Being back in my hometown, but having spent much of the last 25 years living in the southwest and Mexico, I was craving some Mexican food. In my 10 days in town, I tried a few (but probably not all) of the Mexican restaurants, and this place was by far the best. Don't get me wrong, nothing comes close to real mexican bought from a street cart in Mexico, but for Nebraska, this place was top notch. Hastings is lucky to have it and I look forward to my next visit. read more

See all

El Toro Mexican Restaurant provided an okay dining experience during our recent visit. The atmosphere was pleasant, with a typical Mexican restaurant decor, and the seating was comfortable. The standout aspect of our visit was the server, who was genuinely friendly and attentive throughout the meal. Their positive attitude added a nice touch to an otherwise average experience. The food was good but not excellent. We did however enjoy their hot sauce. Tip ask them to mix the verde with their spicy sauce very delicious. read more

See all

Service was slow, she charged us for rice and beans when our plate came with it already. The fajitas were not good. Our waitress was hard to find when we needed anything. The queso was the only thing I liked read more

We came in town for a wedding from Las Vegas and LOVED it! The birria tacos were amazing. Service was great and so friendly. Coming back during the stay. read more

I came here because it was walking distance from my hotel. The service was prompt and my margarita was delivered quickly while I looked at the menu. The salsa was nice as it was chunkier than I normally get at restaurants. The chip were warm and I enjoyed them. The entree was out quickly as well but I don't remember what it was called. A bowl of rice covered in fajita toppings with 3 tortillas. A few too many bell peppers for my taste but they did enhance the flavor. Since I was traveling, I probably won't be back, but it was a good option for my this time read more

See all

Visited Friday evening at 5:30pm. Only about 6 people in the restaurant. Ordered "Tacos Supremos" but what I got was not what I ordered. It states on the menu "Served with lettuce, pico de gallo, corn, sour cream and shredded cheese." But clearly there was not pico de gallo, corn, or sour cream included. These tacos were bland and so dry. Took 10 minutes to flag down our waiter and ask about the missing ingredients. He acted like he didn't understand what was missing. I gave up and just asked for sour cream to try and lessen the dryness. I paid $14 for three crap tacos! I don't recommend this restaurant. Go to El Puerto if you want good Mexican food. read more

See all

Great Mexican food! salmon tacos with the habanero salsa was great! table chips and salsa could use a little spice but there was plenty for everyone. read more

This place is terrific. The service was phenomenal, the food fabulous, and the margarita festive. read more

El Toro - Nachos Supremo - Mexican Near Me - Hastings, Nebraska

Nice place, wrong food, tasteless, I haven't tasted Mexican food so Bland, Nothing, couldn't finish the meal, my wife ordered the taco salad, the shell was like a permanent plate fixture. Oh yes, something scary, no Mexicans eating.... oh did I say the refried bend looked water down.....! Really, Yes...how is that possible.... Today we should Not post negative reviews, However, there is Always an Exception....Clean it up get a real Mexican cook, Until then.... read more

This was the 2nd worst Mexican food I have had. I only gave an extra star for the coconut margarita, which was the best part of the meal. Service was mediocre and slow, the ground beef was overly salty, the cheese enchilada sauce was not great and the Chile rellano was very soggy. The food was not very hot when it came out. Had a strawberry margarita that did. It taste or look like a strawberry margarita. Also gave the extra star only because it was right next to our motel and we didn't want to drive after a long day of traveling. read more

El Toro had fast friendly service! Delicious food and good Margarita's! My new favorite read more

El Toro - Burrito with shredded beef! - Mexican Near Me - Hastings, Nebraska

This is a great local restaurant that has fresh ingredients. I would've given them for stars, but I think their entrées are overpriced. I ordered a seafood burrito with no sides for $13. I thought it would have shrimp, but it only had imitation crab. My dining companion ordered shrimp tacos, and the shrimp are huge. The chips and salsa were also delicious and plentiful. I thought that the food deserved for stars, but the prices were high for this area. For example, the margarita special was still $7.99. read more

El Toro - Burrito Vallarta with seafood - Mexican Near Me - Hastings, Nebraska

The salsa is full of flavor, Garlic and cilantro make it wonderful! Great service that is very quick. read more

Excellent Mexican food in Hastings and friendly staff too. Nice location and clean. Definitely recommend!

