El Caballito Tequila y Tacos

Great tacos! Great drinks! Great atmosphere!
Came here on a Saturday night with my husband. There was a DJ playing music (very loud!) which we usually do not enjoy but it fit this place perfectly. We ordered a random mix of tacos and enjoyed all of them. The service was great and we will definitely be back again!

Okay, so this place is definitely more of a bar to hang out, rather than a sit down place to eat. That’s the impression I got anyway and unfortunately, I was not drinking the night I went to El Caballito — possibly a better experience if I were too inebriated to care what I was paying for.
I’ll start with the server though. He was very kind and super attentive. I feel bad leaving such a poor review because he was definitely chill and I bet the other people that work there are just as nice, but El Caballito, you definitely failed to satisfy my hunger.
My SO and I were at a convention and were super hungry, we stumbled upon this place thinking «tacos? yes». Right when we went down the stairs we heard very bass-​heavy dance music. This didn’t bother me, what did bother me though were the tacos. The thing is, the menu outlined different types of tacos — chicken, pulled pork and others that sounded equally as delicious. They have an option for single and triple, so naturally, both my SO and I ordered a triple thinking these tacos were going to be massive or at least a good three bites each — and we were going to devour it all :).
My thoughts were «12 – 17 dollars for three tacos? That’s reasonable», however, these tacos are so small. SO SMALL. I looked down at the plate of six, very small, possibly 3 inch tortillas with maybe a 1 ½ tablespoon amount of filling. I could eat one of those in one bite. I thought only one of our plates had arrived, but no… that was it. Taco Bell has bigger tacos, man. They were good, I’m not going to deny that, but come on, do people not care about the size of these things? Am I crazy? I didn’t take a picture because my phone had died, but if you’ve been there sober, you should know what I’m talking about.
My SO was very, very disappointed and so was I. When our bill came to $ 30+ it was definitely not worth it. We were still hungry after that $ 30 overpriced snack, that we went back to the convention and gorged on street meat from a food truck. $ 7 dollars for a burger and fries that actually satisfied our hunger vs. $ 30+ for 3 measly bite sized tacos :(
Bottom line: Come here for drinks, the night life possibly, but not for food… unless you want to pay $ 30+ for bite sized tacos.

Went once when it was fairly recently opened. The tacos and drinks were good. I was not blown away but not disappointed either. Would go back again to try though.
Service was pretty quick and located conveniently on king west. Suggest trying it once for sure.

Top stars for the service! My sister and I had stopped in with only 30 minutes to eat before our concert at the TSO started. When we told the hostess this, she was super accommodating and made sure that we could get in and out within 30 minutes by asking the chef before seating us. Our server was also great about our time crunch: he took our order and made sure to give us the bill right after so we wouldn’t have to waste time at the end waiting for a machine. Everyone was super attentive and very accommodating!
The food was also very yummy, but slightly pricey (over $ 5 per taco). The atmosphere was also great — relaxed but upbeat; I just wish we could’ve had more time to enjoy it. The next time I’m looking to splurge a little on Mexican food, I’ll definitely come back!

Mi lugar favorito para comer tacos en Toronto y tomar margaritas. Cada vez que voy me gusta más. Margarita Rose es mi favorita.
Excelente servicio al cliente, todos son súper amables.
El mejor taco en mi opinión es el vegetariano (Rajas poblanas o mejor conocido como «poblano»).
Lo único es que últimamente me parece que el sabor de las bebidas no es constante, supongo que no tienen medidas exactas para prepararlos.
Desde hace más de 6 meses tienen una parte del techo roto que gotea a una mesa y tienen un tobo en medio del restaurante para recoger el agua. Me pregunto si es demasiado difícil acomodar la tubería rota y así los clientes no tenemos que lidiar con el agua que cae del techo.

3.5 stars
Great atmosphere and great service — .5
I went on a Friday evening with my friend. It was our first time there and our lovely waiter walked through the menu. We both ordered a margarita Rosa which according to the waiter is the sweetest drink on the menu. But it wasn’t to me lol. it was pretty strong.
The tacos are a bit underwhelming IMO, they don’t fill up the taco. I ordered the spicy shrimp and the pork belly taco. My pork belly taco fell apart when I tried to eat it so that sucks. The meat was also a bit dry. However, I enjoyed the spicy shrimp a lot and it had a nice kick to it!
We also shared a basket of taro chips with guacamole… The guacamole is a bit spicy but I loved the taro chips they provided! Anyways, I think I do prefer la carnita a little more but if you’re in the area. you can give this place a try!

