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El Toro Taco Restaurant
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- None
12 reviews for El Toro Taco Restaurant
This place has outrageously good bean dip. And it's BYOB. Seriously. You bring in a 6 pack and they rush you over an iced bucket. Mariachi on weekends sometimes, it comes and goes, but if you're not a fan and rather not tip the band, avoid El Torro on those days. It has a typical, eclectic, Mexican restaurant-type ambiance -- random knick-knacks on the wall and shabby furniture -- but it gives the place a certain charm.
I've never been too impressed by the rest of their food, although I did have a pepper stuffed with meat which was memorable enough to mention.
On a more sour note, this place has had it's share of health violations and some customers have had some serious cases of food poisoning:
http://blogs.miaminewt...
But, I'm pretty susceptible to food poisoning and I've never had it here. But then again, I haven't been to El Toro since the whole scare over there started. But if you tell yourself that whole Guiness/rat myth enough times, maybe you'll muster up the courage to try this place out.
And if you do, best place to park is to the left (if your coming from the north) of the restaurant, over the train tracks and to your right, where there's a long, narrow lot that's completely free.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
Dude where's the TACOS!?!
Let me start by saying we didn't even eat there...I am giving this review based on the menu selection & service. So we walked it & they gave us menus at a table quickly...but didn't come back...not that we were there long, but long enough to read the menu. So I am going to have to rely on my "Horchata y Taco" theory...if they don't sell 'em it ain't real Mexican! So are you serious....a place with taco in its name only sells 1 or 2 max platters with a taco option of chicken or beef?!?! And no horchata & really just very generic Tex-mex options! So what you want a cookie for making a Chile Relleno!? So we got up & left! No one even stopped us. The sad thing is they probably thought we thought it was too Mexican for us & it wasn't American enough..HA! So go down the street to "La Cruzada Taqueria"!!!
Real Mexicans make Horchata!
I'll be completely honest... the food is good and cheap (those are the 2 stars), our waitress did good for having a big group...the service at the end was horrible.
We were there with some friends and asked the waitress before we ordered if it was okay to spilt the checks. The waitress happily obliged and said that it would be taken care of when we paid. We ordered our food, and when it arrived mine and my husbands were wrong but we had waited so long that we just took it.
Then came the mariachis... awesome we thought. They played a couple of songs then one of them went table to table asking for tips. I don't know if that's standard practice for them, but I've never seen that done. Yes, I know that when there is live music it's strongly recommended that you tip, and eventually we would have... when we were ready to, like AFTER we were done eating however, I felt a little bit like my personal space was invaded during dinner. They didn't even stay for very long. They came in played two songs and wanted tips... I thought it was a bit awkward
Dinner ended and the group stayed chatting for a bit. The owner kept coming up to out table and dropping hints for us to leave. He gave us the check for the second time, then he came back and asked if he could get anything else for us and that the check was ready to be paid. Finally we got tired of his dirty looks so we decided to leave.
When it was time to pay he REFUSED to split the checks. We explained that we asked the waitress before we ordered to make sure it was OK and so she could split it easier. Again he REFUSED to pay and started waiving his hands around insisting that we hurry up. He was super rude and arrogant. Seriously, it was one of the worst experiences I've had in a restaurant.
I most likely will not return, they are certainly not the only Mexican restaurant in Homestead... especially after seeing that they got 21 violations on July 7th from the Department of Health.
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
This place is so cute and has really good food, prices are very reasonable and the portions are good, and it's BYOB. I ordered the fiesta platter; it came with two quesadilla's (your choice, I had the spinach and mushrooms), nachos and a cheese sauce. The cheese sauce was amazing, it made the platter, now don't get me wrong the quesadilla's and nacho's where great too. The service is a little slow, so when you go don't be in a hurry, just go and have a great time and great food. On the weekends I hear they have a mariachis, so I will have to go back, oh darn.
This is THE Mexican place to eat. I am in the habit of making the 80 mile drive for a bite of their Chile Reino con Queso. The place is BYOB, but there is a little market next door where you can buy your Corona's. The serve can be slow, be sure to order the free chips and salsa to hold you over. Careful of getting appetizers, because the plates are huge and there will be just too much food. Other menu item to note is their stewed beef known as Carne Guisada.
We were told we had to eat here for authentic Mexican food in Homestead. It was a group of 5 and we got there for a late lunch/early dinner and the place pretty full. The food was actually pretty good but I wouldn't say the BEST mexican food. It got 4 stars. However, the service was horrendous so that got 1 star. After we sat down it took a good 15 minutes before we could flag down what seemed to be a bus buy to take our order. We were starving so we luckily got our appetizer of guacamole and chips fast but our food took another 45 minutes to come out.
Once it was out we were happy, but geez by the time we got our food the restuarant had emptied out. We had the beef and chicken enchiladas, fiesta platter, tacos and a soup (forget which one). The whole bring your own beer/wine was a nice touch. Doubt I would come back though.
People thought this was:
- Useful (5)
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So, I was told over and over again how this place would rock my world. The Mexican food was super authentic and delicious. Uh, nope. The food was not tasty and I have had much better Mexican in the restaurants in Little Havana.
Not sure if the other reviewer went to the same place I went to....
The food here is super cheap and muy delicioso! If you're ever in Homestead for anything, stop by Toro Taco!
If you are in the mood for a drink, you can bring your own beer and wine. Don't expect fancy- but you can expect delicious Mexican meals that taste very authentic. Ole!
People thought this was:
- Useful (3)
First, it's easy to find, not far from the freeway, right across the street from the Homestead Police Station. Which leads me to my second point: it's in a safe neighborhood. Third, the cops were eating here too so you know it's good. Fourth, they are nice. I asked to sit near an electrical outlet so I could charge my iPhone after hours on the road yelping for decent food. The hostess agreed to seat us in a closed section so I could recharge, but instead I'm writing to tell you this now, that's how good it is. Fifth, it's a LOT of food, as in feed-the-world amounts of cheesey-chicken goodness. After I had eaten my weight in quesadillas, there was still a small mountain of leftover food (see photo). Sixth, the queso was so good it made me cry.
I had the appetizer called Pinata Plate, and I now know why it's called that: someone please beat me with a stick because the explosion would be a welcome relief right about now. Boyfriend had the Jalisco Platter, and I'm not sure how big the state of Jalisco is, but I'm quite sure the platter is bigger.
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Let me start by saying that I am 22 years old and have been eating at El Toro Taco for probably about 17 years. This is my favorite restaurant in all of Homestead, and so far in my life , my favorite overall. The food is pretty affordable and delicious. I would say 95% of the time i have had excellent service too, especially now (as of June 2009), there are however once in a blue moon times where they will be incredibly busy and it takes longer, but they try even then. My favorite thing to get is just Tacos, ground beef, extra cheese, and a side of their bean dip. I would however recommend practically everything, their burritos, enchiladas, fajitas. If you are in homestead, honestly, you should try this place out.
Great food and atmosphere. You can bring your own wine or beer to the restaurant which makes it interesting to view all the coolers by the tables. Services is always good. Authentic Mexican food with some "Gringo" dishes.
One word: Yuck! I don't know how this place made it into Zagat's. I could describe how bad the food was, but frankly, I don't want to relive the experience. Let's just say grosser than Taco Bell, by a long shot.