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    El Toro Bravo

    2.9 (521 reviews)
    ModerateMexican
    Closed 11:30 am - 7:30 pm

    El Toro Bravo Photos

    EL TORO BRAVO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - El Toro Bravo

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    Reviews With Photos

    picture of the waitress disrespecting my parents on my dads 60th birthday. unprofessional and disrespectful.

    Absolutely AWEFUL experience. If I could give a negative rating, I would. We came to Lake Tahoe to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday with family visiting from England, and this was hands down the worst Mexican food any of us have ever had. And that's saying a lot because I LOVE Mexican food and eat it constantly. The meat was completely bland, the chicken was chewy and gristly, and the burritos were basically stuffed with lettuce and tomato with barely any actual filling. Save your money and go to Taco bell for a 10000% better food and at 1/8 of the price. But honestly, the service was even worse than the food. We very politely and quietly went up to the waitress and manager to explain that none of us were enjoying our meals. Instead of handling it professionally, they immediately became rude and dismissive. The waitress started making comments about how we were "from England" because of some accents and "wouldn't understand Mexican food." First of all, 6 out of 8 of us live in America and have for over 20 years, so that argument made absolutely no sense and was honestly insulting. They also tried to completely gaslight us and act like we were the problem instead of simply acknowledging that the food and service were not good. At one point they even claimed they "never get bad reviews," which is ironic considering there are multiple negative reviews online saying very similar things. What made it even worse was that she then went around talking about us to nearby customers while we were still sitting there and could clearly hear her. Completely unprofessional, immature, and uncomfortable. They also didn't even listen to our order correctly. We ordered queso that never came, and margaritas without salt that showed up covered in salt. Terrible food, terrible service, rude management, and zero accountability. Save your money and go literally anywhere else. The restrooms were also disgraceful so I don't even want to know how the kitchen cleanliness looks. No wonder my stomach hurt for days after. Attached is a picture of the waitress disrespecting us while my parents were sitting there respectfully trying to figure out the situation.

    Combo platter
    Jill C.

    Food was tasty but service could have been faster and friendlier, though it did get better over time. We waited quite a while for ordering and again for the food... Chips and salsa were provided at the start - and hooray - the salsa was super flavorful! We had nachos (a half plate is a generous portion!) a combo platter, a quesadilla and a chimichanga. Food was tasty. Outdoor patio was ok - chairs weren't the most comfy but temp was great for outdoor dining.

    Kaitlin W.

    This place had the best service I've ever experienced! They were extremely attentive and the second the chips or salsa started to get low they would give us a refill. I absolutely loved the salsa, but I will say it was on the spicier end if you don't handle spice well. I got the bean and cheese burrito with a side of rice and beans and the people I was with split the fajitas. I left feeling extremely full.

    Food was really good we got two wet burritos green and red sauce and kids quesadilla and it was well portions and the service was fast and the lady was very polite and kind

    Chicken fajitas were NOT sizzling as advertised. Tasted and felt like they started cooking the vegetables while the chicken was still raw in the skillet. Two other people I tried to eat with ordered burritos, they were both basically 80/20 bean to protein ratio. Recession indicator or do they just not care about the ramifications of cutting costs? Maybe the US Government will baithem out because those fajitas had more oil than the Middle East. I do not recommend this place if you are looking for authentic Mexican food. Guacamole was store bought along with the other salsas. Felt nice to support someone's sinking ship of a dream tho

    Chicken nachos
    Melissa K.

    There is limited seating in an already small space and a very small staff. When you come here and it's busy, make sure you are patient. I was only passing through and wanted to stop for a quick bite to eat. Since it was so busy when I came, it was nice to find a pitcher of water and chips and salsa waiting for me on the table I was seated at. When I ordered, the waitress was upfront saying food would be awhile to come out but she brought out the margaritas quickly. Even though I was warned the food would take time, I thought it came out quickly. I only ordered chicken nachos so I can't really speak too much about the food, I thought the nachos were good and piled high with cheese. The margaritas were also good. I would definitely go back.

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    10 months ago

    Loved it here like always ! Food was amazing! The service was amazing! Loved where I was seated !

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    1 year ago

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    trini r.

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    1 year ago

    Great food great people. Coming here for 30 years. Amazing shrimp dishes. Local atmosphere

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    6 months ago

    Love, love, love El Toro Bravo!!!! Great food. Great staff. Always on top of their game Thank you Trini, Mike, Val and Martina!!!!

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    1 year ago

    Lovely meal, great new place mat redesign, but they did not give us any birthday dessert...

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    trini r.

    Where is the better place? I wanna try it

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    1 year ago

    Great food and margaritas! Fantastic staff and excellent service. If you're in Truckee, this is where you need to go!!

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    Page 1 of 14

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    COMO

    COMO

    3.6(384 reviews)
    0.0 mi
    $$

    We finally decided to pay a visit. The outdoor seating area is quite inviting, but unfortunately,…read moreit was a bit too chilly for comfort during our time there. The indoor space is also very pleasant, and the overall service was commendable. I ordered the pastor wet burrito, garnished with both red and green sauces. While the presentation was appealing, I wasn't particularly fond of the red sauce; it had a somewhat bitter taste that overshadowed the flavor of the pastor, which was disappointing. Next time, everyone mentioned that the tacos are better and were quite popular among others in our group who ordered them. The hot sauces available on the table were more on the sweet side rather than spicy. When I asked for a spicier salsa, I was informed after a 15-minute wait that they unfortunately did not have any. Despite these minor issues, I'm willing to give this place another try the next time I'm in the area. Great vegetarian options...

