Best Chimichangas ever! Great chips and salsa. Nice staff. I'll keep going back for that and I may even try something else. read more

Classic Mexican restaurant. Quick service, big menu, big portions, reasonable pricing. Nothing fancy, not going to be the best Mexican food you'll ever have, but solid overall. Staff is friendly, you're gonna fill up on chips and salsa, and you're going to leave pretty happy. read more

El Toro - Bravo Special - Mexican Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Been eating g here for years,enjoyed my food until my past 2 visits. The hostess/waitress was so rude both times I refuse to recommend this restaurant. Loved my taco beef salad,had it delivered via uber/door dash, but will not be dismissed by this restaurant worker. Having been in the restaurant/food industry for over 16 years as a waiter and manager I would not have this person working at any of my restaurants. I usually order one small item and a drink,and make sure to leave at least a 40% tip regardless of my bill. Today I refuse to tip. Professionalism and smiles go a long way for this industry. read more

We don't come here a lot but we have been coming here for years. I feel like this place does really well on some good Mexican American basics. I tend to always have the Chorri Pollo which is just one of my favorites. I know it's not the most authentic considering it's just chicken covered in chorizo with cheese but I love it! Husband got the molcajete this time which is basically just a big hot bowl of meat with sauce. Delicious! Service is always good and ambiance is your typical Mexican American restaurant ambience. Nothing to hate about this place at all! Hyde Park area can get a bit snobby with authentic food but this place continues to be consistent and good. We will continue to return! read more

El Toro - Chorri pollo - Mexican Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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The food and service was terrible yesterday. It took me a day to calm down to write this review. I'll try not to use cuss words. This used to be a nice place with good food and service. It has steadily declined in recent years. The food and service was so bad yesterday we didn't even have to pay. Waitress was a eye roller and rude. I have been to several Western states and they wouldn't last a week out West with their food quality. It's a shame. Make other plans for Cinco de Mayo. read more

COLD Mexican food. Sent out cold . Three meals then returned and sent back to table COLD. The waitress was great and had Manager speak with us. The manager was very disrespectful and walked away from table. The waitress saved the day for us and spoke to the manager about our problem. The waitress told us we would not be charged for dinner. We left a $15 tip and walked out. We will not return. read more

The lady at the front desk was sooooo rude. She hung up on me twice! I ordered a taco salad with shrimp and explained several times that's what I wanted. They give me this. I just spent $52 and a dollar tip. One day these restaurants will learn to value their customers bc there will be a recession and they will feel it. read more

El Toro - Mexican Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

I decided to try El Bravo as I live near by and it was very convenient. I ordered the steak fajitas from the lunch menu and asked for a bit extra lettuce. When it came out she handed me a large plate of lettuce which I thought was bit weird. The fajitas themselves were alright, nothing too great. I was suprised, however, to see she charged me $2.20 for the plate of lettuce. I had asked for a little extra lettuce on the side salad, not a whole additional plate. Weird... read more

El Toro - Mexican Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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They have really cut back on the chips/salsa for take-out orders. The traditional queso 6 oz cup is over $6 which provided chips. Three expensive entrees and one 8 oz ? salsa. read more

Quite literally the BEST Mexican food and experience I have had. Have been multiple times now and have never left disappointed. Food is good and fairly priced. Service is always good and never leaves a water empty. Will definitely become a regular here. read more

Fast, reasonably priced, and a huge menu with something for everyone. I have been coming to El Toro Bravo for years now and every time I leave happy and full. Their drinks are delicious and huge! We love to get the veggie fajitas and Quesobarrias. read more

El Toro - Quesabarrias - Mexican Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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I pass by El Toro almost everyday and finally decided to try it. I love Mexican food, so I considered myself a harsh critic going into this meal. The strawberry daiquiri was amazing. It tasted just like ones I get in Mexico, seriously! The queso and salsa had a good kick. I would probably pass on the guacamole. Not bad, but not special. I always order carnitas while trying a new restaurant. They were tender, flavorful, and a large portion. I was so happy with my experience and I'm waiting to go back. read more

El Toro - Carnitas Dinner - Mexican Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

