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    El Matador Restaurant

    4.5 (2 reviews)

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    Recommended Reviews - El Matador Restaurant

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    2 years ago

    What a beautiful restaurant. The food was very good as was the Margarita's and the service was great!

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    9 years ago

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    Los Magueyes Crystal River - Alambre

    Los Magueyes Crystal River

    4.1(129 reviews)
    3.8 mi
    $$

    First time visit. We were seated immediately upon arrival. Drink orders were taken. Our server…read morereturned quickly with chips, several types of salsa, and our drinks. So many choices on the menu it was hard to decide. I went with the birria tacos which came with a large helping of rice and beans. My girlfriend ordered a veggie fajitas. You get 3 large tacos and another plate with the rice and beans. My girlfriend's veggie fajitas looked tempting. The smell of them was nice. The tacos and the rice and beans were awesome. Everything looked homemade. I could only eat 1 taco because I stuffed myself with rice and beans. FYI they were just as filling the next day. My girlfriend enjoyed her veggie fajitas. The place is decorated in a lot Mexican fixtures. This place was huge so large parties are okay. Definitely will come back if I'm ever in Cyrstal River. Check it out.

    The food was EXCELLANT, the service was great as was the chips and salsa…read more There were 4 of us 2 had the enchilada lunch special. It came with a cheese enchilada and a chicken enchilada also rice. 1 had the alambre with beans which was EXCELLANT 1 had the lunch special with an enchilada a taco and was also EXCELLANT. The servings are large for bring lunch specials. The chips were warm & the salsa was flavorful without being too spicy. It's clean and bright inside and the employees are great.

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    Los Magueyes Crystal River - Front entrance

    Front entrance

    Los Magueyes Crystal River - Quesadilla fajita

    Quesadilla fajita

    Los Magueyes Crystal River - Decor and booths

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    Decor and booths

    Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant

    Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant

    4.5(536 reviews)
    57.0 mi
    $$

    We had planned on going to a popular Korean restaurant in town but they were short-staffed and…read morebarely acknowledged as we came through the door, so we left and decided to come here instead. Nice save. Parking when they're busy is a bit much but we found a spot around the corner from the door and walked to the entrance. You walk through their outside dining area which is all covered but because it had just rained it was a bit muggy for us so we opted to sit inside. The place has multiple floors and I really like that set up. We were sat upstairs on the second floor right by the top of the stairs. Looking around you can see another floor with a reserved area, tvs showing sports, and their salsa bar, more on that later. No chips and salsa here. Chips and Charro Bean Dip. The beans tasted refried and charred if that makes sense. I lost at rock, paper, scissors so I had to go visit the salsa bar and bring back dips to try. They had some pretty good ones like their homemade chipotle dressing, salsa verde, salsa de molcajete, etc. There wasn't one that we didn't like. Our server was really great and took care of us well. I got a Tamarindo Margarita and to eat the Enchiladas Poblanas (chicken enchiladas with mole sauce, queso fresco, raw onions) with the normal side of refried beans and rice, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, and guac. I got a side of extra cheese because I'm a little rat and dumped it on them. The mole sauce really hit the spot. The last time I had it the sauce was kinda bland but this gave such a nice sweet and earthy flavor. He got the Molcajete Azteca (lava rock bowl with char-grilled chicken, steak, chorizo, shrimp, queso fresco, grilled cactus, onions, avocados, serrano peppers, pork rinds), same sides as my dish. He ''Oooh-ed" and "Ahhh-ed" and "Oh my God, this is so good" so you know he was a happy guy. I can see what all the hype is about. Definitely a place to visit.

    Time for a revisit to Las Carretas. This time I was with my mom, and we got in there when a soccer…read moregame was playing, so there was a lot of activity happening. We got a seat inside away from the noise, oddly enough in about the same place as we almost always have gotten in this restaurant. I went for a burrito, which is also my standard. It was just as good this time around as it was the last time, and the service was still just as solid. Really, for this kind of Mexican food in Gainesville, this is one of the best places to go as far as I am concerned. We will be returning in the future.

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    Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant - Margaritas

    Margaritas

    Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant - Rice Bowl

    Rice Bowl

    Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant - Carne Asada Tacos

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    Carne Asada Tacos

    El Matador Restaurant - mexican - Updated September 2026

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