El Lorito Mexican Grill — Restaurant in Hopkins

Have dined-in maybe six times since they opened, plus a few times take-out. Most recent was 10/18/2023 for dinner. It is not that close to home, so the fact that we go out of our way and even think about it says a lot.

The decor is the highlight. Very colorful and well thought out, high quality. They invested well. I'd say the best in the Twin Cities. Very cozy. 5 stars. No photos unfortunately.

Menu is large with stuff for everyone. Prices reasonable for huge portions. Basically get two meals for the price of one. My seafood fajitas at $26 was gigantic with a pile of seafood. Is it 5-star quality though? I'd say plenty of shrimp and imitation crab, but the scallops were few or hard to find. Surprisngly few vegetables, whereas my wife got huge amounts or chicken and vegetables. 4 stars for quality, 5 for quantity.

Side dish with smaller amounts of refried beans, shredded lettuce and a dollop each of sour cream and guac. I'd say more of each and siced tomatoes would be better. 3 stars.

Mother-in-law, a self-proclaimed Mexican food hater who begrudgingly went because we told her she could always order a quesedelia like a little kid if nothing looked good, loved her steak and chicken fajitas - and brought home a huge portion for later. She said she will go back. My wife is already a huge fan and loved her chicken fajitas as well. We are thrilled her mom will come back because we out with her frequently.

We also got flan for dessert, which my mother-in-law never had. Perfect, including the sauce, which IMO is the secret behind great flan. So good. 5-stars. I'd say she is now a Mexican food convert, at least here!

Staff is Hispanic which adds to the authenticity. Super nice. Food came out quickly. Free chips and sauces. Waitress had many tables but checked on us frequently ... but when we were done only look our dirty dishes but no bill. Asked twice for it. I do get irritated when wait staff disappears when it is time to pay and leave.

A definite repeat destination. Why only four stars then? It's very good, but just not quite there in terms of a dish I can pin point as being extraordinary - except for the flan, but even then I've...

EXPERIENCE: Super good and just what I was craving! They have off street parking. We went on a Friday night and it was pretty busy but we didn't have to wait at all for seating. I would say they need more seating room however and a patio would be a nice addition, if possible.

DRINKS: Our server was very friendly and suggested "margarita! margarita!" when I was struck with indecision choosing a drink and that was just the encouragement I needed! We started with margs, traditional lime. I had blended and my companion had on the rocks. Mine was better. After drinking about a third of the OTR Marg though, it tasted like there was no booze left in it. Unsure if it was getting watered down or just wasn't mixed enough 🤷🏻‍♀️ Reasonably priced Medium was $8.75 and Large was $13.99.

APPETIZER: We had Queso Fundido for an app, so good, $10.99

ENTREES: We had the Seafood Enchiladas $15.99 and Burrito Grande $12.99. No complaints, except the rice was a little bland.

CONCLUSION: Bathrooms were clean and accessible. Our drinks and food all came out impressively fast and we brought home LOTS of leftovers. Our bill for 2 people before tip was $66.83. Not bad for getting an appetizer and being the portion sizes were so generous, for both food and drinks, that is. I would definitely go back...

A true gem in the Twin Cities area, Hopkins' own El Lorito has tasty Mexican food in an authentic-feeling atmosphere full of color and life.

Over time I've found they have good enchiladas, good fajitas, good guacamole, and will gather around to sing Feliz Cumpleanos on your birthday. (All while you wear a huge sombrero and hold an inflatable novelty beer bottle.)

I believe this is locally family-owned and run, which makes for both improved dining and service. Service has typically been reasonably fast even during peak hours with tons of people dining. They've been organized, and the food always comes out hot. They keep the good Mexican habanero sauce on the table (El Yucateco), and everyone usually seems satisfied with the Margaritas. (I don't typically have any, but people always offer a sip and they're tasty.)

Like most good Mexican restaurants, they deliver complimentary chips and salsa to the table. The place is bustling.

As a vegetarian, there are a slim few menu options, but they easily custom made a veggie fajita dish for me. (Something they have-- just not on the menu.) If you don't see something, it's worth asking, because in my experience the staff are more than happy to help.

Check it out. El Lorito has certainly...