Gluten Free at El Toro Mexican Restaurant

El Toro Mexican Restaurant in Baytown has an extensive gluten free lunch & dinner menu. I ordered beef fajitas with corn tortillas, rice, and retried beans. The chips are corn and in a separate fryer; the salsa is also gluten free. Huge outdoor patio which is great for dining during the COVID-19 pandemic.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contamination?

— Very

Safety Feature Ratings

• Dedicated gluten-free fryer
• Staff is knowledgeable and can answer questions
• Staff will clean kitchen space or change gloves if asked

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Separate gluten-free menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Most

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

Other Characteristics

• Good for kids
• Good for lunch
• Good for takeout
• Good selection of healthy options
• Offers outdoor seating

I called before ordering to ensure gluten free and the girl I spoke to assured me they had gluten free options. I had enchiladas verde not only did I get horrible gluten poisoning the food lacked flavor and I found a bone in my chicken. It was horrible. I would not recommend this place and I will not be returning

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contamination?

— Not at all

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Poor

Other Characteristics

• Good selection of healthy options
• Offers delivery

There are plenty of gluten free options, made with corn or you can get the taco salad without the taco shell bowl. Staff says chips are made with corn so they are gluten free but they do share the same fryer

Gluten free menu has a great selection - all meats are free of marinade. Staff is very knowledgeable about needs and explaining options. Highly recommend if you’re staying around the Surfside area.

I would not say this is a gluten free place. I’ve gotten sick every time I ate here and was told they put flour on the corn tortillas

Celiac friendly?

No

my daughter eats rice and beans (we bring our own tortilla chips). We tested both the rice and beans with our Nima and the results were GF!

I completely agree with the last reviewer. they seem to try really hard but it is super bland.

They try hard to accomidate gluten free and the staff worked hard to be sure it was gluten free. However, this is the type of gluten free restaurant that thinks it has to remove the flavor with the gluten. My food was bland. No salt and pepper or anything. Also the chips are gluten free but not the salsas so I wasn't even able to add salsa to add flavor. It's somewhere I might eat again if I needed to, but not somewhere in going to make a special trip for.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Amazing food and fun atmosphere. This place is huge! Good GF selection and they actually have a menu.

I was told their chips were not GF. After studying the menu ordered a shrimp salad without tortilla strips. It was yummy. See on the reviews another customer was given a GF menu. Will ask for one next time. Was my favorite place to eat before being diagnosed with Celiac Disease.

Celiac friendly?

No

Great experience! Waitress and manager checked in with me to make sure everything was okay. Had a separate gluten free menu and knowledgable about CC. Great choice!

I am gluten sensitive and allergic to dairy. I love El Toro. I can eat the fajitas (I never chance eating rice) with corn tortillas. Have eaten here multiple times with good luck!

This was my first visit out to eat after getting diagnosed with Celiac Disease. My waiter was very friendly and helpful. He wasn't sure what was gf, but he went back and spoke to the chef who was very knowledgable about gluten intolerance. He suggested the fajita chicken with bell peppers and onions. Served with avocados, garbanzo beans, and gf tortillas. It was super delicious! The waiter even asked me several questions to try and get a better understanding of what could happen if I ingested gluten. Really nice for my first gf dining out experience. Would be nice to have more options though.