El Toro Restaurant - Winchendon, Massachusetts

Becky T.

Dan the bartender was so welcoming with a friendly and great personality! We laughed a lot with him and Michael. It really felt like a night out with friends and it was our first time visiting! The scallop pasta was creamy ( could have used a sprinkle of greens). The fish and chips were cooked perfectly. The French fries have this awesome seasoning … wow! Bathrooms were spotless, with an adorable basket of necessities! The signs for entering and the location of the entrance needs a sign. It’s March, time to take down rotted pumpkins, really!!!. The walkways are a bit dangerous out front, but if I KNEW the entrance was out back I would not be out front. The buckets out front… unseemly. Please, pick UP the butts near the entrance.. your menu is far too expensive to look at trash, come on owners, try visiting your restaurant as a dining patron and see if you see what I see!

Karla P.

Sat at the bar and had a wonderful experience!! Food is delicious! So far, we have had the salmon with the mango and a burger plus no bun (see the picture). Dan, the bartender, makes some incredible cocktails! Dan and Michael, the manager, are both friendly and engaging. We have found our new weekend go to restaurant.

patrick R.

We usually have our Anniversary dinner in Boston but decided to stay close and go to El Toro, Glad we did!! First upon walking in the Atmosphere is Amazing, The bar tender gave us a super friendly greeting and had us in a seat within seconds. Server had our drink order in hand within the first five minutes, a host or food runner not sure of his position brought those drinks quickly. I mention this because these three employees ran this dining room like a well oiled machine the team work was more then impressive, coming from a former restaurant manager.
We got a crispy prime rib flat bread that arrived piping hot and quickly as our appetizer, it was very good, however I have to save the raving for our Entrees, My wife had a scallop fettuccine dish and couldn't have been happier. I got a honey whiskey salmon that arrived on a cedar plank surrounded by roasted Brussels and root veg and cranberry, I say this without exaggerating not only was this plate beautiful but it may be one of the best Salmon dishes I've ever had.
El Toro is definitely on the top of our go to spots now.

North A. C. L.

We had a party of 5 reservation on saturday night, nov 9 2024. The atmosphere and aesthetics were greatly improved from the old Carriage House in the front dining room; we were seated in the back dining room, as it appeared they were showcasing some live entertainment in the main dining room and were quite busy. The cocktails were good. The waiter / staff was polite, friendly and attentive. The appetizers were good; onion soup, salad and probably the best chicken wings i've ever had (i had the el toro bourbon bbq sauce) The five of us placed our entree orders; two filet mignon, one short rib and my steak tips. The two filets were cooked good, the short rib was tender. Two issues were; I ordered the tips med-rare but they were served well-done, dry and a bit over seasoned- I did not eat them. The waiter apologized and said he'll inform the chef. When the check came, the steak tips were still on the bill- the 2nd issue, my daughter ordered mac & ch with cheese sticks, and they totally forgot the order.We asked about her entree when they brought ours out, they apologized and said they'd bring it right out. 20 mins later still no dinner. My daughter ended up picking on food from our plates because they never brought out her entree. I graciously paid the bill and left a 21% tip. El Toro offered me a gift card to rectify the dining experience.

Daniela

From the outside, this place didn’t seem like much, but it completely exceeded our expectations. A true hidden gem.

We’re not from the area. We were just passing through after visiting a potential school for my boyfriend’s son. But what a fantastic restaurant to stumble upon! Initially, we wanted something better than fast food, but by the end of our meal, we were completely blown away.

From the moment we walked in, we were welcomed warmly. The atmosphere at the bar caught our attention as some people were laughing and having a great time with the bartender. We opted for the dining area, where we were seated in a cozy little corner. The whole place has a charming, winter cabin feel, which I absolutely loved.

Our server was a young lady, who was sweet and knowledgeable. She recommended the wings, and my boyfriend, who’s notoriously picky about his wings, decided to give them a try. He was in love. They had a dry rub with a honey glaze. Absolutely delicious. Wish we had taken a picture, but we had no idea they’d be that good.

For our entrees, my boyfriend had the prime rib, which he enjoyed. The presentation was simple but nice. I went with the filet, following our server’s suggestion. I tried it with both chimichurri and bearnaise. They were both fantastic, but the bearnaise won me over.

We hadn’t planned on eating so much, but our server wouldn’t let us leave without trying a limoncello cake. At that point, we just thought, why not? It was worth it!

There was live music toward the end of our meal. Another pleasant surprise. Maybe starting live music a bit earlier should be a future consideration.

We’re not sure how often we’ll be in the area, but if we are, we’ll definitely be back.

Andrew S.

Stopped in after a flight from Boston. Showed up an hour before closing and it was an amazing experience end to end. They were so welcoming and the food was amazing. Dan did a great job taking care of us. Menu has everything from well priced burgers to what I’m sure are delicious higher end steaks. Highly recommend!!!

Katie L. L.

Went to a special lunch gathering here on a Saturday afternoon, which was planned with the restaurant ahead of time as it was a large group of people. This was my first time eating here. The food took over an hour to arrive after we ordered, and my chicken sandwich was so overcooked, the fried batter coating the chicken was almost black; it was so dark brown and crunchy outside and dry inside. Perhaps they aren't good at handling a large party with all the food coming out at one time. Another lady in my party ordered the same thing, and her chicken was also way overcooked and almost black. I can't believe the chef thought that was acceptable to serve, especially as the menu prices are on the higher side. I wasn't impressed, but after waiting so long for my food to arrive I ate the edible parts and the fries. I don't think I'd go back.

Brooke R.

Our server was very friendly, the chicken wings are the best around, I’m still craving them actually. I got the short ribs and it was great too!