It's a lot of food for the money. Chips were decent, but the salsa didn't really have any kick at all. The quality was decent, but overall the food left something to be desired--I find places like Maize and El Charro to be a better option if you're ok with not having a sit-down atmosphere. Service was quite slow, especially given that it was the end of the night--it took at least 20 minutes for them to take our cash/cards after we were given checks. read more

If you want anything resembling authentic Mexican food with fresh ingredients, go somewhere else. This is not the place. The food is hot, and you get good portions, but the sauces taste like they came out of a jar, and the spices taste like prepackaged blends you can buy at any grocery store. read more

We had heard good things about El Toro, and wanted to try it. Some friends gave us a gift certificate, which we used recently. Positives: (1) The hot salsa our waiter brought us was to die for. Wonderful! (N.B. We had to ask for it--the mild salsa they give you when you arrive is bland and unappetizing). (2) There are televisions EVERYWHERE (but aren't TVs a sine qua non of Mexican restaurants?), which in itself is annoying--but the good thing about them is that they keep the sound either way down or off, the net result being that the restaurant is relatively quiet. And we like quiet. Negatives: (1) The chips were OK, but not even in the same league as those at Don Juan's (disclaimer: Don Juan's has made major changes to their operation, and we haven't returned since they did that, so any comparisons I make are to the old version of Don Juan's, which was for many years Mas Amigos). And El Toro offers only the one hot salsa, not two (plus pico de gallo) as Don Juan's used to provide. (2) The enchiladas were pretty poor tasting. I had cheese enchiladas, and they consisted of nothing but melted white cheese inside a tortilla (no onions), covered by a watery, translucent pink sauce that tasted (I do not exaggerate!) sort of like something from a Boyardee can. Neither my wife nor I could finish our enchiladas, and neither of us wanted to take home what was left. (3) My wife had something whose name I have forgotten, but it was flat like a chalupa and had guacamole on it. She said the guacamole was pretty tasteless. She couldn't bring herself to eat more than about a third of this item--and again, had no desire to take it home. (4) They offer only two kinds of taco filling--ground beef and chicken. My beef taco was acceptable, but not exciting, and nothing I would ever order again. (5) My chalupa was quite mediocre. I couldn't finish it, and had no desire to take the remainder home. (6) The menu does NOT show prices for drinks, whether soft drinks or beer or margaritas or anything else. You have to ask about every individual drink or brand to learn its cost. (7) Our waiter pretty much disappeared on us. We waited a long time for our check--he finally brought it only after we stood up and put on our coats. (8) The management wouldn't let us use the gift certificate to pay the tip. We've eaten at much classier restaurants using gift certificates--Biaggi's, Big Grove, Silver Creek (as well as at Mas Amigos when it existed)--and they all permitted us to pay the tip (and I like to leave large tips) out of what's left on the gift certificate. But not at this restaurant. We will never go to El Toro again. Our hypothesis to explain why we've heard good things about this restaurant is that our friends simply don't know what good Mexican food is supposed to taste like (FWIW, I'm from Texas and grew up on the stuff). read more

Below average Mexican restaurant. Food didn't taste good at all. I like Mexican food mostly for its flavor. But, the items we ordered lacked taste and flavor. Also, they need to pay attention to cleanliness. Our table and chairs were not clean. read more

We went here with a couple of friends, amazing food and even better service. I had the pollo empaninzado and a margarita and loved them both! Great place and I plan on returning. read more

One of our favorites. Super fast service. Very reasonable prices. Very friendly staff. Margaritas big enough to swim in. I like the carnitas and ice cream for desert. Go easy on the chips because there's so much more. If you must have chips get the guacamole. Worth the drive. Easy parking. read more

terrible customer service. when we walked in they ignored us and did not speak or ask us if we needed to be seated. very rude.

Best El Toro in Champaign!! i love the service, the food end even more the margaritas. the food is always on point never been disapointed ever coming here. i never pick any other mexican resturaunt besides the el toros! read more

Staff is rude didn't bother to sit down to eat carried out I live a block away from the restaurant and the food was cold by the time I got home never again would I visit this restaurant read more

We go here weekly. Portions are always huge, you can't beat the price, and the food is delicious. Like I said, we've been going weekly for about 6 months, and we've only had a slightly less than perfect meal once...it was probably a different chef than usual. Cheap, strong margaritas...$1.99 on Monday, $2.50 on Tuesday and Wednesday. Staff is always super friendly and we'll keep coming back! read more

This place is great! Service is very fast, the restaurant is attractive and clean. The food is very very good. Best of all it comes for a good price. read more