Great place to bring a family, good food

First of all, I would like to point out that last night I microwaved my supper (less than 10 minutes,) and it was HOT but definitely not fresh. That said, El Dorado does have a giant conveyor belt making tortillas from scratch (you have to sit in the smoking room to see it.) I guess that is a bonus.

Other than that, the lunch menu here seemed oddly familiar. Speedy Gonzales? Hey, I know what that is. It is one taco, one enchilada, and choice of beans or rice. I got the Burrito Dorado instead. I think it was supposed to be $5.25, but I only got charged $4.50 when we left. The MSRP seems higher than other restaurants, but apparently you can negotiate before driving it off the lot.

I wasn't terribly excited about the taste of the food. They brought out chips and salsa beforehand, but the salsa was lacking a little something. Oh, yeah, flavor. I think they stewed some tomatoes and tossed in a leeetle, itty-bitty portion of cilantro. Not much salt or pepper. Definitely not hot and spicy. I guess if tomato jelly is your thing, you should try this salsa.

The portions were large, but again, the taste was nothing to freak out about. Not only did it look like the same food I get at El Mariachi, which is conveniently located near work, but it pretty much tasted the same, too. There was ground beef and cheese, and there was a tortilla. I guess if they just left some hot sauce on the table I could have fixed it myself. I didn't bother asking for any. I wasn't sure it would be worth it.

Now, food isn't the only thing that matters at a restaurant. As we all know, ambience is a key factor in determining where the cool people are going to eat vs. the old people who shop at flea markets. Judging by the knick-knacks with little white price tags on shelves located conveniently around the restaurant, I would place El Dorado in the latter category.

The portions are big, I will give it that much, and some days I don't really care what I eat as long as it is cheap and fulfilling. Maybe then El Dorado would seem like the perfect restaurant.

Good food, fast service, affordable prices.

That is the perfect description of this place. This is a sister restaurant of a few other places throughout Iowa, including Fiesta del Sol (Cedar Rapids), which I tried to visit at least once a week. You order your food, and literally within 10 minutes, you have it in front of you.... HOT, so you know it's fresh.

As for prices, 2 people can easily eat there for less than $20 and walk out stuffed. Quite often, I would even take home leftovers.

Basically, if you want good food, fast service, and affordable prices, this is the place to go. <3