This place is GREAT! Was part of a group on a Taco Crawl and we started our evening here and we are sure glad we did. Super friendly and FAST service. Great music playing. Fun ambiance.
Our server recommended the Beef Brisket taco and it sure did not disappoint. Good selection of Mexican beers available and moderately priced for the King West area. Also — free sombreros that we could keep and carry around with us for the rest of our Taco Crawl. The entire place was really great. I will be back!
⁴⁄₅ stars as I wish they had a bit more of an expanded menu and more draft beers rather than bottle. But aside from that — great place and worth going to!

Maybe it’s because it was a Tuesday Taco Night and all tacos were only $ 3.50, or maybe it’s because my Mescal Mule drink was a subtle spicy with warmth and love, maybe it was the funny and friendly Aussie server, or maybe it’d because it was late on a Tuesday night so the place was almost empty… But this place was a hole in the wall that totally exceeded my expectations.
Pork belly Taco was very good and the trout Taco was fantastic. I’m told the shrimp was also amazing. Guacamole was fresh with hot chips. All reasonably priced. Somewhat scuzzy downstairs location makes it unpretentious and relaxed. Can’t wait to check out the patio! Will definitely be back.

Picture it: Taco Tuesday. Awesome band. Even more awesome DJ. Cool staff. Yummy food. And did I mention taco Tuesday? Lol I’m dying of satisfaction … Highly recommend this place!

I have been here a few times with friends and once for a company party and have had fun at all. Amusing place to get some tacos/​snacks and tequila and hangout. High energy by the crowd and the staff.
The food is good, but I feel like this is a place you come to drink rather than have a culinary experience
I liked the options they had for tequila and it was fun to try some different ones. They had a really nice tequila on special so we had a few shots of that – it was really tasty (this is coming from someone who doesn’t normally like straight alcohol).
Could be a good date place if you come earlier in the evening, once it gets later it gets a bit rowdy and is a great time too

I’m a fan of the guac with the taro chips & totopos! So good. For tacos, I had the beef and rainbow trout — I only like the fish one. The drink I had was the guava soda + lime juice + tequila — pretty strong.
The server who took our bill was super nice and accommodating in our request for separate bills.
I would return for more Taco Tuesday!

We came here for drinks on a Wednesday. It got pretty busy later in the night. It’s probably not the best place for groups larger than 5 or 6 people.
There was a special on Wednesday if you buy Modelo Especial for about $ 8, you get a taco for a $ 1 which isn’t too bad. The taco was pretty good.
As for the classic margarita, it isn’t too bad. You can barely taste the alcohol and it goes down smoothly. It’s pretty good to share.
The service was prompt. They also give out Sombreros on request.

I have been here a couple of times now and truly have enjoyed each visit. Every time I have gone I have sat at the bar as to sit at a table they put a time limit on it; especially on Taco Tuesdays.
The pitcher of Margaritas are amazing, we had the house and hibiscus versions and both were boozy and delicious. A good balance of sweet, sour, salty and all of what makes a margarita a good one.
The tacos are nice, you must eat them quickly or they will fall apart the tortilla’s are fresh and delicate.
The chips and guac are not bad either, I am not a big fan of cilantro and they do not go too crazy on it so I can stomach it.
On Tuesdays they have a live mariachi band as well as a DJ which makes the night amazingly fun! For those who want to get into the spirit there are sambraros around for you do don while you get your food and drink on!
I will have to try their Sangria which looks beautiful… stay tuned!

After writing a previous review about having a bad experience at this restaurant (rude service) I am updating my review due to the great customer service I received after my negative review.
The manager who had contacted me was more than delightful and went out of her way to get to the bottom of my bad experience. This to me is amazing customer service and I will be back to the restaurant solely based on that.

I had such a fun time here. The waiter was amazing, he kept checking back with us (very attentive), and he was hilarious. A friend and I went after work/​school and had the guacamole and some tacos. They were so good and very filling. We also had the house Margaritas and they were great (on the rocks, not blended which is perfect). It was loud but after a crazy week we were just relaxing and the type of music was fantastic (not thumpy which gives me a headache but fun and makes you want to dance). It was very busy but I could see why, it was a relaxed and fun atmosphere. I would definitely recommend and I will be coming back!

