Terrific breakfast

We were only in Banff one night and had breakfast here based on recommendations here , and they were totally right . Terrific flavourful breakfast , well priced and included excellent service. (The eggs were also of high quality with orangey yolks, not the insipid pale yellow yolks one sometimes gets in restaurants . ) We were staying nearby and had we been there longer we would have eaten all our breakfasts at El Toro , it was a 5/5 for breakfast , so there was no need to look further. Highly recommend this restaurant !!! — hswildman, Vancouver

Wonderful food and great service

Went for dinner and as a vegetarian, I never know how many options there will be for me. I wasn't disappointed- we ordered off the tapas menu- had quite a few dishes including the goat's cheese croquettes (delicious!), plantain chips and guacamole and the curried cauliflower soup (which was perfect). My nephew had the calamari which I'm assuming he liked as he polished it off by himself..!..We were so full we couldn't try dessert, but next time I'm in Banff I will make it a point to visit this restaurant again! — Jen H., Scarborough

Incredible food, great service, romantic relaxed environment

We had an absolutely wonderful in Banff. We stayed in the hotel that El Toro is a part of and we found that the staff were all very friendly and accomodating, the rooms were incredibly clean and the restaurant proved to be one of the best we ate at in Banff hands down. The food is of a very high quality while the environment leaves you feeling relaxed and presents you with a beautiful view. The menu has a variety of wonderful choices that are sure to please everyone from the pickiest eaters to famous food critics. Great service, knowledgeable staff and an extensive wine list made for a memorable night. All in all, the hotel was great but I would fly back to Banff just to revisit the restaurant. Hats off to the chef! — charlie06251, Toronto, Canada

Shannon is a star!

My friends and I were in banff for a bachelorette party and we didn't want to leave the hotel to go to have dinner as we would just have to walk back to the hotel again before we went out. So we went to el toro, where the fabulous Shannon gave us the best service I have ever really had in my life. She was knowledgable, kind, and super happy! She even went as far as to help us with our evening plans. So thank you Shannon! Also the food was amazing. Get the cheesecake if you want a good dessert! — Tony P.

Great place for Mexican food!

We were in the hotel almost beside El Toro. Easy to get to from several hotels/inns in the area. Warmly greeted, clean floors and table settings, nice atmosphere. Ceiling is high in one area so a little noisy if that bothers you. Great staff, attentive but not in your face. Monday night was Mexican Night and all Mexican dishes were $12 so we essentially got both meals for that price as $12 is easily half the price of these dishes. Our meal came hot off the stove, sizzling like a song! Delicious. Too much for one sitting, took it back to the hotel for later. Terrific place and would go there each time. — 1946HappyCamper, Abbotsford, Canada

Great food and great staff

We visited this great venue twice during our recent stay. The Monday night Mexican special is great value for money and the food is excellent quality ! We were looked after on our visits by Kyla and Jessica. They were both really friendly and great hosts. They made us feel really welcome and we will be sure to return next year. Lee and Si x — LeeSi_10, Manchester, UK

Our Wedding Reception

We had our wedding reception here, and am happy to say the service was exceptional, every single one of our guests​ was amazed by the flavours of the food. Isabelle and her staff took care of every single detail and made us feel right at home. Food prices are reasonable and the wine list is fantastic!!! Thanks so much Isabelle! — Ingrid Elizabet... F

Best Service Yet

We went with our two children (9 & 11) for supper. This is our third day in Banff and this was our most enjoyable meal yet. The service was excellent - genuinely friendly, efficient and professional (which was a challenge with their credit card machine down). The meal started with a generous portion of fresh bread. The Chateau Briand was the daily special, so my husband and I splurged - it was wonderful. The au jus and the bernaise sauce demanded we ask for more bread to sop up every drop! The vegetables were cooked perfectly as well. My children were happy with their meals although I would have liked them to come with a few token carrot sticks. This is a quieter restaurant so I'm not sure if I would come with toddlers. Overall, we enjoyed our meal at El Toro and we will definitely eat here when we visit Banff again. — Mctet, Edmonton, Canada

Dinner

Great Monday night special with faboulous value for the price. Nice diining space and was seated in the corner window table. The greeter notice right away that we were looking for a quiet table and we did nothave to ask. Great servicre, just enough attention without bing in our way. And great warm bread! — Trish H.