    We randomly decided on this place because our original choice had a long wait, while this…read morerestaurant was able to seat our large party inside immediately. While dining inside was great/preferred, it was difficult to flag down someone as everyone else was outdoors. Their quesadilla was delicious, but the shrimps were super spicy so we ended up getting regular cheese quesadilla for the kids instead. Additionally, we got Super Nacos, a few tacos, chicken tenders with chips, and churro fries. The food overall took quite awhile to come out. At one point, we had to cancel one of our dishes because it never came and the kids were getting impatient about being there for so long...unclear whether this is because we had a large group and placed multiple orders (vs. 1 "complete" order in one go), but we likely wouldn't come back as a large group next time.

    Photos
    COMO - Fish taco

    Fish taco

    COMO - Fish taco, special for fridays $2 each

    Fish taco, special for fridays $2 each

    COMO - Menu 1 of 2

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    Menu 1 of 2

    La Mexicana - We have the best staff!

    La Mexicana

    4.2(576 reviews)
    10.8 mi
    $$
    25 years in business
    Locally owned & operated

    If you're in Kings Beach and craving legit, no-frills Mexican food, La Mexicana absolutely…read moredelivers. Easy 5 stars. The fish tacos were LOADED with large pieces of deep-fried fish. They were excellent. Like, the kind where you pause mid-bite and nod. The enchiladas were exactly what you want after a long Tahoe day: cheesy, saucy, and piping hot in the best kind of way. Comfort food perfection. Everything tasted fresh and made with care. A couple quirks to know going in: * Beware the green salsa. It is SPICY. Do not mistake it for guacasalsa. It's actually spicier than the red salsa and has some serious kick. * Chips aren't free and only come in one large size, so plan accordingly if you're just looking for a small side. Overall, fantastic food, generous portions, and totally worth the stop. We'll definitely be back next time we're in town.

    Lovely neighborhood taco spot in North Lake Tahoe! We went pretty late at night and there was no…read moreline on a Saturday. Quick ordering process for takeout. We perused the market that is attached to the restaurant while we waited for our order. A great way to past time and loved all the authentic Mexican spices and produce there. Usually restaurants in Tahoe during winter season are super packed on the weekends with long wait times. But La Mexicana delivered authentic food in a prompt manner. Food was good. I got the carnitas and al pastor tacos for the combo. We also got an additional fish taco. The food was more than enough for me. I was pretty full after the two, and I pushed myself to split the fish taco. Fish taco was pretty good and had some good spice to it. I recommend giving that one a try.

    Photos
    La Mexicana - All of our breads are made fresh daily on premises

    All of our breads are made fresh daily on premises

    La Mexicana - Bread right out of the oven

    Bread right out of the oven

    La Mexicana - Ready for the oven!

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    Ready for the oven!

    Truckee Brewing Company - Restaurant - Meat lovers calzone with fries & Pilsner.  Great lunch!

    Truckee Brewing Company - Restaurant

    4.1(225 reviews)
    1.8 mi
    $$
    Established in 2022
    Family-owned & operated

    Delicious food and warm and friendly people!…read more Had dinner here tonight. Ordered a beet salad, meat lovers pizza and a flight of beer tastings (4 flavors) First off the Server was wonderful! Very warm and very friendly to talk with. She was always checking on me to make sure my water glass was full and how b my meal was. Super nice person!! The beet salad is "To Die For!" The dressing on this fabulous! So tasty it's addicting! The beets, candied walnuts and cheese mixed with the arugula was such a fantastic and delicious combo! I'd drive 4 hours just for this salad! The all meat pizza is delicious! The tangy tomato sauce is a very welcomed change of flavor when compared to other pizzas. The sour dough crust is a welcome change too! Very tasty with the tasty meat toppings! The beer flight I had was delicious! I liked the first one a lot! I'm not a very big drinker but I liked the first one. The stout is very delicious too with a fairly strong coffee flavor. All the beers were very yummy! Great ambiance to just hang out all day or night long passing the day drinking tasty beer and eating delicious food! Please see the pictures below and let your eyes do the feasting!!

    I had a honeymoon period with TBC when I was coming mostly for the burgers. The burgers are great…read more But I gave up eating beef and things have been a bit mixed since... GREAT: wings, fries, beet salad NOT GREAT: Fish and chips (they're fish sticks) chicken parm sandwich (they're chicken tenders), pizza (sure is a pretty pizza oven though) Also, the dining room is small, and too often the setting for employee drama played out in full view of customers. Maybe schedule a team meeting and hash it out there? Things don't usually improve when the employees are more self-involved than they are concerned about customers. That's not why we visit.

    Photos
    Truckee Brewing Company - Restaurant - Inside Restaurant

    Inside Restaurant

    Truckee Brewing Company - Restaurant - Beet Salad + chicken with bleu cheese instead of goat cheese. Delicious. Generously sized.

    Beet Salad + chicken with bleu cheese instead of goat cheese. Delicious. Generously sized.

    Truckee Brewing Company - Restaurant - 12" MARGHERITA PIZZA

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    12" MARGHERITA PIZZA

    El Toro Bravo - mexican - Updated June 2026

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