El Matador in Ooltewah. Click to enlarge.
photo by Janet Wilson
We visited El Matador Mexican Restaurant at 9203 Lee Highway on a recent Friday evening. There were very few empty tables and people were constantly coming in. I had heard a few complaints about this restaurant so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but we were pleasantly surprised.
After we were seated, a friendly server brought our chips and took our drink orders. I ordered a serving of Cheese Dip and Wayne ordered his usual Tomatillo Sauce. We were both pleased with our orders – the Cheese Dip had a thicker consistency than a lot of places serve, making it stay on the chips better. Wayne said the Tomatillo Sauce had a slightly different taste from the norm and he liked it enough to order a second serving.
Our orders arrived in approximately ten minutes. Wayne ordered the Enchiladas Supremas ($6.75) – four rolled corn tortillas, one each of beef, chicken, cheese and bean topped with enchilada sauce, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream. Served with rice and beans.
I ordered The Laredo combination ($6.45). This is where you get to select three choices from their list. I chose the Tostaquac, Taco and Tamale. This is also served with Mexican Rice and Refried Beans. I enjoyed the meal, but especially the Tamale, which was wrapped in a corn husk. It seems a lot of the Mexican restaurants have gotten away from this and to me when the Tamale is cooked in the husk it adds a special flavor to it.
I would like to have tried the Homemade Mexican Chili but I knew I wouldn’t have room with my meal – and I definitely didn’t need the extra food. Another listing I noticed on their menu was Sandwiches. I don’t recall seeing Sandwiches listed on a Mexican menu before – other than a Cheeseburger – but here we found Mexican Cheese Steak, Patty Melt, and Fajita Sandwiches among others.
Not only do they have a sizeable menu, but El Matador has one of the larger Vegetarian menus – sixteen items. They haven’t forgotten the Kids menu either.
Lunch specials are served Monday through Friday from 11:00 until 2:30 and are priced from $4.25 to $6.75. The main menu has very reasonable prices ranging from $5.95 to $11.45.
We were quite pleased with our visit to the Ooltewah El Matador. The chips were fresh and warm and the food was also fresh and served very hot. Everyone we encountered working there was very cordial and friendly.
El Matador is open daily.
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