El Torito

this review is only for the prompt reply to my food allergy question (soybean oil):
«Thank you for your recent inquiry. We do have items such as fresh produce that naturally come allergen free, but we sincerely apologize, we are currently not a soy-​free environment at this time. Our products contain soy in all of our meat marinades and fryer oil. We use products that are made in factories that contain wheat, soy, dairy and allergens. We are unable to guarantee that cross contamination will not occur during your visit. Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions. I am happy to assist.»

Location, location, location… that’s the only reason why this place is business. The food is awful. The service is awful. The bartenders are rude the hostesses don’t listen.

Came here for a Baptism reception on a Sunday afternoon. First, we arrived 30 min early and asked the lady in the front if we can get seated early. She looks for the reservation and tells me that there is NO reservation booked for that day under the name given. We go back & forth for a few minutes of looking for names of the reception on the Reservation Sheet. Come on, it can’t be that hard to seat us, there were only less than 15 people in the entire restaurant!
So, we sat ourselves down and later the Manager comes to us, apologizes and tells us that she was looking at the wrong reservation sheet with the wrong date! Wtf? Come on now!
Overall, Great restaurant with a spectacular view of the Bay. Lacks service. Foods decent.

We have eaten here for over 25 years.
Tonight I had an experience that was really disappointing.
I ordered a chicken burrito. When my food arrived it looked fine, but as I cut into it the chicken was partly raw or like they cooked frozen chicken and it didn’t get cooked enough.
I sent it back and got a second one to find it blood raw in the middle.
I of course didn’t eat it either and was told by the server that was the way they cooked their chicken for the burritos? Raw meat is a normal standard for them?
All of the other 3 meals were fine but this experience certainly will insure my NEVER going back.
I also want to say the Manager did comp the burrito and give us a 10% discount as well.
But the raw or under cooked chicken burrito will keep me away from here forever.

I have been going to this place since 1989, took so long to write this review … But as a bussiness owner I came to know how important your truly positive opinion can help!
This place is just awesome., next to water. Planes going up and down… And most hard working staff … With most reasonable yet mouthwatering delicious food! Recently one day I was passing by there kitchen … At 11 pm guess what … About 6 people are literally washing whole area with soap and water !! That is what made me write this review !!
Clean area and people just gives me goose bumps!
My go to place for sure!
The Manager Donald and waiter Cassandra really went over and beyond and really took care of us.

Two stars because we had one 4-​star visit a year ago, and a terrible 1-​star visit a week ago. Decided we wanted a nicer sit-​down Mexican restaurant instead of our usual taqueria’s where we definitely get the best food… so El Torito in San Leandro it is. Nice water views, and decent enough place. First visit was good food, good service, all around good. Then we went there last week.
Terrible service. Appeared to be short-​staffed, but still seating tables and a couple large groups. Service went from «meh» to terrible fast. Didn’t see our waitress once from a few minutes before our food arrived, to when we were ready for the bill. Food was only okay, kids didn’t get what was ordered, person who «bus’ed» the food was probably one of the chefs too, and he just couldn’t deal with getting any extra chips or tortillas. Seriously… probably sat there, eventually eating, and then ready to leave, for 20 minutes before our waitress came back around… or honestly ANYBODY we could ask for actual service. One entrée was comp’ed for the complaint, which earned a small (instead of ZERO) tip, and just perhaps got me to consider the first visit a year ago in giving them 2 stars now instead of 1 star (or zero if that were possible).
Most Bay Area taqueria’s are pretty good. If you want good Mexican food, generally stick with the small places and taqueria’s. Elena Maria’s near Santa Clara is good, but the atmosphere doesn’t earn it «sit down restaurant» status in my opinion. Haven’t found a Bay Area sit-​down mexican restaurant yet that offers restaurant atmosphere coupled with good food.

So maybe I lucked into their best buffet of the year (Mother’s Day) but seriously no complaints! A wide variety of Mexican foods of damn near every sort. I mean variety in a big way, all well prepared. $ 25 pre fix. Add a drink and I got out with tip for &40. Service was a bit slow but given the crowd understandable. Worth the visit.

