged for) extra chips. Wasteful. The food itself was completely unremarkable, bland. Ugh. The ONLY saving grace was that I heard someone else order a margarita to go - so I got a Mango Marg in a plastic soup container to go. Otherwise it would have been one sad star. If traveling, look elsewhere for a good meal. read more

Good food but I was once served raw chicken in my food here service is alright not the worst

I have been a few times, in the past, and it has always been pretty good. but the last time I went the food portions were less than half from previous visits. not worth the value. read more

Pretty good. Went in while in town for work, had some variation on Arroz con Pollo, but will the addition of steak and bacon, and queso sauce. Definitely ask for the spicy salsa--it tastes homemade and fresh, and not like someone added cilantro to Ragu, like the house salsa. read more

El Toro - El Toreado--rice, chicken, steak and bacon covered in queso. - Mexican Near Me - Chillicothe, Missouri

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We were passing through during lunch. The salsa tasted more like tomatoes than salsa but they had hot sauce on the table. Guacamole had chunks of tomato and onion and a very good taste! I went to the al a crate menu so I could try a tamale. The tamale was pork inside and they put sauce, beef and cheese over it. I loved the flavor of the pork tamale and sauce. They did not need the beef. The chicken enchilada had the same sauce and the chicken was cooked with onion and peppers. The rice and beans were not served warm but the rice had a good flavor with plenty of garlic. My husband had the choripollo and the chorizo was good without being super dominant. I would go back and try something else. A pleasant surprise! read more

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Wow... Super fast service. Chips and salsa are standard. My wife asked for grilled chicken in her chimichanga and they accommodated her. She was very satisfied. I got carne asada. Just let me say here that it was the best I've ever had.... Anywhere. Beans and rice were ok, and lettuce with guac was fine.... But that steak was just so very tasty... too bad we don't come this way very often... Now I would like to try the steak Jalisco. If I wasn't so full the desserts looked good. Good atmosphere, helpful wait staff. Attentive to our drink refills... this one is a winner!! read more

El Toro - Mexican Near Me - Chillicothe, Missouri

I had Street Tacos with Carnitas. They were really tasty! There were 4 on the very hot plate ~ so I was full after 3 & took one home. All of the "hombres" that worked there were very polite. read more

I am on a mission to try something new every time I go. I have been doing this for the last handful of visits and I have not been disappointed yet! Break out of your comfort zone and you will find something good, I promise! read more

The food was good, service was prompt. The waitstaff were attentive. Would eat there again.

Good food and service was great. We tried the guacamole and it was great we both loved the food and would definitely recommend to others.

RIDE THE BULL Thank you to Yelp for sending us to this place. We will never forget "EL TORO"! We were on a 9 hour car ride to Kansas City, Kansas from Chicago, which started at 3am when we decided that we needed some lunch. My wife called at 10:30am, as we were driving, to find out if they had any lunch specials. They told us that the #4 was on special. The cute part is that he told us like we were suppose to know what a #4 was. We would have gladly looked it up on a website but this restaurant did not have a website. My wife nicely asked what that was and he told her it was a burrito, taco, rice and beans for $4.75. What? That sounds like the deal of the century. I must tell you that there are a bunch of lunch specials from 11am to 3pm from Monday to Saturday and all of them are priced around $5.50. So make sure you plan your trip around those times. We pulled into the parking lot at 10:59am right before they opened at 11am. in fact, there was another car with people already waiting in the lot. When we walked in we were the only people in the restaurant and then we were hit by a giant crowd of people behind us. This place filled up fast because the locals know that this place is the bomb. We got nervous because all of the locals did not even need menus they knew exactly what to order. I was afraid that it would take us an hour to get our food. We quickly placed our order in and much to my surprise the food came out rather quickly. While we were waiting we enjoyed the chips and salsa. My wife is notorious about asking the waiter what other salsa may be hidden in the back. She has a theory that they hide the good stuff and I am starting to believe her. We ended up with two more bowls of different salsa. One was a verde and the other was a ranchero. I must say that all three were really good and I enjoyed dipping my chips into all of them but the original one on the table was still my favorite. My wife loved the verde. Our food was so good. I wish I lived in this town because I might eat here every day for lunch. I went with a giant burrito that had chicken, pork and beef tips inside of it and it was topped with red salsa, white melted cheese sauce and a green salsa which made the Mexican flag and if you do not believe me, then you need to go and check out my photo because it looked beautiful. My wife and daughter ordered the enchilada, taco, rice and beans for about $5.50. This place is a true hidden gem on a road trip. I must mention our waiter too because he was great. He kept checking on us and even filled up our chips basket. We really did not have to ask him for anything because everything was just perfect. We would totally come back here again. Do I sense some foreshadowing? Yes you guessed it we ended up here again about 26 hours later on our drive back to Chicago. We got the same waiter but sat in a different booth. We decided to be crazy and order different items on our second visit. I decided to go with a burrito with the roasted chicken. I have to be honest and say that the chicken here is crazy tender, tasty and juicy. It is probably the best meat available here. My wife and daughter agreed with me and went with chicken burritos too. Our first lunch visit was still fresh in our heads and we were ordering like pros. I still wanted a burrito but I choose a different one with only two colors of the Mexican flag the green and the white. I really loved this burrito because it featured my favorite meat, the chicken, and considering I had all three meats the day before I was a local culinary expert on dinning here. I must mention the ground beef because my daughter got it in her enchilada the day before. It was completely tasteless and lacked any seasoning or flavor. We did ask the waiter if that was the normal ground beef and he said, "Yes!" After tasting it I thought that they might have given my daughter a ground beef that was meant for kids. Our daughter likes spicy and I am sure she would have loved the ground beef with more flavor than it had. I told my wife that it shows me that this place is real. If everything was perfect then I would just wonder what is going on in that kitchen. They are human here. I can not take off a star for the ground beef because between the two visits here in 26 hours the service and food were completely flawless. So technically this is 2 FIVE STAR reviews in one, we gave them a chance and they succeeded in making us happy for both lunch trips. This place will always be bookmarked and I look forward to our next trip to Kansas City, Kansas because I will be having lunch here again. It was the highlight of our 9 hour drive and it was nice to actually sit at a restaurant during a road trip that was not a chain making warmed up frozen microwave food. The locals that live in Chillicothe, MO I am jealous of you because you can enjoy this place at any time. I can not wait to ride the bull again. read more

