Mexican food seems to be one thing that everybody can always agree on is delicious and we are no exception! After being in Florida a few days and getting semi settled in our Air B & B (should I do a tour?) we went to Ocala to get a few things out of our storage facility and get James measured for a suit. After we ran our errands we decided to try out El Toreo in Ocala and it did not disappoint.
One of the first things we noticed when walking in is that their outdoor patio is dog friendly which we personally love to see! Our poodle, Leia, is way too much of a beggar to take to a restaurant but she pretty much goes everywhere else with us so maybe we will give this a try next time.
Inside was super clean and had a really nice atmosphere. There were stained glass lamp shades above a lot of the booths and tables and you just can’t go wrong with stained glass. Always a gorgeous touch.
You want to hear about the food though right? Ok, ok. We got the chile con queso dip along with the house salsa as a start and both were very good. I am one of some 4-15% of the population who has the gene that makes cilantro taste like soap so I was REALLY glad that their salsa didn’t have a lot, if any that I could see. That can ruin an eating experience for me when the restaurant is a little too liberal with the cilantro, because then my dish tastes like Dial soap which nobody wants to eat.
I ordered the fajita quesadilla for my entree and James ordered a plate that had a variety of enchiladas and tacos. Both dishes were really good. If you like cheese and fajitas you would love the fajita quesadilla. It had a little too much cheese for my taste, next time I would have it cut down by at least half but a cheese lover would be in heaven. I couldn’t eat it all and James was more than happy to finish my plate off. His enchiladas were also very good. Smothered in cheese sauce and stuffed with ground beef sounds simple, but whatever other goodness they used inside made them mouth watering good.
Service is also a big deal for us and again, El Toreo did not disappoint. Our waitress also seated us, which we assumed was because of short hand staff due to Covid-19, but if they were short handed that day we would have never known. She had perfect timing on everything from taking our order to bringing us the check. Absolutely superb service.
El Toreo has two locations in Ocala, Florida and two locations in Valdosta Georgia if you are in the south and want to try it for yourself which I would definitely recommend.
We will be back and try out more that their menu has to offer and I look forward to going back.
What is your “go-to” order when you eat out at a Mexican restaurant? Let me know in the comments so I can try it! My next blog post will cover a “dog day” in one of the parks around here!