El Toreno Mexican Bar and Grill

when i tell you i think about this white dip/salsa every time i go out to get mexican, i am not lying. i've moved out of virginia and i can only find it here. this place also has a fantastic vegetarian menu (i was so excited i forgot to take a picture!). they make The Best fajita veggies for all of their dishes. everyone is super nice every time, and it's quite affordable! best night is of course half priced margs night

Best Mexican in the lake area. They have a little "salsa bar" where you can choose from like 9 different salsas. Their menu is extensive and not bad pricing. They did recently mention they will keep prices the same if paying cash, if not then they'll charge and extra percent due to inflation.
I got the tacos al pastor and they were yummy. Quite authentic as they came with pineapple slices.
The waitress was very nice.
They have indoor and a few outdoor tables.

I have mixed reviews for this place. My family and I were wanting some Mexican food and were a little let down when we came here. Pre-pandemic this place was on point and had timely service. However now they are struggling. For our lunch service, there were only 2 waitresses and one cook. It took about 15 minutes to get waited on and over 30 minutes to get our food. There are too many other good choices in the area to come back here. Not sure if we will be back.

Great food, salsa bar is wonderful. Only thing that knocks it down is the service is slow. Definitely worth a trip if you have the time.

I drove past El Toreno and decided to stop in on my way home. There was no one else there to order to go so it was just me and a friend. I ordered the #6 which is an enchilada and a crunchy taco ($9.49). I also wanted a taquito, but with an order you get 4 taquitos (2 chicken 2 beef) with guac, sour cream, lettuce, and tomatoes for $8.99 which is a better deal. I didn't want sour cream and the employee told me I could just replace it with extra guacamole. My friend ordered the #9 for $9.49 also. We got our order probably within 10 minutes because they were very fast. The employees were nice too and offered chips and salsa for free.

I got home and realized they did not give me ANY guacamole. That was the whole reason I ordered a whole order of taquitos instead of just one was for the guacamole. I was extremely disappointed. On top of that, the food was very mediocre. The taquitos were dry with lack of flavor. It could've used the guacamole for some moisture. My enchilada seemed like they just nuked it in the microwave. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't a "wow" factor. My friend said the same thing about her food and she said it was super salty.

I contacted the restaurant about them forgetting the guacamole. They were very pleasant about the situation and offered to deliver a free order of taquitos and extra guacamole. At first I said yes, but then I thought about how I would probably let it go to waste since I didn't even finish the ones I ordered.

Extremely nice employees, but the food is mediocre to me :/

Yum. When I visit Smith Mt Lake, I have a comfortable rut of visiting Cancun. It was nice to find another great Mexican restaurant.

The chips are better at On the Border (thin & freshly made) but they have a salsa bar! There were nine flavors to try. I liked the mild red salsa. The food is good and inexpensive.

Bonus points on the fun Halloween decorations.

the carne asada tacos here are insane literally so yummy! the steak is so well cooked and they come with a ton of limes onions and cilantro to add in on the side. the peach margaritas are delicious and everything is really fairly priced. super chill vibe and the service is great!! everyone is so nice and unless they're slightly understaffed, the service is quick too! there was one week my boyfriend and i went back four separate times! will be so sad when i go back to school and can't eat here at least once a week lol. highly recommend!!!!

Hidden gem. Delicious dishes, friendly service, Good prices!! Stop by...RellenosQueso Fajitas

Came for lunch after a bout with physical therapy near by. Nothing like a margarita lunch afterwards.
Since I was by myself I entered the bar area to leave the booths for the lunch crowd. I ordered a margarita, although from a mix at least I could taste the tequila. They have been advertising the new menu, but since alone and just through with working out I ordered ala carte. Three chili rellenos, and one tamale. I made a trip to their self serve salad bar to go with my chips and margarita while I waited.
The food arrived and I wish I brought a friend to share. Word to the wise. Save the chips to scoop the cheese and sauce from the rellenos. My favorite the tamale which everywhere I go is all masa and squat on the filling. Not here. Tamale had the right amount of masa filled with tender shredded chicken on a separate plate with sauce. Wait staff were attentive while I ate but left me alone to enjoy my margarita and the game on tv while I wrote this review. I even ordered another margarita. A small one this time.

You'll have to venture to El Toreno by land as they are located across the street from Kroger in Westlake. The restaurant is often packed and we had a short wait for a table inside on our last dinner visit. (They have an outdoor patio and an indoor bar area in addition to the main dining room). We ordered the shrimp soup and it was big enough for two or more people to share. The flavors were incredible and the shrimp/vegetables were cooked perfectly tender. We also tried their special Buffalo fries which were huge and loaded with a delicious Mexican hot sauce (definitely NOT your traditional Frank's hot sauce!) and blue cheese dressing. (I know, fries at a Mexican restaurant does not sound very traditional, but it was their special for the day so we had to try it!) We also loved that they offered spicy salsa verde AND a more traditional red tomato salsa with their complimentary tortilla chips while we waited for our meals. I ordered the Chori Pollo as my entree and I liked how they thinly sliced the chicken here. It made it really easy to wrap it up in my flour tortillas this way. My significant other ordered chicken fajitas with corn tortillas and they came out sizzling hot and full of flavor. We both had enough of our entrees leftover for another entire meal each after we devoured our appetizers and chips, which we enjoyed for lunch the next day. I am looking forward to our next visit!