El Loro

Don’t go an hour before close, you will be greeted by the server with a broom and mop instead of a basket of chips and salsa. Walked right out and went somewhere else.

Meh. It was just ok. Carne asada was dry and obviously frozen at one time. Service was blah. Everything was bland. We had to chase him down every time we needed something. I will not be going back.

Awesome!!!
Sat outside. Food was really good. Taco salad was better than you would hope for. Very very good. And nice people!!!

Best Chorizo tacos I’ve had in years. Portions are generous and all my family’s food was very good. We will be returning. This is a definite improvement over the last place that was there.

This is the worst tex-​mex food I’ve had in the Twin Cities. I will hit the highlights so you can decide whether you’re likely to agree with me or not.
We went for lunch and I ordered a combo plate that included a chile relleno, an enchilada, and some other tubular thing that escapes me. The reason I can’t remember is that it was pretty much exactly the same thing as the enchilada, except that one was a flour tortilla filled with coarse-​ground beef and the other was a corn tortilla filled with fine-​ground beef. Neither contained any seasoning except (possibly) salt. The chile relleno was undistinguished, and bland. Over the top of everything was ladled a red sauce that my lunch partner and I both agreed smelled exactly like Chef Boyardee «tomato sauce.» I doubt it would be cost effective to strain out the Spagetti-O’s, so I guess it’s some other food service thing.
I got a side of beans, and they were extremely unmemorable. The free chips came with a completely unspiced salsa and what seemed to be a very lightly spiced bowl of mayonnaise. I can’t believe that was really what it was, but it sure seemed like it.
On the plus side, the waiters were professional and polite. On the minus side, pretty loud Mexican music. When it gets busy it might not be so noticeable.
Since there are El Loros all over and they dropped serious coin building out this space, they must have an audience. If you think catsup is spicy and you want to pretend you’re having tex-​mex food, or you want a (no kidding) 60 ounce margarita, this may be the place you’re looking for. I’m a big guy, and I’m not sure I could walk out after two quarts of margarita…

It wasn’t quite what we hoped for. Very dsappointing actually. But first the good stuff. It was a Friday night and the place was humming. Didn’t have to wait to get seated tho which was nice. When we were there they’d only been open for about 10 days and word of mouth was working evidently. The setvice was slow and unfortunately the food we ordered was not all that good. The real downer was when we noticed that the red sauce looked like tomato paste with some tomato juice added to thin it out a bit. The burritos were essentially tasteless. Everything we ate (or partially finished) was bland or from some funky recipe as it sure wasn’t even close to any Mexican food we’d had before. Hope it was a bad day for them. Either way we’re not coming back.

We really enjoyed our meal. The warm chips were a huge hit. The salsa was good and not too hot for the kids. Next time we’ll ask for a spicier version for the adults. The shrimp fajitas, enchilada supreme and beef tacos were all good. The service was fast and friendly. We’ll be back and can’t wait for the patio to open.

Went for a late lunch, not many customers at 2:00pm. Service was excellent — friendly a quick. For my taste, the food was very good.
This was my first visit and there are a lot of menu selections. I intend to go back soon.

Pretty. Darn. Tasty.
Only after I finished half my food did I think about taking a picture of it. A plate that’s been totally ravished isn’t nearly as appealing than a fresh sizzling plate full of fajita goodness.
The chips and salsa that came before the meal was probably my favorite part — specifically the chips. They were fresh and warm… mmm. The salsa had good flavor but zero spice.
I had chicken fajitas and they were ok. Not exceptional, but acceptable. I’ll probably order the steak next time I’m there.
Service was excellent during our meal but as soon as the bill was paid the service ended. I sought out the water pitcher and filled our glasses myself. I’m self-​sufficient that way.
The restaurant has great ambiance. Looks like it could easily accommodate large groups if you’re so inclined.
Bottom line, it’s good for a chain. There are many better options for Mexican in Minneapolis and St. Paul, but up in Mounds View, this is about as good as it gets.

Today our family tried El Loro and we left dissatisfied.
Like most American Mexican restaurants, the portion sizes are very large, the menu is several pages long and chips and salsa are bountiful. However, when asking the waiter for a recommendation he was not helpful only stating not to do the pork. Silverware was tossed onto the table while a server passed us by. The booth was dirty. When our food arrived, my burrito was bland with no seasoning. My steak was crispy and dry. There were shreds of carrot and cabbage mixed in with the lettuce and I assume that the lettuce was from a bagged mixed salad from a local grocery store.
Coming home, my husband and I have had upset stomachs for several hours.
I would not visit this place again. Chipotle would have been a better lunch.

Best Chicken Chimi in the area! This newer location is beautiful! The bar has everything you need for all types of pours!

We love El Loro & will cut these guys some slack because they are new. My husband & I went for dinner last night at 7:30. We waited 15 minutes to be seated even though there were several open tables. There was a group of 9 before us & apparently they needed to be sat before us regardless of the fact that there were several booths open for 2 but not for 9. We finally got sat & found water & ice all over the seats. We wiped them off ourselves & sat down. We ordered & our food came out with the plates piping hot. We sat there until they were luke warm waiting to find anyone who worked there to get us some silverware. We got our silverware only to dig into the bland, no seasoning & no taste meals set in front of us.
The place has a lot of seating & the décor is nice. I hope they can figure out their kinks. We will try it again, but it’s going to be awhile.

I have a soft spot for parrots.
This parrot moved into my neighborhood displacing the former Monterrey that was at this same location. My wife and I wanted to see what had changed. As expected the interior was redone and large colorful renditions of parrots adorn the space.
The food is similar to their other locations. Fajitas for us tonight. The fajitas for two include carnitas, beef, chicken and shrimp. Comes with guacamole, sour cream, beans and rice. More than we could handle so we brought some home.
Margaritas here come is three sizes big, bigger, and fishbowl. We both opted for big (16 oz). Not bad.
I saw an initial write up about this location indicating they might reopen part of the space as a patio. I hope they do, that would be cool.