What a cr@p show, can't refill a drink, chicken is tougher than shoe leather, burnt burritos, and zero sh!ys given by the staff, just want el tipo, skip this and go anywhere else. read more

Service was pretty crappy. Biggest issue was my drink had a bug in it and they did not clean the machine. I ordered a peach margarita. I walked in and the man at the desk just waved for me to sit wherever he didn't say anything, the server kinda acted weird about me just sitting wherever. The whole time I was there the servers were cleaning and closing the restaurant even tho I got there an hour before close. They were so worried about cleaning they weren't serving. I had an empty cup for 75% of my meal. I ordered a peach margarita and they had a bug in it. They never cleaned the machine. I waited 20 mins for her to come check on me. When she came she just asked if I wanted a box I told her about the drink and she rushed it away. Didn't come back for like 10 mins I had to get her attention because she didn't refill my drinks the whole meal then she grabbed it and rushed off before I finished talking to ask for the check. When she set it down she rushed off again before I said anything. I had to wait for her to pop up again to ask for my check and she acted like I was troubling her. She went over to the desk and they all looked at me while talking. I definitely won't be back here. I got the chicken fajita it was soaked in oil..... I'm sick the next morning so yeah. The only thing I really liked was the guacamole. read more

Food is good, but last couple times I picked up carryout they have messed up my order, and when you call to tell them they still mess it up.

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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I ordered the taco salad and kept questioning is this really my order. The girl who took my carry out didn't seem to understand English and had to keep asking the manager to come. Last trip here. Very disappointing. read more

I came here while visiting from out of town, with some friends. Our party of five were seated right away, and drink orders were taken. For our group of 5, we were given 2 baskets of chips, 2 salsas and 2 bowls, I had to ask several times for more salsa bowls and chips & salsa, they weren't too good at bringing more around. The food was hot and decent, but service was rather slow. read more

El Toro - Arroz con pollo - Mexican Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Finally! And I love it. Finally found a Mexican place that reminds me of the delicious food I had in my second home of Ensenada, MX. I've been craving chori-quesatacos, a small version of a chorizo filled quesadilla on a homemade flour tortilla. Sounds straightforward enough - but hard to find and even more difficult to replicate the flavor. Look no further. You can find a large version of this culinary delight at El Toro. There it's called a "Choripollo quesadilla". The same incredible chorizo and queso fresco in a yummy grilled tortilla, with the addition of grilled chicken and grilled onions that have soaked up some of the chorizo goodness. Finish the meal with a creamy cinnamon caramel flan. They must add love to it, cuz I was ready to marry the chef after that. Other highlights: You'll get chips and salsa to your hearts content. Service is incredibly friendly and the restaurant is nice and clean. It has a casual, family friendly vibe and prices are great. I wish I could've had more food, but portions are incredibly generous. The table next to me was raving about "The Boss" burrito. Looking at the menu, it's a steak and chicken burrito topped with cheese sauce and chorizo. Sounds epic and the crowd loved it. I'll see you soon, El Toro! read more

Bring a fly swatter. Nats everywhere. The food was mewh. Nothing special has seafood enchiladas very watery. The drinks were ok very small in size and served in Christmas stemware. read more

Casual and welcoming. As soon as we arrived, we were provided with chips and salsa and asked what we wanted to drink. Good Mexican beer on tap and my wife's sangria was delicious. Enchiladas, seafood for my wife (enchiladas Del Mar) and beef for me, were tasty and filling. This is a place for families, singles, and couples. Everyone was relaxed and enjoying themselves. I hope to come back soon. read more