Great service! Fajitas large portion and tasty. All for a reasonable price. I will return again for sure read more

This place gave me food poisoning! Overall, it takes a lot to give a restaurant this low but food poisoning would do it. The servers were pretty unresponsive as well. I walked in and sat at the bar. Ordered a drink, and got it quickly. Food took a fair amount of time to get out, but after my food came out my waiter did not visit me again unless I requested his presence. Did not even check on me. The lack of service and the food poisoning warrant this low of rating. read more

Ate here a few times when they first opened a year or so ago. Was not impressed then, mostly with service. Most recent visit was great, for food, drink, and service. Chips could have been a bit fresher, but overall ok. Of the multiple Mexican restaurants in Hastings, I would likely return to this one the next time the mood strikes. Caught the tail-end of margarita happy hour, and was glad I did. read more

Food was definitely sub par. Cheese dip was delicious with a bit of a kick. Standard salsa and chips except the chips were not fresh. They tasted like they came from a bag. Nothing special about their rice, not jazzed up with anything. Flavor on the the el pueblito was good but the side of beans looked like puréed baby food. My margarita came with regular table salt on the rim and was way too sweet. Service was good, especially considering COVID. Plenty of other places to try, won't try again. read more

I had a chimichanga (chicken) and was not disappointed. Plenty of flavor. Corona is always a welcome drink as well. ;-) I had good service at the small bar. read more

Nice atmosphere and clean. Service was fast but server could barely speak English and got the order wrong. The premium margarita was plentiful but didn't have much tequila. The food was Americanized, colorful and well presented but lacked any flavor. The prices were ok but not justified by the flavor or service. read more

Solid Mex food. The Carne Asada burrito was perfect. Their signature is the margaritas. Deadly strong and very good. read more

El Toro - Mexican Near Me - Hastings, Nebraska

Decent Mexican food in town. The atmosphere is great for taking friends out or meeting over drinks. Very similar to the location in GI. Free chips and salsa is always. Bonus! read more

Great little restaurant. Shrimp tacos were AMAZING. Everyone else in our party raved about their meals as well. Good margaritas, salsa was fresh, and service was fantastic. Would totally go back. read more

Guacamole was without flavor. I had the taco salad. Lettuce was that pointy purple and green stuff that tasted like it came from Mexico on a truck down a dirt road the whole way. Although there was more than enough chicken in the salad, it wasn't drained before putting it in the tortilla bowl causing a river of grease to come pouring out when I broke off one of the sides. On the plus side....the salsa was good, the waitress very friendly and the corona was like any other. Not 100% disappointed but won't be back. I'll go to taco bell instead. read more

I'm from Kansas City, MO, so I know good Mexican food. Kansas City has the best Mexican food in the Midwest, so I have high expectations. I'm in Hastings, NE for a couple months on business. My first night in town I ate at El Toro at about 7pm on a Friday. The place was packed, but I was by myself so i sat quickly at the bar. I had the Carnitas plate. The serving size was good, price was right and it was tasty. I'd give the Carnitas plate a 4/5 stars. The service that night was good, a little slow on getting me new beers, but it wasn't horrible. Since I had eaten there I heard from a State Trooper acquaintance, that works in Liquor Control, that the kitchen is far from clean. I didn't let that phase me I had a pretty good experience before so why not try again. I just got done eating at El Toro. I ate at 3pm so between rushes on a Sunday. When i came in, the place was empty except for a small group of Hispanic people whom the waitresses were collected around. It is only an assumption that they all knew one another. The waitress sat me down in the farthest booth from the door, way in the back. I'm not a novice foodie so I know I can ask to be seated in other places, but I went with it. I was the only other customer in the place and she sat me an entire restaurant from the other customers table. I ordered the Burrito Jalisco, and a soft ground beef taco and cheese dip. The Burrito Jalisco, was on the small side, but tasted good. It had guac and cheese dip on top and it wasn't bad. The ground beef in the taco had a little bit of a gamey flavor. It wasn't inedible but the taste was off. In retrospect I believe the meat may have turned, and was cooked any ways. that doesn't scare me necessarily, because I know that if its cooked properly there is no reason to be concerned. The cheese dip was good, not much to it, no spices or peppers, just white cheese. The salsa at El Toro is great, very tasty and fresh, some of the best I've had, I couldn't get enough. If the service had been great the food wouldn't have mattered to me. Unfortunately after receiving my food I didn't see my waitress again for probably 20 minutes. No refill of my empty soda, or my empty salsa. I couldn't see the other group, but I knew that was were she was. 20 minutes later she returned to ask if i needed more Soda. I ordered a gift off of amazon and ate my entire meal in the time that I hadn't seen her. She promptly gave me the check. $18 not bad if it were good service and ok food. Upon giving me the check it was another ten minutes before she came to get my card and process the payment, without chips and salsa it felt like an eternity. I'm a big tipper 20-25% at most moderately priced restaurants, even more for excellent service. I was in the US Army for 13 years and in my experience soldiers always tipped well. Needless to say I left a big fat zero on the check with two big lines to prevent fraud. I refuse to tip for poor service, I don't care about how your day went or what had you preoccupied. Great service gets great tips and bad service gets no tip. I will not return, and I advise against this place. read more

