El Catrin
Located in the Distillery District, El Catrin pairs an ambitious, wide-ranging, tapas-style menu with Canada's largest mezcal and tequila collection. El Catrin has built its reputation as one of the most celebrated restaurants in Toronto by offering transportive dining experiences, serving traditional and modern Mexican cuisine in a lively and award-winning atmosphere. The decor features a breathtaking mural by Oscar Flores that took over 100 days to complete, and the year-round patio has been named the best in the city.
Safety precautions
- Surfaces sanitized between seatings
- Common areas deep cleaned daily
- Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
- Sanitizer or wipes provided for customers
- Contactless payment available
- Limited number of seated diners
- Distancing maintained in common areas
- Extra space between tables
- Waitstaff wear masks
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace
Great food, incredible service - highly recommend!
The ambiance of this restaurant is spot on for a Mexican restaurant. However, the restaurant failed to let us know they closed at 10PM, and we were seated for 9:30. This made our experience underwhelming. We were rushed, the server was not the most friendly and we were surrounded by employees tidying up for the night. Also, the option to dine on patio should be given for reservations and not be first come first serve. The food was an 8/10.
The drinks didn’t measure up to the price. None of our drinks has garnish and it wasn’t as exciting as we expected. The drinks didn’t measure up to the ambiance . Good music and nice decor.
Food was delicious (we had vegetarian dishes) but the portions were on the smaller side. We recommend the jackfruit sopes. Drinks were amazing and the decorations / overall ambience felt great. Would recommend!
Amazing interior, delicious food, very good service! Will come again!
Service was not the greatest. Took 30 mins to get our drinks, food came before the drink order. Took a while to get the machine to pay. Felt forgotten about mostly.
Lovvvvvveeeee
First family dinner after covid
I love this place! Hands down my favorite patio in the city.
Wow - what a wonderful experience! From amazing, super-accommodating hosts that greeted us, patiently found our large group a fantastic spot on the patio - thank you so much! Drinks were amazing, food - next level and service - outstanding! And the patio set up is like being in a movie!
Thank you, El Catrin!
Amazing food, great atmosphere, definitely a Toronto favourite!!
Good food. Well presented. Good service
Elisabeth, we're grateful for you taking a moment to leave this review! It's delightful to hear that you enjoyed our food and had friendly, attentive service. It was an absolute pleasure welcoming you in and we look forward to your next meal with us. All the best, Stuart K.
Great location, great food, great ambiance. Go there often with friends and this last visit was for a birthday dinner. Great service perfect place for dinner and special events.
Gino, we are happy to hear you have enjoyed your experience with us many times! Thanks for appreciating our great food, ambiance, location and for sharing us with your friends. We look forward to seeing you at El Catrin again soon. Best, Stuart K.
Great place. Great food. We will definitely be back. The patio look beautiful at night.
Thanks for your review, Veronica! We're beyond thrilled you had the opportunity to dine with us. It's wonderful you experienced the 5-star experience we're known for and you most definitely deserve. We look forward to your return and another lovely meal on our patio. Best, Stuart K.
The atmosphere is great - we faced an intricate theme wall with multiple calaveras illuminated with black lights. The cocktails were tasty, especially the Pepino Diablo, and the food was yummy. I appreciate the gluten information on the menu, and the menu allows filtering for gluten-free options (although filtering out the cocktails was a step too far, since they don't contain gluten).
Everything from our atmosphere to our tasty dishes will leave you amazed, Matthew! We're glad to hear that our menu was easy to navigate and it made your experience that much better. We're also delighted that our decor is like the cherry on top to your experience and we can't wait to welcome you back again soon. All the best, Stuart K.
Disappointing. Service at the front was unfriendly. Menu had fewer options.
Denise, we take great pride in delivering outstanding, friendly customer service, so we're quite surprised to hear your experience was anything less than outstanding. If you had any concerns about our staff, a manager would have been more than happy to speak with you. Hope you consider giving us another chance to demonstrate the amazing service we're known for and you deserve. Best, Stuart K.