We live in the neighborhood but haven't been here in many years. When friends suggested this on St. Paddy's day, we decided to give it a go. We were pleasantly surprized how good the food was. I had the Mexican tacos, three kinds for $12, a steal! We enjoyed the entertainment from the servers and free shots. A party atmosphere for sure. There was a bit of a language barrier with our server that prevented our friend from ordering what he usually does. Also, the ladies room was trashed. Overall, solid Mexican food, we'll be back! read more

Used to be a favorite. Been going for years. They took out some booths for a "stage" but then put all the tables up front so everyone is sitting on top of each other. No room to move. Our server was inattentive at best. The food was meh. And it was the weakest margarita I've ever received there. And what was up with the little blinking light in the margarita? People at more than one table were taking the lights out of their drinks and hiding them in napkins cause the lights were so distracting. And come to think of it, the chips and salsa weren't even as addictive as they used to be. read more

Not sure how this place is as well rated as it is. Simply put the service is good and if you dine in, chips and salsa come in warm and in a timely fashion. That kinda where the good ends. Food, while affordable, lacks quality, flavor, and possibly freshness. My last visit was quickly shortened after I ordered the Carne Asada. Tough, thin, non tender, and over cooked meat was delivered alongside odd tasting rice and beans. The fried ice cream that followed continued to the streak of unappetizing dining. Good, attentive service and a standard atmosphere complicated by low quality food. I'd personally have no problem spending another 5 to 10 dollars here if it meant higher quality food. Certainly at that point this would be a four star review. read more

The food and service were great, the restraunt has a nice atmosphere also. Behind the bar was a bit of a mess, but other than that everything was great. read more

El Toro - a plate of mexican food and a glass of wine - Mexican Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Super excited to try this place because of recommendations. I ordered Tacos de Carnitas but ended up with dry tacos meat. Cheese Dip, however, was yummy. read more

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Food = 5 stars. Service = 0 stars. That averages to 2.5 but with rounding that's a 3 and I just felt that would be misleading. Food always tastes great whether I eat there or have it delivered. But service is just poor, including attention to simple & obvious details. Replicating an occurrence from a previous delivery experience with them, today's lunch will be the last time I give money to El Toro. I ordered one item, the lunch fajitas. I did type in a message which read in its entirety as "No rice, sub extra beans; beans on side please". I did not receive rice, so check. But I also received the standard amount of beans which came in the same tin as the fajita meat & veggies. In that same, single, unseparated, aluminum pan was the GUAC SALAD. The missing beans aside, I feel like it is basic human common sense to not put a cold salad in the same tin as a hot item. Let alone two hot items. Let alone when the customer has asked you not to do that exact thing. (Which is what happened the last time I ordered here, hence my replicating occurrence comment above and the cause of me feeling like I should type it in this time.) Now, I admit this is a relatively small thing. But it is a repetitive thing (and potentially dangerous thing if your stomach cannot handle mild food-born illness). And it is an obvious thing one should not be doing with carryout food, no? Regardless, I feel this is a harbinger or more foundational, underlying issues with either poor management, lack of customer-centric mindset, oversight & accountability issues, or something else. Something other mexican restaurants don't seem to have a problem with. So for those reasons, I'm out. read more

we are looking for a new go to mexican restaurant and this place was delicious! Service was alright. The portions are huge!!! read more

El Toro - top: burrito bottom: chicken chipotle - Mexican Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Ordered online. Paid for cheese sauce, did not receive. Ordered the chicken quesadilla with extra cheese. A soggy cold mess with barely and cheese at all. Gross read more

El Toro - The quesadilla is soggy cold mess with barely and cheese at all. Gross - Mexican Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Good service, overpriced a bit, $3.50 soda, not flavorful as well especially considering cost, bland rice, beans and meat. Nice restaurant. read more

El Toro - Steak fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Sometimes you just need a little Mexican food. Not the fancy kind. Or the overpriced trendy kind. But, legit, the available kind! This hit the spot and lasted 2 meals:) that queso was deeeelightful! read more

El Toro - Enchiladas, a taco, queso - Mexican Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

What a lively Cinco de Mayo! Well worth the wait! Great host and staff! Authentic and fresh. Love the white refined beans. So flavorful. Best tamales I've had since childhood. Made authentically with masa and flavorful red sauce. Guacamole is housemate and fresh that's yummy too! read more

