El Toro Take Out — Restaurant in Wilmington

Parking was at a premium on the street. It was easy for me since it was at an off time.

This is a pretty large restaurant right off Union St. You can't miss the building, it's painted beautifully. There is another El Toro carry out right down the street less than a block. I feel like they are probably owned by the same people, but I neglected to ask. They have plenty of seating inside and a nice full bar with many options. I saw around 30 or so different tequila options with the full range of Don Julio, even the Real. Service was alright, I got what I needed in a reasonable amount of time. I chose to sit at the bar.

I ordered a Modelo bottle, it was cold enough, and good. I later tried a house Marg, which was ok, tasted tart with the mix. I also tried a Corralejo shot, full pour, at $8. Not bad. I asked about the Real ($50) and 1942 ($22).

Chips & Salsa!!!! $3 Chips...strong, could hold a topping, good flavor. Salsa...pureed hard, cold, good flavor with nothing really standing out. Just a solid blend of ingredients.

I ordered Enchiladas Mexicana: 3 chicken enchiladas in a verde sauce topped with queso fresco and cilantro, with refried beans, rice, sour cream, and lettuce. The enchiladas were amazing!!! That green sauce was good enough to drink it was so good. Perfect balance of flavors. Cut easy with a fork and stayed moist throughout. I destroyed these things so quickly. I was sad to see them go. Beans...perfect creamy blend, not too sticky, not too wet, with queso fresco sprinkled on top. Beautiful! Rice...soft, fluffy, serviceable. Nothing really made them stand out though.

I ordered tacos choosing carnitas, chorizo, and carne asada. Carnitas...the meat was seasoned perfectly, tasted good, but the double tortilla tried to dry it out. I dropped one tortilla the rest of the way, and that helped tremendously. The tortillas were middle of the road for me. I tried the salsa they brought out, but it had a smokey taste that I'm never a fan of so that didn't help. The house pureed salsa worked much better for me. Chorizo...excellent crisp on the meat, the flavor was on the salty/dry side of town. I used the house salsa to take away some of that salt bite, and they were much better. Tips and tricks folks! Carne Asada...good crisp, a little dry, the meat was seasoned...

Take out service was good; nice friendly crew. Food was also good, but our experience was unfortunately tainted by my son experiencing a serious anaphyllactic (allergic) reaction to the tortilla chips or guacamole, sending him to the emergency room. Something in either the chips or guacamole contained an allergen, perhaps peanuts. I contacted the restaurant but they said they don't knowingly use anything with peanuts. I told them they NEED TO CHECK with their suppliers to make sure their chips aren't cooked in peanut oil or that any ingredients could be cross-contaminated with nuts or other known allergens. Something in the food caused this life-threatening reaction in my son. He lives with the threat of peanut allergies every day, so we understand there's risk every time we dine out. But restaurants need to take action once an incident like this occurs. I like the El Toro staff... So I'm asking you guys, PLEASE CHECK WITH YOUR SUPPLIERS and get to know what's in the ingredients. We were lucky we made it to the hospital; my son literally could have died from...

I had the absolute pleasure of grabbing food from El Toro Takeout in Wilmington, and let me tell you — this spot is a 10 out of 10 across the board! From the moment I walked in, the customer service was top-tier. The gentlemen working there were not only welcoming but truly went above and beyond to make the experience great. You could feel the pride they take in their work.

The speed and efficiency of their service blew me away — it felt like my food was ready before I even finished ordering. And the best part? It was all fresh, flavorful, and made with heart.

The menu is not only diverse but priced very reasonably. And don’t get me started on the birria tacos — spot on, packed with flavor, juicy, and cooked to perfection. These guys pour their soul into every dish.

This place isn’t just a quick bite — it’s an experience. Hats off to the El Toro crew. Keep up the amazing work — I’ll definitely be back!

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