El Burro Loco Experience Summary
We stopped in El Burro Loco because it was the closest restaurant to Up-Down STL that looked family-friendly for a group of 9. Mexican is always a good option when you have nine people, and El Burro Loco exceeded my wildest expectations.
El Burro Loco turned out to be the best Mexican food I've had in St. Louis to date.
Taqueria Durango's torta is still probably my favorite single dish, but the overall experience at El Burro was second to none.
The fajitas were top-of-the-line, the best (Free!) chips I've had yet, and the rice and beans were out of this world. Taste-wise, everyone was excellent.
The decorations and design of the main dining room topped anything I've seen in a Mexican restaurant before. One side has giant open windows to the street, and the other has three stories of colorful Mexican artifacts and figurines.
Bright, festive, and fantastic food.
There were two minuses:
The price point
The bathrooms
The price point is the big sticking point here. It's the most expensive Mexican food by a pretty wide margin that I've had in Saint Louis. The cost is a function of location. A prime location in the Central West End will be more expensive than a strip mall off Olive in Overland.
Expect more like $20 per person instead of $15. $21.25 for fajitas instead of $12-13. $15 for a burrito instead of $8-12.
The bathrooms weren't awful, but they were pretty dinky. Not anything to ruin the experience, but not the best place to pee. Also, they had construction in the main dining room, but they couldn't do anything about that, and it didn't detract from the meal.
Overall, the best Mexican restaurant I've had in Saint Louis thus far.
The Food At El Burro Loco
Because everything was on the more expensive side, my inner me came out, and I split the fajitas with my wife.
I could have stomached a whole serving to myself, but I couldn't stomach $22 for lunch.
That being said, these were the best fajitas I've had in recent memory. Top-of-the-line fajitas.
The whole package around the fajitas nailed it. They give you guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream, and lettuce. Every topping was fresh and added to the experience, particularly the pico de gallo.
The rice and beans were out of this world. I mean, really, really good. Usually, the rice and beans are like a filler on the side for the main dish, but these could stand on their own.
For some reason, my kids didn't like them, so I had all of their leftovers over the course of the next two days.
The Burro Loco chips are the best I've had so far. 8.4/10 chips; they were thick, flavorful, and crunchy.
We got a second batch for free that came out fresh from the fryer.
The complimentary salsa had a spicy, smoky flavor and wasn't liquidty. They only had one flavor that hit 1.5 on the spicy scale, with the smokiness being the dominant flavor.
Even the guacamole was really good. They gave you guacamole as part of the fajitas, which was a pleasant surprise, but we had already ordered a side of guac for the table for like $7. Not award-winning, but fresh and flavorful.
My one son got a beef taco and demolished the entire thing. The other kid got a quesadilla. He inhaled it as fast as he could. I don't know why these kids don't like the rice and beans, but more for me.
The one downside of a Burro Loco is that it's expensive for Mexican food. As I said earlier, I couldn't get myself to spend $22 for fajitas at lunch, so my wife and I shared it. I could have eaten the whole one by myself, but I just ate a lot of chips instead.
I'll survive.
The kids' meals were $10 each, compared to something more like $4.25 at Durango or $4 for each kid at Ladue Taco.
It was $68 for the four of us, with tip and tax, which is reasonable for a family of four, especially in the Central West End.
El Burro Loco Atmosphere And Miscellaneous
When we first walked in, I thought they would kick us out for being a party of nine, but it turns out my reading comprehension is lacking.
It said groups of six or more can't have their check split, but I read it as six or more can't come in.
Everyone made fun of me for that.
But I'm glad they let us in. The atmosphere in El Burro was the best. A giant, three-story high dining room lined with Mexican artifacts on one side and giant windows on the other. Painted in bright pinks and yellows, the whole place makes your soul feel alive.
It's hard to understate how joyous I felt simply looking around during the meal.
There was tons of seating, and they had no issue seating us immediately at 12 p.m. on a Sunday.
The service is super friendly and helpful. No big insights here.
The bathrooms were a little dirty, small, and kind of janky; that wasn't the best. But there was a little arcade next to the bathrooms.
The bar was festive and fully stocked. It looks very pretty. The margaritas were ginormous but cost $16. I took a picture of one from next to us, and I think most people around us were having them.
At the end of the day, I hope I got across how much fun I had here and how good the food was. If I'm ever in the Central West End with the kids again, El Burro Loco will be at the top of the list.
Parking At El Burro Loco
You're parking in the Central West End, so it'll be hit or miss. The longest I've ever had to walk for parking is two or three blocks. In this case, we parked down the street.
I could see parking being a pain in the butt at 7 p.m. on Saturday, but it was fine at 12 p.m. on a Sunday.
El Burro Loco Receipt