Bad reviews are rare for me, but I honestly feel like this experience warrants one. I came here with a group, and was the very last one to get food--by a long shot. Some people in my group were already done eating even before I got my initial (wrong) meal. I ordered The Hyde Park Salad. It comes with shrimp and crab meat. When they finally brought me the salad, it had chicken. I told them that was not what I ordered, that I don't eat chicken, and the salad I ordered came with shrimp. This guy ARGUED with me and told me that the Oakley salad was the one that came with seafood, making me feel like an idiot. I grabbed a menu, and sure enough, I was correct. They remade the salad, and our server was very nice about it, but the guy bringing out the food was rude and handled the situation very poorly. It was probably at least 15 minutes or so after everyone had their food that I got received mine. The same guy brought out the remade food and didn't bother to apologize or say a word. I didn't expect it to be comped, but I think some sort of discount would have been appropriate. Only the server apologized. The manager never bothered to check up on it. The food itself, when finally received, was good, and the server was nice. That's the only reason for this not being a one-star review. read more

Chose to eat at El Toro yesterday for lunch simply because of the convenient location and the positive Yelp reviews. It was located in a busy strip mall with a variety of other restaurants and other businesses. The OPEN sign wasn't illuminated, but after trying the door we were happy to discover they were indeed open. We were immediately greeted and sat in a beautiful roomy booth. The booth really was a top notch artisan piece. They also had really tasteful big graphic wallpaper- very different from typical Mexican restaurants. We started with cheese dip- it was great, we also experimented with the three different hot sauces on the table. I ordered the Chile Relleno and Chile Poblano a la carte, and my fiancé ordered some type of spicy 3 meat burrito. My dishes were mouthwatering despite their simplicity. Each had unique flavor profiles- not just ingredients arranged in different ways.He enjoyed his meal although he noted that it def needed a lot more spice to live up to the name! He actually really liked his rice and beans which is rare. Service was friendly and prompt. Without a doubt the best Mexican cuisine we've experienced in the Cincinnati area Yum read more

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Service was ok, server was very sweet. However just be aware they will charge you for making your food to go and not tell you before hand. It's a small fee however I have never heard of a fee for having your food to go and I've worked in restaurants for over 5 years. Food is mediocre but not awful. read more

El Toro - Mexican Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

El Toro is slipping. The restaurant still seems clean, the atmosphere is still festive, and the servers are still enthusiastic, friendly, and competent. But you can read my original review from a couple of years ago and see that I wasn't exactly thrilled about El Toro's food to begin with. It has gotten worse. This last time, my plate of a food was just a sodden mass of mushy dullness. A tamal that had the texture of spongecake and less flavor. A chile relleno so runny that it was almost liquified. Chips served at room temperature. Sauces that were viscous and one-dimensional. Salsa that, annoyingly, was more sweet than hot. And so on. I don't know of any Mexican combo-plate/Tex-Mex restaurants around Cincinnati that are really great, but El Jinete and El Trio have raised the level of competition a bit on this side of town. El Toro isn't really cutting it at this point. Hat-tip to the staff on the floor for trying to make the best of it. read more

Decent Mexican restaurant. Really enjoyed the cheese dip..it had an interesting spice to it. Ordered three hard tacos..they weren't bad tho I thought the beef tasted a little funny. My girlfriend had a margarita and she really enjoyed it. The location was pretty nice and the service was not bad overall. I would definitely go back sometime in the future. read more

El Toro - Mexican Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

A nice Mexican restaurant in the Hyde Park plaza. I got their fish tacos and thought they were decent. I would recommend that they provide customers w a piece of lemon to make it less fishy. The tacos were all individually wrapped, so that was good. I guess I must be used to fried fish tacos, so it was different. But parking is plentiful and keep that salsa and chips going! read more

El Toro - Fish Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

There's a term already out there for Americanized Mexican places with big portions, loads of booze and kitschy décor - Mexi-dump. It may not be fair to describe all such places as dumps, but it fits enough of them. Take this one, for instance. Saturday lunch brought us here wanting queso and chips. Somehow that got lost in the order, and we had to request it again. It was a small dish of white goo with a little spice thrown in, not worth it in my opinion. Free chips and salsa were better, with a good kick in the salsa. We also got shrimp cocktail and flautas as entrees. The margarita DLW ordered was pretty gigantic even though it was a medium not a large, and it tasted mostly of tequila. Food was decent, and portions are huge even at lunch. Prices are quite reasonable as well. It's exactly what it looks like, and sometimes that's just what you want. read more