Our server was excellent - we found the baja fish tacos outstanding. The chicken and pork were on the dry side, but still very tasty. Drinks were also very tasty.
Javamamma, it means a lot to have your high praise for both our cuisine and awesome service. The Baja Tacos are an absolute crowd favourite and we're so glad you loved them too! We can't wait to welcome you again for more delicious drinks and cuisine. All the best, Stuart K.
Wonderful night out with delicious food and great service.
Thank you for this exceptional review! We're thrilled to hear you enjoyed our cuisine and service so much, and we hope to welcome you back again soon for another wonderful night out! All the best, Stuart K.
Great food and ambiance. Pricey though. Servers tend to come a lot though. Maybe they should stop asking and taking dishes out too much. Thanks.
Thank you for your feedback, Karen! We are thrilled you chose us to enjoy a beautiful night out shared by amazing food and drinks. We look forward to welcoming you in again soon for another tasty meal. All the best, Stuart K.
We loved the look and feel of the outdoor patio. Staff were very attentive and intuitive. Service was fast and food was tasty. The only downside for me was feeling rushed after an hour and a half to finish, pay and leave. I understood the 2 hours mark but think that 10-15 minutes before time was up enough of a reminder.
Despite this, we would consider returning and hope that this rushed feeling would be minimized.
Orna, we're glad you loved our atmosphere and had excellent, attentive service! It was a pleasure welcoming you in. In regard to feeling rushed at the end of your meal, we hear your feedback and it has been passed along accordingly. We look forward to your return and another lovely meal. All the best, Stuart K.
We had the worst experience last night with the waitress who was assigned to us. She ignored us the whole time. She was constantly checking on all the other tables except ours. She smiled and was nice with others but was super grumpy with us. People who came 20 mins after us had drinks and apps and we were still struggling to get her attention to get waters. We had to ask other servers for drinks and food. We were there for 2 hours and barely got any service from her. Drink took her full hour. And food another hour. She never refilled waters or offered refills for our drinks. We will never return, this has to be the worst service we ever received. She made us feel very uncomfortable and made me feel like she wasn't giving proper service because we are brown.
Manpreet, I am deeply troubled that you were left with this impression as we want everyone who walks through our doors to feel welcome. I assure you that we value the interactions we have with all of our guests. The interaction you described does not reflect our values, culture, or practices and is certainly not acceptable. We would appreciate the opportunity to connect. You can reach us by calling Zara, the GM, at 416.203.2121. Please leave a message if she is not available. Best, Casey Tanaka
Never again!!
Thank you for giving us a try and for taking the time to provide your feedback to us. It is disappointing to hear that your experience fell short of the standard you expect and deserve. We hope you will give us another chance to make your next visit more memorable. All the very best, Stuart K.
Wonderful as always, great food and atmosphere, excellent service.
Thanks for your review, Kristi! We're beyond thrilled you had the opportunity to dine with us and experience the 5-star service we are known for and you deserve. We can't wait to welcome you back again to discover more favourites. Best, Stuart K.
Food is really good, quite a bit of variety considering its covid. very nice atmosphere and service is great
Dory, it means a lot to have your high praise for both our cuisine and awesome service! Thank you for leaving your review. We can't wait to welcome you in again soon for another exceptional experience. Best, Stuart K.
fresh food, great service.
will definately go back
Jennifer, we’re so happy to hear you are a fan of our flavours! Thank you for taking the time to show us your support. We'd love to welcome you to El Catrin again for another exceptional experience. All the best, Stuart K.
We celebrated my sister's birthday. The booking was smooth. There was not a lot of people. Service was great, and plenty space for a stroller.
Maricruz, we're happy to hear that you enjoyed your experience with us at El Catrin. We're honoured to have hosted you for such a special celebration with your family. It's great you were provided with exceptional service, and we'd love to welcome you back again soon. All the best, Stuart K.