Love love love this place!
Tacos tacos
Firstly just need to say I put the habanero hot sauce on everything here to give it a little kick! … If you love spice defiantly try it. Also rule of thumb *squeeze* that lime on everything ! Tacos and in drinks … Just go wild.
Shrimp tacos were juicy and great
Fish taco was great and flaky
They had a Trout taco day feature which was great (with a little lime and hot sauce)
Chicken and beef tacos had a decent amount of meat in them and were nicely cooked and shredded.
The Vegetarian option was surprisingly also very tasty and flavourful
Ceviche love the jalapeño touch inside but fish and tomatoes needs to be chopped up more for better chip grabbing fun.
Margarita pitcher could use a little more lime less agave and more tequila… Less sweetness and more pungent twist and kick in the mouth to go with those tasty tacos. (I just ordered extra tequila and added to my cup… But I would say about 4 more shots in the pitcher would fix it)
Over all very great vibes… music is beautiful loud and upbeat. Friendly staff. Great place to go grab a bite laugh and enjoy a fun Latin vibes time

I celebrated my 30^th birthday at El Caballito and it was terrible. I’ve been there a few times, service always left a lot to be desired and food was just ok, but I’d won a free birthday cake so I thought why not have my bday dinner there?
Nobody ate the cake. I have no idea what the flavours were supposed to be. The cake part itself was like a stale bagel and the icing was literally butter. No one ate it. It even smelled stale. I know it was free, so what should I expect? But I actually expected something edible. It was a real shame.
Then the service. It was sporadic but the worst part was when the bill came. They refused to help my group divide the bill and then tried to tell the last person (my sweet sister) that she owed $ 60. She had two tacos and a coke. He insisted she owed 60 so my smart friend asked him to please print a receipt that calculated all the payments so far. When he finally did, there was $ 25 dollars left. He said he didn’t say 60. It was so embarrassing and I felt so guilty of putting my friends through that debacle of dividing the bill. And then it got worse.
As we were leaving the waiter took one of my friends aside to tell her he needed a bigger tip and was that going to come from her.
I was so upset my friends were treated like that for coming out to my birthday party.
I have two months left of free guac left from my prize… I’m not even going back for that. Just terrible.

Taco Tuesday, vibe is good, mariachi band moving throughout the restaurant. Theyve changed the original fish taco recipe, and tortillas are from a distributor now. The seasoned pork taco was delicious.

This place is full of atmosphere! You’d probably walk right by it if you didn’t happen to glance down. It’s in a basement/​garden spot, lit up by neon light pointing downwards. We ordered a few different kinds of tacos — seems the shrimp
Tacos got the best overall review. I can’t say that it tasted like the best taco I’ve ever had, but i certainly wasn’t mad at it. The churro ice cream sandwich was heavenly. Save some room for that!

Has deteriorated from mediocre to meh (at best). Blah tacos; expensive guac and chips (not fresh); weird service and blaring beats instead of live music as expected.

Great tacos and a huge selection of tequila, I’m told they serve 200 different kinds. The first time I came, I had the tacos — very fairly priced and was stuffed quite generously. Don’t expect to eat anything else though because this is all they serve for food. Also had a shot of tequila and it was good stuff! Super smooth.
My second visit was supposed to be drop in and take a shot kind of visit since we already had dinner elsewhere. Pro tip: do not just ask for a shot of tequila because as I said, they serve 200 kinds. Somehow I said surprise me because I didn’t know which one I had last time (be careful because some of the good stuff cost upwards of $ 100 per shot)… And ended up with the reposado aka aged tequila, which cost $ 15 per shot. The bartender was great to talk to and I learned so much about tequila that night. Super friendly staff.
What I love about this place is they make it a big deal and gives everyone sombreros when you ask for a picture. It’s campy but really cute.

Their pico de gallo is spicy! I love their taro chips. The tacos are also deceivingly filling. I ordered three, one chicken tinga and two pork conchinita, and was underwhelmed when they arrived at my table. They looked tiny. But while you are eating it you suddenly become aware of how packed they are with meat! Then it hits you that you are full. I was so convinced I was going to have room for dessert (ice cream and churros!) –_​–
Prices are pretty good considering the area of Toronto it’s in.