El Toro - Shrimp cocktail - Mexican Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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My wife and I have been trying to find a local Mexican restaurant close to our house in Cincinnati to replace Benny's, our neighborhood staple in Denver. El Toro Mexican Restaurant is only a mile from our new house, in fact we would have walked there if the weather wasn't bad. They are located in the large strip mall named Hyde Park Plaza, next to Ace Hardware and just around the corner from Kroger. The storefront doesn't appear very large, but the restaurant is very deep and has seating for plenty. We arrived just before 7:30 on a Wednesday to find the restaurant mostly empty. We settled into our booth seating and noticed that all the booth tops are shaped like bull horns. El toro translates to the bull, so some care has been made in designing the restaurant. Shortly after sitting down an employee dropped off some chips and salsa and some water. The chips didn't seem very fresh but they were warm. The salsa was pretty good overall, though most of the time I prefer a salsa with more chunks in it. This was very thin, but the spice was there and the flavor was good. Shortly after receiving the complimentary chips and salsa, our server came by to take our drink order. My wife asked if there were any specials, and fortunately one of the smaller sized margaritas was on sale. We both ordered one on the rocks with salt. When they arrived I was shocked at how large it was. According to the menu there are two sizes larger than the ones that we ordered. The taste was decent. It wasn't heavy on either sweet or sour, just middle of the road on flavor. For dinner I went with the combination plate #1, which includes a taco, two enchiladas, and either rice or beans (I chose beans). Overall the food was not good. The taco was completely bland, and though the enchiladas were a little better due to the red sauce on top, they still were bland. The red sauce was simply not full of enough flavor, and their chicken all seemed very dry. The beans might have been my favorite part of my plate, since they actually tasted like I was expecting. For $7.99 the amount of food was good, but the taste needed a lot of work. My wife created her own combination plate with chile poblano, burrito, and tostaguac. She almost ordered the chile relleno but when she realized it was filled with beef she switched to the poblano, which is the same thing except with cheese filling. The poblano was better than anything else on my plate, but still not very good. It too had the same red sauce on it, which really needs work. The burrito was equally as plain and boring as my enchiladas. While the tostaguac (basically guacamole on a tostada) was probably the highlight of the meal. I always thought that it would be hard to find Mexican food that was less flavorful than Don Pablos, but I think El Toro has done it. I really doubt that we will make the effort to return anytime in the near future. Our quest for good Mexican food near our home continues. read more

Service- 4 Food- 1.5 Rounding up to a 3 because the service really was excellent. Located right in Hyde Park plaza near Panera and Kroger, Hyde Parkers cannot beat this location if you are craving Mexican. Unfortunately the food here was just meh--greasy and mediocre. I've kind of come to expect it from standard Mexican restaurants like this but after being spoiled by the Mazuntes of Cincinnati, I've come to be more picky about my Mexican. They had a huge menu full of typical combo platters, enchiladas, nachos and other standard fare. They also had a good drink menu--marg and tequila options as well as a variety of beers. I was not a fan of how you have to pay $1 more for margarita flavors besides lime. I ordered a platter meal that had an enchilada, a piece of carne asada and a fried poblano. The enchilada was okay, the carne asada was chewy and greasy and practically impossible to eat, and the poblano had more cream filling and breading than actual pepper. I also had a lime margarita on the rocks. Definitely made from a mix... It just wasn't fresh and refreshing like I had hoped! A make or break thing for me at a joint like this is the chips and salsa--if they are excellent, the food typically is too. The salsa tasted like it was from a jar and the chips were unfortunately under seasoned. I'd consider coming back for the Thirsty Thursday marg deal but likely nothing else. read more

El Toro - El rancho plate- carne asada, enchilada with chicken and a fried poblano. - Mexican Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Disgusting ordered from here through Uber eats - had a fly in the food , pretty nasty when you gotta check all your food for insects before eating it , made the whole family queasy just the thought that it was contaminated like that read more

