The food was outstanding. Hot, tasty and served in a reasonable time. The free chips and queso…read moreseals the deal!

We were looking for Mexican food (from out of town) and saw this place which looked fantastic from…read morethe outside. Was greeted and sat fairly quickly. The table was "wiped", but had food behind and under the table settings, on the floor was trash. Wife and I ordered house marg's and 1 served in a pint glass, what ever, I can get passed that. Usually, going with the house marg is a safe bet. Well, these were watered down, no taste of tequila. It honestly tasted like watered down lemon lime gatorade. The queso and salsa were good. I had the Carnitas Chimichanga with traditional sides. The chimichanga was soggy, the meet was not "carnitas". It was cubed up something with tomatoes. The beans looked like and tasted they stayed under the heat lamp for 30 min before being served. I didn't eat more than a 1/4 of the meal. Wife had mahi tacos, but he fish was dry and flavorless. Daughter had the shredded beef chimichanga and hers was soggy and bland. Her boyfriend had the El Cazador (which was the waiter's favorite) and he cleaned his plate. Overall not impressed with this place, and if had just been the drinks or one of the dishes, I'd chalk it up to an off night. With the whole experience though from cleanliness, drinks and food, going to keep driving by next time we are in town.

Location: Downtown Lawrence. Ambiance: Small but…read morecomfortable. Ok for a taco place Food: delicious. This is not a texmex place. Try their juices including pineaple, Jamaica and cucumber and mint Service: you order and pay at the frontdesk. It was quick

They are tucked away in a small(ish) space just off Massachusetts Street. It seemed obvious to me…read morethat they wanted to make their tacos their own way; with little concern given to authenticity. The food was decent enough. The food came out rather quickly. You get 3 tacos in an order and can get 3 different tacos if wanted. However, I just got 3 of the Green Chili Chorizo and Potato tacos. If was good I guess. But, it's chorizo is easy. Also, I would have to say, it was probably the worst chorizo I've ever had. We also got the chips and queso to share. My favorite parts of the meal was the pickled veggies that came on the side and the margarita. I'm not sure I would go back.

5 stars but I do gatekeep this place. It's always really quick and really good. I always get…read morequesabirria- you can't go wrong. Very good price too

The food is awesome! Service is great, and very comfortable atmosphere. I highly recommend this…read morespot for some delicious Mexican food.

This excellent Mexican restaurant, named after a waterfall in Mexico, might be the best in…read moreLawrence. But it is using oddly old technology. When you are ready to leave, they bring you a handwritten check listing the items you ordered and only one number: the total cost of the bill without any itemization. In addition, the restaurant has no website. You cannot be sure of what is currently on the menu without going to the restaurant. They do have a Facebook page, but it does not provide the restaurant's current menu and can be misleading. For example, some of last year's Facebook entries say that they have introduced some new seafood items, such as Aguachile Verde o Rojo and Ceviche. But when we were there, we were informed that those seafood items are seasonal and only on the menu in the summer. We very much enjoyed our dinner there. The dining room is very attractive and large with comfortable booths and a full bar. We were particularly impressed to find that the bar has Corona Nonalcoholic beer. Most Mexican restaurants in Lawrence do not have any nonalcoholic beers, despite their rapidly increasing popularity. The service was excellent as was the food. Since we are pescatarians, we cannot have Mexican rice, which contains chicken stock. But they were happy to substitute black beans for the rice. We got the Filete De Pescado and the Enchiladas Popeye. The Enchiladas Popeye were a bit heavier on cream sauce than we would have preferred, but otherwise were very good. The Filete De Pesado was impressive including two large, thick filet of fish, which were very tasty. In addition to the salsa provided with the chips, I would recommend ordering one of their excellent hot sauces. We got both the tomatillo hot sauce and the habanero hot sauce. I especially liked the tomatillo hot sauce. As expected, the habanero was very hot, unless mixed with the salsa. The restaurant is next door to Set 'Em Up Jack's and is also in the same strip mall in East Lawrence as Moriki Sushi. Needless to say, both of those restaurants have web sites and provide printed checks. If this restaurant were to do the same, I would most certainly change my rating of this restaurant from 4 star to 5 star.