AWESOME GRUB

We have been visiting this great restaurant for the past five years and can not say enough about the atmosphere, people, and most importantly the food and prices are outstanding. We recommend it to everyone we meet or we visit with all our visitors that come to visit us. — youcanchat2me, Canmore, Canada

A hidden gem for excellent steaks

The restaurant is slightly away from the downtown area, but still on the main street. It was recommended by our cab driver. Despite that it looks a bit old from the outside, we still gave it a try. We had a delicious Chateaubriand for 2, the steak was prepped well, super tender and service was good and friendly. They also have a nice breakfast menu as well, but we didn't get the chance to try. — PDCbride2011, Montreal, Canada

Delicious breakfast!

We ate breakfast here before checking out of our hotel (Irwin's Mountain Inn.) The food was delicious for a reasonable price. Service was great. Wish we would have eaten here everyday we were in Banff! We will be back! — JJG555, Calgary, Canada

The Staff were great! Our server showed great passion in her job

Since the moment we walked in we were welcomed by amazing staff. We were seated in a great spot. Our server was quick to explain the menu and get the table ready. The food was exquisite! Everything about El Toro was outstanding — Bryan M.

Excellent meal

I had the tenderloin and my partner had the lamb. Both delicious and excellent. Great service and a great cheesecake. Highly recommend. — 1bracken_13, Banff National Park, Canada

Great food, great service

We always enjoy having chateau briand cooked to perfection! The staff is friendly and attentive. The atmosphere is relaxing. — Shelley R. Calgary, Canada

Awesome Breakfast! Highly

This is why I love Trip Advisor. I never would have found this place without it. Had a wonderful omelette with fresh ingredients, perfectly prepared breakfast potatoes, toast, bacon and fruit. Low priced too compared to most alternatives. — michaelw2, Alabama, USA

Taste for Adventure

Visited El Toro as part of the Taste for Adventure food festival. Service was friendly and attentive. Great selection for the set menu - with well prepared and presented dishes. I will visit again in the future. — Oz B., Banff, Canada

Amazing food !!

My partner and I went to El Toro for the last night of taste of adventure and it was beautiful! We had the chance to try 8 different tapas and they were all great! ( stuffed portobello mushroom and tequila cream prawns are a must try ) . Overall a great experience, from food to service, flawless! Good work! We'll be back for sure! — Alex C., Newcastle

Good food!!!

I visited El Toro during the week long Banff food adventure. The selection was amazing, the food was great, service superb and the price was right. For the main entree I had a Pawn dish that was the right size for myself with great flavour. In addition I also had a Cod dish that again had great flavour. I would highly recommend this restaurant as it is not your typical fast food Mexican version but superb versions of other types of Mexican food. They are only open for Breakfast and Dinner but it was well worth the wait for Dinner. — Mary W., Edmonton, Canada

A visit for breakfast and evening meal

A value for money eating experience with good service. Menu choices were comprehensive and varied - highly recommended — Richard211050, Taunton, UK

Outstanding steak

We always eat here multiple time when in Banff. Outstanding steaks. We get to Banff every couple of years. They usually have changed the way they server the steaks(different veges, etc.) but the steaks are always exceptional. I am a real, real picky steak person. I ONLY order filet mignon. I always order it very rare. I always have at least a couple of bites that have some fat, which I can't stand and will not eat. I have NEVER had a bite of steak left on my plate when I eat here. We have eaten here numerous times and never a bad steak and thye actually cook it like I ask. — Leslie F., Henderson, Nevada

Exactly what I wanted

We had breakfast here as the Red Carpet Inn didn't offer breakfast, and I am glad we did. Affordable and just what we were looking for- eggs, crispy potatoes and bacon, toast...a friendly waitress and a coffee cup that was topped up when it emptied. A good start to the day. — S J, Saskatoon, Canada

Delicious

We had dinner there and because of feeling not very hungry, decided to share some Tapas. The waitress suggested the charcuterie plate for two. We had the fish broth as starter and it was delicious, followed by the platter. Small it was not. It was a delicious mix of cheese, meats, pickles, olives, guacomole and more. Followed by dessert (yes, we needed to fit that in) which was again outstanding. To sum it up: good food, nice atmosphere, lovely waitstaff. Thank you — Elisabeth P., Sydney, Australia

Excellent Breakfast!

We were staying nearby at a hotel that did not offer breakfast, so decided to eat here. We were very pleased with our meals and service. Did not try dinner, but highly recommend for a great breakfast! — FLLovestoroam, Lakeland, FL

El perfecto!!

My wife and I came in not long ago and fell in love with place. The staff were great. The atmosphere worked really well and the Mexican dishes were amazing and fresh. — Darcy C.

simply the best place in banff !!!!

