If you think of kind of your standard, Mexican restaurant, this place is better than average. The owner and employees are all really friendly. I would always pick here over El Toro or Fiesta Ranchera. Ps. Go to El Porton for really good Mexican food read more

Herradura... Let me count the ways. I love this place. If you've ever seen the episode of South Park where Cartman goes to insane lengths to get to "Casa Bonita," it's how I feel about Herradura. I live an hour a way from Bloomington these days and I make special trips just to eat here. They are consistent, courteous, clean, and friggan delicious. My boyfriend and I came in 30 minutes before close one night and the waitstaff were happy to see us, the chips were hot, and the food was fresh. Now I see a lot of people complaining about bland food. I don't understand how. I guess if you order Americanized Mexican food, expect just that (i.e. ground beef tacos, chimichanga, etc). But do yourself a favor and try something else. The menu is huge and I've never picked something I didn't like. I have yet to find carnitas anywhere else that are this good. I didn't even know what carnitas were until I tried a bite of my boyfriend's meal and they are amazing. Side note: I don't eat a lot of pork for ethical and health reasons, but these are truly an exception. They have wonderful flavor and a fall apart on your fork. I came in yesterday, ordered and ate my meal, and got carnitas to go. I'm not joking! A couple other favorites of mine are the shrimp tacos, chili Colorado, pollo chipotle, chipotle burrito, pollo a la parilla, and burrito gigante. The portions are huge and the price is exceptional. They have a great raspberry margarita too. And never have I ever had an icky after effect that can sometimes follow after eating Mexican food. I love HD. I just wish they'd open up a place in Champaign. read more

I promised my grandma I would write this review. I had seen good reviews for this place and decided to take my Spanish grandma here and we were so disappointed. There wasn't salt on ANYTHING, not even the chips. The salsa had no spice or salt. My beef tacos were driping in grease and the ground beef looked like Taco Bell meat without the seasoning. Again, no salt on that. The beans looked canned, and the rice tasted bland. My biggest disappointment was the Queso Funido. Instead of using a delicious cheese/chorizo combo, they simply used the dipping cheese, tossed some chorizo on it, and covered it in pico de gallo. It also tasted old, like it had been siting under a heat lamp for days. I would give this place 0 stars if I could, it is THE WORST MEXICAN IN TOWN. read more

I'm going to give a couple of points because I'm from CA, and I'm not sure about the general taste of people from the area. Unlike one of the reviewers, I found that the service was excellent, the waiter apologized that he had a big party, but my meal came as fast as I could anticipate it; I went through one of the Chunky Salsas waiting; no problem. As for the food, I had the Verde Burrito and a side order of Chile Relleno. The burrito was tasty, but not the verde I am used to; not dry, but no real chile/cilantro sauce I expect, still the pork was well seasoned and tasty. The rice was plain to the extent of needing a lot of chunky salsa, and the beans were refried; pretty pedestrian, but I ate it and enjoyed it. The Relleno was the best part of the meal; a whole chile stuffed with a cheese that was interestingly sweet, but the whole relleno was quite good. For me, pretty meiocre; the non-chunky salsa tasted like tomato sauce - but I make award-winning salsa, so I am the worst critic. I enjoyed the chunky salsa, as I said, I had two helpings; the chips were warm and light, not too brown at all and tasty. Not a bad meal for someone looking for mild Mexican cuisine, but nothing to write home about. All in all a good lunch. read more

Always enjoy the food and reasonable prices. Margaritas are always great because they actually put tequila in them, you can feel it. Wait staff is always happy and helpful. Good times! read more

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Very reasonably priced food that's also tasty. I had the steak fajitas and my GF had the House Special which has steak, chicken and shrimp with vegetables in a cheese sauce. Both of these were around $9 and a regular margarita was under $4. I've also had the steak burrito in the past and that was also good. Service is also fast and friendly. read more

Went here on the recommendation of the margaritas. The margaritas were not the best. They're are many other places in town such as Los Portillos that have much better drinks. The lime margaritas tasted like tequila mixed with fake lime juice from a snow cone shop. The food was ok. I wouldn't go as far as to say it was authentic. The wait staff was very nice and the restaurant was very clean. read more

If you want a lot of food for a low price,get the house special. Its excellent and theres so much on the plate you might end up getting a doggie bag.Me & my gf like this place.We have ate at this place a whole lot,and only got bad service once.I have ordered burritos here,and asked forthem stuffed with chorizo which is extra,and they were great.The chili rellenos our very big & taste great. I agree with other people that there menu is identical to los potrillos.This place seems quieter though & it does have better parking. read more