Great food and atmosphere. The service was very nice and the atmosphere was great. Clear health guidance from staff, mask-wearing, and signage is appreciated and the place is very clean.
From drinks to desserts, Ian, our flavourful menu won't disappoint! We're happy to hear you enjoyed every aspect of your visit including the service, cuisine and atmosphere. We look forward to your next meal with us. All the best, Stuart K.
Food was very good but seats and table was so dirty..
Thank you for taking the time to review our restaurant. We are happy to hear that you enjoyed your experience, and appreciate your feedback regarding the overall service. We fully understand that there is no excuse for service that misses the mark, so please know that your feedback has been heard. We do hope that you will give us the chance to show you a more memorable visit. All the very best, Stuart K.
I’d say they have the best margarita in TO. Also the guacamole is really good!
Mel, it's wonderful to have your support! You can count on us to always deliver on delicious cuisine and drinks! We are honoured to have the best margarita in Toronto! Come back anytime for more margaritas and guacamole. Best, Stuart K.
I bring my friends to this place because the decor is so beautiful. The one drawback is the food. It’s too saucy / greasy for my liking and I love Mexican food. For someone who is new to Mexican or enjoys pub food this review wouldn’t be helpful. Will come back for the churros and the guacamole/chips which are pretty much the best two items on the menu.
Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback. We are truly sorry to hear that your experience was anything less than outstanding. Please know that we would have been happy to replace anything that was not to your liking had you brought it to our attention. We are happy you enjoyed our beautiful setting and our crowd favourites, the guacamole and churros. We hope your next experience is more memorable. All the best, Stuart K.
Unfortunately, I would not recommend El Catrin. While the service was excellent and the ambience perfect, the food was bland and not what I’d consider traditional Mexican. It was disappointing because I’d read so many positive things about it.
Carmen, while we're delighted you enjoyed our service and ambience, it's disappointing to hear that you weren't just as wow-ed by our cuisine. We pride ourselves in offering authentic, modern Mexican cuisine. We always want our guests to leave feeling wowed by our meals, and wish we could've given you this impression. Please know we would have been happy to replace anything that was less than satisfactory. It would be our pleasure to host you again. All the best, Stuart K.
Once outdoor dining opens up again in the city, I’d recommend El Catrin’s large outdoor space. Comfortable seating, we were kept warm with heaters, there was lots of space and health precautions were well in place.
Tania, thank you for taking the time to leave an incredible review! We are delighted we provided you with exceptional service and allowed you to feel comfortable on our outdoor heated patio. We look forward to seeing you again in the near future! All the best, Stuart K.
Great experience overall. Food was really good. Had the fish tacos which were amazing! Loved the music and heated patio as well
Great to be able to sit in the open air during covid. Good menu, good service and good experience, thanks.
I love this place, I'll just suggest they have more heaters because it can get really cold. I'm writing this in November 2020. This year we really can use some patios with a good heat.
Even with heaters, feet and hands were frozen.
Perfect spot for an outdoor date night. Food was delicious!
Disappointed about the service and the food. Overrated.
Food is amazing and they have a great patio! Definitely would go back
We ordered drinks and tacos only. My bf was served his tacos first we waited 20 plus mins and had to ask another server for the other tacos as we were splitting them. I watched numerous orders of fish tacos come out after .... Our waiter didn't even apologize on the mess up/ wait
Thank you for taking the time to leave us your feedback. There is no excuse for service that misses the mark, so please know that we genuinely apologize that your experience fell short. That said, we encourage guests to bring forward any concerns they have during their visit so we have the opportunity to make things right. A manager would have been happy to speak with you, had you mentioned anything. We hope to welcome you again to show you a better experience in the future. Best, Stuart K.
FAQs
El Catrin is rated 4.6 stars by 4272 OpenTable diners.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable. Due to local restrictions, this restaurant may not be accepting reservations at the moment.
