El Matador Restaurante & Cantina

I used to go to this place all the time back in the late 80s. I went back recently and it’s just as good as I remembered it. It gets pretty packed most of the time but there’s a reason for that. Great food, great service and great atmosphere.

I worked in this restaurant in high school. It has not changed much since then. The good is good American Mexican good and the atmosphere is rustic. I usually get the shredded chicken chimichanga. It is very good and the portion is good for the money. It comes with refried beans and rice which tend to be dry because the put the plate in the oven to keep the fish warm waiting for delivery to the table. All in all It is good for the price, but there is room for improvement.

Had the worst experience ever at El Matador on 1÷20÷16. Our waitress was horrible. She was not listening at all while taking our orders and had to keep asking us what we wanted. She brought out the wrong drinks and when she was told they were not what was ordered, she became very rude and disrespectful. She came back with the correct drinks and THREW the receipt at us! She was so terrible that we complained to management and she was promptly replaced with another server. Needless to say, it ruined our appetite for a meal we had been looking forward to. And in the end, my card was OVERCHARGED!!! Wow, I’m sorry to say we will never return to El Matador, ever.

One of my favorite restaurants ever. Love the El matador plate and el torerro. But Ogden city police are the only Law Enforcement Officers that get a discount? What’s up with that?

This is apparently a popular place, as many large groups were there when my husband and I tried it. I was underwhelmed. The food was okay except for the glob of cheese on the decried beans. I also didn’t appreciate being nickel and dimed — the bowl of shredded cheese offered along with the chips and salsa turned out to cost a buck. Also, the menu clearly states that only the first basket of chips is «complimentary» — after that I guess it’s just rude. We may go again but there are many better choices in Ogden for good Mexican food.

I hope the restaurant reads these reviews and makes some serious changes to this place. I have been going to El Matador since I moved to Ogden 20 years ago and the food is always great, but just in the last 6 months I dont know what has changed but the service has been VERY horrible. I just got back from there picking up my to go order and I showed up just after the 20 minutes they told me it would take, the cashier rang up my ticket and told me they where still working on it. 5 minutes later they handed me a bag that was not my order. I guess they gave my order to someone else!!! That is what I was told, so now I have to wait another 20 minutes for them to get me my order. This is the SECOND time something like this has happened in the last few visits to El Matador. And as usual the food was great but I hope they really look into getting better help because the service was VERY poor to the point that I really do not want to go there anymore.

Delicious warm salsa with shredded cheese. It hits the spot you didn’t even know you had. The beef chimichanga is amazing. The fried shrimp, albeit a little strange I think for a Mexican restaurant, was really good. The waitress we had tonight was better than the young girl we had last time who seemed completely annoyed with everything every time she came to our table. Tonight our drinks stayed full and we never felt like we were a bother. It was great. We will be back for sure.

Good food. Friendly service. And the prices are super reasonable. They give you a lot of food, maybe too much food. Many of the combination platters come with two butterflied and very large deep fried shrimp. Doesn’t seem necessary with a taco and enchilada. I didn’t end up eating them after finishing the other items. Seems like with every meal you get two plates of food. I’d rather they leave off the superfluous shrimp and allow you another bowl of chips without charge. That is my main quibble that they skimp on chips, charging you for a refill, while giving you too much food with your meal which most people probably won’t finish. Less shrimp, more chips please.
The one disappointment is the taco shell was clearly a store bought shell from a box. I could make that kind of taco at home! Come up with a shell that distinguishes the restaurant a little, like maybe a deep fried flour or corn tortilla. Also make it a shredded beef taco on the combos not ground beef. But it tasted adequate so I won’t deduct stars for it, or for the scatter-​brained waitress who was nonetheless friendly and hard working. Probably the best Mexican in Ogden which I realize isn’t a high bar to clear since there isn’t much good Mexican food there.