@ELCABALLITO220 # UnilocalTO #FREEGUAC #TACOTUESDAY
So, I’ve been to this place a number of times, both before and after I won the free guac card. That’s right, this girl has access to unlimited guac for 2 more months!
Some of my friends really like the place, some don’t. I guess it’s a hit or miss depending on what you like. Firstly, fantastic location — right in between cultural venues like Prince of Wales, Roy Thompson Hall; startups and bigwig companies on King Street; and very close to the clubbing district. The vibe of this place, as expected is very young, fun yet classy. On a Friday night, you may just meet the perfect man, or eye some women you strive to be.
I really like the rustic décor, the grunginess of the place and the neon lights — yet somehow it does not feel cheap; despite of being a basement. And the food certainly isn’t. The tacos are about $ 5-​$ 7 each and fairly small in size. But it’s surprising how it can fill you up significantly. My advise would be to order one shareable and about 2 – 3 tacos each. The guac is fantastic, as is the salsa sampler. And they come with unique chips. I am a huge fan of the taro chips. Yum! And the beef brisket is my favorite taco.
These guys have done a great job with their branding. Love how fun it is.
Ankie Tip: Keep an eye on their social media activities. They do a ton of contests and giveaways.
The only fails:
1. Margarita Rating: ¹⁄₅
Sadly, their classic traditional margarita is totally a fail. Every Mexican place I’ve been to serves a fantastic margarita. This one is so boozy on tequila that it tastes more like a tequila shot in a glass. I don’t taste the agave or triple sec at all.
2. Your experience really depends on the server you get. I’ve had some friendly servers, and ones that are constantly pushy — «either order tacos… or leave already» kind. It’s just so easy to eat and chill with a friend at this place, but some servers want you to constantly keep ordering food.
3. They changed their hours. So they will no longer be open till 1am every night. #sadgirls

Had dinner with friends here. Let me start by saying that El Caballito is more of a bar setting, that just so happens to have pretty damn fantastic food.
On to the eats. We started with a chicharron for an appetizer. (A crispy pastry topped with salsa, sour cream, cottage cheese, and beef brisket.) This was definitely not something that I had had before, but I loved it! To compare the pastry to something familiar, think of a not cheap tasting version of Bugles. Your childhood will thank you :)
For the main course we had an assortment of their various creative tacos. They were all really good, but the killers were the Spicy Shrimp, and another that had a filling with a crisp exterior and soft interior. (I think it was called rajas poblanas…)
I would definitely go back. I just wish the servings were bigger, but I guess that’s what you get for going to a bar.

Came here for my birthday recently, I made a reservation for 15 people and they were very accommodating, pretty spacious. It was my first visit, for a Friday around 10-​midnight it wasn’t even busy (which I didn’t mind). There was a DJ spinning and he definitely created a lively atmosphere.
Let me tell you their tequila menu is longer than their food menu… Their drinks were strong, especially for sangria. A got a few shots, there was this one guava– lemony one that was quite interesting. I ordered a corona and had to remind the waitress of this, but still ended up waiting 10 minutes just for someone to bring me a bottle.
I tried the ceviche which tasted fresh, the chips had original tortilla chips AND taro chips which were new but great, less salty. I also ordered chicken tacos, you can’t even wrap the taco closed because it was so full of meat, but then again the tortilla was small. Although they were flavorful they weren’t necessarily filling. My group also received a pork taco for the Free Midnight taco, which definitely topped the chicken taco.
Although it wasnt the best Mexican styled restaurant I’ve been to, it was definitely fun and I would like to try their other items.

The service, guacamole, and sangria were good.
The churros and tacos were OK.
I’ll never understand why these «fancy» taco joints (in Toronto) always overload their tacos with unnecessary toppings.
Why. Why? Simple, tasty, and fresh. That’s all I want.

Loved the environment/​ambience of this place. Great place for a late night meal/​snack. Great music on weekends delivered by a live DJ (good mix of old school pop and hiphop and top 40). The taco’s are well priced and decent. The drinks are also well priced and taste great (for the ones I had). I would come back. Great place to just lounge around with friends over drinks.

I love their two veg tacos. The mushroom taco doesn’t look like much but it packs a punch of flavour.
The food here is great and a great atmosphere.
The staff are also awesome.
In the summer, the back patio is so fun. The menu is a bit limited, but it’s such a cool spot and everything is awesome and well priced.
The draft margaritas are a bit too sweet and kind of overpriced but they’re fun and pair well with spicey and cheap tacos. Also, dope apps and sides.
One of my fave spots in the city.
But I’ll say, my fish taco loving friend doesn’t prefer theirs as the fish is baked, not breaded and fried.