Came for lunch. The salsa is great! Ordered the lunch special #10- quesadilla, chalupa, and burrito. Chicken as my protein. The total price was $5.99. I feel that this meal was a GREAT lunch option. Bottomless chips and salsa to the table, and the portion of the lunch special was very generous for the price. Another notable element is the AMAZING service! Every single staff member was extremely polite and worked very hard. It was a great experience. Highly recommend for lunch (particularly the lunch specials) read more

El Toro - The lunch special #10. Chicken chalupa (top left), chicken burrito (bottom left), cheese quesadilla (right). - Mexican Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

I had a quick lunch at this place located in a strip mall next to many other stores and kind of hidden! This place can accomodate a lot of people at lunch time or other times as well. The ambiance is kind of a mix between sports bar and cantina. They have quick lunch menu choices that are designed for lunch rush time and are very healthy looking. Waiter was not so excited of us being vegetarians, unlike other places he didnt give us many options but answered our questions on the ingredients nicely. Food was mediocre at best. I have had mexican food at different places in Cincinnati and this one is not one that I would like to repeat. Their refried beans were very mushy like baby food. There was a huge amount of cheese in everything and the leftovers didnt look appetizing enough to take home. They do get credit fresh chips and salsa. May be a quick lunch visit is all I will recommend for El Toro. read more

we went in for a late birthday dinner and had the best experience. great food and better atmosphere!!

The most amazing arroz con pollo I've ever had in my life. The queso is great. The staff here is so welcoming and friendly. I cannot recommend El Toro enough. 12/10 read more

I'll get straight to the point with this place. We ordered queso with our chips. The queso was cold and too gooey, it seemed very fake. On top of that I ordered an enchilada and it was overcooked. The menu looks appetizing and the prices are fair but be weary about what you pick to eat. read more

great deal for $5.99 jumbo margaritas! Shared tilapia and enchiladas, adding extra heat to both. Will be back again! Especially love watching international futbol matches in the bar area read more

El Toro - great drink!! - Mexican Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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This was my first visit as I was having lunch with some of my colleagues today. I ordered the taco salad and the texture of the meat (chicken) was a bit tough. I didn't quite finish the whole thing as the beans coupled with meat and salsa just was unappealing and runny. It's pretty hard to find really good authentic Mexican when you're accustomed to the west coast but I figured I'd give El Toro a shot. Overall the restaurant itself was clean and accommodating to our party. Our server was nice as well so all in all I give this place 3.5/5. read more

Called to place a carry out. ( I was on my lunch break at work and in a hurry). Asked the guy who answered how much a quesadilla was. He said three hundred dollars. I clarified; "did you say 3 or 300" and he responded with 300. I asked again, how much it was. Once again said 300. Asked one more time, with a tone that made me sound visibly frustrated. Once again said 300. I just hung up the phone because now I already was at the restaurant and pretty upset. I Walked in and asked who answered the phone. Guy raised his hand. I was very visibly frustrated... I said "seriously how much is it?". STILL RESPONDED WITH 300$. Had to ask him, for the 6th time how much it was. Until he finally responded with 5.25. Very unprofessional. Never in my life have I had that horrible of service. I get humor and all. But I'm trying to eat food and go back to work. Not play games... read more

I was really pleased with my experience at El Toro. The restaurant was spacious, clean and the staff was both attentive and friendly. I'm always down for a good authentic Mexican meal and that's exactly what I got at El Toro. I ordered the Arroz Con Pollo however added peppers and onions as well. They offer coupons/discounts via text if you decide to enroll which is great. Can't wait for my next El Toro visit! read more

I concur with others here that the overall quality has greatly declined. We used to frequent the place weekly for lunch and occasionally on the weekend with very friendly bar staff. There have been a number of changes and at this point, I have no intention of returning after my most recent visit. The overall cleanliness is a big problem. On a bright note, they may in fact have the stickiest floors in Cincinnati, so they've got that going for them. Our chips were stale (as usual) and the food wasn't warm. Service is sub-par these days as most of the seasoned and good staff seem to have left. But for a basic menu Mexican restaurant, there are much better options, without the staff, service, food quality, bar drink or cleanliness issues. Disappointing as it was convenient, good and a fun place to stop in. Estoy muy decepcionado! read more