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seated by a nice gentleman .was approached by a guess a our waitress. rude as when i ordered a ftozen margarita she questioned me...frozen on the rocks? that confused me so i just answered frozen please and she took off not even looking at my husband and or acknowledging him, let alone take his order. very rude and unprofessional. like i had previously said not sure if that was our waitress as she did not introduce herself. we left not even ordering. rude service. read more

My fiancé and I stopped here driving from Nebraska to St. Louis, and the food was so good!! We both got a burrito from their lunch menu stuffed with eggs, chorizo, and fries and topped with queso Nice looking place, it's much bigger inside than it looks on the outside. We also had quick service, we essentially found a hidden gem in middle MO read more

Burrito was underwhelming. On the small side and the "Asada" was nothing more than a well cooked beef strip... no flavoring, and a tough cut. The red sauce reminded me of canned tomato sauce. It was well prepared and tasty but definitely not what I was expecting. read more

Feed the whole family at a reasonable price. I had the chicken taco salad. Wife had the ground beef taco salad. Both very good.

El Toro is one of our family's favorite places to eat in Chillicothe, and it's also a town favorite. Not much to look at from the outside, but don't let this fool you! Even when they are extremely busy, they are super fast so getting in and out is not usually an issue. They are good for handling crowds. They serve generic chain-type Mexican food, but the serving sizes are large. I have grown to enjoy some of our waiters who've been here for 10+ years, and or two of them know what we want to order before we say it. The service makes up for any lackluster with the food. When we lived in Chillicothe, we were regulars here! Pitcher of margaritas and spicy salsa? Forget about it! The chips and salsa come standard when you sit down, and I've been loving their salsa since I could drive myself here (16 years and counting). The fact that I cannot seem to replicate their goat cheese dip at home perplexes me extremely. It's amazing, and it's probably a good thing I can't replicate it at home from scratch because I would eat it all the time! Tip: Free fried ice cream on your bday if you don't mind the embarrassment of being serenaded with a spoon full of whipped cream in your face! Also, get the cheese dip. Put it on everything. Have no regrets. Enjoy! read more

Still not any good. It boggles my mind how this place is still in business. For the past couple years it has been going down hill. I gave them the benefit 9f the doubt and went back last month, and regrettably again most now. The food is bland and very oily. The ground beef is not seasoned and the service was very poor. You used to he able to at least count of friendly, fast service. Sadly that has also suffered. The only reason I can think of as to why people still frequent this place is there is no other place to choose from. Totally disappointed. Just pass it up and find something else. Honestly, I hat to say this, but TacoBell is better...and that's sad. read more

Visiting from out of state, found this place and was very happy food was good, service was competent. Would eat there again when coming thru town read more

Not a bad joint. Nice employees, quick service, & decent food. Had the quesadillas, Carne Asada, & hard tacos. Would come back again if we ever drive through here. Margarita was pretty tasty too. read more

I just had dinner here and it is a restaurant you have to try. I am from out of town and yelp led me to it. I love Mexican restaurants and I put this one in the top two I have ever ate at. The outside is unattractive but don't let that fool you. It is clean and overall a great looking restaurant. The servers are quick and attentive. I have had many steak Jalisco in my trips to Mexican restaurants and this one ties with the best I have ever had. If you ask for special salsas they are happy to bring a bowl. I loved the verde. If you ever get the chance to visit this place I would strongly encourage you to do so. If your experience is anything like mine you will leave full and very happy with the overall experience. read more

Passing through on $2 beer and margarita night so bonus there! Had pollo Hawaiian which was amazing. Husband had chimichanga which was very good also. Would def stop in again if passing by. Very authentic food and atmosphere. read more

Excellent choice for lunch or dinner! They have a large selection and ambiance adds to the meal! Will come back here if ever in the area when traveling for work! I had the chicken fajita burrito (no lettuce!) with cheese sauce instead of red sauce, and it was delicious!! read more

