Isabel Arellano and her husband, Jose Vences, weren’t looking to open another restaurant.
But when they learned of a larger location with plenty of parking, they decided the time was right.
The couple officially opened El Toro 2 on Sunday at 3103 Kirkwood Street. Arellano said customers have kept the 99-seat restaurant busy since the doors opened.
“It’s steady, like all day, come and go,” Arellano said. “I’m so happy.”
The restaurant is the couple’s second El Toro location in Burlington. They previously had operated an additional restaurant in Illinois, but sold that business after deciding to invest in the new location.
By January of this year, one of the contractors, Weigert’s Handyman Service, had started work on the building that underwent extensive renovations.
The interior, done by Innovation Remodeling, appears vastly different from that of the building’s most recent business, the Midwest Asian Grocery. The bright Mexican decor is colorful and inviting.
The original El Toro on Division Street, which this restaurant does not duplicate, remains open.
The idea started, Arellano said, when a man approached her there and told her about an available building near Great River Casino.
“He gave me his phone number and told me, ‘I have an empty building close to the casino. Here’s my phone number. Call me,’” explained Arellano.
At first, she dismissed the idea.
“I thought, ‘Oh no, it’s too much, three restaurants,’” she said.
A few days later, however, Vences brought up the same property.
Tired of making the roughly 45-minute drive to their Illinois restaurant, he suggested they sell that business and buy the Burlington building.
The couple toured the vacant property — known locally as the former Great Wall Chinese restaurant, bought it and started transforming it into El Toro 2.
Arellano said customers at the couple’s other Burlington restaurant had encouraged them to find a location with more parking.
Inside, customers find a menu different from that of the original El Toro, with new dishes alongside familiar Mexican restaurant favorites.
“We have a little bit of everything,” Arellano said.
The varied menu includes fajitas, ceviche, seafood, steaks, enchiladas, burritos, birria dishes and soups.
Customers also can order a ribeye steak with two sides including asparagus, mashed potatoes, rice, black beans or pinto beans.
For diners having trouble deciding, Arellano recommends Jose’s Combo, which offers a sampling of enchiladas, taquitos, and a taco, all with rice. Salads include grilled shrimp, seafood and taco.
The place offers many new dishes like steak con queso, guacamole with potato taquitos, barbecue wings, pasta brava, loaded nachos and more, plus a range of appetizers and desserts.
The couple who are originally from Mexico arrived to Burlington with much experience in the restaurant business.
In Ohio, they owned and operated Rancho Los Alazanes in Chesterfield, and La Fiesta Mexico in Forest Park.
But they started out with a Radford, Virginia, chicken restaurant — Country Fried Chicken, its main menu item cooked in the style of the North Carolina from which they’d relocated — non-greasy, and pressure-cooked.
Before that, Arellano had been working for a specialty fried chicken chain in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
El Toro on Division Street (the former Mi Pueblo Real) is highly-rated — five-and-a-half stars on Google reviews — and casual, known for its authentic cuisine, friendly staff, and vibrant atmosphere.
El Toro 2’s dishes reflect the owners’ Mexican roots.
Vences, who is from Guerrero, Mexico, is the restaurant’s chef. The menu includes carnitas inspired by that region as well as other regional Mexican dishes.
He has developed much of the food served at El Toro.
“He’s in the kitchen and I’m working outside,” Arellano said. “That’s why we are a good combination.”
Arellano believes one thing that distinguishes El Toro’s food is the attention paid to giving each dish its own flavor.
“Every dish, they have different flavors,” she said. “We have seasoning for seafood, seasoning for steak and seasoning for chicken. That’s why everything tastes different.”
The seafood recipes are from Jalisco, Mexico, where Arellano originates from. The El Toro Bravo has fettuccine, shrimp, octopus and scallops.
Some dishes like the Texas fajitas, Jose Burrito, steak fajitas and chicken with cheese, have already proven popular with customers.
El Toro 2 also offers a children’s menu. They provide Pepsi products and a selection of alcoholic beverages, including margaritas. One specialty is a Jamaica margarita made with a hibiscus flavoring Arellano prepares herself.
The restaurant has about 13 employees, including six working in the kitchen and about seven servers. Arellano said the staff includes both new employees and workers with experience at the couple’s other restaurant.
The couple initially planned to open El Toro 2 only for dinner, but potential customers quickly began to ask them about lunch.
“They’re like, ‘Why are you not open for lunchtime? I want my lunch fajitas,’” Arellano said.
The couple reconsidered, particularly after thinking about customers who might want to stop in after church on Sundays.
“It doesn’t make sense to have this restaurant closed,” Arellano said.
El Toro 2 is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.
Arellano said the response from the community so far has been encouraging.
“Everyone has been very supportive,” she said.
More entertainment could be coming as the restaurant settles into its home.
Arellano said the couple is considering karaoke nights, possibly on Thursdays or Sundays, as well as live music on some weekends.
Above all, Arellano said they want El Toro 2 to be a place where families and friends can gather, whether they are stopping in for dinner, drinks or a celebration.
Customers can hold birthday parties at the restaurant, where employees can join in the celebration with a birthday song. The restaurant also offers its signature Toro shots, with which employees give a celebration.
“This is a place for families and everyone to have fun,” Arellano said. “It’s a restaurant for everyone.”
Carry-outs are available by calling (319) 208-1120.
Dining and Cooking