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El Toro Mexican Grill and Bar

4.1 (170 reviews)
ModerateMexican, Bars
Closed 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

Order El Toro Mexican Grill and Bar Takeout or Delivery

El Toro Mexican Grill and Bar Photos

Business Info

EL TORO MEXICAN GRILL AND BAR ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Good for groups
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - El Toro Mexican Grill and Bar

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The dining area at El Toro Mexican Grill in Cornelius.
Duncan M.

Bethany and I had lunch at El Toro Mexican Grill and Bar today. We were rewarded with very good food, drinks, and service. We lived in Dallas, Texas for many years so the first question at a new, Mexican restaurant is, "How good is their Margarita?" They make a good margarita! Not too sweet, a little tart, very drinkable. Their chips and salsa, another lynchpin for a quality Mexican restaurant, are also good. We added aside of queso and poured some salsa in it. This option is definitely worth trying. For our entree, we decided on fajitas with chicken and steak plus flour tortillas. The fajitas (an order for two) were heaped on plate that included chicken, steak, peppers, and onions. We were both served plates with guacamole, sour cream, rice and refried beans. Our flour tortillas were filled with everything described. They were sooo good! The interior of the restaurant is clean, well lighted, and comfortable. The service was always pleasant and the servers checked on us regularly. We highly recommend trying El Toro Mexican Grill and Bar.

Super enchiladas
Lucinda S.

Stopped in for dinner one night. Husband got the super enchilada plate and it was fantastic. Great flavorful enchilada sauce- shredded beef was definitely the standout filling. I had enchiladas blancas - the shrimp were delicious, but it was too much cheese for me. Great guacamole and I love that they offer a small portion which is just right for 2 people.

Ground beef burritos that cost $6.99 when listed on menu as $6.00.
Torry S.

Checked out El Toro today for lunch . I got the ala cart 2 beef burritos and a draft beer. The waiter had a great attitude and checked on me often. The service was prompt as well. They gave me a house hot sauce that had chipotle in it . Really good. The music was Cuban salsa which was fun to listen to.Only reason why I didn't give 5 stars is when I got the bill there was an up charge for paying by card of 3.0% and the burritos on the menu were priced 6 dollars and on the bill I was changed $6.99. IDK if I will be back.

Lunch pork carnitas
Allison B.

Came one day for lunch and was met with very friendly service! Tried the pork carnitas and a horchata at the server's recommendation. Portion size was alright and price was around $13, which was a little higher than I was expecting for a lunch special. Chips came out warm and the horchata was tasty! Overall, recommend!

Pollo con Crema
Suzanne S.

Based on a recommendation from a Facebook group, I gave this place a try. The recommendation was that they had authentic Mexican food. Maybe that's true. But flavor was one thing that was lacking on our visit. The restaurant is actually very large on the inside with plenty of seating, and plenty of spacing. We visited on a Friday evening and were seated immediately. That is a plus! The only drawback seems to be the tile floors and the acoustics of the large area. It was so loud I had a small headache when we left. Our food was just ok. I live in Lincolnton, so I found it wasn't worth the drive when you can get basic Mexican food pretty much in any city. But I'm always on the hunt for that diamond in the rough. Unfortunately, El Toro is not it. We tried Arroz con Pollo, Pollo con Crema and a combo with a chicken chimichanga and chile relleno. All were fine, but very basic. The salsa tasted like tomato sauce. The cheese dip was good, but that's hard to mess up. We tried two desserts: Fried Ice Cream and Tres Leches Cake. Both were ok. Mexican food seems to be very polarizing and people like what they get used to I think. I'd definitely go back again if I was in the area and had friends wanting to go, but I wouldn't choose it myself.

Chicken Fajitas Lunch
Michele M.