Haven’t been to El Torito in a long while since they closed the one in my area. I always liked it though especially for the Sunday brunch buffet, so when my uncle suggested we go to the one in his area I was all for it.
We got there, it was Sunday Brunch, so they were not serving from the menu at the time; that was ok with us of course. They were also doing bottomless mimosas. The brunch was about $ 21.00 and change per person for adults.
There was all kinds of food out, fresh fruit, seafood, variety of desserts, omelette bar, bacon, sausage, potatoes, enchiladas, taco bar, BBQ ribs, chilaquilles, eggs Benedict Mexican style on a tostada shell, a kids foods section, oh and corn cake! I love corn cake, there was so much food though, I’m sure you will enjoy it!
The food was really good. We all left really stuffed. At first I thought, I’m probably not gonna eat $ 21.00 worth of food. Then I thought about how hungry I was, I was freaking starving that day! I felt like it was worth it for as much as I ate.

We had a great Anniversary dinner at El Torito in San Leandro on the Bay! We arrived at about 6:30 and they were busy. However we were seated in just a few minutes. Dean was an awesome server! Genuinely kind and very helpful with the menu. The service was great and the Tableside Chicken Fiesta Salad was delicious. The sun setting on the bay was a real treat.
Overall this was a great experience!

So, my friend and I walked into the bar and apparently we were wearing invisible clothes. No one regarding us about how busy they were and that someone will be right with us. Nope, we’ve just been watching the waiters walk by us. It’s been 10 mins now. We’re still gawking like «Hi.»

I remember when El Torito used to be the bomb spot to go to for brunch and endless mimosas. However, after many different occasions my friends and I would notice that they used like a ⁸⁰⁄₂₀ ratio of OJ and champagne. The first 2 mimosas were perfect but after that it seems like it’s just OJ. I also found myself just getting tacos from brunch because the other food wasn’t too good or didn’t look appetizing. Because of that I stopped coming here for awhile. I’ve noticed that they’ve been doing margarita promotions ($ 3 margaritas) and that is what has drawn me back in (and they’re strong too!).
Their food= eh. $ 3 margaritas= YAS.
*Come around sunset for an amazing view of the marina, the sky, and the planes leaving OAK!

Normally when I go the food is delicious and the drinks are great. I went this afternoon and the food was disgusting. My tamale barely had any chicken, my enchilada had chunks of soggy, fat, chicken skin, and the rice tasted like it was from a box. I’m assuming there are different chefs in the evening because I’ve never had these issues before.

It’s been ages since dining at El Toritos but i do know they have a good brunch and yummy Mexican ceaser salad (cilantro dressing with pepitas and cotija) which i remember from years ago.
Review for bar service and food on a Friday night. Place was hopping around 8 pm. and it seemed they were short-​staffed as there was a wait for being acknowledged, ordering, etc. I’m not knocking the server as he did his best… sadly i don’t remember his name but he was calm and attended to tables with large groups and friendly.
We ordered the sampler appetizer and mexican ceaser… salad was a gloppy mess and not what i remember the salad to be as it had mostly the dark greens of the romaine and the appetizer platter was ok… it had about 1 taquito split in ½, quesadillas, wings which was just ok… nothing wowed but was hungry and devoured it.
I’ll have to try again and eat in the dining area as i remember this place used to be really good.

I feel so incredibly conflicted writing this. I want to give El Torito 5 stars because I love them! I love their Mexican Caesar Salad, I love their little corn cake thingamajigs, I love most of their friendly staff and the superb view from their outdoor seats or big bay windows that illuminate the bar space. When a Warriors game is on («Warrrrrrrrrriors, come out and plaaaaaaaaay!») me and the ladies love to march into the huge bar area and grab a booth to stare up at the TV, order a few mojitos and get jiggy wit’ it.
But on New Year’s Eve something pretty insane happened that is gonna force me to give the El T a measly single star, something I never imagined I’d have to do. Our server, Diana J., altered the tip amount to give herself a $ 9 tip increase. She seriously illegally forged an amount and apparently thought she’d get away with it. My friend who had footed the bill checked his online bank account statement later that evening and noticed what he assumed was a totally innocent error, so he called and asked to speak with the manager. The manager reviewed the transaction report and said she’d issue a refund but obviously my friend and I were pretty astounded slash I haven’t even met a font that bold. So avoid Diana J. like the plague but feel free to fall face first in some corn cake!

Can’t believe this place is still operating. I recall visiting around 20 years ago for the view. Nothing has changed. which is sad as the place could stand for some modernization.
Food is Amercianized Mexican food… decent chips and salsa, standards of tacos, enchiladas, chile relleno, and their great corn muffin. etc… Surprisingly, no Horchata. I asked an employee and they said not served here. The person was funny and nice .said this is not a Mexican restaurant but an American Mexican restaurant… ha ha. Gotta laugh at the honesty.
Decent views, good service (warm chips and salsa refill without asking), margaritas… what more can you ask for from a chain restaurant.

