Obviously most of the people reviewing this place haven't been to Lake Street for an authentic latin dive-tastic food experience. I think El Loro is a great blend of that atmosphere and food, but with neighborhood restaurant appeal.
Perfectly imperfect festive wall paintings - check. Small, cozy seating area - check. Servers who are nervous about the language barrier with rude suburbanites - check. Hip and modern looking bar area with one TV - check. Burritos the size of a loaf of bread - check. Smothered in white cheese sauce - check check check.
Believe the lame reviews if you like, but I'm a sucker for the Fiesta Burrito - take out if you must (it's filled with grilled beef, chicken, shrimp, and veggies). Oh and the Fajitas Nachos are pretty amazing too.
I've come here a few times for lunch with coworkers. Â This place is your basic suburban strip mall Mexican restaurant. Â I feel like a lot of the food comes from a can. Â The menu is huge but there isn't much variety, basically a lot of different combinations of the same entree. Â
Service is fine, just what you'd expect. Â If you're in the neighborhood and feeling like Mexican, go for it.
Disappointed with the food at this location. A few weeks ago, we stopped in at the Burnsville location for the first time and really liked the place. This one is much closer to us and we gave it a try last night.
Based on the other reviews, I was expecting the service and decor to be lacking and that proved to be the case. It's not that there are multiple servers, it's that there doesn't seem to be anyone in charge of a table. Also, there's a surly (and I'm not talking beer) vibe from most of the staff here. However, we were most disappointed in the differences in the food between the two locations.
First, the ground beef mixture was very different from the Burnsville location. It was super finely ground and my guess was that it contained lots of soy. Anyway, the texture was off and everyone who had anything made with it sure noticed.
My taco was a complete mess. It was half the size of the one that I had a few weeks ago at the other location and instead of a huge amount of cheese, it had a few shreds. Usually tacos served with a combination arrive on a small plate of their own, this one was on the main plate and the entire bottom half of the shell had turned to mush from the other items. My chili relleno was cold in the center and I'm betting it was frozen and then microwaved. Also, my wife had the Burritos Rancheros and she said that the flour tortillas hadn't been warmed at all and "were straight out of the bag." She had a specialty burrito at the other location and said there was no comparison between the two.
So for us, next time we'll keep right on driving and go down to Burnsville to go to the other location or El Parian.
Service is still terrible. Â One person seats you, another comes to take a drink order. Â Wait twenty minutes and someone else finally looks embarrassed after passing you ten times and takes the order. Â The minute the order is in, three more people show up to take your order (no communication among the staff obviously). Â Then the food came in this order...fajitas platter without tortillas, shrimp cocktail appetizer ten minutes later. Â Had to flag someone down for the tortillas finally. Â Never received a check or a return visit. Â Went to the host to pay and tried to tell him of my dissatisfaction with the whole experience and still no check. Â He just looked down through all the checks, could not find one and I had to recite what I had. No apology, no kind words, nothing...just the check. Â It is too bad for them. The food is OK, but service is awful and I wasted over an hour here during a lunch break, though they had about five servers and four full tables the whole time I was there.
Review Source:I saw the comments about the disorganization of this restaurant when it opened in July, but figured they would have solved these problems now that it's September. Sadly, the service was just as bad.
I ordered a taco salad with a side of french dressing (which was listed on the menu). The salad was placed on the table without any dressing and the server was gone before I could say anything. Once I flagged her down, a chore in itself, I asked for the french dressing again. She was gone for about 15 minutes and came back with a dish of ranch dressing. Easy mistake--the words sound similar, especially to to someone for which English isn't her first language. I tried to clarify that I wanted french dressing, but didn't get very far. My dinner companion also tried and the server smiled and walked away and took my soda to be refilled. About 20 minutes later someone else came to our table with a plate of french fries and my half-full soda that had been topped off with water. When we said that we did't order the fries, someone else came to our table to ask what the mater was. I explained about the french dressing, and the soda refill. She didn't seem to understand about the dressing either, but offered to refill the drink properly.
When the bill came, we were charged for the french fries and the soda. We entually got the fries removed, but there wasn't any discount for all the trouble. And we were given the general impression that there was nothing out of the ordinary about our meal service.
Finally, although the menu says they offer french dressing, I still don't know if they do.
I really wanted to give this a 4 or 5 star but... Our first experience we forgave for learning curve, they had just opened. Food great, customer service pretty bad. He dropped my dinner and I was not notified I would have to wait a bit longer but meanwhile they brought out my husbands dinner...I sat and waited another 10 to 15 minutes and we finally flagged the owner and he looked into it. The waited acted as if nothing unusual had happened with no apology just the fact that he didn't like working in Bloomington.
Went back  3  weeks later and still there were issues. We have always loved going to the Burnsville location which seems to be run seamlessly. The Bloomington location is plagued with disorganization and not very friendly staff. The food was great...but the service I'd give a C-, D+. The bar area after the happy hour was a total mess...no counters wiped and dirty glasses left on top. Meanwhile the barmaid had time to leisurely vist with other staff. I really hope they can work out these issues because Bloomington could really use a good Mexican retaurant.  I hope the owner will see this and hopefully in 3 weeks I can give this review 5 stars...We will give it one more chance .
Worst service ever. From the moment we walked in the door we didn't feel welcome. The worst part happened after I ordered. Instantly I changed my mind, went to find my server to change it & was told the order was in and couldn't be changed. The server was highly rude and not remotely accommodating. Being in the service industry for nearly 10 years, "no" is something you never tell your patrons. Â Looking for good Mexican food and hospitality? Just drive down Lyndale for quality..
Review Source:Finally we don't have to drive across the river to get to our favorite Mexican restaurant! Â They were very busy - it's popular already - and our 15 minute wait was closer to 25, but that's okay. Â They had some new staff being trained and service was a little slower than usual, but not bad. The food is great! Â They have a nice patio facing west so you get the afternoon sun - it's a great place to relax and have a beer and a great Mexican meal!!
Review Source:
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