We tried El Toro for the first time for lunch. The lunch menu is pretty big and pretty reasonable. I had the chicken fajitas. They were good. Unfortunately, both my husbands and my rice and beans were served cold. The fajitas were hot and so was his tamale and enchilada. I guess they must have plated the rice and beans and then waited for the rest of the food. That was a bummer. The chips were good but the salsa was way too mild. I added Tapatio to my salsa just to add some spice. Service was ok, could have been better.

Butch H.

Forget about it. Just sat down to eat and I crush Mexican food on the regular. The service is OUTSTANDING and our server David totally worked his butt off. Seriously, the food was great but they were RUNNING to get us served. We are locals and overwhelmed with how awesome this was. Thanks El Toro Respectfully, El Toro Blanco

Burrito Tejano $13.99 (steak, chicken and shrimp). Very, very good.
Kristen H.

First, the important things in Nov 2020: ~Is there any outdoor seating? Yes, there were 7 tables on the outdoor patio. ~Cool - will they let my well-behaved dog join me on the patio? No problemo, ours was graciously welcomed. ~Was staff masked up? Every one of them that we saw! If you're underwhelmed by the oversized, sickly-sweet, watery margaritas with no discernible taste of tequila that you find at many Mexican restaurants then you need to stop by El Toro for their Top Shelf Margarita. We've tried probably every Mexican restaurant at the lake and El Toro's Top Shelf margaritas are simply the most superior. Be sure and eat something while you're having one though, they pack quite a punch. And maybe pick a DD from your table if you end up having more than one because they're muy delicioso! You HAVE to ask for the Top Shelf ones though. Service on our most recent visit was pretty darned impressive on a busy Friday night with beautiful weather. Our service was prompt and attentive and we were checked on by more folks than just our server. Salsa and chips arrived immediately. Chips were fresh, salsa has a little more oregano then I prefer which is somewhat common with Mexican restaurants, I kind of like to taste cilantro in the salsa too. We ordered the Burrito Texano ($13.99 a large flour tortilla with grilled chicken, grilled steak, large shrimp, peppers, onions, tomatoes, black beans and pick alongside lettuce, sour cream and shredded cheese.) It was a huge portion but it was so good, especially the steak, that I managed to eat every bite. (I had to soak up the Top Shelf margarita!!). My husband got the Steak a la Mexicana ($15.99 grilled ribeye steak with sautéed onions and mushrooms topped with jack and served with rice and beans). Not the greatest cut of steak ever but still tasted good and he easily finished his meal. The night was so pleasant he ordered dessert since I was still slowly working my way through my huge, delicious burrito. Churros $6.99 here are freshly made - four fried strips of dough filled with seasoned apples and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Served over vanilla ice cream, caramel, and the richest, creamiest, house made whipped cream you can imagine. So thick you could stand a spoon in it. Their whipped cream is the bomb.com. Our female server was attentive, didn't need to write orders down, checked back frequently, pleasant and intelligent. We were also checked in on by two males at least three times. We never felt unnoticed or ignored. Tables took awhile to be bussed but I imagine that is because they are at reduced capacity due to COVID so there wasn't a hurry to clear tables. Tables inside were well spaced between diners. We'd gotten into a rut with the Mexican restaurants closer to us but I feel like I need to head back to El Toro again much more frequently - we left with happy hearts, full bellies and a happy dog.

Tacos | IG: asianadventuretime

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4 months ago

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1 year ago

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7 months ago

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3 months ago

Tacos were sooooooo good they caught me by surprise like a deer in headlights. The green hot sauce hits too. Let's TACO bout it!!

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1 year ago

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10 months ago

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1 year ago

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11 months ago

This was a delicious restaurant, great lunch specials, and they were kind and accommodating of our puppy! Highly recommend!

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1 year ago

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10 months ago

This was my first time at this restaurant. Food and Server was awesome. I will be frequenting this restaurant often.