It takes a lot for me to say I will never return somewhere, but that is 100% the verdict with this place. I placed a carrryout order and when I arrived my order wasn't complete, missing tortillas and sauce, but not a big deal I get it. I ordered 3 entrees, when I was confirming my food was correct I noticed I'd only received 1 bag of chips and one small container of salsa. I asked for another and waited for my missing items. Suddenly a manager appears and begins to coach the person at the counter how to do something on the register. I'm not really paying attention, until they ask me to pay $2.50 for the additional chips. I was extremely confused. When you sit in this restaurant (which I have more than once) they shovel chips at you like they're going out of style, but they wanted to charge me for a carryout. I know this may seem really small, but I cannot believe when you purchase 3 entrees (total of $40) you cannot receive an additional bag of chips upon request when they're typically complimentary at pretty much any Mexican restaurant I've ever been to. The manager held his ground and told me their policy is one bag of chips per order. To add insult to injury, I ordered guacamole so technically paid for the chips I received since they were a part of the guac. Needless to say I did not purchase the additional bag and while the food here is decent, it's not enough for me to ever return when there are at least 5 other similar establishments in a 10 mile radius. Ridiculous. read more

El Toro - Bag of chips and cup of salsa that was given for 3 people. - Mexican Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Draft Modelo was flat and taco salad was fair- very soupy ground beef. I'll try a margarita next time and see if that works!

Overall we really like El Toro - the service is always great and the menu has great vegetarian options. This past time, though, I found a piece of chicken in my veggie burrito, so that was a bummer. read more

Armed with a Groupon, I headed out to visit what I believe is my first Mexican restaurant since moving to Cincinnati in May. The biggest complaint I have - and this may not even be their fault - is the Groupon voucher itself. The voucher states that it is for a "Combination meal for 2", but the deal actually includes more than that. I had to go back to the Groupon site to verify what it actually included to make sure we received what we had paid for. Aside from the two combo meals, it includes an order of chips and dip (chips and salsa are brought out automatically, so this allowed us to get a side of queso to go with it) and a dessert. The cheese dip was a tad watery but still very tasty. And the salsa was good, slightly on the spicy side. We also got a margarita to go with our meal. They were on special for $4.99 for a Jumbo. This is possibly the strongest margarita I have ever had at a restaurant. I was impressed! All in all, it was an enjoyable visit. The staff are attentive - our server had a heavy accent, which made him a bit hard to understand at times, but there were no mistakes with our order. The food was good. It's reasonably priced, and servings are generous. It is a fairly large and clean space. read more

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Excellent food, excellent service! Our entire family was satisfied. They start you with their fresh made chips and salsa and from there we were hooked. I had the Acapulco Special and will definitely have it again. read more

El Toro - Acapulco Special - Mexican Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Ugh, El Toro used to be SO GOOD. Then they changed management. The old manager would walk around, greet customers by name and was always smiling and joking. We used to go every Tuesday. Then they got new management, most all of the regular servers quit or went somewhere else. It's like they cleared house, updated the look of the restaurant (I mean it looks great), and then upped prices. The food is still great. Margs are good, but they are always out of a lot of the flavors they newly advertise, which sucks. And I miss the old manager and the old team. They were so friendly. read more

Esta culero, todo los meseros que son paisas, nomas atiendan la gente que es americana y cuando uno llega como yo "Paisano" nomas se hacen como no te ven y nadien viene ayudarte y no tienen nadien enfrente cuidando los pedidas. Estuve esperando 40min hasta que un menso mesero le dio las ganas de decirme "... oyes busca trabajo?" Respondi "No wey, tengo 40 pinche minutos esperando mi perra comida que ordene por linea y no se ve que estaba lleno el lugar y asi no pueden con la demanda de pedidas?" Para jamas regresare a este hogar de ojetes. Y la comida estaba mas fria que mis perras nalgas que tengo de tanto esperar!!! read more

We went to El Toto yesterday afternoon for lunch. First impression walking in the good was good. We were quickly seated, and were brought salsa and chips. The salsa was a lot better than I was used , Spicy! We ordered off of the Lunch menu, each of us ordering different dishes. My wife ordered a chicken chimichanga, I ordered Alanbres. Both were very good. We had margaritas, which were also very good. From the chips/ salsa, both lunches, great tasting drinks, and very good service. A very enjoyable lunch. We may go back as early as tomorrow, ladies day drink specials! read more