We ate at noon on 5 - 21. The female server we had was horrible. She brought the wrong meals and…read morewouldn't fix the mistake. She was rude and never checked in on us throughout the meal. My wife could not eat any of her meal because she is vegan and has allergies to dairy. She was served and charged for the wrong meal!!! We felt like we were being discriminated against because are white. The food we did get was greasy and very bland. We give this restaurant an F for service and quality. I asked for the manager and the people said we have no manager. I called them 4 times later on the phone and they hung up on me each time as soon as I asked for the manager or owner.

My mother contracted sepsis after dining at El Matador Cafe. She had to take an ambulance and go to…read morethe emergency room, and is now being hospitalized in intensive care for several days. It was determined that the cause of the infection was from dining here, not from the food, but either from cross contamination or poor cleanliness. This ordeal has caused our family a great deal of stress and uncertainty. No meal should ever put someone's life at risk. I strongly hope this establishment will take the necessary steps to ensure the safety of their customers.

Been a NOLA staple since 1951, or thereabouts. This is family food. It doesn't hue to any…read morecontemporary Mexican cuisine (as defined by gringos who know all about "authenticity ") expectations. El Matador's cooking is unique, identifiable at first bite, and delicious. All items can be made veggie, beef, chicken, or pork. I especially enjoy their pork dishes. They have a pretty fiery salsa and a terrific sweet sauce. Their Mama Marie's Cheese dip is awesome and classic El Matador, nothing quite like it. Mexican and domestic beers, good margaritas and Palomas, all served from behind a classic hardwood bar.

I can only comment on food quality since I ordered this as delivery. I ordered two fish tacos and…read morewere amazed to find that the fish was chopped up into tiny pieces, not one whole piece of fillet like a usual taco... that was the first sign. But then I bit into it and it was oddly soggy, separating from the breading, and then I knew it - this place is chopping up fish sticks and serving them as fish tacos for $3.00+ apiece. I'm spoiled because I'm from Los Angeles, but come on! Literal fish sticks! I also ordered the chilaquiles and was surprised to find them in a plastic storage container that most establishments put soup in. Chilaquiles are normally crunchy, freshly fried and then tossed in salsa - the tortillas instead came absolutely drenched and soggy in a very salty consommé with the salsa on the side. I mean, this was delivery, so slightly soggy chilaquiles are to be expected, but I almost don't know if they accidentally gave me a tortilla soup instead of chilaquiles.

Food is always great and they have a good variety of food. Angel is always friendly and cares about…read morethe customers he serves. Conveniently located next to a great pool hall. Their El pastor tacos (my favorite) are next level good.

This review is for lunch for two on a Monday in mid-July…read more service: Fast, efficient, and professional. Waitstaff checked on us and did a great job. bar: We had two house margaritas with no salt and they're highly quaffable ($8 each as of 07/2025). food: Finally, a place that still provides those awesome complimentary chips and red salsa! Menu has an excellent rendition of my all-time favorite, huevos con chorizo - or eggs with garlic sausage ($13 as of 07/2025). My wife had Combination # 7, tamale and enchilada, and thought it good ($11 as of 07/2025). details: Bright, clean, and well-maintained space. Plenty of parking right outside. Loved the old school ticket with adding machine tape!

instantly seated!! very friendly service. Got chips and salsa right as we sat down and food was…read moreamazing! the prices were jaw dropping honestly. will be coming here more

This place is bomb. I tried a few things and they were all great, but I keep coming back to the…read moreKorean beef burrito. Once a week!

If I see this food truck, I stop and get tacos. Doesn't matter if I'm hungry. Seriously, I've tried…read moreall of their offerings (and they have a lot) and every single one was GREAT. They also have a restaurant on Vermont St near 8th !