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

Solid, reasonable Mexican food. Great service. Food is more flavorful the. Your typical "cheap" Mexican spot. Will definitely be back

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

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5 years ago

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7 years ago

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5 years ago

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6 years ago

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8 years ago

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2 years ago

Good tasting food and large portions. Fast and friendly service. The menu has a good assortment of Mexican food

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

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5 years ago

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2 years ago

Favorite Mexican restaurant. Great margaritas. Fajitas are perfect. Unlimited chips.

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

Everything here is awesome! Service is awesome and food is wonderful! All the employees are very nice. Service is very quick.

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4 years ago

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3 years ago

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8 years ago

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4 years ago

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10 years ago

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5 years ago

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

Really quick and attentive service. The street corn and street tacos were amazing and fresh.

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From the friendly staff, to the play, to the food and drinks...A+...If youre a beginner to an "A"…read morelevel player this is a great spot for pickleball. I brought my fiance who has never hit a pickleball to this place. From the staff helping her, to the guidance by other players, I just can't say enough positives. The layout of this place is awesome. The courts are great. The fellow players are competitive but kind. I wish I had another set of hands and arms so I could give this place 4 thumbs up. If you pickleball, I dont see a reason for you not playing here. If you dont pickleball, this is a great environment to start.

Wow. Honestly kinda blown away by this place. First of all the facility is beautiful, they have…read moreindoor and outdoor pickleball courts, top golf simulators, a bar, and a fully functional cafe/restaurant. All of it is super modern, clean, and well designed. Now onto the food specifically - I heard it was really good so I decided to order some lunch. My only complaint is there's no way to order online so I had to call my order in. I got a burger and fries, chicken wings, and guacamole. The burger was great, I have no complaints at all, and the fries were fresh and flavorful. The wings were jumbo and juicy. I don't think I'll order the barbalo sauce next time, but other than that the wings were amazing. They come with fresh celery and carrots and blue cheese/ranch. Overall I was impressed. And the guacamole was fresh, chunky, and tasted great. The chips were good too, honestly no complaints and would order again. Overall I was surprised how good the food is here being a pickleball facility. The restaurant area is honestly much nicer than most restaurants in the Lake Norman area and I wouldn't think twice about taking someone here for lunch. Everything feels well run, thought out, and I'm glad to see it looks like they're growing fast. I showed up on a Tuesday afternoon and the parking lot was full to the brim - I honestly thought they must be sharing parking with someone else but no, it was just as full of people on the inside.

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The Serve - Nice seating in the restaurant

Nice seating in the restaurant

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okay, here's the thing: a name is a name is a name; there ain't no lake and there never was. and…read moreso, despite assurances to the contrary, I feel justified in questioning Jay's existence as well. regardless, it was all trafficky and annoying on Statesville Road but I figured it's gotta be at least 84% better "at the lake" so there I went. FYI: the parking lot is a nightmare of bumps, pots, holes, gravel and I'm glad I've got this truckster because the other one sits kinda low and would have tore out the floor pans... there's fewer people inside than there are vehicles out front - which is odd but not particularly creepy - and every seat at the bar has a body in it either talking too loudly about, or half listening to, various and assorted abuses of the truth. seems like most of 'em know most of the others but not everyone knows all of 'em, so yeah it's a sampling of the regulars. a longer bar might be nice but would probably mean more regulars already here and still no place for a random visitor... nothing on tap but it's a liquor bar and the tender will mix or pour or un-cap whatever you think you need until you demonstrate that you don't need any more... followed by an attempt to secure safe passage home - or so the story goes. in closing: I'd totally rate Jay's at a single star but the reasoning would be lost on most all y'all.

First off this is a legitimate dive bar. We went in around noonish. lol! It has no view of the lake…read moremind you. Just good old booze and divey aesthetics. Cobwebs and fun!

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Jay's At The Lake - Decor outside

Decor outside

Jay's At The Lake
Jay's At The Lake - Outside table

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Outside table

El Toro Mexican Grill and Bar - mexican - Updated May 2026

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