I told my mom I would give this place 3 stars, and she was flabbergasted. She gives it a solid 5. (But she ain’t the Unilocal Elite here, is she?)
Anyways, moving on.
El Torito sits on a gorgeous part of the San Leandro Marina. You can sit right next to the water with a panoramic view of the East Bay. Solid points for the beautiful location.
It’s a large restaurant, and it gets pretty busy with a lot of families that are satisfying their Mexican food cravings. With that being said, it’s understandable that service is a little bit slower… But it took way too long for a server to even give us our waters. After waiting about 20 minutes, I finally waved down a waitress and said we were ready for our order. She was really nice about it, but you could tell she was overwhelmed.
I went with the Grilled Chicken Torta ($ 11), which is one of my favorite Mexican dishes. I knew the moment I read in the menu that it came with garlic fries that this wasn’t going to be an authentic torta – which I was totally okay with.
We got our food pretty quickly, and I didn’t hate the torta… but I didn’t love it either. I definitely should have opted for a burrito or taco instead. The garlic fries were on point, though!
I had one of my mom’s cheese quesadillas that she was scarfing down. It was honestly too bland for my taste, even with the add-​ons like guacamole and sour cream.
In a city like San Leandro, there are many other authentic Mexican joints to choose from. I’d say you’re better off choosing one of those places over El Torito.

We had a party of nearly 30 people. We only had one person taking our orders. We had to ask for drinks and silverware multiple times. We had to flag down the server any chance we could get. About 3 bus boys came out with our food.
I felt really bad for the server. He was overwhelmed. The manager was standing around, he had no clue how much our server were struggling. We made a reservation so I’m not sure why we only had one server. Poor guy. Some of our orders came out wrong but we had waited so long to order and get our food, I just ate what was in front of me.
The staff was very friendly, they were as attentive as they could be, given the situation. Except the bar… I stood there staring at the bartender while she continued making drinks for the tickets. I had to say excuse me twice, I was never acknowledged which is a huge pet peeve. Even if you’re busy, just simply say «I’ll be right with you.» There were a bunch of us standing around ready to spend money.
The food was good. I like the menu choices.
To the managers, why are you short staffed on a Saturday night? Hire more people. Pay attention to your customers needs.

I have been here several times over the years since I was a kid. Several times, but only for the Sunday brunch. Anything from the menu on a regular day is not worth it. For the most part, this place is primarily known for their nice bar and lovely bay view. For me, it is known for white-​washed Mexican food that is severely over-​priced.
I hadn’t been in a very long time, but it was a family member’s birthday choice recently. I ordered the chicken tostada salad and asked that I get their signature cilantro caesar dressing on the side. The salad was nice. It was fresh with a nicely grilled chicken breast. There were also some sunflower seeds in there, but nothing special. Especially nothing special for $ 12 something! It was a bit of a pain that it was happy hour, but only at the bar, especially since I was stuck against the wall of the birthday party. It was also unpleasant that we had to wait ages for our drink, ages for our food, and ages for anything we asked for. I don’t blame the waitress, but the lack of management or staff to take care of us.
To sum up, okay for bar and sports events, and the Sunday brunch. Besides that I will definitely be going elsewhere for my Mexican food fix.

I have not been to an El Torito since college days at SF State. And that was a hundred years ago. I was truly not expecting too much so I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised.
I ordered the 3 street tacos dish — and asked for 2 mahi mahi and 1 shrimp. I’ve got to say that they were all very flavorful! Really! And that corn scoop thing that’s in the middle that’s sort of sweet… what the heck is that anyway… that stuff is delicious! Again, haven’t had it since the last time I was at El Torito (I think the Daly City one was the favorite locale for the SF State crowd, if my memory serves correctly).
The service was very good — especially since it was a party of 15 at lunch time. I’d say yes to coming again if someone requested it!

You can never really go wrong with Taco Tuesdays. $ 1.50 tacos in the bar and if you go early enough, you can even partake in Happy Hour (5−7pm), which includes $ 1.50 house margaritas. I wouldn’t say that the food is particularly great, but what would you expect for $ 1.50? You do get the option of chicken, pork and steak tacos, with freshly pressed tortillas, and a variety of salsa, onions/​cilantro, lettuce and cheese to dress it with.
It would be nice if there were an outdoor patio to compliment the waterfront setting, but you can always enjoy the outdoors before or after your meal, as there’s a nice walking path.
There’s a huge parking lot, so you definitely don’t have to worry about parking.