El Aguila Real Mexican Restaurant & grill

Sorry, can’t recommend this one. Went to a show at Overture on a busy Saturday night. Lots of people up and down State St. Walked in during peak dinner rush and the place was practically empty. That should have been the first clue. Ordered strawberry margaritas and all they did was pull the regular lime margarita mix from the slushy machine and poured a little strawberry syrup in. Tasted awful. Service was slow with almost no customers. Food was generally bland and we didn’t finish our meal. Soon, wife complained that she wasn’t feeling well. We ended up leaving the show at intermission because she was just uncomfortable. It seems like an excellent location and has similar decor to other places. Food taste/quality was low, service was poor, and drinks were sour.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 2

They need help bad more servers especially on nights when there are events in the area. Waited one hour then the lady said “ it is 10pm we are closed I can't take your order” WTH I was thinking 🤔 to myself this has to be a joke!! Unbelievable

If i could give it Zero stars I would. I called since I placed an order for El Aguila Real restaurant in Madison, WI and toast sent me an Email saying it had been more than 5 minutes and I should contact the restaurant since they had not confirmed my order. The restaurant had not answered for more than an hour so i decided to call Toast to get a refund. They stated that they needed a code from the restaurant so a refund could be initiated. I had them call while I was on the line and the restaurant never answered.
So, Toast knows the issue and what the solution requested is... and yet they refused to issue a refund despite themselves calling and not getting an answer from the restaurant. They wouldn't get me a supervisor and never issued a refund.
The restaurant never answers the phone so you are out of luck. I suggest you dispute the charges with your financial institution promptly as neither Toast (their payment processor) nor the restaurant will refund you. Plus they don't seem to be registered with the BBB and have like 3 different names for their business.
This happened on 6/11/2026

Service: 1

Food was very good. The restaurant is small but convenient to to downtown locations. There was only one server who was also working the bar so it was a little slow but well worth the wait.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

Toast does not do refunds, so I will have to wait until tomorrow and beg the restaurant for my money back. Says open until 2am. They will take your order and your money and there will be NOBODY there. It’s not hard to turn your online ordering off or adjust your hours. No I am in limbo with my money stolen and no food.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Good food, not busy, server was friendly. Generous portion, slightly more expensive than other Mexican restaurants in the area.

Slow service, drinks arrived after we finished our food. Kids menu item arrived after we got our drinks.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 2

Service: 1

Stopped here on a whim. Talk about a fortunate find. Great food, amazing service. Try the pastor tacos!

Food: 5

Service: 4

The best mojito I've had on state street yet

Food: 5

Service: 5

Best burrito bowl I’ve ever had.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

Irma! Buen Trabajo!! Amazing service. Unbelievable food selection. She needs a raise!!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I recently visited a Mexican restaurant in downtown Madison with a friend, and unfortunately, it was a very disappointing experience.

We ordered a $29 pitcher of margarita, and right away something seemed off. The drink had particles floating in it, which made it look unappetizing and honestly a bit gross. I ordered passionfruit flavor, but it tasted like watered-down lime with no hint of passionfruit at all. It also tasted old and diluted, like there was barely any alcohol in it.

When we politely told our server that the drink tasted weird, she was rude and dismissive. She said there was nothing she could do about it and essentially forced us to keep the pitcher. There was no effort to check back in with us or offer a solution, which was frustrating considering the price.

To make matters worse, when we were ready to pay, she ignored us while carrying on a conversation with someone else. We had to repeatedly ask for the check, and when she finally came over, she had an attitude.

Overall, my friend and I were very disappointed — not just with the margarita, but especially with the poor customer service and how the situation was handled. For $29, we expected much better quality and professionalism.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Great service, great food and a great experience.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Best pollo con mole Ive had . Rice is so tasty
Guacomole OMG!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Was looking for a Mexican restaurant with queso cheese dip. I ordered here from
Uber eats. I was impressed with how quickly I received my food, but not so impressed with the quality of the dish. I ordered fajita mix burrito. It was a very large portion which was appreciated, but the burrito was so stuffed it felt impossible to eat. The chicken and steak quality was quite poor, with some pieces I couldn’t even chew. The burrito had such a large amount of refried beans that it felt like thats all I could taste. The chips and salsa were great, but pretty disappointing that you have to pay extra for them. Giving three stars because I did actually appreciate that they stay open so late.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 3

Service: 5