We were visiting from out of town and decided to stop in. And boy were we glad we did!! The salsa was amazing. It was a little sweet with a kick. We will definitely go back when we are in town next. read more

Last Friday I ordered two take out meals. The food was delicious and came with chips and salsa. However, when we opened the bag, there was one very small container of salsa. Not enough to all add to our dinners, let alone have any with chips and we had to get a bottle of salsa out of the refrigerator. Very disappointing because the salsa makes the meal. Come on guys, chips and salsa! read more

Service is slow but the food rocks. So far each visit I want to explore more items on the menu and each time I am not disappointed. Always have good specials too! read more

Only went here because it was close to our hotel, and what a mistake that was. The food was mediocre at best, and to make it worse we (5 of us, all with different orders) received food poisoning the night before traveling back home. 6hr road trip + food poisoning = horrible experience. Come here if you like mediocre food and also like to play food poisoning roulette. read more

This place is horrible and they run a dirty business. They talked trash about our group all night, then FILLED IN A FORTY DOLLAR TIP for my co-worker, and signed his name. When we disputed the tip the next day, they were rude and refused to fix it. Only after one of us told the patrons in the restaurant what they had done, did they say they would fix it. We're reporting them to the BBB. Do NOT eat here. read more

Good food, great drinks. Atmosphere is lively. Salsa has no zing.... Good place after a long day of travel.

Ate here with a large party Uncomfortable chairs. Service was friendly but slow. So slow. Food was good. Red sauce tasted like tomato soup, lettuce had more of a cabbage texture, rice is a bit bland, chips and salsa is good-not spicy, shredded chicken is juicy Pepsi products Clean bathrooms Dropped ticket off at table but we didn't leave right away so she came back and cleared some plates and actually handed the ticket to someone to get us out quicker. Found it rude. read more

El Toro's. I was so looking for great Mexican food and they were right next to our hotel. I ordered their #11 combination plate, my wife had their taco's and our girls had the chips and cheese sauce. The waitress was friendly and the restaurant décor was nicely done in an upscale Mexican motif. The complimentary corn style nacho chips and salsa came out to the table. While the salsa was fine I asked if they had anything hotter which they brought out in a very small bowl (watch out as they charge for this). It was good but not for the price. Our food came out and I was underwhelmed. While it looked good it was just ground beef. really not much else inside the burrito, enchilada and taco. For example the taco only had spiced ground beef, no lettuce, no chopped tomato, no chopped onion and no shredded cheese. Actually there was very little to no cheese on the plate for any of the three items. Same thing for my wife's taco. In my opinion non-culinary opinion just very plain and underwhelming. To the restaurants credit, my two girls loved the cheese sauce and chips and our waitress was friendly and attentive (thinking about the waitress and how well she did and was friendly to my family, I just kicked up the rating from a 2 to a 3). While I would rate the meal I had a 2, the waitress a 4 for an overall experience of a 3. We tipped her well as she deserved it. read more

Great place to go. The margaritas are great and the chips and salsa are good. The food is pretty authentic. I had some tamales tonight and they were pretty good. The service was good, but it was busy tonight so it seemed like help was spread a bit thin. All in all I'd recommend this place if not for the margaritas alone. read more

I had a bad experience at this restaurant. On top of the fish section in the menu it said the dinners came with a salad, guacamole, beans, and pico de Gilo, but when the meal came it had none of that. When I asked about it the waitress said that I remembered wrong. But when paying I checked the menu and it was as I remembered it. The waitress just said the waiter said it did not come with it, even though it was clearly written there. read more

First time here. Saturday about 1 pm Not sure if this is under the same ownership as the El Toro in G.I. and Lincoln? Ummm...meat was terrible! Tasted old and dry. I went w/others who said it's normally pretty good so I hate to give a bad review. Maybe just an off day? Service was ok. read more

I eat at this place alot. Never had bad service or bad food. I have factory reps that travel all over the U.S. and can't wait to get to Hastings to come here. I personally love the fajita chimichanga. This is also the only place around that has Dos Equies amber beer on tap. Love this place. read more

Walked from my hotel here to give it a try. Had a chili poblano/relleno which was tasty. Margarita was good and not too sweet. Rice with black beans was a good side. Good service and quick food delivery. Would return if in the area. read more

Nice atmosphere, good service, reasonable prices. Food was just okay. Probably won't return.

Good place to eat drinks were nice and strong bathroom superclean guacamole was good spicy!