If you're looking for good food and great service definitely check out El Toro in Hyde Park. As soon as you walk in you are greeted by their friendly staff. The manager is always walking around making sure everyone is being taken care of. The atmosphere is great especially on Fridays. You can definitely tell the workers care about their customers. They always have a smile on their faces and working hard! 10/10 would recommend. read more

If you've read any of my reviews about brick and mortar taco spots you already know I'm not a fan. Literally the only thing that lured me in are the margaritas and on this particular day they had a deal which put me in a jovial mood. The restaurant is centrally located and there is lots of parking. There was some confusion with the wait staff about some of the prices so I'd suggest asking two or more people what the pricing is for specials to make sure you get it. Everyone was friendly and check in on us frequently. My little man loved it so I have to give my endorsement. Not so humbly submitted, Michael C. read more

I picked up dinner here a couple days ago and I would 10/10 recommend. It was fast from the moment I walked in and put my takeout order. Food was still hot by the time I had gotten home. They had boxed everything so nicely. Someone even came to my car because I had forgotten a salad for one of my meals! Incredible service. Will definitely be coming back. Thank you! read more

The portions have shrunk but the prices have increased. Even if the menu says a price they will charge you differently. I understand that inflation has hit everyone but don't increase your price and reduce your portions. We ordered a boss burrito which was clearly less full than usual. It contained mostly beans. We also ordered chicken fajitas which were mostly peppers and thinly sliced chicken. This used to be one of our favorite places to eat but until they fix the issues we won't be returning. read more

Solid, reliable Mex. Quicker than most which is damn near break neck speed. The molcajete while some intimidating entree, is excellent. Never had a bad one yet and their's is above average. Dining hall was a bee hive which is usually a solid indicator for the locals, so they are doing a brisk business, a good sign. Only obvious con I can remember was a hiccup between them and GrubHub. Driver had arrived for pick up, called us to inform it was never made. Understandably upset, drove down myself, "Hey, what's up?" *shows phone, order, receipt* It seemed to get passed around in this blank, "IDK, man..." sort of purgatory. Even asked for management, someone, anyone to delineate authority, but had to settle for a fresh start; they just remade everything, tried to double time it, but you can only camp out at the front desk for so long and be asked mistakenly if you're paying your bill from the dining hall and know you already paid it an hour ago and have to wait regardless. No comped meal, discount, or apology, actually. I guess that would be an admission of guilt but I know the driver isn't the one manning the reception phone and he certainly isn't manning the grill, so... Short version: food is above average, service is usually good enough, but that 1 time...yikes. Hopefully, just an isolated incident. read more

Once a loyal customer of this establishment. Seems like things have gone downhill in the last four months or so, and there seems to be new management. Today was awful, the floor was sticky throughout the restaurant, it smelled, and one worker would not even respond to us. Also, my buddy was trying to use a text offer from corporate and they would not accept it?? And I had the same one, which we receive all the time and have used before? Please bring Alex, Victor, and Diego back; things were so much better. May never go back! read more

I've been coming to El Toro for years and it's my favorite Mexican restaurant! Their margaritas are great and so is their Blue Hawaiian! Ordering the queso is a must. My favorite dishes are the chicken or shrimp fajita quesadillas, choripollo meal, and choripollo quesadilla. However, there are so many other good items to choose from, including their tacos, tostadas, and of course their Big Boss Burrito, which includes a little bit of everything. End the meal with either a chimicheesecake or their churros as they're both delicious! They have carry out options, which includes margaritas to go! They also added an outside patio after the pandemic began. I feel they are doing a great job at safety measures during COVID-19. Lastly, you always feel at home at El Toro as their management and staff are always so welcoming! read more

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The floors were so sticky it felt like they were made of tape. The service is so bad we had to ask twice for a high chair, and we had to stop a server (who wasn't ours) and place our order (waitress even seemed irritate). Our server sat us down and we never saw her again. A manager ended up bringing our food out. The inside of the food was warm and the outside was cool. The last time I was there was over 10 years ago and even then it wasn't the best but it was ALOT better than this. We DEFINITELY won't be going back. read more

Now I have been wanting to try this place out and I did! Unfortunately, I got sick immediately after eating the food. I am not sure it was what I ate or dranked. I had a jumbo margarita. The food looked and smelled good. The customer service was a little slow. Try them out and hopefully you will have a better experience than I. read more

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