El Torero Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Duluth

My entire extend family has been enjoying El Torero for almost 3 decades at both the Duluth and Stone Mountain locations. We love the food and will gladly make the 20 to 30 minute drive to partake. The chips and salsa are, as many other reviewers have said, are the best in town and personally the best I've ever had. The margaritas are big, strong and have a unique texture that I've been unable to find elsewhere. The special dinner named "El Diablo" is a must try for those who enjoy heat and the name is fitting because it's hot as hell and wickedly flavorful. The owner, Manuel is a friend of the family, an outstanding photographer and a competitive deep sea fisherman. His underwater photos, huge swordfish, marlin and other replicas of his greatest catches adorn the walls and are very cool to admire while dining. Others have complained about the laid back easy going service but if you have ever been to Mexico you'd realize that the locals have a different style and are on "island time" if you will but are still curteous and they know the menue by heart and serve up its deliciousness with pride. If you want fake smiles and inauthentic, fast, cheap Tex Mex style garbage while surrounded by obese trailer trash patrons loudly ordering "ka-wasa-dill-e-az" and "ja-lap-in-ohs" stick to Frontera or your local Taco Bell please, because I'd rather not sit in a booth next to you while you ignore your screaming snot nosed kid that's eating the McDonald's kids meal you brought into the resturaunt for them to eat. Anyway, I digress. Check this place out. You'll not be...

You have got to be kidding me. I feel truly sorry for anyone who believes the food at this restaurant is authentic, tasty or actually good. The food and drinks at this restaurant are a travesty against the quality of true Mexican culture and cuisine. We visited the Gwenette location.

I don't even know where to begin. Nothing was authentic or homemade. Everything and I mean everything came out of a can. Cheap Jose Cuervo tequila. Bottom of the barrel. The mix was overly sweet and artificial tasting. The crispy taco shells clearly came out of a box. Perfectly formed, no taste. Chips were generic and the salsa tasted like straight up tomato sauce. Thin, soupy and zero flavor.

The beef and chicken was clearly frozen and injected with water. Again, flavorless and bland. The enchiladas were made with flour tortillas. What? Sorry guys they should be corn. Where were the onions, the chile peppers and the cumin? Any seasoning would have been nice. It was just one disappointment after another.

Then I checked out the kitchen. Who did I find there.. a bunch of Mexican Americans. So no excuses guys. You know better. I know for sure the food they we're making was not the food they we're served as a child by their grandmother's or mom's. Truly an embarrassment. The people running this establishment have lost their culture and their way. Don't settle for bland, tasteless and a 100%...

The food is alright and I really enjoy the chips and salsa.

However, friendly service is non-existent. They are more to the point of getting your order out quickly so that you can leave. Which depending on the type of person you are, has its pros when you don't want a waiter always interrupting you, but its cons when you want the waiter to understand what might be wrong with the food you ordered.

Another con, is that no matter how big the party seated is... they will only bring out once bowl of salsa for you all to share, unless you specifically request a separate salsa bowl. It isn't a deal breaker, just a bit annoying that every single time I sent down with a group, we have to go through requesting and waiting for our individual bowls while the chips are already out and becoming less "fresh" as time goes on.

The last con, would be... (at the time of this review), even after you finish eating and the check is left on your table. You have to get up, and then wait ~10-15 minutes in a line to pay for your meal with an expectation of tipping. The reason it takes so long, is because they recently started having issues processing credit card payments to the point it feels like all credit cards now have to "dial-up" to reach the vendor. So it takes at least 3-5 minutes to ring up a person when they pay with a credit card.

I still recommend this place and eat here myself, but just temper your...