We ordered carry out and for the first time were very dissatisfied. We've been coming here ever since El Rancho Grande moved. El Toro was our favorite Mexican restaurant in Cincinnati. To start, there was literally ice in the tacos. Which says they aren't fresh, and they were obviously cold when we tried to eat them. Also, the chips were stale and they got my other order wrong. I haven't seen the same people in a while so I'm wondering if there was a change in management. Don't know if we'll be back. read more

I come here for lunch about once a week and it's always been a great experience! The staff is friendly and attentive, the whole ambiance is authentic and comfortable, and of course the food is delicious! All of the lunch specials are super cheap (most are $6,) and include either two small items, or one large one, in addition to a side of rice or beans. Plus you get unlimited fresh, hot chips and their delicious salsa! And they're fast! You'll have plenty of time to go on your lunch hour. Highly recommended!! read more

We recently ordered takeout from el toro. The speed in which the food was delivered was extremely quick! We got some fajitas, cheese dip, and guacamole and chips. My biggest complaint is that the cheese dip we got was extremely watery. Probably the worst cheese dip I've ever (tried) to eat. It wasn't even capable of being eaten with its consistency. All of the other food ordered was good and the quality expected. read more

CONSISTENTLY awesome quality of food, service, and atmosphere. This is our favorite Mexican restaurant in the area, no reason to go anywhere else. They recently added a few new items to the menu showing not only a great regular lineup but also keeping things fresh. read more

We will never step foot in there again. Ever. This was the worst dining experience I have ever had in my life and I am including every restaurant I have been to in the world. A comically horrible waitstaff with incompetent, sarcastic and rude management. Sure orders can be messed up (I was a terrible waiter) but that is when a simple apology and sympathetic and understanding management help to correct the issue, not make it worse! This disaster started when just 3 of the 7 orders of food came to our table. Over the next 10 minutes 2 different waiters came by with orders that were not ours. Finally orders 4 and 5 came out 15 minutes after the first orders. Then this is the best part... At least 25 minutes after the first orders were served, our waiter brings out an order of chicken tenders and fries to be split by 2 people. No one ordered chicken tenders. Or fries. 2 in our party unmistakably ordered "chicken fajitas" a basic, uncomplicated, standard dish. The restaurant was not loud. The restaurant was half empty. We just had a party of 7. It was 6pm. We all ordered margaritas and chips and salsa. We were not in the Upside Down. We were at at Mexican restaurant. "Fajitas" and "tenders" could not be more phonetically different. It is impossible to logically conclude why this order was to be split between two people. After much explaining (again this was 2 orders of chicken fajitas) the waiter seemed to understand that a mistake had been made but failed to recognize it was his and never apologized. 50 minutes after the first orders were served, we gave up, and THEN the 2 orders of chicken fajitas came out. One member of our party, who works as a server full-time, told the waiter that because the 2 orders of fajitas were served nearly an hour after everyone else, that those should be taken off the bill. While the checks were being prepared we boxed up these special fajitas. Checks were delivered and the fajitas were on the bills. Again it was explained the fajitas came out an hour later and that they needed to be taken off the bill. This concept baffled the waiter and waitstaff, so no less than 3 different befuddled staff members came to our table, (neither of them introduced themselves or apologized), and inconceivably, each left the table more confused than the other. The bills came out again, this is the 3rd time they have been reprinted, and the fajitas were still on there. Finally, someone in the restaurant who had some authority and brain matter tried to solve this easy problem. But then for some reason he got mad at us and said that because we were served the fajitas that we should pay for them. Even more frustrated we asked for the manager but were told he was "busy in the kitchen" and would not come out! Managers have specific job responsibilities. They help solve problems like this. His failure to address by hiding in the kitchen was like a captain abandoning a ship before any of the passengers are rescued. So this employee then argues with us about paying for the fajitas, asks where the 2 orders are, we point to the boxes and then, incredulously he says if we don't pay for the fajitas we can't take the boxes home. SERIOUSLY. Bucking 10,000 years of restaurant and customer service tradition and etiquette this guy wanted us to pay for food that was served an hour late or we had to leave it. We paid for our food, left the 2 boxes of fajitas on the table, and will never go back there again. After reading this if you want to have the worst dining experience in your life please go there. Tempt fate. But order the Boss Burrito. It was really good! read more