I lived in Bloomington for a year and this was the BEST Mexican in town. Great service. Authentic Mexican (or, as close as you will get) food. Large portions. I tried several dishes here- enchiladas are amazing! My husband always enjoyed the carne asada. We will be back when we are in that neck of the woods! read more

First visit and I was not disappointed. Affordable, large portions. Excellent service and the best margaritas in town! (They have a sign that says so - it isn't wrong.) read more

I probably eat here at least once a week, seriously. It's a little Americanized, but it's as close to authentic Mexican food that I've had. I love it so much. And the staff is super nice. read more

Herradura - a margarita in a glass on a table - Mexican Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

Best Mexican I've found in Bloomington. Very good selection and much more authentic than most others in the area. I really enjoyed interacting with the staff here. I learned Spanish as a young kid in Venezuela and enjoyed talking to them. Business travelers - great lunch and dinner located next to Bloomington airport and State Farm read more

I've enjoyed every meal I've had at Herradura. Probably my families favorite Mexican restaurant in Bloomington. Great lunch specials every day. Great margaritas too. My favorite dish is the Herradura Fajitas but I've had numerous dishes and all were very good. read more

Favorite place to eat Mexican in Bloomington. Service and food is great every single tome we go.

I lived in Mexico for about a year and I was missing a truly Mexican food. We order 3 plates and the best one was the house apecial, cant miss it. This place is also very affordable and drinks are great too. Will definitely come back. Thank you for the great food and hospitality. read more

Herradura - Mexican Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

Still my favorite Mexican restaurant in Bloomington-Normal! Even tried a few others spots outside of Blo-No and leave disappointed. Best food, service and margaritas! We LOVE this place, food and people! Not to mention they are still excelling in food and service with everyone using COVID as an excuse. Keep up the good work!! read more

We had a wonderful dining experience here with some friends. The service was prompt and very helpful. The food came out hot and with very generous portions. The prices are VERY reasonable. If you're looking for good Mexican cuisine in the Bloomington area, I highly recommend Herradura. read more

Very flavorful, nice waiters. Super fast Mexican food. This restaurant has the best seasoned dishes, they don't all taste the same like other places around town. read more

Herradura - House special - Mexican Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

Food is tasty. Not bland. Salsa is spicy. Dont worry about an appetizer because the food came out in less than 5 minutes. Descent prices too. Most dine items were $6-$9. Good of you want quick, good Mexican food. Not much for ambience though. You want that, try El Toro. read more

Herradura - a painting of a horse's head - Mexican Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

Good portions. Good food. Reasonable prices. We are looking forward to coming back again. My husband ordered the ribeye. Chose to have them slice it. Was full of flavor and very tender. I had steak and chicken fajitas. Just perfect. The side dish with the extras came out with the guac in a small taco bowl. Chips and 2 different salsas on the table are just what you would expect from a good quality Mexican place read more

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Simply the best casual and tasteful Mexican in Bloomington. Great, caring and local staff. They genially care and try hard to make their best effort every time. read more

Herradura - Inside hand painted. - Mexican Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

Best Mexican food I've ever had. Fast service. Bomb ass margaritas. Great prices. Highly recommend Fajitas and Carne Asada tacos.

Service was amazing, food was terrific and not costly. Just in town visiting, but if we come back through, we will definitely stop in!

Always great service whenever I come here. The food is good I personally recommend the chimichanga. Bathrooms and dining area aren't the greatest but good enough read more

This place looks like a hole in the wall from the outside : it's kinda tucked away off Hershey, the first time I ate here we literally found it by accident. The interior decoration is a combination of kitschy and semi-charming, but to be frank you're not going to notice it five minutes into the meal anyways. Great food, great portions, good prices, and the waitstaff is johnny-on-the-spot responsive : I'm not an authentic Mexican Food Aficionado, but I am a Massive Guy Who Likes Good Food, and this place does a damned fine job of that. This is definitely not Taco Bell type stuff - get the Fajitas Mexicanas. It's grrrrreat. This'll be the second time I've eaten here, I promise there'll be a third. read more

Fantastic Mexican restaurant. Very friendly and authentic place. Large selection of tequila. Extensive menu. Decor is nice and comfortable. Parking can be a bit tight but the food and service makes up for a congested parking lot. read more

Good basic texmex. Draft beer is very good, why? Service is fast and it always has lots of locals. I've returned 3 times on this assignment.

