Toro Kitchen + Bar — Restaurant in San Antonio

genuinely hoped to have a good experience at Toro Kitchen & Bar, but unfortunately, it turned into a painful and disappointing one.

This happened last Friday, the night Shakira’s concert was unexpectedly canceled. My friends and I, although bummed, decided to find a silver lining and headed to Toro to enjoy some drinks and dinner. We walked in and were told by the host that there were two tables ahead of us. That was completely fine with us, we expected a wait, knowing that many concert-goers were likely doing the same.

After waiting about 30 minutes, a server walked toward us, and it seemed like we were about to be seated. Just then, a woman named Frida, who had taken over as the host, pulled the server aside. My husband overheard her telling him to give the table to a group of girls who had just walked in—girls who were also clearly coming from the canceled concert, based on their outfits.

I politely approached Frida and mentioned that I believed we had been skipped. What followed was not only unprofessional, but deeply disrespectful. With a dismissive tone, she told me that people make reservations weeks or even months in advance and that being on a waitlist didn’t mean we’d be seated before them. I completely understand and respect that, if that had actually been the case. But it was hard to believe those girls had a reservation for that exact time when, had the concert gone on as planned, they wouldn’t even be at the restaurant.

When I calmly pointed that out, something shifted. Frida, clearly upset that I questioned her decision, suddenly switched the conversation to Spanish and said, laughing, “No entiendo nada de lo que me dices, habla en español” ("I don’t understand anything you’re saying, speak in Spanish").

I was stunned. I’ve never been treated that way—especially by someone who shares my culture. When I asked if she didn’t understand English, she responded, still laughing, “Sí, pero a ti no te entiendo, y si quieres vete” ("Yes, but I don't understand you, and if you want, leave").

It was heartbreaking. I wasn’t rude, I didn’t raise my voice. I was simply trying to understand why we were skipped after waiting patiently. To be laughed at and mocked because of my accent—by a fellow Hispanic woman—was not only uncalled for, it was hurtful.

To the owner: As a fellow business owner, I know how hard we work to build a reputation, keep clients happy, and earn 5-star reviews. It’s unfortunate when employees like Frida undermine all of that in a matter of minutes. Please take this as honest feedback—people come to your restaurant to enjoy themselves and spend their hard-earned money. No one deserves to be humiliated or dismissed like this.

Frida is hispanic-looking, with glasses and I believe...

Ever since Toro Kitchen + Bar in the Stone Oak area I was marveled by the attention to detail on not only the food and drinks per se but also in the atmosphere ( music, decor, lighting) every little accent that you see in the establishment adds up to the whole experience. With the restaurant being around the corner from my house I was content.

Whenever I heard they opened a location at St. Paul Square, I made it my mission to check it out.

As I emerged into the restaurant it was almost impossible to not stop and admire the selection of cured meats in the glass display. As I inspected the meats my imagination kept winding as did my salivary glands thinking on the rich flavors I was about the experience.

As I passed the meat display I noticed how the kitchen door can be seen at all times when sitting at the bar, which urged me to sit at the bar.

Let me Explain: When I sit down at the restaurant I like being able to experience every feature a restaurant entity has to offer and seeing the door so visibly accessible, and being able to see various plates come out made it very entertaining and intriguing the equivalent to seeing movie previews prior to the start of the main function.

A gentleman by name of Axel welcomed me as I was just taking my coat off to place behind the firm and sturdy bar stools, stools which give the interior a feeling of "Callejonada" Rustic feel.

Axel proceeded to present me with both drinks and food menu, without looking at the menus I asked Axel for a good pairing recommendation, and without being hesitant he recommended the following:

Spicy Cranberry Margarita with Cochinita Pibil. If it would have been any other Spanish restaurant I would have batted my eyes. However knowing Chef Bazan's mastering of Spanish and Mexican cuisine alike I went with Axel's recommendation, with the addition of Sea Scallops Dish.

Not only was the Spicy Cranberry flavorful without losing its freshness but the pairing as Axel mentioned went so well together. The Cochinita had some bold citrus notes, acidic flavors which brought me back to my childhood, vacationing in Merida and being able to sample the delicious notes of which the Southern part of Mexico as known for.

To Management: Thank you for developing such a needed concept in San Antonio, every visit to Toro becomes a highlight of my day. Although the Stone Oak location is just 5 mins away. I have found myself driving 30 mins to go to the St. Paul Square, hoping to find Axel with a welcoming smile and new pairing...

This place is to Spanish food what taco bell is to Mexican food. It's pretty much garbage if you've ever had real paella- this is just poorly cooked rice with whatever leftovers they have in the fridge including nasty pieces of hot dog. Gross.

If you go at the wrong time, the neighborhing establishments play their music so loud it shakes your table and interferes with your conversation (that's when those places aren't even open and yet they refuse to turn it down even though it's pretty much run by the same people running toro). That basically ruins anything good about the happy hour there.

And the staff are not terribly well educated on the food they serve. The waitress was bragging about how the sangria was so "fresh" and they just made it. Sangria is supposed to be made overnight so no ones gonna call it "fresh" if they make it right. But if you did just make it "fresh", it means it's made with a bunch of sugar and nasty chemicals because that's what you need to do if you're too lazy to follow the basic recipe (fastest way to get a hangover too).

I also really like how the owners of the place (and basically all of st Pauls SQ) love to complain that no one wants to go to St Paul's SQ because of the lack of parking. It's hilarious because what little free parking was there, they have just recently converted into paid parking. So they contribute to their own problem rather than trying to fix the issue. Personally, I think the lack of foot traffic there is because of how they run their business and how they treat their clientele.

These are greedy developers who don't care at all about their customers or the community. They only care about money and don't realize that sometimes you have to actually earn it by being decent to your customers and providing services worth paying for. It's a shame because that place could be fantastic if it were run by someone with even a hint...