El Toro - Chicken burrito fajita no lettuce, with cheese sauce instead of red sauce. Delicious!! - Mexican Near Me - Chillicothe, Missouri

very good, family had beef fajitas, and we also had the super nachos-all super yummy, great place on vacation from TX going through MO. We had a great server, always brought us more chips and everything we needed b4 we needed it, place decor was wonderful and unique. We did order dessert, not as good as main dishes, but overall loved and would go back. Servings are massive enough to share. Had beef fajitas and super nachos all was great. Had dessert it was okay, but main courses were wonderful. Menu is massive, something for everyone. read more

I've ate here a couple times. This was a date night choice last night, 2/7/2020. All four of us had food poisoning within 20 min of finishing our meal. read more

Salsa is delicious! We loved the fajitas and the fajita taco. Reasonable prices and very fast service. Everyone seems to know everyone else inside. read more

Our young family really likes El Toro. My wife and I are not much for Mexican food. However, we usually eat there with the younger set after ball games. One of the family will recommend for us as we aren't Mexican food literate. Each dish we've had has been very good and quite often as good or better later as warmed-up left-overs. The portions are generous and prices right. I did learn our last visit never to order the colossal Margarita. No normal person could possibly drink it all. At least not without a freeze headache. BTW, the Margaritas are excellent as expected in a good Mexican restaurant. The waiters are always attentive and pleasant. Food is served timely and very, very hot. Tortillas are plentiful and dip dishes always filled. I'm becoming aware I always give a 5-Star review. This is because if not completely satisfied, I don't review or return. read more

I wish I could say something wonderful about this restaurant, but the truth is that it just isn't very good. The service is good, and very fast. Too fast. It has to sell be pre cooked and ready to go to be that fast. The prices are reasonable and in range for the area. The chips and salsa, that is the best part. Good salsa. The food, that depends on what you order. Fajitas aren't bad. The chicken dishes are just ok. Their ground beef is unseasoned and bland. Premade taco shells tortillas. The refritos and rice are almost flavorless. I used to come here often years ago and it was pretty darn good. Pver the past several years it's gone down hill. I have tried it again every year or so hoping it would improve and yesterdays visit proved that it has not. Yet, it is the only Mexican restaurant in town, so they have no competition, well, except Taco Bell, and sadly they have more flavor, so they stay busy. If the folks around here knew what good authentic Mexican food was, these guys would be run out of town. Don't waste your time, you will be disappointed. read more

Fast service and good Mexican food! Always a hot spot in Chillicothe. Large place can accommodate groups. Has a north room that can seat around 25, or call ahead of you have a group larger. Great for birthdays! read more

Everything was very good the rice was fluffy and had good texture. I had the carnitas Verde with whole beans (instead of refried) which I highly suggest. My wife had veggie quesadillas and liked how crispy they were except one of them was attacked in top of the refried beans.Oldest daughter had the shrimp sand steak burrito said the shrimp was cooked right and the steak was well done. Youngest daughter had the polo hawian which had saute cucumber and yellow squash broccoli and cauliflower covered in queso. Not a one of us had any compliants. We were just passing through read more

Excellent margaritas and I love the tacos!! I always ask for a premium tequila with my margarita and it's as good as any I've had, which has been quite a few! read more

We eat here all of the time and it is very consistent. The waiters are really friendly and some already bring our drinks and cheese dip before they even ask us. read more

Service fast and friendly. Food fairly typical but decent quality. Not authentic Mexican but Americanized Mexican.

Good lunch place with a nice atmosphere. All of the meals I've had here have been decent. It has a standard menu for a Mexican restaurant, but the service is quick and accurate, which meets expectations. read more

Delightfully decorated, bright and cheerful interior. We were seated immediately. Service was lightning fast, and the food came out just as quickly. We had a ground beef chimichanga. We ask for it crispy, which always seems to be a big challenge in most Mexican restaurants. This one came out as crispy as the fresh chips. In short, everything about this place is perfect. The server was bright and cheerful and pleasant and actually acted like he wanted to be here. We have found our new place for chimichangas! read more

I cut my lip on a chipped margarita glass and still had to pay full price on everything.. couldn't finish drink or meal because it stung do to the cut...no one in charge according to staff...told discount on next visit...I live clear on the other side of state yes like I'm coming back...be aware of this place big time!!! Food wasn't that good anyway my husband wasn't impressed at all. Going to report to food inspection of state...county which ever. read more

So I was in Chillicothe today with some friends and it's a pretty neat town. We had El Toro recommended to us by the awesome people we were with and Oh My God!! I got a chimichanga, as it is my go-to Mexican meal and sweet lord baby Jesus I took my first bite and the angels rejoiced. The Lord had blessed the man who prepared this meal for me and it was apparent as the beef fell out of the magically prepared tortilla. Five minutes of glorious, chimichanga filled ecstasy later, I ate the quesadilla I ordered and it further solidified the already glowing experience I had already had. 5 out of 5 Chimichangas read more

Love El Toro, they are soooo nice and food is consistently good. Love the salsa Verde and salsa picosa.