Bad. Could have gotten better food at Taco Bell. Food sucked, pretty sure it was microwaved because the plates were hotter than the food was. Even the guac tasted like the packages of pre made guac. To make things worse, the waiter would not stop trying to hit on me and made creepy comments which made me super uncomfortable. Overall a bad experience, just don't go here unless its literally the end of the world and you're starving to death. But even then I wouldn't. read more

Bloomington has a lot of Mexican restaurants. I would have to say that most are about the same quality in terms of food. Herradura from a food standpoint is similar. The food is hot, plentiful, and tasty. I had the house special which is a combination of steak, chicken, and shrimp smothered in a cheesy sauce with peppers. It comes with rice and an enchilada. Lots of food and very good. The prices are very low. The drinks were tasty. The service was quick and friendly. I think what separated this place from some of the other places in town was the cleanliness. VERY clean. I'd recommend giving the place a try...you won't be disappointed. read more

Authentic Mexican food and drinks. nice selction of beers and margaritas should be expected at Mexican rstaurants, and Herradura does NOT disappoint. Food is served quickly and hot and plentiful. Servers are attentive. They really want you to return over and over again. read more

Hidden spot but damn did I enjoy this burrito!! The waiters were really welcoming and helpful. They give you free chips and salsa by the minute you walk in - so a really good first impression. We had the fajita burrito and the carne asada - both was really flavourful and plentyful. I can only recommend going here - the atmosphere, food and service is really good :) read more

Being a native Southern Californian, I am very biased and I have a hard time finding anything remotely resembling the kinds of food we get in So Cal and Baja. So, take my opinion with a grain of salt. I think the food at Herradura is just ok. Their carnitas is bland and is not roasted Mexican style. You don't get the crispy bits of goodness when you pan roast or pressure cook pork as opposed to roasting on a rotissierre like they do out west. The carnitas at Herradura seems devoid of seasoning. read more

I've been here twice now and was pleasantly surprised to find authentic Mexican food in the area. They have more vegetarian options than most Mexican places, which is a bonus for me. I like the fajita vegetables, which comes with a ton of food. The wait staff is really friendly and helpful. Overall I give this three stars because although the food is good, it's not outstanding and few of the dishes go outside the norm. read more

I would give them no stars if that was possible. This isn't the first time I've had a problem with them. But, I wanted to give them another chance. I would never recommend this place to anyone. I ordered a drink which I didn't like so I asked for it to be replaced. I was told no by my waitress. Then I asked the owner about the drink and he said he would go check and never came back. On top of everything I waited long for my food just for it to be cold. NEVER AGAIN. read more

The menu at Herradura is like almost every other mexican place in town. Nothing new under the sun. That being said, their mixed fajitas were plentiful, hot, and very good! The veggies and meat were in smaller pieces than most places which I liked. I loved their salsa. They had two kinds - one chunky and one more traditional. They were both good. The service was impeccable and even the owner was making the rounds taking care of people. Hubby liked their rice better than anywhere because it was so light and fluffy. Now for the bad. I had a mango margarita that was simply awful. I don't know if it was the fault of the tequila, mango mix, or both, but I couldn't drink it. Thankfully it didn't cost too much. The chips were also horrible - thick, greasy, and stale. I can't say that they're always this way, because I know places get a bad batch now and then. It has happened to us at El Toro, and normally their chips are excellent. We shared the good and the bad with the owner, who was very gracious in receiving criticism. I was a little disappointed that he didn't offer to reimburse, or at least replace, my margarita, seeing as we had not drunk it, but oh well. Honestly, I'll probably just stick with El Toro. They have some different dishes that I like and their margaritas are awesome! read more

excellent food, great tortillas. very reasonable pricing. friendly, fast service. what's not to like.... I will be back for sure. read more

Service was great. (Not sure if it's because I was with several Latino friends or not). Waters, chips and salsa were always refilled. Portion sizes were average. I got a quesadilla pollo azado. The chicken was tender and seasoned well, but I would've liked more cheese in my quesadilla. My friends and I came on a Thursday evening which happened to be half priced margaritas. It's still $10 for the margarita but it does come in a beer mug. read more

This is my go to place for Mexican in Blo-No. This place has good, solid Mexican food. Nothing is really rave worthy, but I've had at least 7 different things and have yet to be disappointed. My gf and I go here regularly and generally will have a couple (or more) cocktails, an app and two dinners for around 30 bucks. You can't beat that! read more

Love this place. Great service always. House special is family favorite. Choritacos are excellent. Queso is great. Chips and salsa are great. Servers always friendly and make you feel at home. Chicken quesadilla always awesome. read more

Super Dinner #1 that's all you need to know....seriously. Haven't come across to many meals where you get more bang for your buck than this. read more