Review: El Toro

El Toro
39 Semaphore Rd.
Semaphore SA 5019
(08) 8449 1949


There have been a few tapas style restaurants opening up around Adelaide and I am so happy to say that El Toro is most definitely one worth visiting.
Upon hearing a good review I took along one of my favourite foodies and made the journey down to Semaphore. I must admit when I first walked into the place I expected a little more ambiance, perhaps a little more Spain, a little less cafe, but that feeling was soon lost with the incredible aroma floating around the place......there was so much garlic being cooked in that kitchen and every ounce of it was delightfully oozing into the cafe. Cue, taste buds to start watering!

El Toro, spanish tapas cafe

The friendly wait staff were very helpful in assisting us with the choice of both the food and wine. There was a selection of tapas, in two sizes, as well as a selection of mains, sides, desserts etc.

Between two of us we shared five small tapas sized dishes, a main size of a roast vegetable dish, and A LOT of nice toasted bread to mop up all the juices. As one of the waiters explained, the bread dipped into some of the left over juices from the mussel dish was another delicious meal in itself. He was right.

We devoured some amazing mussels in white wine that were just damn good. The flavour of the garlic prawns was also fantastic but to be a little picky the prawns were slightly overcooked. I'm a massive fan of croquettes and the chicken ones we ate were incredibly moreish and up there with the best I have ever eaten. The mushrooms were great, again cooked in a lot of garlic and butter but the juice of the mushrooms themselves overpowered these flavours which was really nice. We shared a roast vegetable dish that was somewhat of a stack of pumpkin, eggplant, onion, fennel, and capsicum, tied in together with an incredibly rich tomato jam. All the veggies except the fennel, were roasted to a beautifully soft texture and the tomato jam had such a powerful flavour to it. The first couple of mouthfuls of this dish were amazing, however after a while I found it to be too rich and unless you were sharing it among quite a few people, I would have preferred it to come out in a small tapas size. It was a fabulous dish non the less. We also shared a braised squid dish and the small pieces of squid were so delicate and soft, my only criticism would be that it could have done with a hint of chilli or lemon to give the tomato base a bit of a kick.

A selection of tapas

El Toro is fantastic and a great representation of what Spanish tapas should be. The food was simple but so tasty and fragrant and it had a real warmth to it. There is a small selection of wine available including a couple of nice Spanish varieties. They also serve sangria which I unfortunately didn't get to try but was told that it is quite strong, i.e don't drive if you want more than one glass.

Our entire meal cost us $47 for 2 people and another $27 for a bottle of really nice Spanish tempranillo. So when the bill came and I had to forked out a mere $37 I was extremely satisfied. Most of the small sized tapas are in the $5-$7 range.

El Toro is certainly worth a visit and if I didn't live so far away I'd be back there in a heart beat. Great service, sensational food and a price to leave you with a smile.

The Eatery by CK

Roast vegatable stack with a rich tomato jam