I really like this restaurant. My wife and I enjoy eating here. The large palm sized shrimp is my favorite. I also like the cheese with the salsa.

The scones were good and the ambiance was dark and had cool paintings. The salsa tasted like pace picante sauce. The cheese cost extra and the chips were tostitos. The entrees were not very good

I have eaten here for years and I have to say the food is amazing, though the service can be a hit and miss. The salsa is what j live just ask for a side of cheese and it melts right in. What I would recommend is the El Paso it is a steak burrito and it has a lot of flavor with peppers and onions.

We have eaten here many times, as this is one of my husband’s favorites. I like to try a variety from the menu as I’m not a big Mexican food fan. The salsa is heated and they offer a bowl of cheese with it which we insist on getting. I would say the food is ok, and I cannot remember anything that I’m dying to reorder. My husband usually sticks with the same items each time and continues to go back time after time.

The worst Mexican food I have had in my life. The salsa tasted like canned tomato sauce. The chips were stale, the tortillas soggy, and the margaritas had a swamp water funk. I thoroughly regret eating here, as does my whole family. Even the kids meals were burnt to a crisp AND the staff was abrasively unfriendly. Absolutely a horrid experience.

I’m sad to say I had a very poor experience at El Matador. The food was decent. I ordered the «#12 Madres». The enchilada was like eating a block of cheese and nothing to share about the basic beef taco. I will say the deep fried shrimp were huge, probably about the size of my palm. Food was alright. They may have scored points due to the fact that we waited so long and I was very hungry by the time the food came out.
Here’s their downfall. The service and environment were poor. It was literally freezing inside. We told our server and a man came out from the back with his flashlight to inspect the wall thermostat… no avail… it remained uncomfortably cold. Our food took foooooreeeeevvveeeerrrr (Sandlot voice) to come out. Not to mention our sever did not smile a single time. She just went through the motions and spoke at us, rather then to us. I will not be returning here.
#disappointed

My coworkers and I went here based on the reviews we found. The food here is terrible. The shredded chicken enchilada has hardly any flavor. Boxed Spanish rice tastes better than theirs. The salsa was supposed to be hot temperature wise to enable the shredded cheese they give you to melt… fail! We tried putting the shredded cheese in it but the salsa was cold so it just made it lumpy. The refried beans taste like they come from a can. Yuk the food is gross. If I ever come back to Ogden I will never eat here again.
As for the women’s bathroom, it is so tiny. If two women are using the two sinks then there’s no room for anyone else to even try to come inside to use the restroom.
At least the waitress was pleasant.

Worst food ever! Gross dried beans, died rice! Waitress didn’t even care. Save your money go somewhere else! Anywhere else!

Garbage. Took 20 minutes to seat us on a Tuesday evening, and the hostess actually skipped our name and began seating others in front of us. My husband had to go up and ask what the deal was.
They rushed to seat our family… in a booth that wasn’t even set. Then it took our waitress a good 10 minutes to even take our drink order.
Took nearly 50 minutes to get our subpar food. Seriously, nothing amazing. The taco cart on Washington Blvd. would’ve tasted better. This place is so overrated. I feel like they don’t have enough wait staff to be efficient.

Horrible wait staff
Hot salsa with cheese ???
Used water pitchers on each table.
I’d rather eat regurgitated Taco Bell

The service here is extra slow.
I haven’t had El Matadors in awhile and this time I was really disappointed. I got the shredded beef chimichanga and it wasn’t as good as I remembered it to be. Also the chimichanga wasn’t as crispy.
On a happier note, the chips and salsa was delicious. What’s not to love about warm salsa with melted cheese.

I honestly hate this place for many many many reasons.
First off they charge you extra to have cheese with your chips and salsa. I mean who does that!
2. When the food comes out it is cold greasy and looks like it came out of a can. bTW it tastes this way to.
3. I have gotten really sick to my stomach after eating here and so has my dad.
4. Their bathrooms are disgusting.