For quality and value no better place to eat in banff. Simple that have the best breakfast sport in Alberta. I had the Smoked salmon Benedict yummmy ....may girlfriend had the scrambled eggs, pancake, French toast, bacon strips and sausages combo..... ya all of that ...she loved it. — davedave76, Vancouver, Canada

Excellent

We had an excellent diner with seven with a variety of dishes from the menu. Service was good, not to pushy but responsive and honest, a lot of taste was present in the dishes, you really get good quality food at a reasonable price. I would not change a thing, continue the good work. — Peter L., Brussels, Belgium

Wonderful Chateaubriand

We enjoyed a wonderful meal at El Toro. We ordered the Chateaubriand and loved every morsel. It came with a starter soup or salad. We had the El Toro salad which included mixed greens, beets, goat cheese and candied pecans. Shannon was an excellent server, attentive and engaging. She did an excellent job of presenting the Chateaubriand. Although the four of us were 'stuffed' from our meal, we chose to share a Berry Nest to complete our meal. It included lemon sorbet and berries which were just the icing on the cake to a fabulous meal. We will be back. — JPMMJM, Calgary, Alberta

pleasantly surprised

very good authentic food plated beautifully, great service, fast and relaxing ambiance! Will go back again — TheMorgans154913, Calgary, Canada

Delicious!

The atmosphere and the food was excellent. Our server was lovely. The selection of food is great, I went with a few selections of the Tapas. I couldn't get enough. The portion sizes (even for tapas!) were great. — Jeny A., Winnipeg, Canada

Spanish theme restaurant

The food, service and atmosphere is great. I will be returning when we get back to banff in the summer. — Ryan S., Stony Plain, Canada

Excellent!

Coming here for Dinner, El Toro was an excellent restaurant to eat at. The ambiance and the service were great and the food was delicious. I would definitely recommend the Châteaubriand as the food was prepared for you beside your table. The beef was perfectly cooked. Our server was also very attentive and did his best to serve our table throughout the night. El Toro is now a restaurant I would definitely recommend to anyone who visits Banff. — Jason L., Calgary, Canada

Yum!

We've been there now for breakfast and dinner. Both were delicious!!!!! The service was also awesome! Totally recommend going! — Casey P.

Excellent

We stayed at the hotel next door and went here for breakfast... excellent service .. yummy food... awesome prices too. Definetely will be coming back on my next trip. — Erika S., Lorette, Canada

came for husband's 60 birthday.

our meal was excellent. The Chateaubriand was very tender and cooked to our liking. We really appreciated that we received a phone call in advance letting us know that the restaurant was extremely busy with a group of 80 people. We came 45 minutes earlier and had not problem. — bdrogers, Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Best Breakfast in Canada

We went there looking for a nice place to have breakfast that had more options than just a continental. Our waitress was very plesant, engaging and helpful. The food was the best breakfast meal we have had in Canada to date. The service was timely, the coffee kept coming and the atmosphere was relaxing and homely. Would strongly recommend for anyone. Plenty of options. — Tiana-Bremner, Darwin, Australia

AMAZING!

We go there every year for Christmas. We love it. Food is good quality and delicious. Amazing great service. — Kai0815, Edmonton, Canada

We had a yummy dinner and our server was absolutely delightful!!

We attended the restaurant on a "Tapas Special" Night. The calamari tapas was $6, was absolutely delicious and the serving size was extraordinary! — Sheila T., Calgary, Canada

Perfection

Absolutely amazing food! Great atmosphere and lovely staff. Had a fantastic time here. Best Mexican in town for sure. 😊 — Alissa C., Tuggerah, Australia

Sensational pancakes for breakfast.

We staid in the hotel and took our breakfast in El Toro. So I don't know about their lunch or dinner, but their breakfast was worth every cent. Their blueberry and raspberry pancakes and crepes were sensational! — Evgeni, Edmonton, Canada

Went on a recommendation - Chateaubriand!!!

Visiting here on a recommendation and we were so pleased we did. Took the Chateaubriand for 3, and wow it was absolutely fabulous. Cocktails are also reasonably priced and very tasty. Thoroughly enjoyed our evening out. — MrsACM, Peterborough, UK

good night meal

Great service and superd food! Good place for a nice one on one romantic souper. Excellent place for tapas. — Patrick C., Banff, Canada

Family brunch

This place is great! Really good food. Reasonably priced. Definitely a great inexpensive place! I would definitely recommend! — Bessie B., Langley, Canada

Food was fantastic

Make sure to leave room for dessert!! The food was awesome and we had an array of tapas and salad and were stuffed but the warm chocolate cake at the end was phenomenal!! Delicious. The food, the drinks, the atmosphere it was all wonderful. Check this place out. — Trisha H., Saskatchewan, Canada