El Toreo — Restaurant in Roanoke

This was my first experience dining in this restaurant. The inside decor was very colorful, cheerful and comfortable. The service was immediate and consistent, from friendly smiling wait staff. I ordered the lunch buffet and on initial view noticed that some of the food looked like it had been sitting awhile. I then realized that the buffet started at 11am, I had arrived at 11:30am, and I was the first diner of the day, explaining why some of the food looked a little dry on top. As the minutes passed, more and more diners entered, with most of them choosing the buffet. The food was refreshed quickly and looked much better in appearance. All the buffet food was hot or chilled in temperature as needed. The food I tried was tasty but not spicy. There was a big bottle of hot sauce on the table, as well as several spicy sauces on the buffet to choose from if you wanted the heat. The chicken for the fajita was tasty, but a little chewy, and the ground beef needed salt. There were pre-made burritos of beef and chicken, but most of the other dishes were self-assemble anyway you wanted. There were non Mexican selections such as fried chicken, french fries, potatoes (I could find no ketchup!) and a salad bar with pineapple, boiled eggs, fresh vegetables and fruit, with all the other frequent salad items. The buffet had many different kinds of salsas, sour cream, grated cheese sauces and other tasty things to include with your food which greatly enhanced the selections. Overall, the buffet was tasty, pleasant and plentiful. With tax, the buffet totaled $11.79 and this was definitely a bargain compared to the regular menu. I noted no lunch specials on the menu, so I'm assuming the buffet is the lunch special, as it seemed to be the favorite of most diners. Meal payment was taken by the waiter, to reduce contacts. I noted a sign on the buffet instructing diners to use plastic gloves, but none were available. I would return to this location, maybe just a little closer to noon. Parking was plentiful, and I noted wheelchair...

What a nightmare. My family and I frequented this reaturant for almost twenty years. Today, which will be my last visit, we discovered that the reaturant is under new management and the quality and service is simply not up to par and nowhere near what it used to be. I'll provide the experience for my meal only. I had ordered the Ramon's Platter. This dish is listed as consisting of, two enchiladas one beef and one chicken The chicken with a white sauce and the beef with a mole sauce. In addition, it was to include a steak taco, rice and beans. When the dish arrived the taco and beans were missing entirely No problem as this could be easily rectified. However, that was not the case. The waiter informed me that I was incorrect and the dish did not come with a taco. I literally requested to see a menu simply to prove my point. Once it was confirmed that I was correct and missing these items, it was back to obtaining the items. When they brought it out, the taco was a ground beef taco. To top this experience, the tomatoes, cilantro and cheese were frozen. Not thawed at all. In addition the enchiladas were incorrect and reversed. I simply did not finish the dish as it was nothing like I had ordered. I mentioned the issues to my waiter who either did not understand or did not have the ability to assist me with this disaster I simply will not return to this establishment. BE WARNED. It is...

They shut the lights off on us! I worked in the foodservice industry as a server and then bartender for 5 years and I never would have treated people the way my friend and I were! Being new to the area I had never eaten here before, but my friend suggested it. I showed up and realized when walking in it was 45 minutes to close. Out of respect to them my friend made them aware of this and asked if it was ok if we stayed. After double checking with them multiple times they assured us they were happy to serve us and we didn't need to go somewhere else. Our server was polite and friendly up until she dropped our checks off and hovered over us while we filled out the tip portion and signed it. She thanked us and went back to the register. We boxed up our leftovers and continued to finish our margaritas when the lights were cut off on us and we heard, "We close at 9:30." It was 9:45! I couldn't believe how rude we were treated after we had respectfully asked if it was ok if we stayed and also left our server great tips to show our gratitude! I WILL NOT be returning. The food wasn't bad and it was a good portion size, but I can definitely get the same dish at other locations in the area that are just as good or better. I would much rather patronize an establishment that is more courteous to...