This is my new favorite Mexican restaurant in the area! It's conveniently located at Hyde Park plaza, minutes from my apartment. Went here recently with my friend to celebrate her birthday. The servers are very friendly and make you feel at home. Especially Roberto, whom I assume is the manager. He's the man!!. Plenty of delicious items to choose from their menu and their margarita specials are great for the size. Please check out this place read more

El Toro was slammed on "national margarita day", I'm talking a FULL HOUSE! They still managed to provide good service with mostly all smiles on their faces. Mind you, my boyfriend and I are regulars and definitely rank it in our top two most favorite and delicious Mexican restaurants in our area ! If we want authentic Mexican we are coming here! Usually when we go in the service is quick and easy and they always give you seconds on chips if you run out, free of charge! I also love this place for their plethora of vegetarian options! I seriously love this place, from the vibe it has, to the food, the drinks, and the service! Definitely a gem!! read more

El Toro - Delicious margarita! - Mexican Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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An affordable and very acceptable Mexican place. You can easily get in and out for around $12 including a beer and tip. The service was very good. I was there after the lunch rush but was served fairly quickly. Refills were plentiful. They have a very lengthy menu with a good number of vegetarian options. The chips and salsa were almost enough for me but I ordered a lunch burrito bowl. Quite tasty. This place is not terribly fancy, the food is not brilliant but I enjoyed my meal. read more

This has become my favorite go to Mexican restaurant, they have great service and awesome food! I personally love their taco salads, it is always my favorite thing to order. The usually have drink and food specials which is always awesome! I mean doesn't everyone love a good margarita deal? It's a fun quick place to go after work for a quick bite to eat or even on your lunch break, it's super easy for the ladies I work with to run and grab something sit down but quick. read more

It's a shame that restaurants in Cincinnati too often deviate from what makes that particular food great in the first place. Overly sweet pizza sauce (read LaRosa's), watery thin sweetened chili (read Skyline) and overly hyped, run of the mill burgers (read Zip's). When it comes to Mexican food, it's about sabor (flavor) and a little heat. Sadly, this place has neither. It's as if they toned down the flavors to satisfy people who think ketchup is spicy. I ordered carne asada tacos and was completely let down. Seriously, cook a decent steak, season it a bit, slice and serve on a quality tortilla. Not too hard in my book. But these guys served me tepid, fatty, bland meat. The rice was okay if you like Rice-a-Roni style, but I prefer the real deal. My wife ordered enchiladas with a bland sauce on it (I won't dare dignify it by calling it enchilada sauce). The refried beans were flavorless and the meat was hardly seasoned. When we asked our waiter for some salsa with a little more kick, he said they didn't have any at the time. It seemed that the entire place was full of Hype Park folks that should know better Mexican food. Mostly I observed what appeared to be high school students with fake IDs drinking cheap beer. That sort of sums up El Toro ... lots of potential, great location, but bland and soulless food better suited for a senior citizens home than Hyde Park. read more

I was torn on giving this a three star rating, because honestly, the food doesn't necessarily set it apart from a lot of other places... but there's just something about El Toro that keeps me coming back. This is my and my best friend's go to place, and no matter how fast the food comes out (which is pretty fast) and how fast the margaritas disappear (also far, far too quickly) we never manage to leave in less than an hour and half. Every server we've had here has been fantastic and enthusiastic, and the atmosphere is perfect for just hanging out and catching up. It's loud enough that you don't feel awkward if you start loudly talking tipsy excited style, but quiet enough that you don't have to strain your vocal chords to be heard. And as a final note... the margaritas never fail to disappoint. They've caused many an impromptu field trip down the plaza to wander the aisles of Kroger until their effects have worn off. Pescatarian Rating: 4 A handful of vegetarian combos and almost a whole page of seafood ones. read more