Reserved a spot for 10 of us, celebrating my birthday. We came from a Paint Nite event, which ended relatively early so we arrived at El Cabillito an hour before our reservation, which seemed to be fine. They situated us in a dark corner with our own private table. Was a bit awkward as there was a storage room attached, so we had staff come in and out of there ever so often.
This place has a very small menu– both drinks and food. We ordered guacamole and ceviche for the table. Taro chips were great, everything else unmemorable.
6 of us also grabbed the 6 tacos for $ 24/​$ 32 depending on your choice– fish, chicken, beef etc. Tacos were great, and double tortilla wraps. I remember previously reading a complaint how they were soggy and falling apart. Not the case for us.
5 members of my group decided to ask for hot sauce– they all immediately regretted this decision. They were all sweating, some in tears.
Would I return? Probably not. As a tequila drinker I thought this place would be a lot more livelier then it was… Granted it was 5pm and the Jays game was on.
Because of the outrageous cake cutting fee of $ 5/​slice (more than the cake itself) the group decided to enjoy the cake elsewhere.
Picked this place cuz I thought it would be a livelier atmosphere. Definitely wasn’t at all. I guess their version of a party is giving us sparklers — felt like a 2 year old — and a bunch of sombreros… which was cute I guess.

Taco tuesdaysssssssss!
6 tacos for 10 bucks! Yes please!
Coming from a symphony at case loma and being starving this was a great choice! Well executed tacos. Great choice and variety and awesome service.
They were fast and pleasant and the flavours couldn’t be beat. They’ve got great seating inside but also an awesome patio with a permanent food truck in the back serving tacos out of the back.
We really enjoyed the shrimp tacos and the fish tacos! You’ve gotta give them a try, with a beer of course!

Taco tuesdaysssssssss!
6 tacos for 10 bucks! Yes please!
Coming from a symphony at case loma and being starving this was a great choice! Well executed tacos. Great choice and variety and awesome service.
They were fast and pleasant and the flavours couldn’t be beat. They’ve got great seating inside but also an awesome patio with a permanent food truck in the back serving tacos out of the back.

Good atmosphere, nice decors similar to that of Pai’s — exposed brick and rugged retro feel.
Margarita were great and so were the tacos. Menu is limited to tacos and sides but perhaps that works out in its own way.
We tried shrimp, flank and fish tacos. Fish taco was the best, I found flank taco could use bit more kick.
Overall it’s a great place and excellent location. We were seeing Kinky Boots at Royal Alexandria Theatre and it’s right next door.

The food was pretty good overall… No stand outs to mention.
Best part about this place is their outdoor upper patio. Feels kinda like you’re in Mexico. What a party! There’s an outside bar and even like a food truck to sell street foods like Mexican corn. It’s first come first serve and fills up quickly.
Like a super crowded communal Mexican patio. Would highly recommend if you don’t shy from crowd’s!

Tequila tastings. Free sombreros. Mariachi.
On this Cinco de Mayo, I feel like the above should be enough for five stars and a mic drop, but I’ll elaborate:
You know you’re looking for some sweet gold nectar and possibly a tray of margs, and this place has a three page tequila list.
Their food price point is incredibly reasonable for the goods their giving up. I understand sometimes people think tacos should be ⁷⁄₁₁ taquito prices, but come on… These babies are scratch-​made and fresh, and are way cheaper than the hipster Tacos Toronto seems to heart sucking down.

While the fish taco was still in my mouth, I was thinking ~3 stars. Food and drinks are fine, albeit overpriced. Appetizers were probably the highlight of the meal. Music will drive you insane. But if you have to eat in the area and there’s a special (namely Taco Tuesday) going on, it’s good.*
*Minus the churros, which I nearly broke a tooth on.
The SERRRIVCE though! No. Not the servers necessarily, who are probably doing as instructed. Mandatory prix-​fixe for tables of 8+ was annoying, especially since they limit you to 4 taco varieties, which is not great for groups since more people = more different wants and dietary restrictions. Obviously. But on top of that, paying the $ 520+tip bill (not Taco Tuesday, obviously) was a pain in the trasero.
Can we get separate bills? «No.»
Oh…can we split it? «I can split the bill a maximum of 4 ways.»
Uhh…can the couples, you know, couple off? «The computer literally won’t allow me to do it like that.»
Can we just pass around the credit card machine? «No, I’m serving another table and it would take forever to go around.» No, it really wouldn’t. Actually, it’s taking longer for us to discuss this.
We finally assigned amongst ourselves the «payors» of the group only to be brought bills divided exactly by 4… which doesn’t really help an odd-​numbered group, does it?
EL CAB!!! It’s 2015. Your computer can do it! Is it a computer-​shaped tortilla? You run a restaurant, you serve groups, your menu is expensive, you accept credit cards — please just deal with whatever negligible fees you’re incurring as a cost of the business and allow your customers to pay you $ 600 how they want to pay you.
P. S. Love the taro chips + guac!
P. P. S. There’s a fake 5-​star review from the business on this page.