El Matador Mexican Grill & Bar carries on the tradition of its cousin restaurant, La Huerta. The family has created a spread of Mexican restaurants that also includes Mexico Viejo and Mojito's Mexican Grill.
El Matador is located on Steamboat Drive, just west of Interstate 49 off Wedington Drive in Fayetteville. The restaurant is tucked between the Homewood Suites by Hilton and Comfort Inn & Suites. Although it is set back off the main road, the Mexican eatery has built a loyal patronage over the past year and a half.
The family that owns and operates El Matador utilizes their experience from their other establishments.
Now with new management, lead by general manager Gonzalo Leon (pictured on the cover), the restaurant is even more comparable to the quality served at the other locations. Leon also directly manages Mexico Viejo on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
"I want people to know that I will be at both places," Leon said.
Customers have highly regarded the bar and renovations to the interior of the building. The furnishings are tables and chairs made in Mexico and painted with vibrant colors and illustrations. Several flat-screen televisions broadcasting sports channels are featured throughout the restaurant.
A stone bar anchors the center of the restaurant and is surrounded by cocktail seating. There is also a private party room that can seat up to 15 guests, and a private patio that provides outdoor seating.
Live music is hosted on the patio during temperate weather. A line up is posted on the restaurant's Facebook page before upcoming shows.
El Matador serves familiar Mexican cuisine and the focus in the kitchen is to use fresh ingredients and prepare made-from-scratch dishes.
"In all of the restaurants we have, everything is made fresh," Leon said.
Using similar recipes along with a seasoned, stable staff helps the restaurant produce consistent food and service. It also creates an environment for quick, reliable service.
Lunch specials are served from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. daily. The standard lunch menu ranges from $3.49-$5.75 and includes a choice of seasoned ground beef, shredded chicken or pork and cheese.
The specialties include lunch-sized portions of options including huevos rancheros, fajitas and the Burrito El Matador.
Lunch combos give patrons a medley of pairings, such as tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas and enchiladas. Most plates are served with rice and beans and priced around $4-5.
In addition to common Mexican dishes, the menu also offers numerous house specialties.
There is a large selection of chicken, beef, pork, vegetarian and seafood dishes. Offerings include grilled tilapia tacos, shrimp ceviche, t-bone steak with ranchero sauce, chile verde, spinach enchiladas, and pollo loco.
House specialties include the Wedington Special with two, sliced flank steaks served with rice, cucumber salad and a chile relleno, which is a fresh poblano pepper that is stuffed with cheese, fried and topped with mole sauce.
The Dennis Especial is a large flour tortilla stuffed with beef or chicken, onions, rice, beans, cilantro, white queso and tomatillo salsa.
Chilaquiles Mexicanos has corn tortillas filled with chicken and ranchero sauce, then topped with queso.
The Cazuelada is a family meal that includes grilled shrimp, carne asada, chicken and chorizo served with sides of pinto beans, rice, guacamole salad and tortillas.
Taquitos Mexicanos are four corn tortillas wrapped around chicken or beef, deep fried to a golden brown.
Pollo Borrego is a grilled chicken breast topped with mushrooms and a spicy cream sauce.
El Matador has a full bar and serves the notorious, 44-ounce Monster Margaritas. Flavors include lime, strawberry, peach and pina colada. Pitchers and 16-ounce portions are also available.
The bar offers liquor, bottled and draft beer, daiquiris, mojitos and wine. There are also daily drink specials.
Catering is also available for a range of occasions, including sweet sixteen or quinceanera birthdays, weddings and holiday meals. Typical set-up includes a long table draped with tablecloths, a stack of dinner plates and ceramic catering pots with sterno fuel to keep the food warm. The catering can be arranged to be dropped off or be full-service with waitstaff.
More information is available by calling (479) 856-6950 or at facebook.com/ElMatadorFayetteville.
NAN Dining Guide Cover on 04/17/2015